On October 25, the atrium of the Austrian Embassy in Washington, DC, was turned into a jazz club
Photo | (c) Franz Hackl & Pete Drungle
Austrian trumpet gem Franz Hackl, who is a fixture of New York’s jazz scene, assembles for this special occasion three fellow Austrian musicians and a piano virtuoso from the US. He was joined on stage by drum-whiz Peter Kronreif, bass phenomenon Stephan Kondert, a.k.a. SK, Dennis Brandner – masterly on the saxophone, and classic as well as jazz pianist Pete Drungle. All musicians are based in NYC and have collaborated on various projects before, but never performed together as a group. Thus we were delighted to host this special night full of rapidly evolving, spontaneous tunes as well as improvised and fresh melodies. It was a night to be remembered!
When: Friday, October 25, 2019 | 7:00 PM
Where: Austrian Cultural Forum Washington/Embassy of Austria 3524 International Court, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Ticket: Free admission, registration obligatory
Parking on International Court is available after 6:30 pm (for the duration of the event) or on 36th Street; access to the Embassy through the park behind the building.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Franz Hackl | Trumpet
Photo | (c) Ozier Muhammad
Franz Hackl is an internationally recognized trumpet soloist for Jazz and contemporary music. For decades, he has been living in New York, where he works on diverse projects and for various studios. Besides that, he realizes commissioned works for music festivals and ensembles. Franz was the founder and is to that day Art Director of the annual Outreach Festival in Schwaz, Tyrol.
Peter Kronreif | Drums
Photo | (c) Peter Kronreif
Peter Kronreif was born and raised in Salzburg, Austria, and studied Jazz at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz. After gaining experience performing with jazz greats in the European scene, he released his first album in 2010, and moved to Brooklyn where he has been working as a drummer with many artists of different genres.
Stephan Kondert | Bass
Austrian bass player and composer Stephan Kondert studied Jazz bass & Composition at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz and at the William Paterson University in New York. He collaborates with many different international musicians and is also bandleader of the big band SK Invitational.
Dennis Brandner | Saxophone
Photo | (c) Evan Shay
Saxophonist Dennis Brandner co-leads a multinational quartet and already has recorded as a sideman on various albums, among them for Barnette Records. His first album as a leader was released in 2018. For the past years he performed internationally, collaborating with different musicians and jazz veterans.
Pete Drungle | Piano
Photo | (c) Pete Drungle
US-musician Pete Drungle is a virtuoso pianist and composer who already played with Ornette Coleman and Yoko Ono. He has composed scores for theater, television, and film. Moreover, his music compositions, performances and sound design have accompanied exhibitions like Art Basel in Miami or the Whitney Biennial.