Live!Jazz | OLI BOTT TRIO

Oli Bott - vibraphone
Arnulf Ballhorn - Bass
Kay Lübke - Drums

“A spirited collaboration, radiant, full of variety and creativity” CONCERTO

“A stroke ofgenius” JAZZ THING

“Jazz meets classical and rock—all woven together in a relaxed, subtle, and seamless manner through jazz improvisations that skillfully highlight the melodic and harmonic similarities” HR2

“Berlin-based vibraphonist Oli Bott, who began with classical training before studying under jazz luminary Gary Burton, enjoys thinking outside the stylistic box. Here, he brings together pieces of different styles without forcing them to conform to one another, creating partly improvised transitions that make his pairings entirely coherent and sometimes cast the individual elements in a new light. A delightful listening experience.” FONO FORUM

“What connects Johann Sebastian Bach, Duke Ellington, Metallica, Ray Henderson, and Johannes Brahms? The question should probably be phrased more accurately as: Who connects Johann Sebastian Bach, etc.? Because the answer is (of course): Oli Bott. The German vibraphonist demonstrates once again that music is truly boundless. With exceptional skill and respect, he blends classical, jazz, and rock here.” JAZZTHETIC

“With the Oli Bott Trio, sparks fly when Coltrane grooves with Metallica. ‘What if,’ Oli Bott asked himself, ‘Maurice Ravel and Duke Ellington were to improvise together?’ On “Chronicles of Jazz,” the trio’s debut album, the answer sounds surprisingly harmonious.” TAGESSPIEGEL
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“Chronicles of Jazz” are fantasy stories in which compositional giants from classical music, jazz, and beyond come together in a jazz session. The trio—featuring vibraphonist Oli Bott, bassist Arnulf Ballhorn, and drummer Kay Lübke—blurs the boundaries between different genres by blending Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro” with Duke Ellington’s “Caravan,” Johann Sebastian Bach’s Allemande from the Violin Sonata in D minor with Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters,” or Erik Satie’s “Première Gnossienne” with Milt Jackson’s “Bags’ Groove.” The compositions flow into one another and are united by the musicians into a single piece during a jazz jam filled with spontaneous joy. Through his trio, Oli Bott tells stories that also contain autobiographical elements. He grew up with classical music, learned percussion as a teenager, listened to rock music, and later began training in jazz. At Berklee College of Music, he studied with Gary Burton, the great lyricist among jazz vibraphonists. Oli Bott, however, has not become a conventional jazz musician. He consistently plays his own music, which draws on a wide variety of musical languages, eras, and cultures, while he carves out impressive moods on the metal plates like a sculptor.

Tickets:20 EUR + advance booking fee. High school and college students: 10 EUR + advance booking fee; B.O.: 25/12.50 EUR

The JazzKart is valid for all ten jazz concerts in fall 2026 and costs 100 euros + advance booking fee; for high school students and first-year college students, 50 euros + advance booking fee

This concert is sponsored by the Freundeskreis Kultur in der Stadtkirche e.V.