Paulus Schäfer Trio ft. Jacco van Santen

The most interesting music is often created by the combination of different styles and musicians from different traditions. Gypsy music is known for its special ability to combine and create symbiosis, while maintaining its unique gypsy sound.

The talented Dutch gypsy jazz guitarist Paulus Schäfer manages to reach high standards through partnerships with well-known names from the jazz world. In his new project, the Paulus Schäfer band, with saxophonist Jacco van Santen, one can witness the search for the revival of the Bebop of Charlie Parker in a unique gypsy jazz atmosphere. Jacco plays his special synthetic Grafton saxophone, the same model Charlie Parker used to make a number of brilliant recordings in the 1950s.

The fact that Paulus Schäfer (born 1978) is one of the most talented gypsy jazz guitarists in
The Netherlands, is widely recognized on the gypsy jazz scene. Born in the Dutch Sinti community, he learned to play guitar at an early age by listening to his idol Django Reinhardt and other great Sinti guitarists, but he learned most from Wasso Grünholz - a legend within the Sinti community, who encouraged him to develop his own sound.

Shortly after replacing Jimmy Rosenberg on lead guitar in the Gypsy Kids, Paul started the Paulus Schäfer Gypsy Band and produced in 2002 his debut album "Into the Light", followed by many concerts at countless jazz festivals in Europe, Russia, the United States and Canada. Paul is much in demand as a soloist and has shared the stage with many musicians, including Biréli Lagrène, Stochelo Rosenberg, Al Di Meola, Fapy Lafertin, Jan Akkerman, Tcha Limberger, etc., and has been invited to perform on many albums. In the meantime he also has eight albums to his own name, including "Letter to van Gogh", a tribute to the Dutch artist.

Jacco van Santen was eleven when he discovered the saxophone. Having started at music school, he ended up at the conservatory in Zwolle, where he graduated cum laude as a teaching musician. Jacco then studied for two years as a performing musician with Ferdinand Povel at the conservatory in Hilversum, where he also graduated cum laude in 1998. Since then, this musician has been constantly developing. In New York, Jacco studied with Vincent Herring and Tim Armacost and played in well-known jazz clubs, including the famous Blue Note, Cafe Smoke and Cafe Smalls. In 2012, Jacco hit on a collector's item: a Grafton saxophone. With this synthetic saxophone, he’s able to show how the music of Charlie Parker must have sounded for real.