Kaja Draksler (SI)

About

Kaja Draksler sits at a genuinely unusual crossroads: her music pulls from jazz, free improvisation, classical modernism, and the folk traditions of Slovenia and the Balkans, blending them into something she herself describes as an "imaginary folklore". The Slovenian pianist and composer studied jazz piano in Groningen and later composition in Amsterdam, where she wrote her thesis on the structures within Cecil Taylor's improvisation, an influence that runs deep through everything she does. Her discography spans solo outings, small group recordings, and large ensemble commissions for the likes of the Metropole Orkest and the Italian Instabile Orchestra. She has built a particularly strong creative bond with drummer Christian Lillinger and bassist Petter Eldh in the trio Punkt.Vrt.Plastik, with multiple albums together on Intakt Records. Whether she is playing duo piano with Eve Risser or collaborating with trumpeter Susana Santos Silva, Draksler consistently pushes the conversation between composition and spontaneity into fresh territory.