Jazz at JAKI: Felix Ambach Quintet

Roger Kintopf, Julius Gawlik and Felix Ambach have known each other for over ten years and played together in various bands., when the band was formed in 2020. Since 2023, the British vibraphonist Jonny Mansfield has expanded the formation into a quartet.
The mutual trust and friendship between the musicians is the basis for being honest and vulnerable in the moment of playing.
Ambach's compositions, written explicitly for his fellow musicians, define the framework within which this interplay takes place. The majority of the music is improvised. All four individuals can influence the direction of the music equally at any time.
The unusual instrumentation of clarinet, vibraphone, double bass and drums results in a very distinctive band sound. Musical influences range from Ahmad Jamal and Joel Ross to boygenius and Little Simz.
The trio is the winner of the "Young German Jazz Award" 2021, the "jazz@undesigned" 2021 selection grant from the Werner Richard Dörken Foundation and the Hi-Five Jazz Award 2022, among others.