Rich sonic possibilities afforded by two instruments, and drawn from dense, orchestral textures.
On Thursday, September 8, Deutsches Haus at NYU will present an open-air concert in its courtyard by Lots of Guitars, an ongoing collaborative project involving saxophonist Timo Vollbrecht and guitarist Kenji Herbert.
The Lots of Guitars ensemble, which is usually augmented with an additional guitar and piano, will be paired down to a duo for a special, intimate presentation at the Deutsches Haus HAUS-FEST. Drawing from a broad stylistic palette, their music examines the rich sonic possibilities afforded by the two instruments, from dense, orchestral textures to a refined interplay between the two voices.
Guitarist Kenji Herbert, born to an Austrian father and Japanese mother, has distilled his unique background and diverse influences into a guitar sound characteristically his own. An alumnus of Berklee College of Music (summa cum laude, 2011), he was an inaugural member of its honor program, Berklee Global Jazz Institute, under the artistic direction of Danilo Perez. He is in demand internationally and has toured in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, performing at such venues as the Blue Note (NYC), New Museum (NYC), Bregenzer Festspiel Haus (Austria), and Super Deluxe (Tokyo) a.o. His debut album The Way the Light Falls is scheduled for release on the Inner Circle Music Label in the Fall of 2016.
Timo Vollbrecht is a German saxophonist, currently based in NYC. As a Fulbright scholar, he holds a master's degree in jazz saxophone from New York University, where he studied with Mark Turner, Stefon Harris, and Joe Lovano. Currently, he is working on his PhD in jazz performance and composition. In his active performing career, Timo has toured over 30 countries on all continents and graced the stage of such landmark venues as Blue Note Jazz Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Alice Tully Hall. His album Fly Magic, which combines elements from jazz, post-rock, minimalism, new music, and contemporary sound culture, has been released to critical acclaim.
Deutsches Haus is located at 42 Washington Mews, New York, N.Y. (at University Place). This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 212.998.8660, or email deutsches.haus@nyu.edu.
Deutsches Haus extends a heartfelt thank you to the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, and the German Academic Exchange Service for their suggestion of Kenji Herbert and Timo Vollbrecht.