Paul Heller invites Gary Husband & Percy Pursglove

The music of V.S.O.P.

Once again, Paul Heller welcomes outstanding musicians to the Stadtgarten, including two top-class creative forces from Great Britain: drummer Gary Husband and trumpeter Percy Pursglove!

At the same time, the saxophonist will be focusing on the music of a special quintet in the latest edition of his concert series "Paul Heller invites": the fascinating sound world of V.S.O.P. The Quintet will be celebrated.

V.S.O.P.: What is a reliable designation for lovers of good cognac is a guarantee for jazz fans of the finest acoustic hard bop. In the mid-1970s, Herbie Hancock asked Miles Davis whether the trumpeter's legendary second quintet should be reactivated. Davis declined in order to continue his "electric" musical journey, but Freddie Hubbard, an equally virtuoso trumpeter, joined the revival project. The 1976 Newport Jazz Festival marked the birth of V.S.O.P. The Quintet - a dream team with Herbie Hancock on piano, Wayne Shorter on saxophone, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Ron Carter on double bass and Tony Williams on drums.

Paul Heller's hand-picked quintet also offers V.S.O.P., a "Very Special One Time Only Performance". However, there is not the slightest hint of a mere cover band about it. Alongside his trusted companions Hubert Nuss on piano and Ingmar Heller on double bass, Gary Husband and Percy Pursglove in particular guarantee their very own interpretation of the musical material.

Percy Pursglove has been enriching the British jazz and improvisation scene for a quarter of a century, playing with a number of jazz greats, including Vince Mendoza, the WDR Big Band and Pablo Held. He has been a member of the NDR Big Band since 2020, which will premiere Pursglove's ambitious opus "27: The Ferryman and His Unwanted Shades of the Dead" next year. Gary Husband, on the other hand, is a highly energetic fusion musician who, according to Ian Carr, treats piano and drums equally and is technically brilliant on both. As the drummer in Paul Heller's quintet, he is likely to prove to be the driving force and put his stamp on the music. And who knows: perhaps this quintet will even prove to be V.V.S.O.P., "very very superior". Of course, they would have to play together for at least five years for that to happen. It would be nice!