Press-Text Christian Kappe:
Christian Kappe - Trumpet & Flugelhorn
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Christian Kappe plays trumpet and flugelhorn with groups as Trilok Gurtu’s Spellbound (touring Brazil, France, Rumania, The Baltic States, Norway and Germany), Eda Zari & Rhani Krija (touring the Balkan countries, Belgium and Germany) as European touring with the bands of Barbara Dennerlein and Jasper van’t Hof.
After studying with Ack van Rooyen, Jarmo Hoogendijk, Eric Vloeimans and At van Zon at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and the Conservatory of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Christian Kappe finished his study with two exams / diplomas in 1998. During the last years Christian took part in masterclasses with a.o. John Abercrombie, Markus Stockhausen, John Taylor, Bobby Shew, Andy Haderer, Kenny Werner and Kenny Wheeler. From 1994 – 1997 Christian was a steady member of the German Jazz Orchestra led by Peter Herbolzheimer (South – Africa tour and CD production).
After winning a scholarship Christian Kappe studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA in 1995 where he took theory / composition classes with teachers as Ed Tomassi and Greg Hopkins.
With the Florian Zenker - Christian Kappe 4tet Christian won the International Jazz Competitions of The Netherlands and Germany in 1997. Next to several CD – releases the 4tet played on International Jazzfestivals as the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague and the International Jazzfestival Bogotá, Colombia. By winning the International Jazz competition of Spain, the 4tet won a CD production in 1999. During that same competition Christian was awarded the price of the best soloist chosen by the audience.
Christian Kappe is a steady faculty member of the international Jazz workshops in Berlin, Ibbenbueren, Gladbeck / Germany as in Dallas and Los Angeles, USA.
Christian Kappe teaches both at the college of Music Muenster and at the university of Muenster (department of music education). He also is the artistic director and conductor of UniJAZZity, the Youth Jazz Orchestra of Westphalia, Germany. With UniJAZZity he released 2 CDs and won the WDR Jazz price 2016.
Christian Kappe was invited to Big Band projects led by Slide Hampton, Hugh Fraser and Ian McDougall in Vancouver, Canada.
Christian Kappe recorded more than 60 CDs and did Radio/TV productions for all major German radio stations. Latest Releases: „Butterfly Effect” (the Music of Herbie Hancock) with Tim Sund and several musicians from the USA, Australia and Germany, produced by the Radio & TV station RBB in Berlin. Other recent releases: Christian Kappe / Marc Brenken 4tet: More Short Stories. „Christian Kappe & Cru Sauvage, Volume 1 with Burkhard Jasper, piano and Kai Brueckner, guitar.
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Press comments on the Florian Zenker/Christian Kappe 4tet
• „The most promising modern jazz formation in the Netherlands"
De Volkskrant (Netherlands)
• „..one of the best groups of the young new jazz-generation... offers a rich variety to the audience, containing swinging mainstream-rhythms as well as funk music and ballads. The Florian Zenker/ Christian Kappe 4tet made a remarkable impression."
Nordsee-Zeitung (Germany)
• „The Florian Zenker/ Christian Kappe 4tet proofs that jazz is still alive and ready for this millenium."
Juan Carlos Garay, Bogota (Columbia)
• „Very refined and technically well executed, and no shortage of creativity... In a few words, this is music on a high level, as can be expected from an award-winning band like this."
DV Reykjavik (Ice land)
• „It´s Green" is outstanding. Zenker´s guitar and Kappe´s trumpet can be installed side-by-side on the highest pedestal, both are totally refined and a pleasure to experience. Gudmundsson and Lammerding consistently exhibit the finest touch and taste of any bass and drum combination I´ve heard in many years. Find this CD and make note of the group name because you´ll be hearing lots more from these great musicians, that I promise you."
Quartet, Ottawa (Canada)
• „An amazin new discovery...jazz at it´s best!" „Kappe and Zenker celebrated enthousiasticly at the jazzfestival"
Westfälische Nachrichten (Germany)
„It's Green": That both the name of their first CD and their motto, and their average age is under 30. In spite of that Florian Zenker, Christian Kappe, Gulli Gudmundsson and Eddy Lammerding are no „green" horns. Just the contrary. The 4tet which was founded at the Royal conservatory in The Hague where all of them studied Jazz presents itself as an excellent band which has talented composers, wonderful players and a great amount of international experience. „The Sound of the quartet" thus the opinion of the renowned music magazine Rondo heavily reminds me of the powerful densely knit formations whit whom Enrico Rava and Terje Rypdal went to the studio.
Founded in 1995 the band won both the Dutch Jazz competition and (only one day later!) the German Jazz competition in Leipzig in 1997.
The following year the Zenker / Kappe 4tet was invited by the German embassy in Columbia, where they gave several concerts, among others at the International Jazz Festival in Bogotá. Another highlight ( apart from a concert at the North Sea Jazzfestival in The Hague): In July 1999 the quartet won the first prize at the International Jazz competition in Getxo, Spain where trumpeter Christian Kappe was elected best soloist by the audience. Apart from the money they got the group had the chance to record their 2nd live CD („Zenker / Kappe 4tet Getxo Jazz '99").
In time for the International Jazz Festival Münster the CD „It's Green" gets a deserving successor: „The merry-go-round after dark" is the name of the new disc - furnished with impressions and associations of their tour through Iceland which the 4tet had recently the chance to do because of an invitation of the Goethe Institute. The enormous success of the quartet doesn't come out of a clear sky, which is proved by Festival appearances as the Jazz Festival Ibiza, Spain and numerous club concerts. After such a gig a critic of the Westfälische Nachrichten" wrote: „The 4tet played both sentimental ballads by which the picture of dark and rainy, wet streets, in whose puddles pail neon light is reflected, could rise in the mind of the listener, and compositions which stressed rhythm and powerful south American feeling brilliantly and relaxed". The musicians themselves emphasised the intense interplay. The virtuosity of the single members who are given much space to improvise and the group dynamics which creates the band's sound: Vigorous guitar
sounds of Florian Zenker, elegant runs of the Icelandic bass player Gulli Gudmundsson, well placed trumpet phrases of Christian Kappe and the coolness of Eddy Lammerding's sticks, jumping all over the drum set.
Christian Kappe (trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet): from 1994 - 1998 member of the German Jazz Orchestra led by Peter Herbolzheimer, winner of a Berklee scholarship and just as Florian Zenker a participant of Kenny Wheeler's master classes in Banff, Canada. He teaches at the Westfalian school of music, lectureship at Musikhochschule Leipzig, member of the group of the well known organist Barbara Dennerlein.
Florian Zenker (guitar): started playing the violin at the age of nine but changed to guitar when 15. Next to his playing Florian is often asked both as a commercial and jazz arranger / composer. Winner of a scholarship of the Berklee college of music in 1996. He has played and recorded with the groups „Nimbus" with Eric Ineke, „Kristina Fuchs Sonic Unit" and others.
Gulli Gudmundsson (bass): a much-in-demand player in the Benelux, renowned for his thick clean sound, his lyrical approach to music and his atmospheric compositions. He has toured extensively with the Masha Bijlsma band, Wolfert Brederode Quintet, the European Jazz Youth Orchestra and the Joel Palsson Quintet.
Eddy Lammerding (drums): winner of the soloist prize at the Netherlands Jazz competition, well known sideman of different bands and some of the most prominent Dutch and American Jazz players (Barry Harris, Phillip Harper, the big band of the conservatory with Bob Mintzer).
