Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic XVIII - Jazz Goes Baroque

The recording from the “Jazz At Berlin Philharmonic” series, to be released in 2026, captures a moment rich in history and renewal: It marks the fiftieth concert in this series and simultaneously pays tribute to Siggi Loch’s early success as a producer with George Gruntz’s groundbreaking 1964 album “Jazz Meets Baroque.” Six decades later, pianist Bernd Lhotzky revisits this dialogue between the eras and reinterprets it, drawing a fascinating parallel between the vision of Esperanto as a universal form of communication and the shared language of expression found in Baroque music and jazz. The two traditions do not meet as opposites, but as related forms: Jazz lends the Baroque rhythmic vitality and improvisational freedom, while the Baroque lends jazz its structural depth and artistic richness.