Bruce

This sound is vastness. A flowing continuum, Zen meditation in action. One might start from different angles to describe the effect of Sha’s playing. But the breath of his lines and glides has long since drifted elsewhere before one can find the right words. Only one thing remains: to let oneself be swept away and carried off.

Sha—whose real name is Stefan Haslebacher—is the bass clarinetist for Nik Bärtsch’s RONIN. For over twenty years, he has been a member of this Swiss quartet, whose “Ritual Groove Music” serves as the benchmark for music that achieves maximum impact with minimal means. Under the name BRUCE, he has now teamed up with Australian pedal steel guitarist James Gilligan. A long-standing friendship that took concrete form during the hot summer of 2025 in Sha’s cooler basement. While the pedal steel guitar is traditionally rooted in country music, Gilligan radically breaks free from these expectations. His understanding of sound, which extends far beyond genre boundaries, opens up new creative possibilities. BRUCE thrives on a unique division of roles: bass and melody functions shift seamlessly, intertwine, and then dissolve again. This creates an organic, fluid structure—a musical conversation full of intimacy, depth, and unexpected twists. On this evening, the Kaue, with its high ceilings and harsh acoustics, becomes a resonating chamber for something you’ve never heard before.