PALMARIUM: Catherine Graindorge + Kreis
This spring, PALMARIUM will once again present a thrilling series of concerts in our beautiful botanical garden. The program includes nine unique concerts with their own sound that resonate with the environment. From tropical trips to vibrant soundscapes.
Thursday 9 May 2024
doors: 19h, first concert: 20u, einde: 23h
€18 euro (presale)
Palmarium (Plantentuin, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Gent)
Tickets via Democrazy
With Songs for the Dead, Belgian musician-composer Catherine Graindorge has ready a successor to her acclaimed collaboration with Iggy Pop 'The Dictator' from 2022.
She found inspiration for the new album from Allen Ginsberg, one of the great poets of the 'Beat Generation'. One specific poem, 'Dream Record' touched her so deeply that it became the basis for the album. The poem is a reflection on the tragic death of Joan Vollmer, who was accidentally shot by her husband William Burroughs - another monumental beat poet - during a drunken William Tell act at a party. The song 'Joan' is dedicated to her. The song explores the theme of limbo and repetition, with a mix of dark and soft sounds.
Songs for the Dead will be released on April 26, 2024 via Glitterbeat's tak:til and is a collaboration with a small ensemble: Simon Ho on keyboards, Pascal Humbert on bass, and singer Simon Huw Jones, whose theatrical voice and literary approach add depth to the music. The album is a mix of shadow and light, atmosphere and silence. It represents a musical evolution for Graindorge, as she pushes the boundaries of her art. Songs for the Dead is a tribute to love, loss and the eternal influence of the deceased.
Kreis is a Belgian trio that is not characterized by excessive technique or emotion, on the contrary. Stan Maris (accordion), Benjamin Hermans (saxophone & clarinet) and Kobe Boon (double bass) make minimalist music that is at the same time subtle, lyrical, mysterious and sometimes wrenching, but never distracted from the essence.
Their debut album Askr (2019) was warmly received by the Belgian press, after which Kreis became a finalist at Jong Jazztalent Gent. Emblafollowed in 2020, released on bwaa. and featured during the legendary Jazzlab Series tour through Flanders (Handelsbeurs, CAAP, Casino, CC De Ververij, ...).
They have now released three albums, each with a title that refers to Norse mythology, with Fimbul from 2023 as their most recent work. In addition to their recordings, Kreis has collaborated with the Jens Düppe Quartet for Jazz Eats Borders, further confirming their influence within the jazz scene.
The concert series PALMARIUM brings nine evenings of music to the beautiful Botanical Garden of the Ghent University Museum. This series is a collaboration between VIERNULVIER, Kunstmest, Democrazy & GUM&Botanical Garden.
