The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble formed in 2000 as a project to compose new music for existing silent movies.

Jason Köhnen and Gideon Kiers, both graduates of the Utrecht School of Arts, combined their audio and visual skills to reinterpret classic movies by F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu) and F. Lang (Metropolis). That such an intention ends in quality should be clear from the start. In 2004 UK trombonist Hilary Jeffery and Swiss cellist Nina Hitz joined TKDE to record this self-titled debut album which was released in May 2006. The ensuing tour saw Eelco Bosman and Paris based vocalist Charlotte Cegarra join, making the ensemble a sextet. London based violinist Sadie Anderson joined in 2008 to supply the group with extra power on stage. Due to the vast possibilities within the band, the sound spectrum of TKDE is really hard to capture within one specific composition. Moreover, the project leaned towards various styles depending on the respective members working together at a given time - a good mix between atmosphere and technique always was the strong basis for a TKDE composition.