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Jazz im MIM: Edith Steyer BELLS
Event date: 02/26/2026
Location: Musikinstrumenten-Museum, 7 p.m.
Experimental saxophonist Edith Steyer sees her roots in jazz and 20th-century classical modernism.
Edith Steyer BELLS
Edith Steyer – clarinet, alto saxophone, composition
Uli Kempendorf – bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, flute
Gerhard Gschlössl – trombone
Rieko Okuda – piano
Joe Hertenstein – drums
The quintet BELLS is the continuation of the John Carter Project, which was made possible with funding from the Berlin Senate for a research project. The African-American clarinet virtuoso, saxophonist and composer was a contemporary of Ornette Coleman and composed for various ensembles ranging from duos to quartets, quintets and octets.
Edith Steyer:
In BELLS, I move away somewhat from Carter's music and write my own compositions, which are still influenced by his musical language. The largely bass-free formation makes it possible to escape the typical jazz rhythm of swing and either make the rhythm more open (Carter often composed with different tempo markings for his players at the same time), work only with pulse, or have no rhythm at all and give the drums a different function, i.e. to act as a sound generator rather than a rhythm generator. Accordingly, the name “Bells” is intended to evoke associations with sounds, as well as with the conical ends of various woodwind instruments, which are called “bells” in English. In my compositions, I alternate between written parts and conceptual improvisations, introduce extended playing techniques and experiment with tone clock theory, or cells of 12-tone rows.
Start 7 p.m.
Free admission