“It’s the group sound that’s important, even when you’re playing a solo. You not only have to know your own instrument, you must know the others and how to back them up at all times. That’s jazz.”
Oscar Peterson
Thomas Marek Quartet
Piano, bass, drums and feet: dance performance or jazz concert?
The choice does not exist.
When tap dancer Thomas Marek plays with his band, music becomes visible, the percussive sounds of tapping become one with the arrangements and improvisations of his band.
A tap dance performance as a concert.
Matthäus Winnitzki (piano), Stefan Dahm (drums), Tilman Oberbeck (bass), and Thomas Marek (tap dance) continue a tradition of jazz and tap dance without staying in the traditional. On the contrary: the desire for something new drives them straight to the origins of jazz – powerful, passionate, disrespectful.
Quiet sounds lead to dazzling grooves and elegant swing, in the captivating interplay of dance and music that unite in Thomas Marek’s quartet.
This is the hallmark of this formation: the unleashed communication with each other and with the audience, which bridges the gap between traditional and contemporary jazz. Musicians and dancers challenge each other to transcend boundaries and make every performance an adventure.
The Quartet
Matthäus Winnitzki piano
Stefan Dahm drums
Tilman Oberbeck bass
Thomas Marek tap dance