Holly Schlott – UNIQUE

The fact that Berlin-based saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Holly Schlott has launched her ensemble Unique is particularly significant. “Music knows no gender,” Schlott is convinced, “but it does know attitude!” For her, her ensemble of soloists is the blueprint for a utopia: music functions as a dialogue between the instrumentalists on stage and the audience in front of them, just as it also creates connections between generations. It builds bridges across divides, but is also an expression of lived identity. Unique does not play classical orchestral jazz. Rather, this eleven-piece band delivers the richness of sound for multifaceted chamber music by dissolving opposites and allowing for contradictions. The musicians appreciate the melodic as much as the concrete beat, but they are also aware of the tension that arises when these parameters are dissolved. Music as an alternative to today’s political turmoil? For Schlott and Unique, that fits.