Graewe / Jones / Drake // ganavya // Globe Unity Orchestra

Vienna-based German piano veteran Georg Graewe makes his long overdue return to Jazzfest Berlin with a relatively new all-star trio with drummer Hamid Drake and bassist Brad Jones. The group’s stunning 2024 debut album captured a galvanic set at Konfrontationen festival in Nickelsdorf, kindling a first-time meeting into a raging inferno. The remarkable Indian-American singer ganavya will project a much different vibe in her Jazzfest Berlin debut. Her recent albums capture her magical blend of jazz harmony, fluid improvisation and South Asian devotional practice, but the warm generosity and emotional precision of her performances can only be experienced live. The evening concludes with a remarkable, multi-generational iteration of pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach’s mighty Globe Unity Orchestra. Tonight’s performance celebrates the ensemble’s 60th year – featuring, for the first time, four-handed piano work by the leader and the great Aki Takase, along with an exceedingly rare appearance by composer George Lewis, on trombone.