UK Jazz News

inEvitable extended

Opening act of Sparks&Visions Festival 2025, Regensburg

inEvitable Extended. L-R: Robert Lucaciu, Evi Filippou, Zuza Jasinska, Keisuke Matsuno, Andi Haberl, Julius Gawlik . Photo Peter Hundert/ Sparks& Visions

The friend in the next seat told me I’d been laughing uncontrollably throughout this performance, the opening set of eight in this years Sparks&Visions Festival. Last year, at this great new festival, a duo performance by vibraphonist Evi Filippou and bassist Robert Lucaciu had been a real highlight, so this year the festival director Anastastia Wolkenstein invited them to premiere a brand-new sextet just bursting with talent, musicality, youthful energy, and above all joy, to set the festival in motion.

The photograph above by official photographer Peter Hundert captures the sheer exuberance of this young group after their performance, against the backdrop of Theater Regensburg. The festival venue is a horseshoe-shaped opera house with a spectacular feel to it (“tolles Theater, tolles Team – great theatre, great team – said Festival Director Wolkenstein in her welcoming speech).

As a musician Filippou brings an astonishing lightness of touch to her work, and that encouraging and enabling impulse is what powers the band. She does rapid-fire Swingle-singer-ish duetting with vocalist Zuza Jasinska, or switches to drumkit to provide a barnstorming duelling drum vibe with Andi Haberl. It’s experimental but it’s fun, it speaks of camaraderie but also compositional flair. There is also gentleness, pathos, weirdness and everything in between. So good….

The other two sextet members are names to be aware of. I had picked up a musician buzz about clarinet/tenor sax Julius Gawlik (b.1997 but looking younger) who already has a post in the NDR Bigband. He is just spectacular. He makes an instant impression whether doing Buddy de Franco-ish clarinet fingerbusting, or channeling a Tony Malaby vibe on tenor with the imagination and innate sense of pacing of Mark Turner. Unbelievable. And what I briefly heard of the playing of guitarist Keisuke Matsuno marked him out as another absolutely spectacular player and I want and need to hear more of. Marc Ducret…Eivind Aarset…here’s another individual voice with unbelievable sonic, spatial awareness. Wow.

How wonderful to hear a band without a weak link communicating such joy.

This international festival, now in its third edition has what Thomas Mann called “Das Geschenk eines guten Sterns” (the gift of a good star). The crowd in the theatre last night were loving it – and loudly too! Bavarian Radio has recorded every concert from the start of the first festival. And the Deputy Mayor confirmed from the stage last night that it will definitely be happening in 2026.

Sebastian is in Regensburg as a guest of Sparks&Visions

Share this article:

Advertisements

Post a comment...

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Wednesday Morning Headlines

Receive our weekly email newsletter with Jazz updates from London and beyond.

Wednesday Breakfast Headlines

Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter