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Chris Engel

South African saxophonist and adopted Irishman Chris Engel has cultivated a successful career in jazz and improvised music throughout Europe with his chameleon-like musical talents; adept in small and large ensembles, free improv, contemporary jazz, and latterly electronic music. Born and raised in South Africa, Chris came to Ireland after completing his studies at The Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.

Chris also has a BMus in Jazz Studies from The South African College Of Music (The University of Cape Town) and has performed at venues and festivals in South Africa, Mozambique, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, Dubai, The Netherlands, The UK and Ireland. These include Cork Jazz Festival, Bray Jazz Festival, Derry Jazz Festival, Down with Jazz, Kilkenny Arts Festival (performing with Theo Bleckmann, John O'Gallagher and Nils Wogram), Westport Arts Festival, Atina Jazz(Italy), Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Aarhus Jazz Festival, InJazz (The Netherlands), Cape Town International Jazz Festival (where he performed with Joe McBride, Gerald Veasley and Kenny Blake, amongst others), the Cape Town Jazzathon and the Grahamstown Jazz Festival (South Africa).

Exploration, collaboration and interaction through improvisation form the foundation of his musical philosophy. With these cornerstones in mind, Chris strives to cover new ground, creatively, with each performance.

South African saxophonist and adopted Irishman Chris Engel has cultivated a successful career in jazz and improvised music throughout Europe with his chameleon-like musical talents; adept in small and large ensembles, free improv, contemporary jazz, and latterly electronic music. Born and raised in South Africa, Chris came to Ireland after completing his studies at The Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.

Chris also has a BMus in Jazz Studies from The South African College Of Music (The University of Cape Town) and has performed at venues and festivals in South Africa, Mozambique, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, Dubai, The Netherlands, The UK and Ireland. These include Cork Jazz Festival, Bray Jazz Festival, Derry Jazz Festival, Down with Jazz, Kilkenny Arts Festival (performing with Theo Bleckmann, John O'Gallagher and Nils Wogram), Westport Arts Festival, Atina Jazz(Italy), Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Aarhus Jazz Festival, InJazz (The Netherlands), Cape Town International Jazz Festival (where he performed with Joe McBride, Gerald Veasley and Kenny Blake, amongst others), the Cape Town Jazzathon and the Grahamstown Jazz Festival (South Africa).

Exploration, collaboration and interaction through improvisation form the foundation of his musical philosophy. With these cornerstones in mind, Chris strives to cover new ground, creatively, with each performance.


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13
Interview

BigSpoon's Chris Engel: Intention... And Spontaneity

Read "BigSpoon's Chris Engel: Intention...  And Spontaneity" reviewed by Ian Patterson


So much goes into a debut album—a lifetime of learning, experiences and myriad influences. The music that springs forth is also often shaped in subtle and unfathomable ways that are sometimes not entirely clear even to the composer. Some musical reference points may appear obvious, others much less so, and so it is with The Return of the Prodigal Son (Diatribe Records, 2022) by Dublin four-piece BigSpoon. It's a visceral affair, hewn from jazz and improvised traditions, electronic ...

11
Album Review

BigSpoon: The Return Of The Prodigal Son

Read "The Return Of The Prodigal Son" reviewed by Ian Patterson


South African saxophonist Chris Engel has been a ubiquitous figure on the Irish jazz/improvised scene since arriving in Dublin in 2011. Whether in Chris Guilfoyle's modernist Umbra, Cote Calmet's Afro-Peruvian-inspired Phisqa, Italian guitarist Julien Colarossi's quartet or the Weather Report tribute band, Plaza Real, Engel's commitment is total, his fierce technique matched by a fearless improvisatory spirit. Engel has also embraced the world of electronica, notably in the duo Cafolla-Engel, whose DJ/improvised saxophone sets whip up the night owls. Engel, ...

4
Album Review

Umbra: West

Read "West" reviewed by Ian Patterson


American road trips have long inspired writers, from Jack Kerouac, John Steinbeck and Tom Wolfe, to Hunter S. Thompson, Robert M. Pirsig and Bill Bryson. Fewer are the extended works, similarly inspired, written by musicians. Some things, it seems, may be easier put into words. Umbra's West is inspired by founding member Chris Guilfoyle's 2017 road trip, as evidenced through the song titles, through North America's Western states to Canada. It marks Umbra's full debut, but can be seen as ...

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"Engel is one of the most arresting instrumentalists on the Irish jazz scene."  - All About Jazz

Sonny Rollins
saxophone
Archie Shepp
saxophone, soprano
Chris Potter
saxophone

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Return Of The...

Diatribe Records
2022

buy

West

Self Produced
2018

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