Eclectic Music eXtravaganza (EMX) is a collective of an international array of musicians who meet up in Berlin (and other world stages) to produce a very eclectic chamber music concert, a music salon for the 21st century. These artists stage an event that is beyond genre boundaries, a diverse jam session between jazz, rock, electronic and contemporary classical music.
The first concerts they produced were subtitled ‘New York Meets Berlin’, since musicians mostly from New York came to Berlin to produce these concerts with local artists, but this has expanded to include performers from London, Duisburg, Rome, Schwaz, Vancouver, etc.
The series is directed by composer Gene Pritsker, pianist Kai Schumacher, and drummer Philipp Bernhardt. Their associate directors include: Sound engineer Jonas Gehrmann, artist/pianist/composer Mark Kostabi, trumpeter/composer Franz Hackl, saxophonist Christoph Enzel, shout voice singer Thomas Fischer, vocalist/composer Zarko Jovasevic,.
Other artists that have performed in the series include: World champion beat boxer Belle Ehresmann aka. Bellatrix, composer/saxophonist Daniel Schnyder, Berlin Philharmonic bass trombonist Stefan Schulz, violinist Peter Krysa, bassists Paul Kleber, Carsten Hein and Nikolai Scharnofske, The Clair Obscur Sax Quartet, trumpeter/composer Sebastian Studnitzky, guitarist Sean Satin, as well as others.The series has also co-presented concerts with The Outreach Festival at the Gruner Salon in Berlin.
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EMX 2018 European Tour
12.07 Ballhaus (Berlin, Germany)
17.07 Coco Loco Chalet (Alba Adriatica, Abruzzo, Italy)
18.07 Pescara Jazz Festival 2018 (Pescara, Italy)
03.08 Outreach Music Festival (Schwaz, Austria)
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Panda-Platforma, Berlin July 5th, 2025
Panda-Platforma, Berlin July 10th, 2024
Panda-Platforma, Berlin - July 9th, 2023
18.07.2016 Berlin, Grüner Salon der Volksbühne
20.10.2015 Berlin, Ballhaus
20.08.2014 Berlin, Grüner Salon der Volksbühne
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CD
Reviews and radio plays
“…Gene Pritsker who is not only prolific, but whose sensibility seems to subsume a variety of sources – not only of music, but also literature and painting – and is yet a singular voice in contemporary music. Mr Pritsker is also a proverbial chameleon and one is always at a loss as to what to expect from him from one composition to the next"
"Naturally one expects nothing to be predictable – and indeed it is as if Mr Pritsker’s musical world comprises of the sun revolving around the earth instead of otherwise…..This is a recording that bears listening over and over again for the pure pleasure of it.”
"Performed by the EMX who parley with the eloquent familiarity of old friends, yet their playing retains that sense of intrepid etiquette associated, quite naturally, with a group who dares to approach Mr Pritsker’s diabolically complex music with its unpredictable rhythmic leaps and whimsical melodic and harmonic twists and turns."
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- World Music Report - Raul da Gama,
9/2018
“ …a talented collective of musicians performed at various European venues, and represents a stimulating sampler of Pritsker’s wide-ranging musical interests”
“Pritsker moves fluidly between jazz, rock, electronic and contemporary classical music. Eclectic Music eXtravaganza is a satisfying combination of intense artistic vision and first-rate performances.”
"Eclectic Music Extravaganza is everything the title suggests and is yet another solid collection from Gene Pritsker and his group of talented musicians.”
- Paul Muller, Sequenza 21,
9/2018
“..the eclec-ticity is not so much a shocking thing as a familiar and reassuring sort of familiarity-in-difference. I do recommend you hear this by all mean. Gene Pritsker is a force! Bravo.”
- Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review,
10/2018
“ ...This disc presents Pritsker in multiple roles: composer, performer… I think you could add “mischief-maker” and “cultural blender-in-chief.” Pritsker is a serious artist, yet much of his work is witty and irreverent.”…”There's great musicianship here, and also great creativity. You might not like it all, but it is difficult to remain indifferent about it.”
- Raymond Tuttle, Fanfare Magazine,
9/2018
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- “Composer Gene Pritsker writes here with all the colors of the musical history rainbow, and this is a very good cross-genre collection of work.”.."This is a wild, eclectic (obviously) mix of music."
Stephanie Boyd, American Record Guide, 12/18
Radio Plays
1. American Highways - Keys Of Change
http://guylivingston.com/radio/keys-of-change-gene-pritsker/
2. Unpopular Music
https://www.mixcloud.com/unpopularfred/unpopular-music-september-9-2018/
3. Not Brahms and Liszt
