Arist-in-residence: CRY
July 2, 2026 @ 20:30 August 11, 2027 @ 23:30
Tomaž Gajšt, trumpet; Miloš Čolović, double bass; Lenart De Bock, saxophone; Gerald Cleaver, drums
(SI, BE, SRB, US)
Lenart De Bock’s new quartet brings together four cross-generational musicians from diverse musical backgrounds in an open, improvisational ensemble without a harmonic instrument. The ‘cordless quartet’ is anchored in a direct dialogue between trumpet, saxophone, double bass, and drums, with the music unfolding spontaneously through mutual interaction and shared exploration of sound. The project also features avant-garde veteran Gerald Cleaver as a special guest, an American musician with a long list of credits and a strong presence on the contemporary jazz scene.
About arist-in-residence:
Lenart De Bock (SI, BE)
Saxophonist, composer, and improviser Lenart De Bock is best known as the leader of his quintet, co-leader of the Soothsayer trio, and a member of the Zhlehtet collective. An exceptionally prolific young artist, De Bock has recently focused on developing a distinctive musical voice characterized by a warm tone, lyrical expressiveness, and an openness to improvisation. In addition to his own projects, he appears on several albums as a sideman, and occasionally as a co-leader and co-composer.
He has performed and recorded with a number of renowned Slovenian and international jazz musicians, including Jim Rotondi, Rick Margitza, Marko Črnčec, Daniel Nösig, and João Moreira. Lenart has appeared at major Slovenian festivals (Jazz Festival Ljubljana, Jazz Cerkno, Jazzinty, among others) and has also toured in Brazil, Austria, and across Europe.
The centrepiece of his work as a composer is last year’s debut album A Plea for Tenderness, which offers a vivid, communal reflection on the jazz tradition as shaped, for example, in the more spiritual strands of artists such as the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Alice Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders. At its core, the album explores a predominantly flowing and tender spirituality, articulated with exceptional precision, refinement, integrity, and fervour, and enriched by subtle inflections of classical and folk music.
As this year’s festival resident artist, De Bock will present two brand-new projects: a quartet and a percussion ensemble