36th Vilnius Jazz Festival. 12-16 October, 2022

Pascal Schumacher Quartet

Pascal Schumacher Quartet (Luxembourg):

Pascal Schumacher - vibes
Franz von Chossy - p
Christophe Devisscher - b
Jens Düppe – dr

This group is Luxembourgian vibraphonist Pascal Schumacher’s most successful band. Formed in 2002 at the legendary Sounds Jazz Club in Brussels, in 2004 it garnered the first prize and public prize at the jazz competition Tremplin Jazz d’Avignon (France) and released its debut album Change of the Moon.

Today the Quartet’s discography includes four CDs. Album Silbergrau (2007) was chosen the Best Belgian Jazz Record of the year by cultural magazine Knack. In 2012, the group’s latest album Bang my Can (2011) received Germany’s Echo Jazz Award.

The Quartet has made four CD-presentation tours in five continents. The musicians appeared in major jazz festivals in Europe, the US, Asia, Africa and Australia including London, North Sea Jazz, Melbourne, Montreal and Cape Town, played in London’s Vortex, Vienna’s Porgy & Bess, Melbourne’s Bennett’s Lane among other noted jazz clubs.

This year the Quartet toured in Canada, the US, many European countries, and without the pianist visited Japan.

The group’s poetic and melodious sound filled with altering emotions is in the hands of Pascal Schumacher, a resourceful improviser and an imaginative composer. He has been described as a “Goldsmith” in his art.

Together with his colleagues the impassioned and boundary-pushing virtuoso vibraphonist produces imaginative and sonorous soundscapes ranging from soothing to violent.

Pascal Schumacher introduced his first serious musical project in 1995, and a decade later earned the Belgian Django d’Or Award in New Talent category. The vibraphonist’s talent was acknowledged by conservatoires in Luxembourg, The Hague, Strasbourg and Brussels.

Long list of his stage partners attests to his wide-ranging interests. Recently, he has collaborated as a duo with pianists Jef Neve and Nils Frahm producing a hybrid that has been described as somewhere between pop, contemporary academic, jazz and electronic music; toured with saxophonist and clarinettist Sylvain Rifflet, and drummer Oliver Strauch Quintet.

As a composer Pascal Schumacher writes not only for chamber ensembles, but has also been involved in film, theatre and dance projects. He took part in a ground-breaking multimedia project CTRL variations, an interdisciplinary theatre project LUXTIME – Jacques Tati revisited and is currently writing a soundtrack for a silent film starring Marlene Dietrich.

The musician teaches at the Luxembourg Conservatoire and the University of Music in Saarbrücken (Germany).

Pianist Franz von Chossy was born in Munich. He studied jazz at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Manhattan School of Music in New York where he was taught by such coryphées as Kenny Barron, Dave Liebman and John Taylor among others.

Since his student years he was successful as the leader and soloist of various jazz formations. In addition, he gives concerts on church organ.

In 2006, his trio won the Dutch Jazz Competition and the pianist garnered the Best Soloist award. In 2009, he claimed second prize in the international Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition (Switzerland).

Franz von Chossy Quintet is considered to be the most fascinating and entertaining jazz bands of the Netherlands. Its recently released album When the World Comes Home earned excellent reviews, as did the two of his trio albums.

With his own and Pascal Schumacher’s bands as well as Balkanopolis, Fidan, Tarhana, and Paul Wiltgen Quintet Franz von Chossy has performed throughout Europe and the US as well as in Africa, India, Syria, Lebanon and other Asian countries.

Belgian Christophe Devisscher started his music career in experimenting with classical music and heavy metal, then for several years he was mainly active in pop and folk music, and only then he got interested in jazz.

He studied bass guitar and double bass at the Jazz Department of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, took part in workshops and master classes under Salvatore LaRocca, John Abercrombie, Enrico Pieranunzi, Charlie Haden and other experts.

After completing his education, as a member of Finish jazz pianist Alexi Tuomarila Quartet the bassist claimed prizes in international jazz competitions in Belgium, France and Spain. In the Netherlands, he has won competitions with Mike Roelofs Quartet and Frederik Leroux Quintet.

The bassist has collaborated with Lee Konitz, Peter King, Rabih Abou-Khalil, Tony Christie, Joe Lovano, Martin Taylor, Duško Gojković, Bruno Castellucci, Florian Weber, Guy Barker and Leroy Jones among many other celebrities. He has toured in Europe, Japan, Vietnam, China, South Korea, Africa, Australia and the US.

Chistophe Devisscher has contributed several compositions for different bands and has arranged a selection of his music for big band. Currently, he is a member of Kristen Cornwell Quintet, Cezariusz Gadzina Quartet and plays as a duo with Belgian guitarist Fabien Degryse.

The musician teaches bass guitar and double bass at the Music Academy of Grimbergen (Belgium).

German drummer Jens Düppe admits, that jazz is his religion. He studied in Weimar (Germany) and Amsterdam. Besides playing in Pascal Schumacher’s bands, he is a member of Thoneline Orchestra, Bulgarian pianist Dimitar Bodurov Trio, and German multi-instrumentalist Oliver Leicht Octet.

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