Jaggat

Description

Jaggat skilfully spans virtuoso sound bridges between chamber music jazz and music from a wide variety of cultures. Spanish, Indian, Arabic, African and Latin American influences combine to create an expressive musical melange. The result is eclectic music that is homogeneous and radiates its own identity; music that transcends culturally specific categories and forms a multi-faceted, unique musical spectrum.

The original compositions by Conrad and van Meel fit together wonderfully and yet reveal the specific identity of each composer. The influence of jazz icons such as Dave Holland, John McLaughlin and Chick Corea is unmistakable. The musicians have also studied classical composers such as Bach, Stravinsky and Debussy, oriental music by Anouar Brahem and Indian music by Zakir Hussain and Ravi Shankar. It is no coincidence that the band chose the name Jaggat (from Sanskrit: world).

The quartet line-up offers an astonishing variety of sound colours; Mussawisade plays a unique combination of percussion instruments from different cultures; van Meel is active both as a soloist and as an accompanist, taking on melodies and playing extensively bowed arco passages; Conrad draws on his experience in a wide range of styles from rock to flamenco and plays complex chord-melody arrangements and virtuoso solos with seeming ease; König draws on the full sonority of his instrument and enriches the band’s sound with his playing, which is rooted in classical music and influenced by jazz.