Global Improvisers Orchestra

A boundless ode to free improvisation.

German saxophone player Jan Klare didn’t just make a name for himself as an unique saxophone player with a fine husky sound and a fast-paced style of play. For years he’s also been the curator responsible for the legendary early morning jam sessions at the illustrious Moers festival.

On more than one occasion Klare has assembled exceptional groups of musicians with most unorthodox instrumentation. And it worked! That same success story is the basis for the Global Improvisers Orchestra. Ten musicians from nine countries and three continents, in a formation rarer than rare. Ever heard a gyil (similar to a balafone), a pat waing (a circle of 21 tuned drums), and a theorbe (like a lute) in unison?

Formation

Valentin Garvie – trumpet
Jan Klare – alto saxophone
Bex Burch – gyil
Signal Hla Myaing – pat waing
Pieter Theuns – theorbo
Yegor Zabelov – accordion
Andrea Taeggi – electronics
Owen Gardner - guitar
Luke Stewart - double bass
Maria Portugal – drums, percussion