Nana Pi, Ha Lym Kim, Jonas Gerigk - Planting Trees for the Festival (2025) Hi Res

Planting Trees for the Festival brings together Danish tenor sax player Nana Pi Aabo-Kim (of the musicians’ collective Barefoot), German-Korean drummer based in Denmark Halym Kim (who hosted Nana Pi Aabo-Kim in his Bijul quintet), and German double bass player Jonas Gerigk (of the musicians‘ collectives IMPAKT – Improvisation und aktuelle Musik Köln). The album was recorded during a week-long residency at the Jazzclub Saxstall in Pohrsdorf in October 2023.

The music was freely improvised and reflects the time this trio spent together and its immediate deep camaraderie established through cooking, walking in the forest, having lunch with locals, and family from the farmhouse. The seven short pieces were recorded in several sessions, which focused on instant ideas and open, sound-searching dynamics, with Nana Pi and Gerigk adding objects, and all employ extended techniques – breathing, bowing, and percussive ones.

This album highlights the strong individual voices of Nana Pi, Kim, and Gerigk, their conscious decision to challenge themselves through loose, free-associative forms, but with patient, empathic dynamics. Only the last piece, «Dedicated to Oma Sigrid», aims to suggest an emotional, fragile melody. Planting Trees for the Festival is a memorable souvenir of inspired sessions.