About the concert
Paula Bilá is one of the most powerful voices Spain has produced in recent years. Deeply rooted in the flamenco of Andalusia, her homeland, she writes, plays and sings music that moves freely between different genres, but always with a clear reference to the musical tradition of her homeland. Since moving to Amsterdam in 2021, she has increasingly devoted herself to traditional Latin American music, which she presents in unconventional arrangements, accompanied by a band that seems like a peculiar choice at first glance.
The origin of LEANING IN Underground: When guitarist Linus Eppinger had planned the release tour for his debut album Leaning In, he was faced with a problem. He had booked a whole series of performances that did not meet the standards of the band he would be touring with. This led to the tour being split up – in the first half all prestigious performances were done in prestigious cast, for the second half, the underground tour, the rhythm group was replaced by younger colleagues.
The band confidently maintained their outsider position following the tour and decided to stick with that name - The LEANING IN Underground.
Pianist Nicolai Daneck and guitarist Linus Eppinger played together in the Freiburg School Jazz Orchestra when they were still teenagers. Together with bassist Doug Weiss and drummer Jorge Rossy, they recorded their debut album “Leaning In” in 2021, which was praised for its “unprecedented musical maturity” (jazzism). Bassist Ties Laarakker possesses the rare gift of excelling in two disciplines. He holds a PhD in mathematics, having written his thesis on “Universality in enumerative geometry and Vafa-Witten theory”. Furthermore, he is an outstanding double bassist.
Peter Primus Frosch is one of Europe’s finest jazz drummers; his unbridled energy and incredible technical mastery of his instrument have brought him worldwide renown.
The Latin American pieces, mostly Bolero’s, the LEANING IN Underground interprets entirely in the sense of the Latin Jazz conception of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers: with a sense of melody and atmosphere of the piece, but without the already hopeless attempt to copy the rhythm and groove of the Latin American masters – and accordingly anything but shy to impose their own stamp on Bolero’s and Latin Jazz. Their album “En Español” will be released in December 2024.