Time 8.00 – 11.00 Tickets – £15 Personnel Ben Van Gelder – sax Ivo Neame – Piano Niklas Lukassen – Upright Bass & Bass Guitar James Maddren – Drums Niklas Lukassen has played at the East Side a few times now . In his own quartet with Emma Rawicz , with Nick Smart and in Rod Oughton’s band . He is from a village in the Black Forest area of Germany . After studying in Berlin he moved to New York and played with many of the great players.there After his return from New York, he is today living between London and Berlin, from where he has established himself as a presence within the young European jazz scene. For this special night at the East Side Jazz Club, Niklas will be concentrating on music from his latest album Still Waters Still Waters surfaces a many-layered artistic voice with a distinctive musical vision. Niklas Lukassen’s highly anticipated band leader debut release on Kurt Rosenwinkel’s Heartcore Records, is a radiant display of his combined talents as a bassist, composer and also a vocalist on one track (Luna). His international quartet with saxophonist Ben van Gelder, pianist Ivo Neame and drummer James Maddren, fuses captivating individualists of the jazz scenes of Amsterdam, London, Paris and Berlin into one symbiotic musical organism. With natural improvisational flow, this unit’s interplay runs like water through sonic river forks into unexpected directions. not afraid of intentional, suspenseful collision, it produces pounding waves of raw energy. Enriched by artistic contributions from guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, vocalist Céline Rudolph, saxophonist Wanja Slavin & trombonist Geoffroy De Masure, they musically explore unimagined depths in supposedly still waters. About Niklas Lukassen: Niklas Lukassen displays an equally astonishing lyrical sensibility and skilful command on the upright bass, the bass guitar and his unique cello. After having lived in New York for several years, he today resides between London and Berlin. Immersed in both scenes and choosing to experiment between the chairs, he continues to establish himself as a significant presence within the young European jazz scene. Moreover, his sound and artistic vision radiate a striking band leader potential. Niklas ventured from an inconspicuous village somewhere in the South German Black Forest out into a life of creative opportunity through his personal musical journey. Aged 16, he moved to Berlin to cut his teeth in the capital’s music scene and to study at the Jazz Institute. A formative part of his career lies in New York, where he also obtained a Masters’s Degree from Manhattan School of Music on a full scholarship under his mentor Ron Carter. Today pursuing his doctoral degree, he practices performance research at the Royal Academy of Music in London, broadening his scope of sounds on a range of String bass instruments. Immersed in contrasting musical worlds, Niklas has accompanied performances with artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Joe Lovano, Mike Stern, Jorge Rossy, Norma Winstone, Oz Noy, Jo Lawry, Will Vinson & The New York Voices. Among the records he played on is the Grammy Award Nominated album Some days are better by the Kenny Wheeler Legacy Project. Niklas expands beyond his position as a bass player and composer through his singing voice. Notably, he sang in the German National Jazz Orchestra. His international quartet with saxophonist Ben van Gelder, pianist Kit Downes and drummer Francesco Ciniglio, fuses captivating individualists of the jazz scenes of Amsterdam, London, Paris and Berlin into one symbiotic musical organism. Enriched by musical contributions from guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, saxophonist Wanja Slavin, vocalist Céline Rudolph & trombonist Geoffroy De Masure, they explore unimagined depths on his Heartcore Records release Still Waters. He is also the creative mind behind the group ECHO, which paints sonic landscapes in a poignant instrumentation. In this format, Niklas embraces his penchant for lyric and songwriting, while staying true to his nature as an improviser. Furthermore, alongside pianist Gwilym Simcock and drummer James Maddren, he ventures on untrodden musical paths in his trio with himself on a unique and novel instrument: the bass cello. Niklas has toured extensively throughout Europe, the UK, North America, Asia and North Africa. Notable stages he performed on include the Lincoln Center, the Beacon Theatre, the John F. Kennedy Center and the Berlin Philharmonie.