Visionary minds of the German and French jazz scene unite forces once again under the artistic direction of Hans Lüdemann. The members of TransEuropeExpress Ensemble draw creative energies from the interplay and fusion of their different dialects to form colourful and multilayered images of European jazz. For their four-part series ‘On The Edges’ on BMC Records, the octet explores the Old Continent’s frontiers to generate energy and tension from contrasting musical elements and cultural backgrounds, as evidenced by their recent album featuring Moroccan musician, composer, and singer Majid Bekkas.

For this premiere at Jazzdor Strasbourg-Budapest, Lüdemann has invited Italian accordionist Luciano Biondini to write the next chapter of ‘On The Edges’. They will first perform as a duo to start a musical dialogue with inventive and intriguing twists and turns. Then, together with the TransEurope Express Ensemble, the musicians deliberately step out of their comfort zone of familiar musical styles to open themselves and the ensemble in new directions. These encounters have the goal of merging the wide scope of different projects into a unified musical “Gesamtkunstwerk” – a total work of art.