Sasha Berliner Group

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Image courtesy of Jamboree

The modern, ethereal, deep and expansive jazz of American vibraphonist Sasha Berliner is one of the most revealing and personal voices on today’s jazz scene. Described by the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival as “a creative composer who challenges genres and an exceptional leader with a sixth sense for yet-unimagined possibilities,” Berliner arrives at Jamboree to present Fantome, her latest album, which UK Vibe calls the work that “cements her reputation as one of the most captivating musicians in contemporary jazz.”

Her music grows out of an open and radically free approach to creation. “Everything can be transformable and stimulating from an artistic point of view,” Berliner explains in 15questions. “It’s important not to dismiss anything and to remain open to any influence: music, visual arts, history, politics, literature or film.” This receptive attitude translates into a sonic language that moves fluidly between composition and improvisation, always in motion and deeply attentive to the present moment.

Improvisation, the central axis of her work, is not a display of virtuosity but a profoundly emotional expressive tool. “I like to improvise based on the emotion of a piece: it can be dark, obsessive, abrupt, aggressive or luminous. The question is what the song asks for and how I can honor it.” In this sense, Berliner understands improvisation as a language that evolves with each generation: “Each era of jazz has developed its own vocabulary, and ours also has its own voice.”

The concert will feature avant-garde new compositions alongside personal reinterpretations of jazz and alternative music, conceived as living spaces for dialogue among musicians. While Berliner values the possibilities of technology and remote collaboration—“it allows us to be more independent and break barriers of time, economy and geography”—she is clear about where the true magic happens: “Nothing compares to playing together in the same room. Musicians react in real time, creating a magic that can only exist in that moment.”

This ephemeral dimension is one of the great strengths of improvisation. “The notes may disappear, but the effect they have on the listener and the performer does not fade. It inhabits a kind of third space.” A shared, intense and unrepeatable space that defines the essence of live performance.

Sasha Berliner transforms every concert into a singular experience in which composition, improvisation and emotion interact in real time, driven by a bold artistic voice that is redefining the language of contemporary jazz.

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