Jonathan Kreisberg Quartet
Thursday, 18 July 2024, from 8:30 PM onwards
Postojna / Titov trg / Slovenia
Jazz hasn’t exactly been a fixture on Rockline’s concert menu for a while now. Or has it? Since this May, when we twice ‘strayed’ into the Portorož Auditorium and caught shows by The Wooten Brothers and Bill Evans, two months have flipped by in the blink of an eye. We’re already in the middle of July. And mid-July means Postojna’s cultural calendar fills up with jazz evenings too. When a top-tier American jazz guitarist like Jonathan Kreisberg shows up under the vast starry sky on Postojna’s Titov trg — completely free of charge on top of everything else — there really isn’t a single decent excuse left to skip a jazz ritual like this.
Jonathan is no stranger to this part of Slovenia. He already played Postojna last year, back then as a duo with Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras. This time he came back in quartet format. At the end of 2019, Jonathan released his very first live document, “Capturing Spirits – JKQ Live!” — a respected American musician in the field of contemporary jazz guitar who, through his work not only in the studio and on stage but also as a guitar teacher and motivator, has continuously kept interest in jazz guitar from fading and kept things fresh. As part of his summer run of shows, he decided to bring this musical document to the masses, all the more so since it features new original material as well.
Alongside Jonathan, the quartet features: drummer Colin Stranahan — an American who also contributed drums on the aforementioned live album — along with Italian double bassist Luca Alemanno, while the keyboard chair is occupied by the exceptionally gifted Slovenian musician Marko Črnčec, who has been living and creating in New York for many years and for whom a Rhodes electric piano became his best friend all over again for a good hour-plus. Črnčec is, quite literally, Jonathan’s New York neighbor. The mere thought of the Kreisberg–Črnčec pairing was enough to draw jazz lovers into Postojna that evening.
In an hour and twenty minutes (encore included), Jonathan — armed with his iconic Gibson ES-175 (’76 vintage) and three battle-hardened jazz masters at his side — conjured a stunning musical evening. This is one of the hottest guitarists in contemporary jazz, someone who has woven jazz, blues, rock, classical music, and even elements of traditional Native American music into something uniquely his own. Softness, speed, precision, and of course fearlessness. Quality stacked on quality. That evening we were treated to a vivid exploration of guitar sounds, and it was genuinely astounding how many languages Jonathan’s Gibson ES-175 speaks. A ferocious mix of fast yet impossibly clean-sounding runs, balanced against delicately bent and coaxed tones in the quieter passages. There was plenty of room for the other three to warm up and stretch out, as Jonathan gave them all the space in the world to let loose instinctively in the improvisations. Those are the musical duels that put the cherry on top of events like this — and the interplay between Črnčec and Kreisberg in particular was breathtaking. Absolutely world-class.
For all its high-wire act qualities, the music never felt alienating — the motifs always remained musically tangible, drawing from the bebop tradition, which kept even the less hardcore end of the audience firmly on board. Inspired playing from the musicians; a deeply relaxed effect on the crowd. And the turnout on the square in front of Hotel Kras was more than satisfying. Every seat taken, with the audience rewarding the musicians with rounds of enthusiastic applause.
The evening flew by in a flash! This quartet of four outstanding musicians delivered a fantastic show that unquestionably satisfied every jazz lover in attendance and left them with an unforgettable musical experience. After the concert, Jonathan stayed on at the venue and chatted well into the night with all the curious fans who simply couldn’t bring themselves to say goodbye to this exceptional guitar virtuoso. Hardly a surprise. Jonathan Kreisberg and his quartet definitely left their own distinct musical mark on Postojna that evening. Here’s hoping the man comes back to our neck of the woods soon!
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
