SHAKER KAMI / Nik Bärtsch - Percussions de Strasbourg

Composition : Nik Bärtsch
Musicians : Nik Bärtsch (piano), Flora Duverger, Théo His-Mahier, Enrico Pedicone, Rémi Schwartz (percussions)
Artistic Direction : Minh-Tâm Nguyen
Coproduction : Percussions de Strasbourg / Festival JAZZDOR / CCAM, Scène nationale de Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy

Commission : Percussions de Strasbourg with the help of the Impuls Neue Musik Foundation, Institut Français à Paris and Pro Helvetia

In the continuity of our collaborations with Jazz figures (Andy Emler Megaoctet, Bobby Previte, Franck Tortiller Quartet, …), the Percussions de Strasbourg venture in the universe of the minimalistic jazz of Nik Bärtsch. His work is at the intersection of contemporary music, jazz, and feeds on influences from the funk. The use of repetition, as well as interlacing structures of elements in his music, suggests the influence of minimalistic music, especially Steve Reich’s.

“Zen-funk; ritual groove”. This is how Nik Bärtsch defines his music. Pianist from Zurich, this passionate about Japanese culture claims the influence of the Toru Takemitsu (collaborator of Kurosawa), James Brown and New York minimalists.

Built on a set of rhythmic-melodic patterns repetitive, his music, skillfully written, makes a way to discrete codified improvisations. His compositions, which have often similar formal structures, develop over long periods of time and ambient sections abruptly interrupted by
a samurai’s scream announcing the arrival of a new movement.

“The surprise effect is guaranteed, especially in concert, where his meditative music, as percussive as it is lyrical, fascinates and captivates the most diverse audiences.”
(Télérama, 21/05/2016)

“Between rhythmic impulses with serial colours and minimalist music, in the interweaving of which one can discern the influence of Steve Reich at times, the five musicians on stage conquered an audience […] captivated by an ensemble of dizzying precision, in a tension maintained from the beginning until the end”.
(Notes Vagabondes, 15/09/2020″