"Jazz meets Literature" VI: Michael Köhlmeier

"Boulevard of Heroes"
There are true stories that sound as if they were invented: The author Michael Köhlmeier has uncovered them and compiled a colorful panopticon of outstanding individuals from various fields of life. His modern tales of heroes are factually accurate but expressed with literary freedom, telling stories of genius and madness, of life lies and moments of glory. For example, Thelonious Monk, who went to prison for his best friend; or Bob Dylan & Bobby Fischer and how the chess duel between these giants came about; Abebe Bikila, who ran 42.195 km barefoot; or John Glenn, the astronaut who had to manually control the landing after re-entering the Earth's atmosphere...

Michael Köhlmeier's successful novels, stories, radio plays, and songs have earned him numerous awards, most recently the Marie-Luise-Kaschnitz Prize for his body of work and the Ferdinand Berger Prize for his political engagement.
Musically, Michael Köhlmeier is accompanied by saxophonist Klaus Dickbauer and jazz pianist Martin Gasselsberger. Like few others, they know how to musically respond to the emotional tones of the texts being read, partly through spontaneous improvisation, partly composed, and always in the unmistakable sound of this internationally highly regarded duo.