From the very beginning, the creative and diverse Austrian jazz scene has been a key feature of the Opus Jazz Club programme, thanks to the cooperation between the BMC and the Austrian Cultural Forum in Budapest. It has also become a tradition to celebrate the j(A)zz! series with a three-day festival at the end of the year – 3 × j(A)zz!, which will take place at Opus from 8 to 10 December this year.

The duo of Austrian sitarist Klaus Falschlunger and Italian accordionist Luciano Biondini, on stage on 8 December, look east and west at the same time. Their album Once in a Blue Moon, praised in the renowned Songlines magazine, features elements of jazz, pop and Hindustani traditions, as well as Latin and minimalist elements. The dialogue between the two instruments unfolds with inventive and intriguing twists and turns, but never in a pretentious way.

Two voices, three string instruments and an analogue synthesizer will be heard on 9 december, in the Viennese quartet of June in October. The music is influenced by structures of pop-songs, the dynamic and interaction of chamber music and multi-layered rhythmic patterns. In her compositions and arrangements, bass player and band leader Judith Ferstl uses role reversal to explore new possibilities and sounds.

To round off the 3 × j(A)zz! festival, Shake Stew, now a phenomenon, will arrive at Opus on 10 December with their fifth album. The band's instrumental line-up of two drummers, two bassists and three wind players is an unusual yet essential component of the high-energy sound that their reputation is built on. On Heat, their musical world shines through in all its glory: catchy, seemingly simple melodies gradually escalate into a frenzied orgy of increasingly dense North African rhythms. The line-up is completed by guembri, Moroccan bass and flute, adding even more saturation to their irresistible music.

Venue:
BMC – Opus Jazz Club
1093 Budapest, Mátyás utca 8.

Program:

Thursday, 8 December 2022 8 PM Klaus Falschlunger – Luciano Biondini: Once in a Blue Moon

Friday, 9 December 2022 8 PM June in October

Saturday, 10 December 2022 8 PM Shake Stew

Tickets available at bmc.jegy.hu and on the spot.

Supported by Österreichisches Kulturforum Budapest.