Klaus Gesing is a writer, player, bandleader and teacher on the vanguard of jazz.
He got into improvisation at the age of 10, listening to an English clarinet player who regularly played on backing tracks from a battery-run speaker in the pedestrian zone of his hometown Düsseldorf/Germany.
After some years under the inspiring guidance of his first saxophone and improvisation teacher, Johannes Seidemann at the Clara-Schumann Music School in Düsseldorf, he continued to be professionally trained at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague in Jazz (John Ruocco) and Classical (Leo van Oostrom) Saxophone - and finished his studies with a special remark for his compositions and artistic expression.
He had additional studies with David Liebman.
Gesing has been awarded Best Soloist at the Jugend Jazzt Competition in Germany/NRW (1988), Best Soloist at the Middelzee Jazz Festival (1994), the Van Merlen Jazz Prize (1995) and Best Soloist at the Vienne International Jazz Competition (1996).
He published several CDs in Duo with Glauco Venier (“Klaus Gesing and Glauco Venier play Bach”, “Klaus Gesing and Glauco Venier play Songs”) and began to collaborate with Norma Winstone in 1999.
As a leader, the well received debut album “First Booke of Songes”, was followed in 2006 by “Heartluggage”, recorded and performed by Gwilym Simcock on piano, Yuri Goloubev (bass) and Asaf Sirkis (percussion).
Described in a recent review in All About Jazz as “one of those hidden gems that commands attention from the get-go”.
His collaboration with Italian pianist Glauco Venier led to the trio with Norma Winstone and five critically acclaimed albums on Universal and ECM.
"Chamber Music" (2004, Universal Universal); "Distances" ( 2008, ECM 2028) "Stories yet to tell" (2010, ECM 2158) "Dance without answer" (2014, ECM2333) "Descansado - Music for Films" (2018, ECM 2567) The second album, Distances, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Vocal Jazz Album and the prestigious French Académie du Jazz award.
Another appearance on the Label ECM is marked by the publication of Anouar Brahem’s “The Astounding Eyes of Rita” (2009, ECM 2075), a CD that is dedicated to the memory of the lately deceased Palestinian Poet Mahmoud Darwish.
On this album Klaus Gesing appears playing only Bass Clarinet, an instrument that has become increasingly important during recent years.
2014 saw the publication of a new album by the Tunisian Oud player Anouar Brahem,”Souvenance”, (2014, ECM 2423/24) featuring Francois Couturier on piano, Björn Meyer on bass, and a 18piece string orchestra on which Klaus Gesing delved further into the combination of bass clarinet and live electronics.
2011 showed the publication of the „loopspool“, a video made in Switzerland, where he presents his duo with American born percussionist Jarrod Cagwin. This project focuses on extended live-looping on a purely acoustic basis, bringing the use of computer in the process of acoustic music making to an all new level.
The work on "loopspool" led to Klaus Gesing’s first Solo project "reaLTime", that was published on his own label, Edition TonSpuren, in 2015.
A critic remarked that Klaus Gesing "on reaLTime elicit[s] from it [the bass clarinet, (KG)] a range of expression not heard since John Surman." (Tyran Grillo, All about Jazz) In 2016 he published his new loop-solo work "sound of mind" (2016, Edition TonSpuren) on which he put the focus on the compositional possibilities of live looping. The piece was commissioned by the Italian organisation Consorzio Il Mosaico. They are co-funding the work of the African Gregoire Ahongbobon, who has created a network of alternative treatment for the mentally disturbed in Ivory Coast and Benin/Africa.
2016 also saw the publication of "amiira" (2016, arjuna-music, AMAC-CD711//AMAC-LP711) by the trio “Gesing_Rohrer_Meyer”.
This ensemble - featuring Swedish bass player Björn Meyer on his six-string electric bass, and Swiss drummer Samuel Rohrer - concentrates on crossfading improvisation and composition on a very contemporary level, using live electronics with an analog approach.
In 2017 "amiira" has been licensed and published on Hermes Records, an Iranian Label concentrating on improvised music in all its forms.
As a composer – next to writing the main body of the musical material for his own projects and contributing extensively to the music of the ECM releases with Winstone / Gesing / Venier – Klaus Gesing‘s commissions have included a music soundtrack composed for the the Stadtmuseum Gmunden, Austria.
He has also composed a soundtrack to the 1928 silent film, “Joan of Arc” by the Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer, in collaboration with italian organist and director Paolo Paroni.
As a member of the ‘Jazz Big Band Graz’, two of his compositions appear on the album “A Life Affair” released by Universal Music (2004).
In 2022 he launched his new project "Music for Voice and Big Band" and had a first and very successful premiere in Jurmala / Latvia featuring Ana Pilat, voice, and the Latvian Radio Orchestra.
In 2022 he concluded the work on the music for the Swiss documentary "Bratsch - Ein Dorf macht Schule" by the Swiss Film director Norbert Wiedmer.
The film narrates the first 6 years of a Swiss school project initiated by Damian Gsponer The concept of the school focuses on the personal develpoment of the pupils, to let them grow into self-dependent, responsible and socially orientated members of a society in change, while complying with the educational needs of our contemporary work environments.
The documentary was a success and attracted 30.000 visitors in the German speaking part of Switzerland, was shown at the Hofer-Filmtage. In 2023 he recorded his program "Music for Voice and Big Band" in Riga/Latvia, together with Ana Pilat, voice and the Latvian Radio Big Band. This recording will be published in 2024.
Finally, in 2023 the long awaitedited second full-length CD of the trio Amiira was published to great response. Klaus Gesing has so far collaborated with (among others): Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Björn Meyer, Anouar Brahem, Samuel Rohrer, Francois Couturier, Paolo Paroni, Khaled Yassine, Gwilym Simcock, Asaf Sirkis, Yuri Goloubev, Glauco Venier, John Taylor, Johannes Berauer, Dave Liebman, Christian Muthspiel, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Uli Rennert, Jazz Big Band Graz, Paolino dalla Porta, Wolfgang Puschnig, Peter Herbert, Jarrod Cagwin, John Hollenbeck, Henning Siewerts, Helge Andreas Norbakken, Mario Brunello

ANA PILAT is a vocalist, lyricist, and vocal pedagogue whose musical journey began early in her native Istria, Croatia. The essence of her heritage is evident in her rich voice and heartfelt interpretation. In addition to performing at children’s song festivals, she recorded her first album with a vocal group at only 16.
Over the years, Ana has performed with modern and world music ensembles, as well as various Big Bands. In 2019, she recorded the album “Sonce Ljubo,” rooted in traditional music, with the chamber ensemble Violoncelli Itineranti. Their collaboration earned them second prize at the Alberto Cesa Award in 2020 and a special mention at the Music Miela Contest in 2021.
Ana’s commitment to voice discovery is also reflected in her academic achievements. She graduated with honours in Jazz Singing from the Conservatory G. Tartini of Trieste in 2021, all while completing a four-year training programme at the “School of Uncovering the Voice.” Her dedication to learning led her to participate in workshops with renowned artists such as Marta Gomez and Rachel Gould. She further expanded her expertise by earning a degree in pop/jazz vocal pedagogy from JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Finland, where her thesis examined the impact of group singing on well-being. Her talent as a lyricist has been recognised by distinguished musicians like Norma Winstone and Egberto Gismonti. Additionally, her co-written song “Tides” reached the semi-finals of the International Songwriting Competition in 2023.
In 2024, Ana made her debut with “Songs from an Unknown Land” at the International Festival Trieste Loves Jazz, featuring compositions by Klaus Gesing. The lyrics she wrote for his compositions offer a gateway into a world of emotion and depth, reflecting the ever-evolving nature of human experiences. Ana’s unique stage presence and delivery bring a compelling sense of storytelling to the project. Now based in Helsinki, Ana offers holistic singing lessons and continues to explore the psychology behind the art of singing.

The big band was first founded in 1966 under the name “The Orchestra of TV and Radio of the Latvian SSR”. Later it was renamed “The Variety Orchestra of the Latvian TV and Radio”; the first bandleader was Ringolds Ore. Henceforward, such Latvian jazz legends as Alnis Zakis, Gunars Rozenbergs, and Maestro Raimonds Pauls have taken the lead in the orchestra. The only professional jazz big band in Latvia was liquidated in 1996.

After its revival in 2012, it operates under the wing of the state concert agency “Latvijas Koncerti”. The Latvian Radio Big Band has played a significant role in the history of jazz in Latvia. The big band’s legacy to Latvian culture is priceless – currently, the sound library of “Latvian Radio” holds over 9,000 recordings featuring the band. The creative driving force behind the orchestra till 2019 was the musician, producer and the artistic director Māris Briežkalns.

Since 2012, the big band has performed with such musical stars as James Morrison, Seamus Blake, Randy Brecker, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Marius Neset, Allan Harris, Jojo Mayer, Richard Bona, Michael Pipoquinha, Ruthie Foster, Diane Schuur, and many others.

The big band has been nominated twice for the Grand Music Award - the highest form of state recognition in the field of music in Latvia. The award was established in 1993. In 2016, the band was nominated for excellent performances in the year 2015, but in 2014, in the category “Concert of the Year” for the concert programme “Mare Balticum”, featuring Australian multi-instrumentalist James Morrison.

As a part of the Latvian centenary celebrations, the Latvian Radio Big Band was welcomed with sold-out venues standing ovations in two prestigious American concert halls - in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and in the Lincoln Center in New York, also joining Randy Brecker in the Jazz Baltica festival in Germany.

Each of the Latvian Radio Big Band performances is like an energy exchange between the musicians and the audience. Today the collective is an integral part of the Latvian culture scene and they are preparing new and interesting projects under the leadership of artistic director Kārlis Vanags.