Vehicle / Passenger

Join us for an unforgettable evening of vibrant improvisation and delicate soundscapes with "Vehicle/Passenger," a German trio comprising of award-winning artists Florian Herzog, Leslie Mok, and Marco Alberto. Delve into the radical poetry of Marc Alberto as the project explores a queer perspective on body, society, and improvisation, inspired by the eponymous poem:

"vehicle/passenger

neither guide nor navigator

a carrier of time"

Experience the trio's unique sound characterized by patient and empathic interplay among spoken word, drums, sax, double bass, and analog electronics. Intense and unapologetically political, yet always with introspection and collective awareness, "Vehicle/Passenger" stands at the intersection of music and poetry, offering a powerful commentary on contemporary issues.

Lineup:

Marc Alberto (NL/AN) - poetry, saxophones, and electronics

Lesley Mok (US) - drums and percussion

Florian Herzog (DE) - double bass and electronics

Don't miss this one-of-a-kind performance presented by the Goethe-Institut. Reserve your tickets now!

Copyright photos: Zsolt Szederkenyi

Marc Alberto (they/them) is a Euro-Caribbean improviser, award-winning poet, and composer. Born in Curaçao, they currently reside in the Netherlands. Alberto tours internationally as a saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist and spoken word artist. Alberto is a prolific composer of chamber, film, and theater music, and works as a musical dramaturge and art researcher.
In addition to their own projects, Alberto plays with giants in nearly all genres: Jet Rebel (Pop), Legoland (Electronic), or Cast Glass (Avantgarde).
Alberto is a co-curator and founder of the poetry and music platform BYMEKAAR, winner of the Queer & Feminist Poetry Award (2023), core member of the group NEW HEROES, and of the queer collective BOYS WON'T BE BOYS.

Lesley Mok (they/them) is a percussionist and interdisciplinary artist who works in the realms of sound, installation, film, and theater. Lesley is interested in how social conditions shape our beings, focusing their work on the transgression of humanity to explore ideas of otherness and privilege. Their work draws upon queer and feminist art practices, Chinese philosophy, folkloric music traditions of the Caribbean, futuristic perspectives, and ancestral knowledge. Their ongoing explorations with composition and improvisation are primarily documented in their ten-piece improvising chamber ensemble, The Living Collection (American Dreams Records). This album just won the German Jazz Prize 2024 in the category of "Best Debut Album International."
They tour with jazz legends like Myra Milford, Kenny Werner, and John Pattituci, as well as emerging artists like Anna Webber, Tomeka Reid, Nick Dunston, and others.

Florian Herzog (he/him), bassist and composer, is a pioneer of the German and international jazz and avant-garde scene. After stints in the Netherlands, Cologne, and ultimately New York, he now writes for projects that encompass avant-garde jazz, pop, or electronic music, often blending them together. His bass playing has been described by the press as "emancipated, spirited, and sensitive."
His collective bands like Just Another Foundry, Turn, and Trillmann have received multiple awards and have collectively released dozens of albums. As a leader, Herzog's projects such as Moon Tree and his recently released quartet album "Almost Natural" are filled with international collaborations. He has worked with established figures like Theo Bleckmann, Jim Black, and Nils Wogram, as well as with the new generation of musicians such as Anna Webber, Elias Stemeseder, and Nick Dunston.
He is active as a sideman in Germany and the USA and has been curating the series "Monday Meetings" at Loft Cologne for over four years, and now the new encounter series "CGNYC" in Cologne. Herzog performs on the album "The Living Collection," which won the German Jazz Prize for "Best Debut Album International" in 2024.

Host or Publisher Goethe-Institut and ICWA