Jazzing up the celebrations at Phoenix Arena

The German-based quartet with Lars Duppler on e-piano and synthesizers, Hanno Busch on guitar and bass, Ralf Gessler on drums, and the bandleader on various clarinets presented forceful rock music that was played with the attitude of jazz musicians to an audience of 250+ at Phoenix Arena.

The evening chill at the Phoenix Arena with a well-lit stage filled the audience with a sense of excitement to see what the electronic Jazz band from Germany were to present. The event also kicked off the beginning of 15th year celebrations of Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad. Amita Desai, addressed the audience on this note with a sincere acknowledgement to the different people who went into the making and running of the GZH.

Saxophonist, clarinettist and composer Klein named his band Tubes & Wires for a reason. ‘Tubes’ stands for the various clarinets that Klein plays and ‘Wires’ represents the many electronic, analogue and digital devices that connect with cables and drive his ‘effect clarinets’.

All of the band members offered a flexible set of instruments that consist of guitars, basses, keyboards and drums in order to create a strange analogue-electric sound. Since each musician in Klein’s quartet took on different functions with their various instruments,they were able to transcend stylistic borders, to stretch the improvisations beyond the limits of tonality and combine elements from the sound and groove into a collage made up of jazz, rock, pop, funk and club culture.

For Tubes & Wires, Klein served not just as the classic bandleader, but rather as a guiding spirit. Despite the musical profundity, Klein’s compositions were infused with a sense of humour.The Hyderabad concert was one of ten performances on a tour that spans India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Their last stop after Hyderabad would be Karachi, Pakistan.