We are very happy to announce the release of our first CD: Best of 1st International Jazz Solo Piano Festival 2009.

Liner Notes by Howard Mandel, president of the Jazz Journalists Association and senior contributor DOWNBEAT Magazine:
“Mathias Claus, Bob Albanese and Ayako Shirasaki are devoted, virtuosic, daring and expressive pianists, who together assured that personal, spontaneous interpretation of classic repertoire was the focus of the 1st International Jazz Solo Piano Festival. …”

“Best of 1st International Jazz Solo Piano Festival 2009 institutes a high standard for international solo jazz piano”

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The 1st International Jazz Solo Piano Festival began in Munich with a warm-up concert for the three pianists. The Steinway-Haus Hamburg reported already sold out and the final at the Konzerthaus Berlin was attended by 250 piano enthusiasts. A great evening with international flair, many foreign diplomats were in the house. A lot of enthusiasm was generated and the jazz piano lovers showed their appreciation in a very dedicated way.

Bob Albanese, photographer Patrick Wamsganz

Ayako Shirasaki, photographer Patrick Wamsganz

Mathias Claus, photographer Patrick Wamsganz

Of course, many thanks to our cooperation partners, Steinway-Haus München, Steinway-Haus Hamburg, Steinway-Haus Berlin, Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion GmbH, Jazzthetik and Kulturkaufhaus Dussmann, but also to our visitors. Thank you for helping with your attendance to make a vision come true.

We are looking forward to see you again next year.
Yours Jan Matthies

We appreciate the great participation in our raffle, where the visitors of the festival could win a best-of CD of the concert on the 28th March 2009 in the Konzerthaus Berlin. We received the master CD and hurry to have it produced. Would you like to be kept up to date? Subscribe to our newsletter by clicking on the “newsletter” button top right of this page and follow the further steps; now on to the winners …

CD’s were won by:

München 26.03.
1. Stefan H. from 85579 Neubiberg
2. Gabriela K. from 81243 München
3. Heinz K. from 80686 München

Hamburg 27.03.
1. Paul M. R. from 21493 Schwarzenbek
2. E. M. from 22941 Jersbek
3. Beata S. from 20255 Hamburg

Berlin 28.03.
1. Wolf D. O. from 81241 München
2. Leo S. from 14169 Berlin
3. Regina L. from 13465 Berlin

The winners were notified by e-mail. Congratulations, yours Jan Matthies

P.S.: some comments from the raffle forms:
“Unbelievable performance! Thanks so much to the three artists.”
“Bravo to the pianists and to the fantastic sound of the Steinway grand piano.”
“The lovely atmosphere alone is worth the visit.”
“Three totally different personalities -> high class.”

Participants:   One Steinway & Sons concert grand Three pianists Ayako Shirasaki (JP) Bob Albanese (USA) Mathias Claus (D)

The virtuosic performing jazz solo pianist can be sure to get the full attention and admiration of the audience, if he as “One-Man-Orchestra”, because of his perfect mastery of the instrument and his improvisational skills, is able to feature the entire sonority of the 88 keys. In the case of success, Jazz Piano is not inferior to the classical piano and free to share the major concert stages.

Experience three experts of this genre on one evening.

Three different swing bound jazz styles and approaches of pianists from three different continents are promising an entertaining evening on the highest level.

In addition to originals of the pianists you will be hearing standards like “Someday My Prince Will Come” or Monks “Ugly Beauty”, without having to abdicate the fundamental element of jazz: improvisation!

Enjoy the three pianists on Steinway & Sons concert grands as benchmark of uncompromising standard.

We would be pleased to welcome you!

PROGRAM

• hard swinging bebop language with a sophisticated harmonic elegance
• e.g. Some Day My Prince Will Come, Far Away (original)

ARTISTIC PROFILE

Recognized in her native Japan as a jazz prodigy (in the 5th grade she was already transcribing Bud Powell solos), Ayako Shirasaki while yet a pre-teen won many prizes including the Grand Prize at the Asakusa Jazz Competition. Her professional career began at the tender age of twelve when she began regular appearances at the “J” jazz club in Tokyo. Her extraordinary talent was soon recognized, and she was featured in Swing Journal. Ayako, now living in New York, is fast making a name for herself as one of the most exciting and inventive pianists on the New York jazz scene. She has been heard at the Blue Note, The Kitano, Birdland, Cobi’s Place, Dizzy’s Jazz Club etc. Her unique style and strong rhythmic sense have made her much in demand. Lastly her long awaited Solo Piano CD “Home Alone” has been released in 2006. After giving birth to her second child she is now resuming her career with participating in the International Jazz Solo Piano Festival.

• Finalist of the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Piano Competition 2005 and 2006
• Finalist of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition 2004, 2005 and 2006
• Appearance on the Marian McPartland NPR PIANO JAZZ Radio Show

“Ayako is an extremely gifted musician. She is blessed with great technique, a fertile and creative imagination, a firm understanding of the jazz tradition and a real love for the music. I recommend Ayako without reservation.”
  –   Kenny Barron, Pianist

• Solo Jazz Piano freely improvised with standards and originals “sung” through the piano
• Great American Songbook e.g. Ugly Beauty

ARTISTIC PROFILE

While jazz may be difficult to define, improvisation is clearly one of its key elements. And you will get plenty of it by listening to this pianists playing. As he states himself: “The most consistent aspect of my approach to music is improvisation. I mostly enjoy, sitting down and stirring the canon as it comes to me in the moment”. He likes to explore aspects of Latin, albeit Afro Cuban, Brazilian, Cumbia etc. as well as classical influences such as Chopin, Debussy, Ravel, Bartok and Stravinsky.

• B.M. and M.M. at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in Jazz Composition in May 2006 graduating with honors, receiving the William C. Borden award for outstanding achievement in the field of Jazz
• house pianist at the legendary Rainbow Room, playing there for a number of years as alternating Latin and American Jazz pianist

“Bob is a wonderfully creative pianist … He not only has a firm grasp on standards, his compositions are most interesting and he is someone who is not a traditionalist but knows the tradition which is a compliment I do not use very often.”
  –   Michael Abene, Grammy winning Composer, Arranger, Producer and currently the Musical Director of the WDR Big Band of Cologne

“Bob Albanese is a rhymer, a poetic soul whether he is thinking and talking or composing and playing. He has all the requisites–harmonic acumen, melodicism and swing. With all that he has nuance, that certain something that gives him distinction. He’s not radical, or fanatical but artistically he’s never on sabbatical.”
  –   Ira Gitler, jazz historian and journalist, former New York editor of Down Beat magazine. He was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jazz Journalists Association.

PROGRAM

• Solo Jazz Piano between Tradition and Contemporary
• Introducing the PianoDrum
• Jazz Standard Medley - Tribute to Dave McKenna

ARTISTIC PROFILE

The pianist already played the evidence of his distinctive specialization in the field of Solo Piano into the NDR microphones during the 1. Hamburger Jazz Solo Piano Summit on 16th June 2007 while sharing the stage with stars like John Taylor. Ever since he is more than an insider tip in Germany. Contemporary Jazz and Swing are his sources. With this connection Michel Petrucciani already created a modern european variant of the swinging jazz tradition without negating this form. Furthermore he is a pronounced Walking-Bass-Style expert like embossed by Jazz Piano legend Dave McKenna. If you simply want to experience the moment “piano playing” live - with all unrestrained energy of two improvising unleashed hands, you’ll find that moment with Mathias Claus and his intensive and groovy sonority which always includes his very special kind of touch, sound and romance.

• Performance with some of the leading German jazz solo pianists at the 1st Hamburg Jazz Solo Piano Summit on 16th June 2007 for the NDR broadcast Hamburg
• Specializing Jazz Piano at the international renowned Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Education as jazz pianist at Musikhochschule Hamburg, studies with Prof. Dr. Dieter Glawischnig, diploma with excellence in 1989

“By now he more than reached his goal to transfer the intensity of a jazz band into two hands. Virtuosic and with warm tone he transports the swinging jazz language into a contemporary form.”
  –   Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion GmbH

“Mathias Claus is a fine jazz pianist and one of Germany’s topnotch jazz pianists.”
  –   Lee Prosser, USA, www.jazzreview.com

The first concert of the International Jazz Solo Piano Festival 2009 takes place on Thursday, 26.03.2009 at 8 p.m. in the Rubinstein Concert Hall at the Steinway-Haus München.

The second concert of the International Jazz Solo Piano Festival 2009 takes place on Friday, 27.03.2009 at 8 p.m. in the Horowitz Concert Hall at the Steinway-Haus Hamburg.

The final concert of the International Jazz Solo Piano Festival 2009 takes place on Saturday, 28.03.2009 at 8 p.m. in the Small Hall of the Konzerthaus Berlin.