Nu Fusion: A Contemporary Interpretation of Jazz-Rock.
Solo Performance with Synthesizers, Drum Machines, Sequencers and Loop Machines.
Nu Fusion is a musical concept that re-imagines the original idea of jazz-rock for a contemporary context. In my performances, I present this style as a solo artist, utilizing synthesizers, drum machines, sequencers and loop machines to create intricate soundscapes live. It integrates specific elements from various musical currents: Modern jazz provides the foundation for complex harmonies and improvisational approaches, while the blues offers its expressive and earthy quality.
Influences from classical music are evident in the shaping of melodic lines and formal structures. Additionally, rhythmic elements and sonic textures from the realm of techno-inspired music contribute to an added dynamism and modern aesthetic. The result is a multifaceted sound aesthetic characterized by both structural depth and rhythmic variation.
Motivation I: The Concert That Changed Everything.
Summer 1990 somewhere in Frankfurt.
I was studying at the Technical University of Central Hesse in Friedberg, a small town that happened to be the northernmost stop on Frankfurt's S-Bahn network. It was a typical Saturday evening, and my classmate and I were looking for something to do. Flipping through the student union newsletter, I spotted a small announcement about a jazz concert in Frankfurt that night. The performer's name was completely unfamiliar to me – some strange combination of syllables I could barely remember even as I read it.
We decided to take a chance and hopped on the S-Bahn to Frankfurt. I couldn't tell you today which club it was – that detail has faded with time – but I clearly remember the place was absolutely packed. Wall to wall people, the air thick with anticipation and cigarette smoke, as was typical for those days.
When we finally pushed our way close enough to see the stage, my heart sank. The stage was essentially empty. There was a microphone stand, a small table, and... nothing else. No drum kit. No piano. No bass. No instruments whatsoever. I turned to my friend with a look that said "What have we gotten ourselves into?"
An older man standing next to me must have caught my expression. He chuckled and said, "Just wait. It's about to start. This is going to be incredible..." His confidence was puzzling. How could this possibly be good? Where was the band?
The wait felt endless. The crowd's energy was building, but I was growing more skeptical by the minute. Then, finally, a man walked onto the stage carrying a single trombone. Albert Mangelsdorff. I'd never heard of him before that night.
Albert Mangelsdorff (~1997), photo courtesy of Frank Schindelbeck.
What happened next completely shattered my understanding of what one person could do with one instrument. For the next two hours, Mangelsdorff transformed that trombone into an entire universe of sound. He played melodies while simultaneously humming other notes, creating impossible polyphonic harmonies with a monophone instrument. He made sounds I didn't know a trombone could make – growls, whispers, shouts, and singing tones that seemed to come from another planet. He built entire compositions in real-time, layering musical ideas with just his breath and brass.
The audience went absolutely wild. People were shouting, applauding mid-song, completely mesmerized. Here was one man, with one instrument, holding hundreds of people in the palm of his hand. No backing band, no effects pedals, no loops – just pure, raw musicianship and creativity.
The impact on me was profound. I'd seen bands before, seen elaborate productions with multiple musicians, but this was something entirely different. This was about the complete mastery of an instrument and the courage to stand alone on a stage and create an entire world from nothing.
On the S-Bahn ride back to Friedberg, still buzzing from what we'd witnessed, I turned to my classmate and said, "Someday, I'm going to do something like that." He laughed and replied, "First finish your degree!"
That night planted a seed that would take some time to fully germinate. The idea that one person could create a complete musical experience, could hold an audience captive with just their skill and creativity, never left me. It wasn't just about the music – it was about the autonomy, the self-sufficiency, the pure artistic vision executed without compromise or dependency on others.
Now, a couple of years later, I'm venturing into Nu Fusion, that`s how I call it. That's the term I came up with for it that didn't exist before. Where Albert Mangelsdorff had his trombone and his revolutionary extended techniques, I have synthesizers, drum machines, sequencers, and loop machines. The things I grew up with.
Every time I step on stage with my electronic arsenal, I think back to that nearly empty stage in Frankfurt.
Motivation II: Solo Performance with Electronic Orchestra.
Inspired by Joe Zawinul's solo electronic performances.
The inspiration for my solo approach with synthesizers, drum machines and other electronic gear comes from Joe Zawinul. He was one of the pioneers who performed outstanding solo concerts with extensive electronic equipment in the 1990s. His performances demonstrated how a single musician could create orchestral soundscapes in real-time using multiple keyboards and machines.
Zawinul's setup was revolutionary for its time – he surrounded himself with a fortress of synthesizers including the ARP 2600, Sequential Prophet T8, Oberheim 4 Voice, later Korg M1 and various samplers, treating this entire electronic arsenal as a single, unified orchestra. What made his approach unique was not just the technology itself, but his complete mastery over it. He would jump between keyboards, program beats on the fly, layer loops, and manipulate sounds in real-time, all while maintaining the spontaneity and emotional depth of jazz improvisation.
His famous motto "play electric, sound acoustic" reflected his philosophy of using technology to serve musical expression rather than letting it dominate the performance. This balance between technological complexity and musical soul is what I strive to achieve in Nu Fusion – using modern tools like loop stations and sequencers to build intricate compositions while maintaining the human touch and improvisational spirit that Zawinul exemplified.
Joe Zawinul, Nov. 12th 1992, The Camden Center, Euston, London, UK - photo courtesy of Derick A. Thomas