“JAZZ DIALOGUES” | PETRAS VYŠNIAUSKAS, CHRISTIAN RAMOND, KLAUS KUGEL
2026-11-27 19:00
St Catherine’s Church, Vilnius
Some musical encounters happen only once. Others grow into vivid, lasting stories.
In 1990, Petras Vyšniauskas, Christian Ramond and Klaus Kugel embarked on their first tour as an independent trio. The Ilmenau Jazz Festival, the Hoyerswerda Music Festival, the Grenzgänge Festival in Wolfsburg and the Rhine Music Festival were among the stops on that first tour together, which took them across Germany and the Netherlands.
More than three decades have passed since then. The world has moved on, musical trends have come and gone, yet something fundamental has remained between the members of the ensemble: mutual trust, which allows each musician the freedom to improvise, and a shared understanding of musical values. We are therefore delighted to present this international jazz trio at the XIV International M. K. Čiurlionis Music Festival in Vilnius.
Petras Vyšniauskas creates a distinctive combination of emotional intensity and musical freedom on the soprano saxophone. His tone can sound almost like a human voice – sometimes fragile, sometimes sharply defined, yet always direct. He is one of the most prominent figures in Lithuanian jazz and on the European improvisational music scene.
Christian Ramond’s mastery opens up possibilities for the double bass that extend far beyond its traditional accompanying role. His musical language unfolds in a finely judged balance between beautiful sound, flowing melodic line and compelling rhythm, constantly shifting between groundedness and breakthrough. Christian listens, responds and creates connections – often where one would least expect them.
Klaus Kugel, in turn, approaches percussion as an inexhaustible source of sonic possibilities, where sound and silence, rhythm and energy exist as a single whole. His playing can surge forward, burst open, float or suddenly come to a complete stop. What matters is not the bar line, but the moment.
Within the trio, there are no strictly defined roles. The double bass may carry the melody, the percussion may create colour, and the soprano saxophone may become part of the rhythmic fabric. What connects these three musicians is not only their long shared history, but also a very particular way of listening to one another.
A strong musical bond that began back in 1989.
A trio that found its path in 1990.
And music that continues to be born in the moment.
This time – at St Catherine’s Church.