Visit the Festival website: www.jazzsolopianofestival.com With friendly support of the Steinway houses Munich, Hamburg and Berlin, the organizer Jan Matthies Music Management, presents the first season of the International Jazz Solo Piano Festival in March 2009 with venues in Munich, Hamburg and Berlin. The virtuosic performing jazz solo pianist can be sure to get the full attention and admiration of the audience, if he as “One-Man-Orchestra”, because of his perfect mastery of the instrument and his improvisational skills, is able to feature the entire sonority of the 88 keys. In the case of success, Jazz Piano is not inferior to the classical piano and free to share the major concert stages.With Ayako Shirasaki from Japan, Bob Albanese from the U.S.A. and Mathias Claus from Germany you will experience different swing bound jazz styles and approaches of pianists from three different continents. Enjoy an entertaining evening on the highest level. Ayako Shirasaki has been finalist in such prestigious competitions as the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Piano Competition (2005, 2006) and the Great American Jazz Piano Competition (2004, 2005, 2006).
“Ayako is an extremely gifted musician. She is blessed with great technique, a fertile and creative imagination, a firm understanding of the jazz tradition and a real love for the music. I recommend Ayako without reservation.” -Kenny Barron, pianist
Bob Albanese demonstrated his skills during a multi-year engagement as house pianist of the legendary Rainbow Room in New York as Latin and American jazz pianist.
“Bob Albanese is a rhymer, a poetic soul whether he is thinking and talking or composing and playing. He has all the requisites–harmonic acumen, melodicism and swing. With all that he has nuance, that certain something that gives him distinction. He’s not radical, or fanatical but artistically he’s never on sabbatical.”
- Ira Gitler, jazz historian and journalist, former New York editor of Down Beat magazine. He was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jazz Journalists Association. Mathias Claus already played the evidence of his distinctive specialization in the field of Solo Piano into the NDR microphones during the 1. Hamburger Jazz Solo Piano Summit on 16th June 2007 while sharing the stage with stars like John Taylor.
“By now he more than reached his goal to transfer the intensity of a jazz band into two hands. Virtuosic and with warm tone he transports the swinging jazz language into a contemporary form.”
- Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion GmbHIn addition to originals of the pianists you will be hearing standards like “Someday My Prince Will Come” or Monks “Ugly Beauty”, without having to abdicate the fundamental element of jazz: improvisation!DATES 
Munich:
26.03.2009, Thursday, 8pm, Rubinstein Concert Hall, Steinway-Haus Munich

Hamburg:
27.03.2009, Friday, 8pm, Horowitz Concert Hall, Steinway-Haus Hamburg

Berlin:
28.03.2009, Saturday, 8pm, Small Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin

Additionally the festival is supported by Jazzthetik - magazine for jazz and otherwise, Dussmann the culture store and the Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion GmbH.

For an overview of the 1. International Jazz Solo Piano Festival 2009, more information about the pianists, please go to www.jazzsolopianofestival.com