Good Energy: Gordon Grdina/Christian Lillinger Duo

Hot on the heels of presenting The Tokyo Trio, Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares hosted the Canadian guitarist Gordon Grdina and the German drummer Christian Lillinger in concert. Most U.S. jazz audiences are unfamiliar with musicians from other countries, and despite their international reputations, it’s safe to say very few local patrons had heard of Satoko Fujii’s threesome or our latest guests. The onerous cost of a work visa and a lack of decent paying gigs, paired with Trump’s America First rhetoric and a provincial jazz audience, all make it increasingly difficult to get international artists to our country.

So we felt ourselves fortunate that Grdina and Lillinger brought their talents to the Blue Room in Easthampton’s Old Town Hall on April 6. Seeing them for the first time was a revelation and a unique sonic experience. The music was dense and driving, but not overly loud. For the first time, we provided ear plugs at the front table, but none were needed. In addition to Grdina’s guitar, midi-guitar and oud, and Lillinger’s drums, they each commanded electronics, reaping heaps of vibrations. Not sheets of sound, but an oscillating wall.

Grdina began and ended the show playing oud, the ancient, Middle Eastern lute. While he played abstractly with electronics in the first instance, he concluded the evening showcasing his deep understanding of traditional Arabic music. Although he has not performed publicly in western Massachusetts, Grdina has been part of several Arabic Music Retreats, held annually at Mt. Holyoke College each August.

Grdina’s career has been distinguished by a restless energy. Since Think Like the Waves, his 2006 debut with Paul Motian and his mentor, Gary Peacock, the 48 year old Vancouver resident has produced north of 30 albums, including ensembles exploring Middle Eastern repertoire, as well as with jazz titans like Mark Helias, Matthew Shipp, Matt Mitchell, Jim Black, Mat Maneri, Shahzad Ismally and Christian Lillinger.  

Sunday’s Grdina/Lillinger concert had the same rock/punk vibe as their 2024 release, Duo Work, and although the program differed, we heard the same precision amidst the mass of sound. The melodies were embedded in the aural landscape and passed without song breaks or attribution. Closed eyed listening freed us from the futile attempt to identify who/what was producing a particular reverberation, allowing us to revel in what felt like a wordless rock opera.

Closed eyed listening, however, would have robbed us of the thrill of watching Christian Lillinger. The 40 year old drummer moved like a dancer over his instrument, making large, inflated gestures with his arms, torso and face. It was wonderful to watch him move with, and reflect the music. Aside from his animated percussion attacks he manipulated an iPad propped on his music stand, and occasionally reached far to his side to hit a small, thin cymbal with holes in it. The spectacle was not only visually engaging, but his approach: rigorous, exacting, abrupt, jagged, served as engine and architecture.

Lillinger was born in the East German city of Lübben, and has lived in Berlin since 2003. His 25+ recordings as a leader for Clean Feed, Intakt and his own Plaist label, feature artists like Peter Evans, Mat Maneri, Elias Stemeseder, and lots of European musicians we’ve never heard of. When I would mention Lillinger’s name to visiting musicians, they would just laugh. It was the same reaction I got years ago when Tyshawn Sorey’s name would come up. Just a unique and crazy talented artist.

We are so happy to expose Valley audiences to world-class musicians from faraway places. Everyone everywhere deserves to experience the work of artists who have been nurtured in different environments. That’s how fertility works and cross-pollination happens. In such a world Gordon Grdina and Christian Lillinger would not be strangers.

Dream addendum: Jazz has thrived because of talented local musicians who mentor others and enrich their community. What if every region throughout the world had their own all-star ensemble that would travel (with support) to other locales, creating work and raising the profile of their music scenes? The Denver Dream Team, the Berlin Blasters, and so on. A grand international exchange of creatives, on loan to other cities for a couple of weeks. Why not include visual artists and galleries as part of the plan?