The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble Explained

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble
Landscape:	yes
Origin:	Utrecht, Netherlands
Genre:	Dark ambient, jazz, IDM, trip hop, avant-garde, electronic
Years Active:	1999–2013
Label:	Planet Mu, Parallel Corners, Ad Noiseam, Denovali
Associated Acts:	The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation
Current Members:	Jason Köhnen Gideon Kiers Hilary Jeffery Nina Hitz Charlotte Cegarra Eelco Bosman Sarah Anderson
Spinoffs:	The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation
Website:	tkde.net

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble was a Dutch band formed in Utrecht, Netherlands, in 1999. The group is composed of Jason Köhnen, Gideon Kiers, trombonist Hilary Jeffery, cellist Nina Hitz, singer Charlotte Cegarra, guitarist Eelco Bosman, and violinist Sadie Anderson. The group is no longer active. Its live counterpart is The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation.

History

Köhnen and Kiers initially formed the group, often abbreviated as TKDE, in 1999 as a project for scoring silent movies such as Nosferatu and Metropolis. Köhnen and Kiers knew each other from studying at the Utrecht School of Arts. The hitherto electronic project was altered in 2004 when British trombonist Jeffery and Swiss cellist Hitz joined. As a quartet, the group released their debut album.^[1] Since then, the group has added Cegarra and Bosman in 2006, and Anderson in 2008. The group formed The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation in 2007 as an improvisational side project.^[2] The group released their crowd-funded From the Stairwell in 2011.^[3] In late 2013, the group disbanded. Jason Köhnen confirmed this on his new project's Facebook page.

Members

Final lineup

Jason Köhnen – programming (1999–2006), production (1999–2006), bass (2004–2013), double bass (2004–2013), guitar (2004–2009), synthesizers (2006–2013), piano (2006–2013)
Gideon Kiers – programming (1999–2013), electronics (1999–2013), sequencing (1999–2013), beats (1999–2013), FX (1999–2013), production (1999–2013), drums (2006–2013)
Hilary Jeffery – trombone (2004–2013), oscillator (2006–2013)
Nina Hitz – cello (2004–2013)
Charlotte Cegarra – vocals (2006–2013), flute (2008–2013), xylophone (2008–2009), piano (2009–2013), Rhodes piano (2009–2013), FX (2009–2013)
Eelco Bosman – guitar (2006–2013), FX (2009–2013)
Sarah "Sadie" Anderson – violin (2008–2013)

Live members

Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson – trumpet (2011) (also appeared on "From The Stairwell" (track "Celladoor"))
Ron Goris – sound engineer

Session musicians

Godfried Satan – vocals (2009, on "Bird's Lament - Tribute To Moondog")
Coen Kaldeway – saxophone, bass clarinet (2011, on "From The Stairwell" (track "Giallo"))

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

2006 – The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble (Planet Mu, reissued by Denovali Records)
2009 – Here Be Dragons (Ad Noiseam, reissued by Denovali Records)
2011 – From the Stairwell (Denovali Records)

Live albums

2011 – I Forsee The Dark Ahead, If I Stay (Parallel Corners, reissued by Denovali Records)

EP

2009 – Mutations (Ad Noiseam, reissued by Denovali Records)

Singles

2009 – Adaptation of Saint Vitus 'Patra (Parallel Corners, cover of Saint Vitus)
2009 – Palace of the Tiger Women (Parallel Corners, Ad Noiseam, remixes split single with Kava Kon)
2009 – Bird's Lament - Tribute to Moondog (Parallel Corners, cover of Moondog)
2009 – Two Live Tracks (aka Black Wing Butterfly / Goya) (Ad Noiseam, Parallel Corners)
2010 – Dark Night of the Soul (Parallel Corners, cover of Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and David Lynch)
2012 – Xtabay (Parallel Corners)
2016 – Virgin Lava (actually re-issue of Palace of the Tiger Women (2009) plus one unreleased original song by Kava Kon)

In 2016 Denovali Records started re-releasing the complete back catalogue of the band.

Notes and References

Web site: The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble. 2021-09-11. Electronic Explorations. en-US.
Web site: Turtle. The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble. 2021-09-11. Metalorgie. fr.
Web site: CHRONIQUE : The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble From The Stairwell. 2021-09-11. Thrashocore. fr.