: HAS PLAYED
Tokyo Jazz Festival, Yokohama Jazz Promenade, Hong Kong International Jazz Festival, Eurojazz Festival Mexico, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Paris Jazz Festival à la cité, Liverpool Jazz Festival, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Südtirol Jazz Festival, Taichung Jazz Festival, Jarasum Int'l Jazz Festival, Sibiu Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Jazzkaar Festival, Shenzhen Fringe Festival, Jazz May Penza Festival, Aglan Jazz festival, Polanco Jazz Festival, Beishan Jazz Festival, Jazz au Chellah Festival, French May Festival HK, Ploiesti Jazz Festival, Stuttgart Jazzfest, A to Jazz Festival Sofia, Alfa Jazz Festival, Brussels Jazz Marathon, Jazzit Festival Torino, Jazz Bez Festival, Singapore Jazz In July, International Palatia Jazz Festival, Jazz Province Festival, 9Gates Festival, Festival d'Avignon AJMI, Nango Jazz Festival, So Jazz Festival, VR Jazz Festival, Amersfoort Jazz festival, JGTC Festival, D'Jazz Kabaret Festival, Emergenza Festival, Jazz Across Borders Festival, B-Flat Berlin, Unterfahrt, Like A Jazzmachine Festival, Luxembourg's Jazz Meeting, Le Phénix Valenciennes, Völklinger Hüttenjazz Festival, Vortex London...
: PRESS QUOTES
"Dock in Absolute: Drei vielversprechende Jungmusiker. Ein verträumtes, zuweilen romantisches Jazz-Rock Trio." - Hermannstädter Zeitung
"Its music is sparkling, varying, forceful, pressing, rich in twists and turns in mood: from lyrical to unrestrainable, from wild to graceful, from virtuosic and crystalline to assertive and dramatic, from subdued to airy and demonstrative." - CAM JAZZ
"This is an album packed with fascinating composition as well as terrific playing." - Brian Morton
: BIOGRAPHY
Dock In Absolute is a stellar trio from Luxembourg comprised of Jean-Philippe Koch on piano, David Kintziger on bass and Michel Mootz on drums, young musicians who breathed new life into the music scene and having studied at the Berklee College of Music Boston, Codarts University of Arts Rotterdam, Hochschule für Musik Saarbrücken. With a shared love of jazz, they combine different styles of progressive Jazz, classical and rock, playing the pianist’s own compositions and co-created their unique jazz style in 2012. Its music is sparkling, varying, forceful, pressing, rich in twists and turns in mood: from lyrical to unrestrainable, from wild to graceful, from virtuosic and crystalline to assertive and dramatic, from subdued to airy and demonstrative. It can be charged-up one moment and calm the next, then take off again to reach vibrant sounds. An endless variety of melodic cells, often with a hypnotic pattern, alternating against a flamboyant, bright sonic background with unfaltering dynamics, never a half-way approach from this trio. Dock In Absolute proves that Jazz has myriads of stories to tell: thus, it should be allowed free rein.
Dock In Absolute also brought his latest album out in May 2017, recorded at the Bauer Studios, under the Label CAM JAZZ.
Dock In Absolute has been named the “Export Artist of the Year 2017” by music:LX.
Their fresh approach to jazz allowed them to push boundaries, to touch a wide audience and to explore the potential of new unique wave of sounds while adding strength to the jazz field.
Jean-Philippe Koch (Piano, Composition)
Jean-Philippe Koch started learning the piano at the age of four and went on to study at the Luxembourg Conservatoire. At the age of 17, he continued at the Musikhochschule in Saarbrücken, and completed a Master’s degree course at the Liège Royal Conservatoire, where he graduated with ‘grande distinction’ and also won the prize for the highest mark in his Master’s course. Having also studied in Berklee College of Music in Boston, as well as at the Codarts University of Arts Rotterdam, he has been awarded a scholarship by Berklee School for his studies.
Always on the lookout for new approaches to piano, Jean-Philippe has attended many master classes. Alongside this, he obtained Baccalaureates in composition, musical analysis and musical notation.
In 2014, he became piano teacher at the Conservatoire de Luxembourg.
Jean-Philippe has recorded many CDs, the last one with his father, Philippe (violin), and his sister, Laurence (violin), as part of the Trio Koch. This CD has been nominated at the ‘International Classic Music Awards’. The Trio played inter alia at the Berliner Philharmonie, Luxembourg Philharmonie, Christophori Salon in Berlin, Paris Goethe Institut, London Conway Hall, Dublin, Madrid Conde Duque… and continues to present its music to the world.
Jean-Philippe was awarded the gold medal, with a special commendation from the panel of judges, at the UGDA International Young Soloists Competition in Luxembourg. In the same year, he was also awarded the SACEM Prize, the EMCY (European Union of Music Competitions for Youth) Prize and the prize for the best composition for piano at the Artistes en Herbe international composition competition.
David Kintziger (E-Bass)
Originating from several renowned schools in Belgium, David Kintziger decides to develop his creative knowledge with an intention to devote it to an intergenerational audience. Passionate about guitar, bass and percussions since his teenage years, he studies jazz harmony, writing, ensemble music as well as electric fretless bass and double bass at the Académie de Jazz Marcel Désiron in Amay. Eclectic musician, he then attends improvisation and polyrhythms courses at the Conservatoire Royal in Liège under the guidance of Michel Massot and Garrett List.
He composes numerous music pieces for short films' projects, children's puppet shows and theater plays. Naturally curious, his thurst for knowledge and versatile experiences brings him to find interest in many artistic disciplines. Amongst them, illustration, comics, art therapy, theatrical improvisation, danse, “lutherie sauvage”, video, stop-motion, cinema and teaching.
Moreover, David works in two centres of expression and creativity (Atelier Graffiti in Liège/Les Z'ateliers from Houffalize) as an illustrator and accompanies children and adults in expressing themselves through various forms of creative arts. He also proposes many pluridisciplinary artistic formations and workshops in Belgium as well as abroad. Since 2014, he has been studying somatotherapy in order to enrich his global human knowledge with benevolence, strength and determination. In 2006, he represents Belgium for an international contest of silent film music, Strade Del Cinema. He takes the third place, along with pianist Baptiste Vaes.
He's also the bassist of Valetlesbateleurs, Isamia and Undo3.
Michel Mootz (Drums)
Michel started his musical career at the Conservatoire de Musique de la ville Luxembourg. At a very young age he studied percussion and piano. Discovering later jazz drums and vibraphone he managed to widen his musical horizon at an early stage.
After obtaining a premier prix in both piano and drumset and a prix supérieur in classical percussion in 2001 he joined the department for Jazz Drumset and Classical Percussion at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Being in touch with incredible musicians and pedagogues, he was able to progress in many aspects of musicianship. He finally graduates in two bachelor degrees in 2006 and 2007. After a successful period of performing in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, India, China and teaching in Luxembourg he decided to study again in 2011. He graduated with a Master of Arts at the Koninklijk Conservatorium van Brussel in 2013.
Michel is playing in many different kinds of projects and teaches percussion and Drumset in Luxembourg at the Conservatoire de musique de la ville de Luxembourg since 2009.
Currently he is also performing among others with the percussion ensemble Transadlibit Duo, the Jazzcombo Jitz Jeitz 4tet, the Singer/songwriter Daniel Balthasar and the classical improvising Worldmusic Trio Julia goes Mercutio.
