Guelph Jazz Festival Webcast today-->Ursel Schlich

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Ursel Schlicht's Ex Tempore Project

On Saturday September 11, 8 p.m. the Guelph Jazz Festival will be webcasting an audio feed of Ursel Schlicht's Ex Tempore Project concert. The concert will be available at http://www.guelphjazzfestival.com/live.

Originally commissioned by the city of Kassel, the Ex Tempore Project represents, in German composer and pianist Ursel Schlict's words, an “attempt to find a meaningful artistic response to the frightening backlash in the political and cultural climate since September 2001. Shocked by the immediate bias against all middle-eastern cultures regardless of evidence as to who was behind the 9-11 attacks, by the sight of neighborhoods covered with US flags, a visualized hierarchy of ‘us' against ‘the other' which prepared the grounds for the outrageous random incarceration of civilians, followed by an ongoing destruction of human and civil rights in the US,” Schlicht saw the urgent need for “music as a means of communication and open-mindedness towards ‘other' cultural, political, philosophical, religious-spiritual points of view.”

The presentation of Ex Tempore at the Guelph Jazz Festival marks the project's Canadian premiere. Guelph Jazz Festival Artistic Director said “We have decided to present Schlicht's Ex Tempore project on September 11th, 2004 and to stream the concert live onto the web because it actively seeks to counter the post 9/11 backlash and hostility by using musical improvisation to generate structures of hope and momentum, and to promote a dynamic exchange of cultural forms and community building across national, cultural, and artistic boundaries. The music, as you'll hear, is truly extraordinary. Featuring pianist Ursel Schlict, vocalist Gabriele Hasler, flutist Jamie Baum, drummer and percussionist Ravish Momin, bassist Thomson Kneeland, and Brandon Terzic on oud and guitar.”

Please listen in to hear this important concert. In the 24 hours before the concert, a sampling of the music available at the Guelph Jazz Festival and interviews with Artistic Director will be available.