Jazz With #3: Three new European projects selected!
For its third edition, Jazz With reaffirms its commitment to supporting the creation and circulation of jazz across Europe. Out of more than 90 applications received, three projects have been selected: ANAPHORA, KABARILA QUARTET, and SMIODAIR.
Three musical worlds, one European spirit
Bringing together artists from Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria, Greece and France, the three selected projects embody the vitality and diversity of today’s European jazz scene.
Led by drummer Marco Luparia and pianist Amalia Deorsola, ANAPHORA explores a musical territory where cyclical rhythms and poetic expression meet in a hypnotic ritual. Featuring artists including Delphine Joussein and Lukas Kranzelbinder, KABARILA QUARTET develops a free, organic, and vibrant music shaped by years of collective practice and deep listening. Bringing together some of the most distinctive voices on the British and European improvised music scene, SMIODAIR, featuring Laura Jurd and Robin Fincker, weaves together powerful grooves, folk-inspired melodies, and dreamlike sonic landscapes.
Touring support and professional development
The three selected projects will perform at the next Rencontres AJC on December 1st 2026, in front of an audience of presenters, journalists, institutional representatives, and music professionals from France and across Europe.
Each group will receive a touring support grant as well as tailored professional support, including networking opportunities, organisational development, tour logistics assistance, and help identifying performance opportunities in France and across Europe.
A renewed european commitment
Building on the strength of the AJC network in France and throughout Europe, Jazz With continues to pursue a clear objective: supporting ambitious artistic projects, fostering their circulation, and strengthening connections between European jazz scenes.
ANAPHORA
EN: Together with Paris-based drummer Marco Luparia and double bass player Sofia Eftychidou, pianist and composer Amalia Deorsola presents Anaphora, a piano trio that “switches and mixes several genres and rhythms in an incredibly mastered and enjoyable way” [Best of Jazz, US]. An athletic criss-cross between jazz and non european musical traditions centered on wood based piano preparation, Anaphora explores the power within the collective process of dreaming out sounds and sounding out dreams. With [Bloom], the trio brews a genre and gender free musical hybrid. One where colourful percussive spaces interweave with meditative gongs and hypnotic melodies.
Amalia Deorsola (FR / BE) – prepared piano, piano
Marco Luparia (FR) – drums, objects
Sofia Eftychidou (GR / DE) – doublebass
FR : Avec Marco Luparia (batterie) et Sofia Eftychidou (contrebasse), la pianiste Amalia Deorsola présente Anaphora, un trio de piano qui « passe d’un genre et d’un rythme à l’autre, les mêlant ave une maîtrise et un plaisir d’écoute « remarquables » (Best of Jazz, US). Véritable croisement dynamique entre le jazz et des traditions musicales extra-européennes, centré sur les techniques de préparation du piano à base de bois, Anaphora explore la force du processus collectif : rêver les sons et donner corps aux rêves par le son. Avec Bloom, le trio élabore un hybride musical affranchi des genres et des catégories. Des espaces percussifs aux couleurs chatoyantes s’entrelacent avec des gongs méditatifs et des mélodies hypnotiques.
Amalia Deorsola (FR / BE) – piano préparé, piano
Marco Luparia (FR) – batterie, objets
Sofia Eftychidou (GR / DE) – contrebasse
KABARILA QUARTET
© Max Andrzejewski
EN: Kabarila is a long-term project initiated in 2023 at the Südtirol Jazz Festival, centered on a radical format of five-hour continuous performances based entirely on free improvisation. Within this setting, four musicians and three dancers have developed an intense practice of collective listening, endurance, and real-time composition. Out of this experience emerges the Kabarila quartet: Delphine Joussein (France), Lukas Kranzelbinder (Austria), Julian Sartorius (Switzerland), and Johannes Schleiermacher (Germany). All four are established and widely recognized artists in the European jazz and improvised music scene.
Delphine Joussein (FR) flute, fx, voice
Lukas Kranzelbinder (AT) contrebasse, guembri
Johannes Schleiermacher (DE) saxophone, flute, electronics
Julian Sartorius (CH) drums, percussions
FR : Kabarila est un projet à long terme lancé en 2023 lors du Südtirol Jazz Festival, articulé autour d’un format radical consistant en des performances continues de cinq heures, entièrement fondées sur l’improvisation libre. Dans ce cadre, quatre musiciens et trois danseurs ont développé une pratique intense d’écoute collective, d’endurance et de composition en temps réel. De cette expérience est né le quartet Kabarila : Delphine Joussein (France), Lukas Kranzelbinder (Autriche), Julian Sartorius (Suisse) et Johannes Schleiermacher (Allemagne). Tous les quatre sont des artistes confirmés et largement reconnus sur la scène européenne du jazz et de la musique improvisée.
Delphine Joussein (FR) flûte, effets, voix
Lukas Kranzelbinder (AT) contrebasse, guembri
Johannes Schleiermacher (DE) saxophone, flûte
Julian Sartorius (CH) batterie
SMIODAIR
© Celie Nigoumi / Sylvain Gripoix / Annika Nagel / Monika S. Jakubowska
EN: Smiodair brings together four leading european improvisers that share a long musical history yet had never collaborated as an ensemble. Between them they have worked extensively with many key players and musical innovators of their time and have developed a distinctive language both as improvisers and composers as well leading strong ensembles over the years. Playing original music composed by each member of the group, the quartet weaves in and out of improvisation in a unique way, thus creating an exciting musical narrative where thunderous grooves collide with dream-like sonic landscapes, intertwined folk influenced melodies and contagiously joyful musical conversations.
Robin Fincker (FR) – Saxophone
Laura Jurd (UK) – Trumpet
Simon Jermyn (DE) – Electric Bass
Dave Smith (UK) – Drums
FR : Smiodair réunit quatre figures majeures de l’improvisation européenne qui partagent une longue histoire musicale, sans avoir jamais auparavant collaboré au sein d’un même ensemble. Au fil de leurs parcours, ils ont travaillé avec de nombreux musiciens marquants de leur époque. Chacun a développé un langage singulier, à la fois comme improvisateur et compositeur, tout en dirigeant au fil des années des formations de premier plan. À travers des compositions originales signées par chacun de ses membres, le quartet navigue avec une grande liberté entre écriture et improvisation. Il construit ainsi un récit musical captivant où des grooves puissants et telluriques se heurtent à des paysages sonores oniriques, tandis que des mélodies inspirées des musiques traditionnelles s’entrelacent à des échanges musicaux d’une joie communicative.
Robin Fincker (FR) – saxophone
Laura Jurd (UK) – trompette
Simon Jermyn (DE) – basse électrique
Dave Smith (UK) – batterie
JAZZ WITH #3 IN FIGURES
