CGNYC – Kalia Vandever

In jazz and improvised music, it is often said that what matters most is the moment when musicians first come together. Cologne-based bassist and bandleader Florian Herzog has embraced this philosophy for his concert series “CGNYC – Cologne meets New York City,” for which he has been inviting instrumentalists from New York to Cologne for the past three years. So far, Herzog has invited cellist Marial Roberts, saxophonist David Leon, vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, saxophonist Anna Webber, and trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, among others, for a first meeting on one of Cologne’s stages. For Cologne Jazzweek 2026, there is now a special edition of “CGNYC – Cologne meets New York City,” for which he is bringing trombonist Kalia Vandever to LOFT for a joint improvisation. After studying at the Juilliard School in New York, she has established herself in contemporary jazz as a musician with chamber-music finesse, a sensitive feel for timbre and form, and an experimental openness.