Murmurs and Wails Berlin Jazz Trio MEGA MASS, originating from Germany, is composed of three musicians: tenor saxophonist Fabian Willmann, guitarist Théo Duboule, and drummer Quentin Cholet. They center their music around improvisation and consistently infuse their compositions with a surging energy, which is nearly unimaginable for a trio without a bass. The absence of a bass provides the trio with extraordinary rhythm, harmony, and unique musical textures, which they skillfully utilize to navigate through diverse musical styles.
These three musicians, who grew up in the Berlin music scene, have inevitably drawn inspiration from Paul Motian’s trio and have conducted in-depth and extensive studies of musical aesthetics ranging from Arvo Pärt to Nirvana. This winter, they will bring their music to China, presenting a profound and delicate concert themed around their new album Murmurs and Wails, using vivid and masterful performances to guide the audience through sounds steeped in post-Berlin temperament, and slowly unfolding an emotionally stirring night in Nanjing with jazz music. Musician Tenor Saxophone: Fabian Willmann From 2011 to 2015, Fabian Willmann (born in 1992) studied jazz saxophone with Professor Domenic Landolf at the Basel Music Academy, while also studying musicology at the Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, and received a scholarship from the ‘German National Academic Foundation’. From 2015 to 2016, he continued his saxophone studies with Mark Turner, Joe Lovano, and Chris Potter at New York University, with a scholarship from the ‘German Academic Exchange Service’ (DAAD), and completed his master’s degree at Jazzcampus Basel in 2017. He is also a member of several ensembles, including the ‘Sarah Chaksad Big Band’, the band ‘Monoglot’, and ‘Minua’. In addition to performing in Europe and the United States, he has also performed in China, Nepal, Uganda, South Africa, South Korea, and Japan.Since 2022, Théo Duboule has been leading his trio on tour, which includes Jeff Ballard on drums and Arne Huber on bass.
Guitar: Théo Duboule, a Swiss guitarist from Berlin, has several major projects including OGGY & the Phonics, theBIG TUSK, Théo Duboule 4tet, Théo Duboule 3io, In Motion (collaboration with Vuma Levin), Mega Mass, and his electronic music project Mr Wizzel. In 2012, he was active on the Swiss and international stages, such as Jazz in Marciac, AMR, Cully Jazz, Theater am Gleis, Musig-im-Ochsen, Rdv de l’Erdre, Petit Journal Montparnasse, Budapest Music Center, Sunset/Sunside, Pannonica, South Africa, and more. In 2014, he had the opportunity to perform with musicians like Ohad Talmor, Jorge Rossy, David Virelles, Matthieu Michel, Banz Oester, Colin Vallon, Gerry Hemingway, Arthur Hnatek. In 2013, he was selected to participate in the big band ‘DKSJ’ tour led by Ohad Talmor. In 2014, his ‘Infinit’ octet was chosen for the ‘DKSJ Exchange Night’ tour. In 2016, he reached the semifinals of the Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition. In 2017, he won the Sunside Trophies and Jazz Contreband competitions with OGGY & the Phonics. Théo has been involved in the production of several albums (including OGGY & the Phonics, the BIG TUSK, In Motion, Mega Mass), which can be found on digital platforms.Drums: Quentin Cholet
Quentin Cholet was born in France and grew up in an artistic family, beginning his drumming studies at the age of 11. He studied at several schools under the tutelage of Nicolas Martynciow, Stephane Payen, and Simon Goubert, before moving to Berlin to attend the Berlin Jazz Institute and study with John Hollenbeck. Since then, he has been living in Germany, actively performing in various clubs in Berlin, and touring China and South Korea multiple times with the band Miss Kiss. He is currently active in two bands, the Berlin trio Mega Mass and Farmaporn. He released his first solo album in 2023. Performance opens on December 17th, Tuesday, with the show starting at 20:00. The exact duration of the performance is subject to the live event.
