The Diary of a musician, who attended the Enjoy Jazz Festival 2020
Katherine Zyabluk
author, musician
1. Pure Distraction Called ‘Freedom’
There was a day in the middle of August when I received a mail from one of the organisers of the Enjoy Jazz Festival. It was a moment I had rehearsal, so I could not ponder the content or anything that was not connected with finding approaches to play my new accordion at least audibly. Just a messy reading, only after a dozen of hours full of fussy managing of things I reminded that something large awaited me.
Well, the conversation with the festival has started, where I tried to be calm and polite during making significant plans about me as a musician. It was easy, but there was only one tiny thing that stuck stubbornly in my head: “Couldn’t they be mistaken?”. Probably, plenty of people had silly questions after a temporary exit from the inhibitory pandemic bubble to the real life. The situation was still unstable and every ardour of making concrete plans could make you laugh it off. Moreover, the body has gotten used to sluggish travels from bed to kitchen and cabinet, to the situation, when you even didn’t think about your purpose of “travelling” this way or that, because you did the same everywhere. For me, it was a constant imagining of sound which I would give out of my instruments when that painful burden would leave the world.
Right from the beginning (namely since March), I didn’t take it so much as a violent lunge, since my reticent temper always assumed to be outcast and have a really small amount of confidants. So, I just could do everything I had been doing before, but much intensively — carving skills and opening mind to undiscovered. By the way, that was also the reason of creating my solo album titled Borders Make You Grow, which would appear in 20 years as I naively supposed. Myra Melford, Brad Mehldau, Don Pullen, Craig Taborn, Fred Hersch, Gonzalo Rubalcaba — they were my aides during the search of self-dignity and courage to stay alone in front of the piano. It became a huge part of my quotidian environment.
In Hamlet William Shakespeare wrote the line that hooked me: “If it be not now, yet it will come – the readiness is all.”.
It came in my mind a few weeks after total lockdown announcement and kind of prepared me to handle unusual movements before the Enjoy Jazz Festival.
What I tried to do first was making my technical rider and the press kit more sophisticated than it should be. Plenty minutes of wondering if I looked professional enough in terms of arranging my needs and proposals. I was too aware of which musicians were invited there and I had that funny combination of excitement and fear, which made me like a little girl immediately. One day I decided to let it go because arranging my flights became quite a more serious issue by the fact of new COVID-19 restrictions on borders. After a row of cancellations and impediments, I couldn’t trust cheap flights anymore. I allowed the business class to come into play because of their stability and a guarantee that they would make a refund or fix any trouble by themselves. Everything was in the sake of the clear mind and creative steadfastness, as well as talking with festival curators, which made me relaxed every time I received the answers from them.
The plan has been agreed and I was fully equipped by schedules and a bunch of documents in case someone stops me at the border. At the same moment protests against the government in the whole Poland were expanding and people were becoming furious and it wasn’t a surprise that my mind found it pretty au fait in the terms of the level of anxiety (remeniscing Maidan in 2014, which was extremely tough, there was no desire to be engaged in it so much anymore — at least until my journey would be accomplished). I was observing sources of flow in case of being disappointed and my list of treats was almost the same as the list of aides, adding the book ‘Just Kids’ by Patti Smith, my loyal blue notebook to write down momentum insights, headphones, a few litres of coffee for the next six days and a plate of the dark chocolate. Whole-life salvation. I was ready to meet the future.
I met Germany for the first time in my life in the guise of Frankfurt, and it was like facing the acquaintance in unexpected place. Beautiful skyscrapers, cosy and shabby Asian shops, soaring languages full of hidden stories, unruly air smells and people’s demeanours. Though, a lot of things that weren’t surprising, so there was a space to find the real soul of the city and I went by feel through the river Main and continued to count skyscrapers. I swear — The Behemoth by Phronesis, Julian Arguelles & Frankfurt Radio Big Band became my musical background for a while completely unconsciously. Sometimes magic could hardly be recognised.
2. Acknowledgment
Still, it wasn’t my final destination. I’m still on my road to the Enjoy Jazz Festival, which took place in the closely-knit triumvirate of Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg, on the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Area on the South from Frankfurt. It has been held there since 1999 from the Rainer Kern’s initiative and even these weird intimidating days could not interrupt successful steering of local jazz life in its natural way, though until November.
There is really a lot to be enjoyed from. First of all, you would never get stressed about the lack of time — you have six weeks in October and November to embrace each concert, which are scattered across 29 venues in these three cities.
Another thing which excites is a balanced combination of jazz greats with unique young talents. As a “young talent” I have to say, that the fact of performing in neighbourhood with your idols makes you pleasantly stirred up. This year there were Brad Mehldau, Sona Jobarteh, Nick Bartsch, Florian Weber and a lot of prominent musicians, which were not known for me, but appeared as incredible treasures in front of me. Unfortunately, a lot of concert have been cancelled for locking everything down (Americans suffered a lot in this case), so I couldn’t hear Craig Taborn nor Jaimie Branch or Scofield/Holland duo. The only hope that it would be possible to postpone to December. Anyway, it’s hard to overestimate how powerful this music is.
Daniel Erdmann and Aki Takase Duo. Photo by Holger Wieneke
The first place I went to after arriving was the dasHaus Ludwigshafen and the first thing I heard was the voice introducing the Daniel Erdmann (sax) & Aki Takase (piano) duo. I heard Erdmann once at the Jazztopad Festival in Wroclaw a year ago — he played a set with the violinist Vincent Courtois and another saxophonist Robin Fincker. They introduced pure tunes from Courtois’ recent release Love of Life, then they showed their adherence to free approaches of playing during significant home sessions. That was exactly the prevailing attribute of that night’s music, which combined cracking technical patterns with airy escape from the forms. I couldn’t figure out the verbal part, which might give a lot to my concept understanding, because German is still a language of hidden stories for me.
Next day was no less related to familiar things. It is only 20 kilometres to fairy Heidelberg and two minutes to the railway station, which sounded pretty attractive. It is the city of fiery leaves and rounded bridges, and everything became rounded in some way, like when you would been living here all your life. Local dwellers do not get bored of meeting friends, neighbours and colleagues at the same sacred places, as the “Hornhen” cafe or meeting spots around the main square, where you have the best view on old Heidelberg’s castle. So, there was a continuation of “meeting acquaintances in unexpected places”, and the recent Keith Jarrett’s recording Live in Budapest, which was accompanying me during walking, was like one of them.
I planned to hang out with my friend — a journalist and careful observer Henning Bolte, who had an exhibition of his “versicoloured reviews” titled Spuren Zu Hören. It is recommended to read his articles on All About Jazz to understand how deeply he goes into the music he heard, the music he discovered travelling from one festival to another for million times, the musicians he met on his way. Also, it was curious that he has been making drawings for last five years everywhere as well as writing down reflections by letters. I really found some of his visions of performances gorgeous, such as Ambrose Akinmusire’s, Tania Giannouli’s, Matana Robert’s, Julian Lage’s and a bunch of sketches for Japanese artists.
“Henning, what is the weirdest concert you’ve ever been to?”, — I asked during the rapturous retelling of every drawing’s story. He showed me the one with cut edges, covered by mustard yellow with dark stripes and freckles on it. The clipped parts were roughly glued near the centre of this dishevelled “review”. He was telling his horrible impressions with a wistful Song VIII by Lukasz Ojdana in a background, which was gently reaching us from the speakers, carrying melancholy to our ears like on tiptoes. Could it be an aching longing for shining moments we shared? Should we talk about our memories like it has been murdered by the epidemic? Where would it all lead? Such a young questions. We both have a secret compartment where we could hide these painful thoughts away, thanks to Henning’s predominating source of energy, something that comes only from genetics — or from the invincible faith in life. It makes him wander happily, it makes me happy while wandering. It’s contagious.
Another important thing I heard from him was: “Maybe, now is the time to change it”, talking about my ideas which are mostly unaccepted by others. It worked as the Shakespeare’s quote for me and it is the universe I have to explore.
3. A Day of Pluto
Performance day. Fortunately, it was the highest moment of freedom without distraction — I could come to dasHaus and do everything I wanted alone with Steinway & Son’s grand piano. I was grateful to the doubtful me, who ultimately decided to let everything go with the steam and complicate nothing wishing to sort out my self-management flaws. I was relaxed, safe and free to play wrong things.
Did Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden felt safe playing and recording Long Ago And Far Away inside of the church in Mannheim? Or enlighten? Did Ornette Coleman think about chemistry creating his Sound Grammar at BASF-Feierabendhaus in Ludwigshafen? Would I still be calm? A little girl inside me started transmitting young requests and a bigger me left it for the music to answer.
I never train technique peculiarly before performances, but look for new forms and chord shapes, which would be indicators when I decide to play “technically” or “softly”. Even so, the main benefit it gives is being able to pull up any shape onto a canvas and be happy of what it reminds me. That’s not a plagiary, just a gradual erasing of a line between what I play and what I live. Nobody can tell you how to erase it entirely. I know that it will last a long while because sweet things are going —issues are perpetual.
The Enjoy Jazz Festival has uncovered a lot of tempting issues. Fe´ by Gonzalo Rubalcaba was my another soundtrack of lazy researching and checking spaces around. Sudden clusters and warm splatters were the main facilities, but you still could hear allusions of sonero and danzon, which seemed like the same pleasant reminders.
After facetious words’ exchange with the piano tuner, I became a little bit savvier and more confident in knowing technical nuances on Steinway’s instruments, moreover, he assured me that there were no epidemics after he would become a king of Germany (preferably of the whole Europe), and it was calming. And we dealt.
Katherine Zyabluk solo on Enjoy Jazz Festival 2020. Photo by Holger Wieneke
The performance was intense. Comparing it with my previous stressful performances, I had space for something deeper, since there was no place for the anxiety anymore. All people I met during the festival took care of it thoroughly. Additionally, I was introduced pretty dramatically, in unknown German language, behind the heavy curtain, where I sat and stared into the holes between keys.
Having such a strong basis, I dared to show almost everything I have ever found. I still thought about myself in terms of looking for things that made me happy, and it easily transmitted into a sound, euphonious and punchy sound, which was always hard to find. I improvised remembering my very first flight on the plane when my gut was full of dragging expectance before getting off the ground. Thought about every moment when I was abused and where I was able to overcome it, every moment when I was happy with me alone, every moment I clearly found out my needs, every moment which showed that everything is temporary and moments of realising, that we have everything in our memory. Memory can heal us as well as kill, but it is still important. What would Wayne Shorter say?.. Anyway, no matter.
4. Momentum
I love the way I could lose in Henning’s witty epithets. That time there were not only words but also free forms of colours on his drawings. Despite the lack of light during my concert, he had to pick appropriate tones by touch and joyfully discovered later, that he has done a solid series of sketches with unique combinations. I liked these ones most of all actually, because I knew, that it certainly what I wanted to tell. I asked to use one as a cover of my future live album, and the most valuable thing was his sunny smile under the mask, which meant that he agreed.
Together with Christina Nan, a wonderful art activist from Romania, we packed Henning’s exhibition before his way home. He thanked me for patience, but it was a pleasure, reminded me a fragment of the Creator’s life, which I could observe, the time didn’t matter at all. Creator always has a bigger plan. “Katherine, people like us should unite. But we shouldn’t create any organisations, because people like us hate organisations”, — seemed like a briefing for the world’s greatest minds to communicate.
I discovered a lot of incredible people at my first day after the performance, there were still people connected with the festival. It is important to notice, because my life has unalterably changed its direction.
This night was the concert before the last one at the festival. It took place at the Christuskirche in Mannheim — the church, where Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden have recorded an album. There was a duo again — Vincent Peirani (accordion) and Emile Parisien (soprano saxophone). Well, I didn’t expect that it was possible to play the accordion in such easy and turbulent way. Of course, they added Astor Piazzolla’s tunes to the program because of the most appropriate instruments for it, but the music language they chose to speak was still atypical and mesmerising. They often switched the roles, then Parisien became the rhythm and Peirani was the melody. They had their versatility in every movement and sound — hidden smiles, noisy stomps and sophisticated melodies, that everyone would love.
The one I loved the most was a dedication to Vincent’s wife and it was titled “Noushka”. Such a tasty title, with a bit of Eastern mood, but the form was still in the best tradition of Southern Europe, which share warm harmonies even if the melody is full of melancholy. The way they communicated with the audience was sweet and funny — you could not expect their further speech, as well as the length of their next tune for the encore. Such a fresh and enlightening experience we had, it was too shiny to be related to that day’s holiday of Halloween.
A fog covered the city, and the hoods of cars cut it like huge arrows. One “arrow” I met was doused by bloody paint with roughly inscribed “HELP”. It seemed like somebody was upset by the fact he could not drink in bars after 11 PM anymore.
5. Bonustrack
What will always be a childish surprise for me is that seeming similarity of the German language to those I have already known (in case I learn German it would not be such magic for me anymore). Every time I heard it I was pleasantly shuddering and trying to find the end of a rope, but every time I left with an unsolved riddle.
What will always be a cosy way of being for me is that the German approach of cherishing a person’s moment. Probably, it is rather a sporadic facility, and it could be only generalised through a certain group, but it is doesn’t downplay the fact. People I met there just love what they do submissively, and don’t hesitate in front of risky and tempting life’s offers. Their courage and open-mindfulness made me feel free from self-complaints.
What I will always appreciate is all the new, which supposed to be a renaissance. Answering the doors is fine, especially when you are aware of how fleeting they are. When you accept the impossible challenge, the resolution will definitely come later as soon as you forget about gnawing yourself and just do your job. The last two things I’ve learned from Rainer Kern, who has already have resolutions for everything.
My heart is warmed when I think about what I heard, experienced and shared with others — and I know it is the right way.
Very special thanks to Reiner Kern, Henning Bolte, Jaqueline Mellein, Christian Weiss, Dennis Borlein, Kristina and Simon Nan.