KLAENG Festival 2026 | Tag #1

Boundaries blur and genres collide—the 17th edition of the international KLAENG Festival presents the “here and now” of contemporary music at Cologne’s Stadtgarten from November 20 to 22.

Day #1 Program
November 20, 2026

Kris Davis Trio feat. Robert Hurst & Jim Black

Hardly any other artist is shaping contemporary jazz as profoundly right now as Grammy-winning pianist and composer Kris Davis. As a creative boundary-breaker, label founder, educator, and bandleader, she combines visionary compositions with a radical openness to the moment. Hailed by The New York Times as a “pioneering voice on the scene,” the artist will present her latest album, *Run the Gauntlet*, alongside Robert Hurst and Jim Black. The project pays tribute to six pioneering female pianists whose artistic vision and perseverance have set new standards in contemporary jazz. A highly dynamic dialogue emerges between structure and spontaneity, masterfully blending tradition and innovation. The result is a captivating, cutting-edge sound: intelligent, powerful, and full of creative adventurousness.

Kris Davis - Piano
Robert Hurst - Bass
Jim Black - Drums

Hoax Quartet

What is original, and what is a copy? Where does tradition end, and where does innovation begin? The HOAX Guitar Quartet explores these questions with curiosity, a spirit of experimentation, and a distinctive artistic profile. The name “HOAX”—a mirage that appears to be the truth—embodies a passion for the surprising, the ambiguous, and the challenging. Since 2017, the four guitarists have been exploring new forms of expression in contemporary music, combining virtuoso playing with unusual techniques, electronic sounds, and audiovisual elements. Their current project RELIC focuses on musical finds, samples, and sound objects. Navigating the tensions between cultural appropriation, memory, and reinvention, the ensemble creates fascinating sonic spaces bridging the past and the present. Works by Steve Reich, Elena Rykova, Jannik Giger, and Jana De Troyer weave together minimalism, collage, and electronic aesthetics into a multi-layered concert experience. An evening full of sonic discoveries that challenges familiar listening habits and opens up new perspectives.

Jinhee Kim – Guitar
Agustin Nazzetta – Guitar
Damiano Pisanello – Guitar
Tobias Krebs – Guitar

Phil Donkin - Bring A Friend

A bus on a long journey: people get on, others get off, and some return. With every stop, the dynamics, mood, and conversations change—but one constant remains: the driver. This image is at the heart of *Bring A Friend*, the new project by Berlin-based bassist and composer Phil Donkin. Like a confident driver, he guides a top-tier ensemble through musical landscapes full of encounters, friction, and surprising twists. The lineup changes from piece to piece; voices emerge, fade away, and constantly form new constellations. Cohesion arises not through uniformity, but through the creative interplay of different personalities. Carried by a distinctive bass foundation, the music unfolds, combining complex structures with immediate emotionality. At times, intense dialogues emerge; at others, heated debates; and then again, moments of concentrated attention. “Bring A Friend” is a vibrant sonic portrait of human encounters—intelligent, multi-layered, and full of dramatic sophistication. A jazz project that brings life to life in all its dynamism, contradictions, and beauty.

Phil Donkin - Double Bass
James Maddren - Drums
Clara Vetter - Piano
Felix Hauptmann - Fender Rhodes, Synths
Evi Filippou - Vibraphone
Jeremy Viner - Tenor Saxophone
Bastian Stein - Trumpet