Jazz in The Gardens: Hans Koller - Rejoicing Ensemble feat. John O'Gallagher and Byron Wallen

Pianist and composer, Hans Koller premiers at World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens with a brand new jazz orchestra project featuring the utterly unique, explorative, and innovative improvisers John O’Gallagher (alto saxophone) and Byron Wallen (trumpet) as soloists. 

The new, original large-scale composition work debuting on the night is inspired by Koller’s ongoing fascination with symmetry and polyphony, George Russell’s Lydian-Chromatic Concept, O’Gallagher’s 12 tone improv, and the enduring folk music rootedness of jazz sensibility, rhythm, language, and community.

“Simply one of the UK’s most individual voices, both as a composer and pianist” Chris Parker

“Koller solves the perpetual jazz conundrum of making music for the mind and the body […] with an intelligence and vivacity that brings him ever closer to the stature of George Russell, Gil Evans, Mike Gibbs, and that long procession of his famous elders” John Fordham, The Guardian (Jazz Critic)

“Koller is an exuberant talent, his music full of surprises” Ian Carr, Rough Guide to Jazz (4th edition) 

Hans Koller Biography

Pianist and composer Hans Koller (born in Landshut, Germany 1970; resident in London since 1991) has created a substantial body of over 70 original compositions, recorded in sixteen critically acclaimed albums. His works have been performed, interpreted and/or documented in collaboration with many of the leading lights of contemporary jazz such Bill Frisell, and Steve Swallow, with the pioneers of the early Avant-garde such as Steve Lacy, Alexander von Schlippenbach and Evan Parker, and with the genre-defining, ground-breaking composers/improvisers Bob Brookmeyer, Mike Gibbs, and Kenny Wheeler. 

Further Quotes

His début big band album New Memories from 2002 was hailed by John Fordham in The Guardian as “the most expansive, expressive and exciting new jazz orchestral sound to have emerged in this country since the late-lamented Loose Tubes” while his 2011 record with Bill Frisell was named an “instant classic” by John Eyles, giving it five stars. 

His triple vinyl release received five stars in Jazz Journal, as well as from Mike Gates (UK Vibe) who described the recordings as “an incredible achievement [which] have to be rated as one of the most important and musically rewarding releases of 2016.”Matt Miller, writing in New York City Jazz Record, described him as “an artist steeped in tradition but with a distinct voice of his own”, while Dave Gelly, writing in The Observer, went as far as saying that “like his piano playing, Koller’s writing for large ensemble is difficult to describe because it doesn’t sound remotely like anyone else’s.”  Michael Tucker noted that his “approach to the interplay of the historical and the contemporary is as open-minded as it is creative”.   

Line-up

Otto Kampa – conductor 

John O’Gallagher, Lauren Breen, Jacob Wilson, George Mooney, Tom Challenger – reeds 

Byron Wallen, Toby Young, Tom Stringer, Josh Short – trumpets

Dillon Pinder, Christ-Stéphane Boizi, Olivia Hughes – trombones

Hans Koller – piano 

Tom Sheen – double bass

Noah Ojumu, Sacha Harlan – drums 

Support set by Tom Challenger Build a Band

Exclusive Ticket Offer: 

Planning to enjoy multiple Jazz in the Gardens shows this summer? We have multi-event discount bundles, just add them and the discount will be applied at checkout:

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