Niescier/ Reid/ Harris Jazz Trio: Beyond Dragons

6:30 PM Conversation on Gender Justice and Jazz
8:00 PM Jazz Concert with the Niescier/Reid/Harris Jazz Trio
Join us for an evening with the Germany saxophone player Angelika Niescier and her trio partners Tomeka Reid (cello) and Savannah Harris (drums) in performance and conversation. Organized in partnership with the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, these talented and successful jazz musicians share from their experiences as women in a still very much male-dominated genre in a conversation with Berklee students and faculty. The trio, known for its exhilarating intensity and captivating interplay, then performs a live set to end the evening on a musical note.
“This trio blasts itself and the audience with a breath-taking pace which is a real joy to witness.”
Angelika Niescier, Tomeka Reid and Savannah Harris explore every possible aspect of the interplay, sometimes chamber-musical delicate and transparent, sometimes explosively bold and dense, always charged with tension until the last note and the last break. The complexity and originality of Niescier's compositions is unmissable, the organic structure leads the listener into various musical worlds, which makes the trio's performance so incredibly captivating. With absolute mastery, the three transport an exhilarating intensity through their music and sound.
Always seeking new musical adventures, alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier is one of the most distinguished voices on the European jazz scene. Continuously, she has established close ties with some of the most significant and distinctive figures of the American jazz scene. Together with renowned cellist Tomeka Reid and acclaimed drummer Savannah Harris, three much-in-demand musicians with sparkling temperament, drive and a joy for experimentation are united to let the complexity and originality of Niescier‘s compositions shine. This is a trio that explores every possible aspect of interplay, at times transparent in chamber music, at other times dense and boisterous, and always with incredibly captivating intensity. “This is an ensemble with a cohesiveness and empathy, and is an object lesson in the notion that collectivity need in no way blunt the radical individualism of participants”, writes Alexander Hawkins in the liner notes of their recording „Beyond Dragons“.
Angelika Niescier is one of the exceptional musicians who has for some time been redefining the contours of the European jazz scene – an artist on a mission, with boundless energy, a rich pallet of color and virtuoso technique. Born in Poland, she resides in Cologne, Germany where she studied at the Folkwanghochschule Essen. She works with the likes of Joachim Kühn, Tyshawn Sorey, Kris Davis, Gerry Hemingway, Nasheet Wait, Jim Black, Sylvie Courvoisier, Ralph Alessi, Ernie Watts, Aki Takase, Soweto Kinch, Julia Hülsmann and Gerald Cleaver just to name a few. As a bandleader and composer she has earned some of the most prestigious awards, including German Jazz Award, the WDR Jazz Award, the Albert-Mangelsdorff-Award, Echo Jazz, numerous times Vierteljahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and was artist in residence in Moers (D), Kuala Lumpur (MY) and Tarabya (TR). An internationally recognized musician, Niescier has performed at the Winter Jazzfest New York, unerhört! Zürcher Jazzfestival, Vancouver International Jazzfestival, Jazzfest Berlin, Jazzfestival Molde, at the Elbphilharmonie, Philharmonie Berlin und Philharmonie Essen among others. She also founded and co-curates „winterjazzfest köln“ - a festival which features bands and bandleaders from Cologne. Niescier’s unstoppable desire for artistic development and exchange often leads to inspirational encounters and collaborations within the areas of dance, orchestra and choir, film and theater.
Described as a “New Jazz Power Source” by the New York Times, cellist and composer TOMEKA REID has emerged as one of the most original, versatile, and curious musicians in Chicago’s bustling jazz and improvised music community over the last decade. Her distinctive melodic sensibility, always rooted in a strong sense of groove, has been featured in many distinguished ensembles over the years.
Reid grew up outside of Washington D.C., but her musical career began after moving to Chicago in 2000. Her work with Nicole Mitchell and various Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians-related groups proved influential. By focusing on developing her craft in countless improvisational contexts, Reid has achieved a stunning musical fluency. She is a Foundation of the Arts (2019) and 3Arts Awardee (2016), and received her doctorate in music from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2017.
Reid released her debut recording as a bandleader in 2015, with the Tomeka Reid Quartet, a vibrant showcase for the cellist’s improvisational acumen as well as her dynamic arrangements and compositional ability. The quartet’s second album, Old New, released in Oct 2019 on Cuneiform Records, has been described as “fresh and transformative--its songs striking out in bold, lyrical directions with plenty of Reid’s singularly elegant yet energetic and sharp-edged bow work.” Another reviewer noted that “while Reid’s compositional and technical gifts transcend jazz, they exemplify the tradition wondrously.”
Reid has been a key member of ensembles led by legendary reedists like Anthony Braxton (ZIM SEXTET) and Roscoe Mitchell (ROSCOE MITCHELL QUARTET, ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO), as well as a younger generation of visionaries including flutist Nicole Mitchell (BLACK EARTH ENSEMBLE, ARTIFACTS), vocalist Dee Alexander (EVOLUTION ENSEMBLE), and drummer Mike Reed (LOOSE ASSEMBLY, LIVING BY LANTERNS, ARTIFACTS). She co-leads the adventurous string trio HEAR IN NOW, with violinist Mazz Swift and bassist Silvia Bolognesi, and in 2013 launched the first Chicago Jazz String Summit, a semi-annual three-day international festival of cutting edge string players held in Chicago. In the Fall of 2019 Tomeka Reid received a teaching appointment at Mills College as the Darius Milhaud chair in composition.
Savannah Harris is a New York City-based drummer, composer, and producer. Raised in Oakland, California by musician parents, she gravitated towards the drums at age two. Steeped in a jazz tradition, Savannah’s more recent work reflects her versatility. As one of the „New York´s finest drummers“ she recorded with indie and experimental artists Helado Negro, Kate Davis, Justin Allen, and Standing on the Corner. Her jazz recordings include releases from Peter Evans, María Grand, and Or Bareket. She’s performed with Jason Moran, Ambrose Akinmusire, Kenny Barron, Terence Blanchard, Billy Childs, Christian Scott, José James, and Georgia Anne Muldrow. Currently, she’s been working extensively with Nick Hakim and Roy Nathanson, Aaron Parks, Melanie Charles, Or Bareket, Peter Evans, Joel Ross, Cecile McLorin Salvant and Val Jeanty. In 2019, Savannah was awarded the Harlem Stage Emerging Artist Award, and she received her master’s in jazz performance from Manhattan School of Music. She was featured twice in the January 2021 issue of Modern Drummer as both a featured artist and a contributing writer. In October of 2021, she debuted her solo piece “With Inner Sound, Truth” commissioned by Issue Project Room as a tribute to composer Ruth Anderson. Savannah was also featured in Sixteen Journal’s “JAZZ” edition, with portraits shot by photographer James Brodribb.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Goethe-Institut Boston, 170 Beacon Street, Boston, United States