Ultimate Noir Jazz - Part 1

The Netherlands (2000 – present)

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble (TKDE) formed in 2000 as a project to compose new music for existing silent movies. Jason Köhnen (aka Bong-Ra) and Gideon Kiers (Telcosystems), 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). 

In 2004 UK trombonist Hilary Jeffery and Swiss cellist Nina Hitz joined TKDE to record the self-titled debut album which was released on Planet Mu Records in May 2006. The ensuing tour saw Eelco Bosman and Paris based vocalist Charlotte Cegarra join, forming the Ensemble into a sextet. London based violinist Sadie Anderson joined in 2008 to supply the group with extra power on stage.

The Netherlands has been TKDE’s homebase since 2007, while members have moved closer to each other to make composing and producing easier.

Apart from the mothership which is TKDE, there is another entity; The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation is a live improv jazz / drone / doom side project consisting of TKDE members and a host of interchanging guest musicians. 

Due to the vast possibilities within the band, the sound spectrum of TKDE is hard to capture within one specific composition. Moreover, the project will lean towards various styles depending on the respective members working together at a given time. A good mix between atmosphere and technique is always the strong basis for a TKDE composition.

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Sharbat Gula

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Shadows

The Kilimanjaro Dark Jazz Ensemble - Cotard Delusion

The Kilimanjaro Dark Jazz Ensemble - All Is One

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble
Mutations EP - 2006

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Symmetry of 6's

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Lobby

Vanishing Gold

This track comes from Adagio for the Blue, released on November 9th 2015.

Rhododendron – Trigg & Gusset

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Celladoor

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Caravan!

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Esemble -  Caos Calmo, by Mutations EP. Genre: Electronic. Style: Abstract, Future Jazz, Experimental
Year: 2009.

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Esemble -  Caos Calmo

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Giallo (Kovaakh Bootleg)

Mists of Krakatoa originally recorded by TKDE remixed by Kava Kon 
recorded in 2009   released again in 2016 on the Kava Kon Virgin Lave EP 
free download @ https://kavakon.bandcamp.com/album/virgin-lava

Virgin Lava

Kava Kon /The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Mists of Krakatoa [Kava Kon Remix]

Adagio for the Blue

Trigg & Gusset - Cardium

Squid (The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble Remix)

Symmetry of 6s [Live, The Netherlands 2009]

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Nothing Changes/Senki Dala/Embers

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Embers

This compilation is devoted exclusively to the night atmosphere, the dark side of jazz, music that goes beyond the rules, that is fatal, that is doomed. 
Expand your consciousness, relax and enjoy.

Ultimate Noir Jazz - Part 1

Haley Ponsaing