Meetings with jazz greats | Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald

Following a successful evening dedicated to the work of legendary pianist Oscar Peterson in October, music historian and photojournalist Ludo Segers (Canada/Luxembourg) presents a new and particularly interesting "Closer to Music" series – "Attentive Listening: Meetings with Jazz Greats!"

During his long career as a photographer, he has captured world leaders in the thick of the action, eye-catching portraits, and inspiring landscapes. Soon, he will turn his keen eye to the great jazz musicians at the Music Magic Club. Over the next six months, Ludo will invite listeners to several carefully prepared meetings, the essence of which is attentive listening to jazz and getting to know the most important recordings.

Each evening will begin with a short introduction to help listeners orient themselves in the program and musical context. Then the focus will shift to listening: selected recordings that are important to the history of jazz will be played on high-quality equipment, allowing us to listen without any distractions. The musical experience is complemented by the host's commentary and short stories from his personal experience, revealing the circumstances surrounding the creation of the works, the relationships between the musicians, and what usually remains behind the scenes.

The first evening of the cycle is dedicated to the music of legendary jazz guitarist Joe Pass and singer Ella Fitzgerald, known as the "Queen of Jazz." Ludo has selected the pieces that best reveal the uniqueness of these performers. In the first part of the event, we will enjoy their mastery as individual musicians, and in the second part, we will immerse ourselves in legendary moments from their duo—recordings made both live and in the studio. This is where the real magic will unfold: their trust, respect for each other, and musical telepathy. Ludo will talk about the technical solutions and artistic choices that made this duo unique!

The event will be held in ENGLISH.

***

In early April, continuing the series "Attentive Listening: Meetings with Jazz Greats" series, we will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the pioneers of the "cool jazz" musical style, Dave Brubeck's quartet, and in June, Ludo will focus on songwriter Elvis Costello, who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Ludo has promised to speak little, but interestingly. As usual, we will focus most of our attention on listening to high-quality records.