Jazz Takes Supergroup – The creme of the international jazz and music scene at the Tbilisi Jazz Festival 2023: Video, Photos

We enjoyed legendary jazz saxophinist Bill Evans (sax), Felix Pastorius (bass), Niels Lan Doky (piano) and Harvey Mason (drums) present Jazz Takes Supergroup for a intimate concert in the Georgia – Tbilisi Jazz festival 2023.

Together with Danish Niels Lan Doky, three star musicians from the US perform the project Jazz Takes Supergroup in the Round Tower’s unique atmosphere: Saxophonist Bill Evans, who started his career as 21-year-old with Miles Davis, the influential drummer Harvey Mason, who remains one of the most recorded drummers and son of one of the amazing Jaco Pastorius, Felix Pastorius, who is a bass virtuoso and world class musician in his own right.

The four jazz musicians plays of original compositions mixed with jazz-interpretations of canonical hits – from 90’s Grunge and HipHop, 70’s Disco or Post Punk, 80’s New Wave and much more.

The line-up reads quite naturally like the creme de la creme of the international jazz and music scene. The audience of the Tbilisi Jazz Festival in Georgia thoroughly enjoyed this music and greeted the musicians with loud applause, individually and all together. The musicians enveloped the audience with sweet sounds and gave them 2 hours of bliss.

On saxophone is Bill Evans, who achieved great fame alongside Miles Davis. Further on is the son of bass legend Jaco Pastorius: Felix Pastorius. He played with Bobby McFerrin and David Gilmour, among others. Niels Lan Doky on piano and last but not least: Harvey Masan on drums. One of the most studio-recorded drummers of all time. His references go from Björk to James Brown to Céline Dion.

Saxophonist Bill Evans began his career at age 21 with Miles Davis which helped launch more than three decades of musical exploration leading his own bands. To date, he has recorded 26 solo CDs. Currently he is co-leading bands with multiple artists including Robben Ford, Mike Stern, and Randy Brecker and continues to tour extensively worldwide.

Aside from performing, arranging, composing, and producing music Niels Lan Doky has worked as a film director, author, venue owner, speaker, and he is Knighted by HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. International press have called him “the best pianist of his generation” and “one of the most important pianists that European jazz has given us in the last 45 years”․

With a style of his own, the son of bass legend Jaco Pastorius, Felix Pastorius, has earned the distinction of a world-class musician and bass virtuoso in his own right. He was with the iconic jazz/fusion group the Yellowjackets from 2012 to 2015 and has also performed with the likes of Bobby McFerrin, Victor Wooten, Jeff Coffin, David Gilmour and many more.

Harvey Mason is one of the most recorded drummers of all time. His credentials reflect mind-boggling versatility (Björk, James Brown, Celine Dion, Duke Ellington, and Earth Wind & Fire are barely the tip of the iceberg). His most famous jazz work includes the groundbreaking Herbie Hancock album “Headhunters”, he also co-wrote the hit song “Chameleon”.

Inspired by artistic organizations such as The Royal Danish Ballet, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Cirque du Soleil, The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Niels Lan Doky International Jazz Collective is an association of prolific musicians from three different continents, Europe, North America and South America – who are devoted to presenting unique and exclusive jazz performances of the highest order, which they curate and produce themselves and which cannot be heard anywhere else. The collective is led by the knighted jazz pianist and producer Niels Lan Doky, who has been called “the best pianist of his generation” and has collaborated with a who’s-who in jazz.

For the first two seasons of the series, 2020 and 2021, entire concerts were devoted to Doky’s modern instrumental jazz arrangements of flagship songs from each genre: 1970s New York Post Punk, 1980s U.K. New Wave, 1990s Seattle Grunge, 1990s New York Hip Hop, Heavy Metal, 1970s Disco and French Electronic – each concert headlined by one of the most acclaimed figures in jazz: Lenny White, Billy Cobham, Mike Stern, Gary Bartz, Pat Metheny Group veterans Steve Rodby and Paul Wertico and more.

Simon Sargsyan

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