Closer to the jazzman

We have to admit: we've been accused of not being adventurous enough when it comes to jazz, of relying too much on big names. Did it sting? Yes. Was it uncalled for? Maybe not. When you are an experienced concert organiser with 1,300 seats to fill, you know you're unlikely to sell out of tickets if you hire a very good but very unknown musician. It makes sense - business sense. But it also makes very good sense to listen to your customers when they tell you they want more. And you know what? We do too! So we went and launched a brand new series called «Jazz Club».

The idea behind «Jazz Club» is: closer to the stage and a bit farther from the mainstream. The audience get to see (and hear) the performers upclose in the Salle de Musique de Chambre. As for the musicians: There are some familiar faces and names that will definitely ring a bell but no, say, Diana Krall. No revolution but still, baby steps in the right direction, we hope. And surely, no one is going to complain about listening to Vijay Iyer while sitting just a few meters away from him?

There's no way we could turn the Philharmonie into a trendy, underground New York jazz bar where everyone taps their feet against the foot of their table while sipping on bourbon. And others in Luxembourg have made jazz history long before we even existed. *cough* Dudelange *cough* To each its own place and mission. Still, there's enough jazz on this planet to go around and we're more than thrilled to be able to host a few extra good jazz gigs by the Mário Laginha Trio, Michael Wollny & Vincent Peirani, Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith, the Jeff Herr Corporation, the Wolfgang Muthspiel Quintet and the Fred Hersch Trio. Hope you'll enjoy them too!

-- Julie

For more info about the «Jazz Club» series, head over to the Philharmonie's website!