Nighthawks

Nighthawks - "Paris Dakar"

The title of the new live programme nods to the Paris-Dakar rally, but for Nighthawks, Paris and Dakar are just two more coordinates in their musical universe. The music grazes the African continent - much as the band has previously drawn inspiration from Brazil and the Balkans.

Five musicians move freely between jazz and rock, ears wide open: Nighthawks songs are immediately accessible on the surface while offering real depth underneath. Rather than cerebral detachment, they rely on an all-embracing musicality - with subtly delivered humour woven in. Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass stand for an open-hearted era of jazz, Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango is honoured, and Gerhard Richter serves as a figurative godfather for the band's futuristic layering of sound.

For over 20 years, Nighthawks have kept this formula alive. With "Paris Dakar" they show just how flexible their musical system has stayed.

Line-up: Reiner Winterschladen (trumpet), Jürgen Dahmen (keys), Jörg Lehnardt (guitar), Dal Martino (bass), Thomas Alkier (drums)