Kathrin Pechlof – harp
Christian Weidner – alto sax
Robert Landfermann – double bass
The Kathrin Pechlof Trio is one of the most extraordinary ensembles in European improvisational music. Since 2011, harpist Kathrin Pechlof, alto saxophonist Christian Weidner and double bassist Robert Landfermann have formed this unusual, highly acclaimed formation – three musicians who have developed a collective language over more than a decade, supported by blind trust, great sensitivity and deep musical understanding.
Kathrin Pechlof is considered a pioneer of an unmistakable sound language on her instrument. In 2023, she was awarded the prestigious SWR Jazz Prize, one of the most important honors in the German jazz scene. Christian Weidner, a fixture of Berlin jazz for decades, has been honored with the Berlin Jazz Prize, among others, and can be heard on numerous award-winning productions. Robert Landfermann is one of the most sought-after double bass players in Europe; he has received the German Jazz Prize and the WDR Jazz Prize several times and has made his mark on the scene far beyond Germany with his versatile playing.
What these three musicians have in common is far more than the sum of their individual virtuosity. Traditional role models dissolve: Each is simultaneously soloist, accompanist, source of inspiration and trailblazer. The trio becomes a meta-instrument – a breathing, reacting unit.
The music moves at the interface of improvised music, contemporary jazz and post-genre-oriented creative music. Influences of impressionism and classical modernism are combined with methods of free improvisation and contrapuntal composition. The boundaries between the written and the performed are deliberately permeable; compositions serve as maps, not as timetables.
Space is a central element. Sounds emerge, reverberate, unfold and transform as we listen. From this openness, even the smallest gestures gain weight – a single note, a breath, a subtle movement in the sound can trigger far-reaching resonances. The musicians react to each other with the utmost attention and intimacy; motifs, dynamics and impulses set continuous interactions in motion. This creates a multi-layered sound space in which intimacy and expansiveness, silence and intensity interpenetrate in a special way.
