Jazz ohne Stress Vol. 22

To kick off 2027, Kulturlant presents two wonderful line-ups. Established as a mini-festival comprising two concert halves, the evening thrives on the musical diversity on offer.

Amaré will perform in the first set. This new trio redefines the intersection between Brazilian music, chamber music and contemporary jazz in a unique way. AMARÉ – the debut album by Céline Rudolph, Henrique Gomide and João Luís Nogueira – sketches a bold and poetic vision of what Brazilian jazz might sound like in 2025: intimate, intuitive and in a constant state of flux. Voice, piano and acoustic guitar – three melody-bearing instruments, no drums. “This setting offers us an enormous sense of space – sonically, rhythmically and even structurally,” says Rudolph. “It’s a fascinating line-up, especially because it feels fresh – almost unexplored.” The absence of drums or percussion demands intense attention to one another. “It forces us to listen at the highest level and create groove with the utmost subtlety,” adds Gomide. “And it allows us to rethink the roles of the guitar and the piano.” Brazil is the shared heartbeat of the trio – rhythmically, melodically, spiritually. Yet AMARÉ is neither a nostalgic throwback nor a mere stylistic experiment.

Gomide plays with the crystalline touch of a classically trained pianist who is at home in the vocabularies of Hermeto Pascoal and Egberto Gismonti. Nogueira’s guitar combines groundedness with lightness, drawing lines between Baden Powell and Ralph Towner. And Rudolph’s voice – somewhere between lyricism and improvisation, intimacy and openness – serves as a reminder of why TSF Jazz France calls her a “pearl of European vocal jazz”. As

a multiple ECHO Jazz Award winner, Céline Rudolph was honoured with the German Jazz Prize in 2024 – a further milestone in her international career. Her journey has taken her from Berlin via Paris and São Paulo to New York.

The second set of the evening features a top-class line-up from the Ruhr region. As BRO feat. Johannes Still / Philipp Humburg, drummer Dominic Brosowski brings together outstanding musicians – an organ trio from Essen that embodies the joy of playing. Powerful groove jazz meets energetic improvisation. Drums, guitar and organ form the heart of the band – at times laid-back and relaxed, at times playful and surprising, and at other times powerfully driving forward with rock influences. The music moves between warm Hammond pads, distinctive guitar lines and pulsating drums, which dynamically carry the sound. The three musicians are not only a well-rehearsed ensemble, but also close friends: they have known each other for many years and studied together at the Folkwang University of the Arts. You can hear this familiarity in every note – in spontaneous interactions, bold twists and extended jazzy improvisations.

As a special highlight, the trio has invited Grafschaft-based saxophonist Jonas Röser – who is also the initiator of the ‘Jazz ohne Stress’ concert series – to join them. He brings additional tonal colours and soloistic energy to the trio. Together, they create a lively, immediate band sound: groovy, dynamic and direct.