Saturday, October 16, 2021
FOCUS SERBIA

BRANKO BAKO JOVANOVIC – BALKAN GYPSY

Branko Bako Jovanovic, born in Vienna in 1988, is a young, extremely talented musician, who has made a name for himself as one of the most important virtuosos on the tamburica, a 5-string South Slavic guitar mandolin, far beyond the borders of Balkan music. As a 12-year-old boy he showed great interest in playing this lute instrument. His talent rapidly developed into one of the most sought-after soloists in Serbia. With his ensemble he is a welcomed guest at many European festivals as an outstanding representative of Balkan gypsy music. Branko Bako Jovanovic is unique in his virtuoso interpretation of the tamburica and cultivates his own characteristic, distinctive musical style.

Sunday, October 17, 2021
FOCUS SPAIN

With the kind support of

EL AMOR BRUJO – FLAMENCO PURO

with Chonchi Heredia, cante; Munich Guitars / Head Walter Abt; Antonio Heredia, git; Paco Fernandez, dance; Vanesa Montero, dance; Sara Heredia, cante

Chonchi Heredia

Chonchi Heredia is one of the most sought-after voices in the world of flamenco. Her family comes from the Sacromonte in Granada. Her brilliant career began as a young talent in the flamenco tablaos in Albaizyn, Granada. In Madrid, the most famous flamenco artists asked to make sound recordings with her. She accompanied world-famous dancers such as Joaquín Cortés, Juana Amaya or Antonio Canales to the most important dance festivals. Her vocal qualities inspire the most modern ensembles in Spain such as those of Jorge Pardo, Chano Domínguez, Miguel Bosé, Los Rodríguez and Estopa. Last but not least, the outstanding personality of flamenco – Paco de Lucía – brought Chonchi into his ensemble to accompany him as the main singer on his world tours. In the concert, Chonchi Heredia sings the 4 Canciones from Manuel de Fallas El Amor Brujo – Magic Love, which Walter Abt has embedded as fragments in his flamenco composition De Falla Concerto – accompanied by the Munich Guitars with the soloists Walter Abt and Ken Weinzierl at the Guitar.

Chonchi Heredia on Facebook

Antonio Heredia (El Chonico), Paco Fernández, Vanesa Montero and Sara Heredia

The ensemble of the Granada guitarist El Chonico, the dancer Paco Fernández, the dancer Vanesa Montero and Sara Heredia radiates Flamenco Puro. The excellent Spanish guitarist and singer Antonio Heredia, nicknamed “El Chonico”, is one of the most outstanding flamenco players in the world. He comes from the traditional artistic family Heredia, his grandmother was the famous flamenco singer La Faroaona. El Chonico’s style is inextricably linked to his origins: he was born in the famous Flamenco district of “Sacromonte”. His wife is joining him on stage – the singer Sara Heredia, -Chonchi’s sister, one of the currently deepest voices of the Cante Jondo. “Flamenco is a dance performed with the face, the hands and the body”, postulates Paco Fernandez from Madrid, one of the most famous flamenco teachers in Spain and the best interpreter of the very own Iberian art. His counterpart and congenial connection is Vanesa Montero, currently one of the most sought-after dancers in Andalusia. She impresses with her fiery temperament, her high sensitivity and her expressive power. El Chonico and his ensemble will delight flamenco fans on this Spanish evening!

Munich Guitars, direction Walter Abt
Soloists: Walter Abt, Ken Weinzierl (guitar), Peter Cudek (double bass)

The musical language of the trio of two acoustic guitars and double bass is dedicated to the Moorish heritage of Andalusia. Together with his two colleagues Ken Weinzierl (guitar) and Peter Cudek (double bass), Walter Abt presents his own compositions, that pay homage to flamenco in the sound language of Paco de Lucía and Manuel de Fallas. Fragments from Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo are edited into 4 pieces, which Abt has specially prepared for the djangoO festival, that cause a sensation to the rhythm of the fandango, the bulerías and the seguiriyas. The trio performs supported by Chonchi Heredia, who accompanied Maestro Paco de Lucía on his world tours as the lead singer, and the fiery dancers Vanesa Montero and Paco Fernandez – the best of Granada’s flamenco artists. It is no coincidence that this ensemble combines the global worlds of flamenco and those of jazz and classical music. This fusion is one of a kind and proves that flamenco can also reinvent itself again and again outside of Spain.

The newcomer in Abt’s ensemble is the double bass player Peter Cudek. In Bratislava, Slovakia, he received training on the electric bass, switched to the double bass and completed classical studies at the conservatory in his hometown and in Munich. After successful lessons with the world-famous jazz bassist Ron Carter in New York, recordings and concert tours with the elite of European jazz made him internationally known.

Walter Abt Homepage       Peter Cudek Homepage       Las puertas de Garachico on Youtube

Monday, October 18, 2021
FOCUS SPAIN/FRANCE

WORKSHOP FLAMENCO GUITAR
with El Chonico, Granada

WORKSHOP FLAMENCO DANCE
with Vanesa Montero & Paco Fernandez

HOMMAGE A DJANGO – Biréli Lagrène & Joscho Stephan

As the “legitimate successor of Django Reinhardt”, Biréli Lagrène has long since stepped out of the footsteps of the great gypsy hero Reinhardt – among other things because he is more dedicated to jazz, folk and modern styles of music. The list of those who worked with Lagrène, who lives in France, is now long. To name just a few examples: Richard Galliano, Herbie Hancock to Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell to Billy Cobham. Celebrated as a child prodigy and Django reincarnation, Biréli always found his way back to his musical roots after trips to bebop and jazz rock – the gipsy swing. Joscho Stephan also shapes modern gypsy swing with his play. He knows like no other how to stand out from the multitude of current Gypsy Swing adaptations by combining Gypsy Swing with Latin, Classical and Pop in addition to the many interpretations of the well-known classics of the genre. Joscho’s strengths as a creative visionary are evident here. And that inspires young and old concert audiences alike. On Joscho’s album “Guitar Heroes”, the first encounter with the gypsy jazz legend Biréli Lagrène took place. The two will dialogue their different musical accents in a common musical language. One thing is certain: their Gypsy Swing roots won’t be denied.

Biréli Lagrène Homepage   Joscho Stephan Homepage

Tuesday, October 19, 2021
FOCUS GERMANY/SPAIN

WORKSHOP WITH JOSCHO STEPHAN
for active and passive participants

LA CHANA – MY LIFE, A DANCE
The talented flamenco dancer Antonia Santiago `La Chana‘ Amador returns to the stage after thirty years to give one last seated performance. The film documents the life of the dancer on and behind the stage, and explains why she suddenly disappeared from the scene at the peak of her career….

Director: Lucija Stojevic
Spain 2016 · german subtitles · 61 minutes

FOCUS SPAIN
Granada as a model city for successful integration

JAZZ MANOUCHE

Bobby & Lancy Falta and Peter Bockius

Bobby und Lancy Falta

“I feel like a Sinto who plays more modernly than traditionalists expect”, says Bobby Falta, who caused a sensation as solo guitarist with the Schnuckenack-Reinhardt quintet as early as the 1960s. After this era he took the first step towards a different kind of music away from traditional swing. Contrary to the diction “A Sinto has to play like Django”, modern jazz flowed through its 6 strings, inspired by Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel. His son Lancy was practically born with musical talent. At the age of 10 he learned to play the guitar from his father. His high level of playing and his sophisticated technique are also appreciated by the most important European and North American jazz musicians. As early as 1994, father and son were awarded the City of Memmingen’s Culture Prize for their innovative music.

Bobby Falta on Wikipedia   Lancy Falta Homepage

Peter Bockius

Moved from Freiburg to Munich after completing his studies, he quickly gained a reputation as one of the leading bass players in Europe. His colleagues all appreciate him for his terrific walking on the bass, which ticks as precisely as a Swiss clockwork.

Peter Bockius Homepage

Zipflo Reinhardt & Joe Bawelino

Zipflo Reinhardt, whose prominent ancestor Django Reinhardt once brought jazz to Europe, is one of the most modern jazz violinists of his era. With him, on the one hand, the various stylistic elements merge into a new captivating variety and, on the other hand, he presents well-known jazz standards in a new musical guise. He is accompanied by his long-time musical friend Joe Bawelino, who, according to the “Oreos Collection Jazz”, represents the most swinging synthesis of Django heritage and Charlie Christian’s school in the guitarist Manouche tradition.

Zipflo Reinhardt Homepage   Joe Bawelino on Wikipedia

Wednesday, October 20, 2021
FOCUS FRANCE/AUSTRIA

WORKSHOP WITH BOBBY FALTA
for active and passive participants

EXTRACTS FROM: DJANGO – A LIFE FOR MUSIC
In Paris in 1943, the jazz musician Django Reinhardt feels safe. Although he belongs to the Sinti, his swing music is popular with the Nazis. But because he doesn’t want to go on tour in Germany, he has to flee to Switzerland. But this does not go unnoticed for long …
Director: Étienne Comar
France 2017 · 117 min

Discussion about the film content

Diknu Schneeberger Trio

The Diknu Schneeberger Trio is one of the best gypsy jazz bands in the world. The trio from Vienna enchants its listeners in a very special way with three string instruments. Diknu writes most of the compositions himself and thus brings originality to the program. Their varied grooves and fiery as well as sensitive melodies radiate joie de vivre and positive energy – a real listening pleasure! In 2020 there will be two new calibers in Diknus Trio. Julian Wohlmuth, longtime friend of Diknu, cheers the band on with his driving rhythm guitar and at the same time adds joy, enthusiasm and unbelievable freshness to the sounds of the formation with relaxed cheerfulness. The double bass player Martin Heinzle brings the earthy sound to the trio. With virtuosity and a keen sense for the tone, he shines when soloing as well as when accompanying and brings momentum to the band with his fine grooves.

Diknu Schneeberger Homepage

Thursday, October 21, 2021
FOCUS EUROPE

WORKSHOP WITH DIKNU SCHNEEBERGER
for active and passive participants

SYMPOSIUM

Music and culture as an instrument for empowerment, participation and dialogue

PARTICIPANTS IN DISCUSSION:

MdEP Romeo Franz
The Greens / EFA Group in the European Parliament

Alexander Diepold
Madhouse Munich

“What has been practiced as a matter of course in music for centuries, runs into problems in politics. How can we use music and culture as an instrument for inclusion and participation of Sinti and Roma in Europe? A discussion evening on the role of music and culture in the dialogue between minority and majority, as empowerment for young people, as an opportunity for education and as a platform to promote memory work on the one hand and to fight against antigypsyism on the other.”

FINAL CONCERT BY PARTICIPANTS WITH LECTURERS