Cravo E Canela Quintet at Donau115

Ze Leonidas - Voice, Guitar
Wanja Slavin - Saxophone
Johannes Lauer - Trombone, Fender Rhodes
Matthias Pichler - Double Bass
Ivars Arutyunyan - Drums
Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, Hermeto Pascoal, Gilberto Gil, Nelson Cavaquinho - Compositions
"Johannes Lauer is a musician who speaks many musical languages. For this special occasion at beloved donau 115 he put together a quintet that for the first time brings together brazilian singer and guitarist Zé Leônidas with four of Berlin's most in demand jazz musicians.

ZÉ LEÔNIDAS is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer and songwriter from São Paulo (Brazil). During his twenty years of experience, besides working on his own music, he has been requested as guitarist, drummer and singer, collaborating with projects such as Grupo João de Barro (Samba), Caixa Cubo (jazz trio), Lenna Bahule and the Young Choir of the State of São Paulo. For the passed few years he has also worked as musician abroad in tours around Europe presenting his own brazilian music work and also playing in spiritual ceremonies.

Releases:
Fiz Um Samba pra Você (EP) 2018
Sou Linda Ao Vivo (live album) 2019
Zé Leônidas (2020)

WANJA SLAVIN (b.1982), started with clarinet and piano at the age of six. His first teachers were his father and Hildegard Niemann, later Nicolas Simion (Saxophon and Composition), Lee Konitz (Saxophon), Rolf Weber (Clarinet) and Kazue Suzuki (Piano).
At the age of 15 Slavin started at the Richard- Strauss Konservatorium studying Clarinet and Saxophon by Leszek Zadlo. Beside he’s studies at the Conservatory he also took lessons in composition by Vadim Werbitzky. 2008 – 2010 Slavin began his further education in Film music at HFF in Potsdam Babelsberg by professor Ulrich Reuter.
As a musician Wanja Slavin gain several prices: at New Generation Förderpreis des Bayerischen Rundfunks he won the first price twice. At Gasteig Musikwettbewerb, Jugend Jazzt and BMW Welt Jazz Award 2011 he gained the second price. 2014 he won the Echo Jazz in the category instrumentalist of the year.

2005 Wanja Slavin debuted as composer at festival der Münchner Gesellschaft für neue Musik. About the same time he premiered pieces by composer Benedikt W. Schiefer and Vadim Werbitzky that specially had directed their work to Slavin.
Wanja Slavin has been invited to festivals such as Münchner Klaviersommer, London Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz, AMD Festival Geneve, Bezau Beats, Elbjazz, PAN Festival, Jazzdor Berlin, Jazzdor Strasbourg, Moers Festival, Jazz Baltica and worked with musician like Kenny Wheeler, Joachim Kühn, Peter Evans, Franz Ferdinand, Axel Dörner, Jochen Rückert, Ben van Gelder, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Alexander von Schlippenbach, John Schröder, Marty Cook, Pablo Held, Nils Klein, Lucia Cadotsch, Johannes Lauer, Christian Lillinger, Petter Eldh, Rainer Böhm, Kalle Kalima, Ronny Graupe, Ralph Alessi, Jim Black, Zhenya Strigalev, Nasheet Waits, Bill McHenry, Eric Harland, Nate Wood, Joris Roelofs, Jeff Hamilton, Jim Black, John Clayton, Reinier Baas, Peter und Bernhard Meyer to name a few.

His current projects are: libelle, LIUN & The Science Fiction Orchestra and many others.

JOHANNES LAUER was born in Tübingen, Germany, in 1982. He studied with Nils Wogram and Dieter Ammann at Lucerne School of Music, where he graduated in Jazz Performance and Composition, both ""with distinction"". After living in New York and Mali he moved to Berlin in 2008. His output as musician and composer extends to New Orleans jazz, modern jazz, avantgarde, new music, experimental pop, salsa, film-, theatre- and dance music as well as traditional music from Peru, West Africa, Brazil and Transsilvania.
Lauer won several national and international prizes and performed on countless stages from Mochenwangen to Sibiria, South Korea, Bolivia and the Carnegie Hall.
Press quotes: ""One of the most talented brass players and composers in Germany. A meticulous sound architect and one who has inhaled the literature of jazz with deep breaths"". - ""Questioning the innovative traditions of the twentieth century with great respect, he adapts them to fit his own style and transcends them for the future"".


MATTHIAS PICHLER, born 1981, studied classical double bass at the Conservatory in Innsbruck, and jazz bass at the Anton Bruckner University in Linz. He received the Hans-Koller Award in 2004, which included a travel grant for a New York residence where he took lessons with John Patitucci, Larry Grenadier and Marc Johnson. In 2006, he gained the Hans-Koller Award in the category “Sideman of the year”, and was also nominated for the HK ""Newcomer"" Award the same year. In 2010, he won the first prize in the Jazz Competition of the international Double Bass Congress ""Bass2010"" in Berlin.
In 2014 and 2015 he was finalist of the New German Jazz Award. Matthias was a member of the Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio for 8 years, and played with many more internationally renowned musicians. Concerts with these artists brought him to over 30 countries all over the world. Matthias spent the last 3 years living in New York City and just moved back to Berlin. He is part of various formations with a broad range of musical styles.


IVARS ARUTYUNYAN
Throughout the years, this energetic, dynamic and musical drummer has had opportunities to perform and tour with many legends of jazz music as well different artists across the globe such as Greg Osby, Seamus Blake, Logan Richardson, Carsten Dahl, Tomas Franck, Jerry Bergonzi, Jesse van Ruller, Aaron Parks to name a few.
He has appeared on numerous radio and TV broadcasts and with various ensembles he has played festivals, concerts in countries such as China, Tanzania, Greece, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Spain, Lichtenstein, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Poland, USA and the Baltic states.
Different awards include Grand Music Award of Latvia 2022 (Concert of the Year), National Movie Award of Latvia 2023 (Composer of the Year), Jazz Record of the Year in Latvia 2019, Jazz Hoeilaart (B Jazz), Getxo Jazz, Almeria Jazz Prize, “Yamaha Drum Day” etc.

Ivars is also a graduate of Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and recipient of their scholarship given to him by the Danish culture minister in 2014. He has been residing in Copenhagen, Paris and now resides in Berlin.
"https://www.youtube.com/zeleonidas
http://www.wanja-slavin.de/
http://www.johanneslauer.de/
https://matthiaspichlermusic.com"