Florian Herzog - Almost Natural

Jazz Concert at the Lichtburg in Essen 

(Admission by donation) – Doors open at 8:00 p.m., concert starts at 8:30 p.m.

Lichtburg Essen – Kettwiger Str. 36, 45127 Essen

Many people think there’s nothing new under the sun when it comes to jazz—but this quartet proves that’s simply not true.
— Rolf Thomas, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Florian Herzog’s “Almost Natural” blurs the fine line between a maze and a labyrinth—between losing oneself and finding oneself. The quartet led by the Cologne-based bassist thrives on brilliantly balanced contrasts: hyperactivity meets calm, structure meets freedom, synthetic soundscapes meet organic energy.

Together with his fellow musicians, Herzog forms a collective that plunges into extremes with blind understanding and, in the very next moment, comes back together with pinpoint precision. The music moves between eruptive wildness and melodic accessibility, between groove, abstraction, and surprising shifts in aesthetic systems—a dramaturgy full of “reliable unpredictability.”

“Almost Natural” is an invitation to let yourself drift amid the flow of these contrasts—and to discover something new time and again 

Sebastian Gille – Saxophone – (SWR Jazz Prize 2019)
Chaerin Im – Piano / Synthesizer – (Young Artist of the Year 2024)
Florian Herzog – Double Bass – (German Jazz Prize 2024)
Leif Berger – Drums – (Cologne Jazz Prize 2024)

Presented by JaKu Jazz und Kulturverein Essen e.V.