Benjamin Schaefer: rhizome

In Benjamin Schaefer’s concert series »rhizome«, jazz and traditional Korean music merge into an experimental soundscape. At its core are Gugak – classical Korean music – and Samulnori, a modern drumming art. With rare instruments like the bamboo flute Daegeum, whose warm, flowing sound evokes natural tones, and the electronic Ondes Martenot, which produces ethereal sounds, unusual live sounds emerge on stage.

The musicians work together in an egalitarian process where improvisation and dialogue take center stage. The audience is actively involved: the creative process of the music is shared transparently, and feedback flows into the further development of the series. The lineup includes Benjamin Schaefer on piano, Hyelim Kim on Daegeum, Friedrich Paravicini on cello and Ondes Martenot, Bo-Sung Kim on percussion, and Sun-Mi Hong on drums.

»rhizome« builds on Schaefer’s earlier series »open.fundus«, in which musical traditions from around the world were already explored in exchange with jazz. This connecting approach is now continued – with the aim of creating new musical relationships.