The fascinating contrast between Christoph Grab’s Shape & Form Ensemble and Kathrine Windfeld’s Sextet at the Bird’s Eye in Basel this week (17-19 February 2026)
This week at the Bird's Eye in Basel, I heard two concerts by Christoph Grab's Shape & Form Ensemble with Lina Allemano (trumpet), Matthieu Mazué (piano), Christian Weber (bass), and Dieter Ulrich (drums), and then I heard one concert by pianist Kathrine Windfeld's sextet with Malthe Kaptajn (trumpet), Hannes Bennich (alto)
Christoph Grab and The Shape & Form Ensemble at the Bird’s Eye in Basel, 17 February 2026
With The Shape & Form Ensemble with Lina Allemano (trumpet), Matthieu Mazué (piano), Christian Weber (bass), and Dieter Ulrich (drums), saxophonist Christoph Grab performed two long suites at the Bird's Eye in Basel tonight, "Suite for Better Times" and "Art is Dangerous". The musicians improvised their way through the history of
The Vertigo Trombone Quartet, Bird’s Eye Jazz Club, 5 February 2026
Two central concerts in my early listening to jazz were by the World Saxophone Quartet at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco in 1984 and 1985. And in 2024, I saw the Austrian saxophone quartet Saxofour at the Tinguely Museum in Basel. Last night, though, I saw the
The Sarah Chaksad Large Ensemble in Basel in 2023, 2024, and 2026
I first saw the Sarah Chaksad Large Ensemble on four straight days at the Bird's Eye in Basel on 12-15 July 2023. As when I have seen other jazz bands on consecutive days, the reward was the band's rich and varied performances, even or perhaps especially of tunes they played
Dancing with Jah Baba and his band at the Bird’s Eye in Basel, 31 October and 1 November 2025
On Friday and Saturday, 31 October and 1 November 2025, the singer and percussionist Jah Baba from Benin performed at the Bird's Eye in Basel with Mclins Thony (saxophone), Dibango Key (keyboards), Bass Preacher (bass), Lala’djo (percussion), and Sam Beat (drums). On Friday, I sat in front, and near
“Let’s wait a little longer”: Ember at the Bird’s Eye in Basel, 25 October 2025
During the second set of the jazz trio Ember's concert at the Bird's Eye in Basel this evening, saxophonist and trumpeter Caleb Wheeler Curtis was about to start a song but said, "Let's wait a little longer." For perhaps eight to ten seconds, Caleb, bassist Noah Garabedian, and drummer Vincent
“Just play something”: Ember at the Bird’s Eye Jazz Club in Basel, 24 October 2025
It was an evening of listening at tonight's concert by Ember at the Bird's Eye in Basel. The members of the band are listening to each other all the time, of course, but when they smile or laugh, the listening audience can actually see how they're listening. Bassist Noah Garabedian
Andrew Shields
AndrewShields
