Birds

Saxophonist Philipp Gerschlauer and keyboardist Georg Vogel elevate their free jazz to new heights by infusing their improvisations with microtonal intervals. Think of heart-breaking blue notes, but taken a step further. Gerschlauer can divide the octave on his alto saxophone into 128 barely distinguishable pitches, and Vogel has developed his own 31-tone keyboard that is capable of producing the same ethereal, shimmering soundscapes as the Fokker organ.

With Birds, this duo pays tribute to the legendary saxophonist Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, who 75 years ago experimented with exotic scales that do not fit into the equal temperament system. They perform their own compositions and revive classic standards by Parker and the equally adventurous bebop legend Thelonious Monk in new microtonal arrangements.

After the concert: lecture-performance Miꓘrojazz (12.30 pm / free admission)
Following the concert, Gerschlauer will give a 45-60-minute lecture-performance on the use of microtones in bebop, which is also the subject of his PhD thesis. Bebop (or Bop) is a jazz style developed in the early 1940s. It is characterised by high tempo, rapid chord changes and numerous key changes with plenty of room for free melodic improvisation and expressiveness. Gerschlauer explains how microtones can enrich the bebop style of improvisation in jazz even more. Together with Georg Vogel, he provides musical examples that support his research findings.