JIŘÍ STIVÍN & JOE SACHSE (cz/d)
Two giants of the European jazz scene
Each of these two musicians is a legend in their own right: JIŘÍ STIVÍN, who will celebrate his 83rd birthday in November, and HELMUT "JOE" SACHSE, who turned 77 shortly before today's concert. The Czech flutist and saxophonist, with his enormous stylistic range from pre-classical music through jazz to pop and rock, is one of the great musicians of our neighboring country, while the guitarist from Chemnitz is regarded as the "high priest of the electric guitar" and is often referred to as "the German Jimi Hendrix."
For Jiří Stivín, the music genre has never played a role. For him, "the personality of the musician" has always been important. He originally did not even study music, but cinematography at the Prague Film School. After his graduation, he dedicated himself solely to music. Initially, he joined the beat band Sputnici and played saxophone there, but from 1964 onwards, jazz-rock and jazz were primarily on his agenda. Together with pianist Martin Kratochvíl, he founded the fusion band Jazz Q. During the time of the Prague Spring, Stivín took advantage of the new freedoms and went to the Royal Academy of Music in London. Back in the Czech Republic, he later formed the successful duo "System Tandem" together with guitarist Rudolf Dašek. Stivín's discography is incredibly extensive; on his own website, he has listed 130 recordings from all genres. With the Collegium Quodlibet, he focuses, for example, on music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In the jazz realm, he often collaborates with his former comrades and has revived various bands – whether it is S + HQ by Karel Velebný or his own formation Jazz System.
JOE SACHSE is one of the most significant musicians of the free scene in the former GDR. Long before the fall of the wall, he was one of those who carried East German jazz to the world. He performed at numerous festivals across Europe. Helmut Sachse's horizon was also always very broad. He taught himself to play the guitar until he studied jazz at the Weimar University of Music from the mid-70s. He owes the nickname "Joe" to his early idol Jimi Hendrix, whose hit "Hey Joe" he passionately played like no other as a teenager. However, his musical ideal is American jazz musician John Coltrane. Joe Sachse was a member of numerous (free) jazz ensembles in the GDR, in the quartet "Doppelmoppel," he performed solo, in duos with Uwe Kropinski or Nils Wogram, but also with jazz legend Charlie Mariano or rock star Jack Bruce.
The paths of JIŘÍ STIVÍN & JOE SACHSE have crossed many times over their long careers. For three years now, there has also been the "regular" duo of these two giants of the European jazz scene, who have nothing left to prove and perhaps precisely because of this, make music together in a furious play with such ease as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Doors open at 7 PM // Please use public transport whenever possible for your visit with us. Thank you!
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
