In jazz, the number three is more than a mere digit – it forms the smallest unit of democracy, a fragile balance that constantly strives toward dissolution. The trio Theorie des Ensembles consisting of Kika Sprangers, Jörg Brinkmann, and Christian Thomé is an experiment about freedom. It embodies the cross-border paradox of music that knows its boundaries, only to transgress them with relish in the moment of playing.

Christian Thomé on drums researches rhythm like an acoustic alchemist – a mad scientist, as some call him. His playing contains exploratory curiosity; he juggles opposites and creates groove where it is least expected. Kika Sprangers carries the entire history of jazz improvisation within her saxophone playing. As an emerging talent from Amsterdam, she impresses with a maturity that far exceeds her years. Jörg Brinkmann – his cello remains a rarity in jazz, a boundary-crosser between classical music and improvised modernity. He exhausts the diversity of his instrument and creates harmonic overlays that make the trio sound sometimes like chamber music, sometimes like avant-garde.

The concept is open to expansion and friction. The first guest musician is Nguyên Lé, of whom the FAZ wrote: "No one plays guitar the way he does." When these musicians come together, they question cultural boundaries and attempt the balancing act between strict composition and free improvisation. In a world that increasingly fragments into irreconcilable parts, this ensemble proves the opposite: music finds its greatest intensity at the intersection.

Line-up:

Jörg Brinkmann (Cello)

Kika Sprangers (Saxophone)

Christian Thomé (Drums)

Nguyên Lé (Guitar, Guest Musician)