JAZZINEC: JOJO MAYER & ME/MACHINE (USA)

Combining human interpretive expression with cutting-edge generative music technology performed by one of the most respected drummers

When it is said that Jojo Mayer is one of the fifty greatest drummers of all time, it is not just some advertising ploy. This position was certified by the ranking of the respected trade magazine Modern Drummer in 2014.
One of the most innovative drummers, Jojo Mayer, combines human interpretive expression with cutting-edge generative music technology in real time in his new project ME/MACHINE, connecting analog drumming with artificial intelligence in an improvised duet where the machine imitates the human and the human imitates the machine.
Sergé “Jojo” Mayer’s career began in the early 1980s, when at the age of 18 he landed a spot in pianist Monty Alexander’s band, with whom he toured Europe at major festivals, and even managed to accompany stars such as Dizzy Gillespie and Nina Simone for a time. He went on to play in the jazz-rock group Screaming Headless Torsos and the fusion band Intergalactic Maiden Ballet. In the early 1990s, Mayer moved from Europe to New York, working as a sideman for a variety of artists before forming the electronic quartet Nerve, a band where Mayer developed the idea of reverse engineering – playing machine rhythms on an acoustic drum kit.
Jojo Mayer is known for fusing jazz, drum'n'bass and jungle, and has been heavily influenced by electronic music in recent decades. ME/MACHINE is the next chapter in this love affair between man and machine, machine and man.
Mayer himself says about the new project: "The initial impetus for ME/MACHINE came during an experimental recording session with Brian Eno shortly before the pandemic broke out. I was intrigued by the implications that generative, algorithmic technologies and artificial intelligence would have for the future of music and thought, and I thought to myself: if I had a year off, I would get started on this." Jojo Mayer took a year off.

Thursday 20. 3. ** B. Martinů Concert Hall ** 7:00 PM ** admission 490 CZK ** advance ticket sales from 13. 2.

Organizer: Alternative for Culture zs
Co-organizer: UFFO
The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Hradec Králové Region.