“I was right there, screaming and yelling,” Marc Scheer said with a smile, describing his youth playing in hardcore bands in the late ’90s. But professionally, his real passion for music lay elsewhere: the Luxembourger went on to run the Wilz Cultural Center for ten years, then worked as a booker at Kulturfabrik, before returning to his old position.
Sher is good at various forms of rock, metal and electronic music, but by his own admission, he is not good at jazz. So, how did it come about that his latest project is a jazz festival?
“In the past few years,” he says, “I’ve noticed more and more bands coming out of jazz and going in completely different directions.” At rock, electronic, alternative, indie and hip-hop festivals, he explains , jazz, jazz or jazz-influenced performances are emerging. Naturally drawn to some non-jazz elements, he became interested in the genre. “I feel very connected to this type of band.”
The malleability of jazz, or the way it could serve as a medium for hip-hop and electronic music, was compelling enough that Scheer came up with the idea of a festival for it.Naturally, the Wilz native had Wilz in mind, and the location also made sense, as the demand for jazz in Eslake is currently unmet: “I mean, Cube 521 in Marnach hosts really good jazz show, cape town [arts centre] In Ettlebrook…but there’s no real festival in the north. “
Additionally, Wiltz—which may surprise some since the town and its population of less than 6,000 people is often considered remote—has had jazz names in its history: Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock have all played at the famous Wilds Festival.
Marc Scheer (pictured) teases that a well-known Luxembourg jazz performer has expressed interest in playing next year’s Jazzorwhatever! ? Photo: Mike Zenari
Jazz… or whatever
“I think I’m a very creative person, in the sense of planning events and coming up with project ideas,” Scheer warns. “But I’m very, very bad at naming.” After sorting through his own ideas, musicians and co-curators John Wolter and Mateus Wojda, and even from artificial After coming up with some ideas for smart text generators, he posted them in an email with the subject line Jazz or something! ?.
“I think, of the eight people I sent it to, six of them said: ‘But jazz or whatever!?’ That would be fine!” Other suggestions, he said, were either too restrictive, too technical, or too complex.
“It’s like: OK, this is jazz…or whatever.”
This serendipitous suggestion fits the ethos of the festival—and may explain the buzz surrounding it—harkening back to Schell’s original inspiration: the kaleidoscopic fusion of other genres with jazz in ways as diverse as “no matter what.” Cannot adapt to any other dictionary markup except . ” (The word boring sounds ironically glib
Wolter and Wojda’s new jazz band LINQ, who will perform the next day, embody this spirit: “I think they very much represent the idea of the festival,” Schell said of his co-curators. “I thought they could play in all the bands at Jazzor, no matter what!? This year – and then there’s the punk show.” He explained that the two grew up playing punk before expanding their style. First of all, they also come from Wiltz, localizing the concept of sound mashups and making their new home in northern Luxembourg.
Lineup: Day 1
Annelyne Boehm; Wajdi Riashi Trio; Essin
Anneleen Boehme, well-known in the Belgian jazz scene (particularly as a member of LABtrio), will perform as a soloist. “There’s always room for improvisation in my music,” she told European Jazz Network In an interview in 2022. “But I can’t hide my classical background… I’m not going to make any difficult fancy chords, I want to create beautiful melodies so people understand what I’m talking about. [try] explain.
The Wajdi Riahi Trio became famous through a sound that united the two horizons of Tunisia (where Riahi was born) and Brussels (where the trio is based). The trio played silent, trance-like sequences and percussive overtones.
The first day ended with Belgian-Ghanian Esinam and her “futuristic flute” (as described on her website). “Her compositions span loops, samples and field-recorded electronic scores, incorporating African rhythms and captivating melodies,” writes jazz apocalypse 2021.
Lineup: Day 2
Radio Station; aka Moon; LINQ; Kuna Maze
Radiohop is a quartet from Amsterdam that wants to explore “the fusion between rhythm and jazz” in their own terms. They position themselves within the fusion and hip-hop subgenres, drawing influences from Herbie Hancock, Kaidi Tatham, J Dilla and Azymuth.
While most festival acts are relatively new, Aka Moon, founded in 1992, is definitely not. “The veteran saxophone/bass/drums group takes full advantage of the freedom afforded by a chord-free lineup, focusing on rhythmic interplay and powerful melodies,” writes jazz wisdom Magazine 2019.
LINQ was the only Luxembourg group booked today, although Scheer noted that this small percentage was not intentional. “Fusion Potpourri” created by Neimënster Abby has a neo-jazz sound with flavors including funk, hip-hop and electronic music. Several names in the quintet may be familiar to local jazz fans: John Wolter, Mateus Wojda, Pit Dahm and Pierre Cocq-Amann.
Kuna Maze (aka Edward Gilbert) trained on trumpet and now mixes electronica, hip-hop, and jazz with phrases like: Brussels Jazz Alert——“A cocktail that allows him to easily take over the dance floor and hypnotize the audience.”
All performances will take place in the Brandbau building in Wilz. For more information, visit the event website ( and ).
