Branko Arnsek Septet in Böblingen
Ethno Jazz with passion and spirit

Bernd Epple August 22, 2025 - 2:34 PM

Bassist Branko Arnsek has gathered six top-notch musicians around him. Photo: Bernd Epple

The Böblingen Jazztime series was a guest at the "Summer by the Lake" festival.

The Branko Arnsek Septet delighted the audience with a broad range of sounds.

He is already a well-known figure in the region when it comes to jazz; but over the years, Branko Arnsek, who grew up in Sindelfingen and is of Slovenian descent, has developed into one of the most sought-after bassists in numerous genres. After numerous stays in Cuba, the musical globetrotter with Balkan roots has dedicated himself particularly to Latin groove and assembled a band that can musically realize this – including the Cuban percussionist Marcos González Jimánez and the Cuban singer Mayelis Guyat.


This was evident at the Jazztime concert during the Böblingen event series "Summer by the Lake" in the old TÜV hall. Although Guyat had to cancel on Thursday evening due to illness, the approximately 150 attendees were still treated to fiery Spanish-language vocals. Arnsek, now also head of the Pop-Rock-Jazz department at the Stuttgart Music School, organized a last-minute guest appearance by Lisay Torranzo Hernandez, a singer from Munich who is also Cuban. With rhythm in her blood, she conveyed Cuban joie de vivre with expressive gestures and dance-like movements, occasionally embellishing it with jazzy scat phrases.

First Balkan sounds, then Cuban grooves
With Frank Eberle (piano), Michael Mischl (drums), Janos Löber (trumpet), and Andreas Francke from Schönaich (alto saxophone), the performance got off to a great start. The concert began with sharp brass riffs and a percussive double bass solo, initially with a Slavic influence ("Becanovic"), before transitioning to Cuban territory, where Francke clearly felt at home with a saxophone solo à la Charlie Parker. After about fifteen minutes, González took center stage for the first time in "Obatala" with a delicate conga solo. Arnsek seemed almost to disappear into his double bass, so completely immersed was he in his music. Eberle's fingers flew across the electric piano keys, offering a refreshing glimpse of what was to come. Already in the following track, "D'Avinci," fiery unison phrases erupted from the overall texture, underscoring Arnsek's compositional skills, with which he seamlessly blends diverse ethnic influences into jazzy arrangements. “Balkan, jazz, salsa – it doesn’t matter, it’s all the same anyway,” he would later explain with a wink during the concert. Before the intermission, they offered “Charlie,” an almost flawless cha-cha-cha, further “Cubanized” by drummer Mischl and featuring singer Hernandez’s radiant stage presence. “An exciting mix of Balkan, jazz, and Cuban – a joyful sauce, a very personal kind of salsa!” exclaimed Tilman Jäger, artistic director of Jazztime.

“I want to mix up a few rhythms here.”

In the second half of the evening, the septet, thoroughly warmed up and applauded, managed to raise the bar even higher. “Balanza,” a sensitive ballad, surprised with a beautiful piano solo, crisp unison interjections from the two horn players, brilliant scat passages, and for “Sirba me da,” Arnsek strapped on the electric bass. “I want to mix up some rhythms here,” the jovial bassist announced. And he certainly succeeded. Right up until the end of the set, there were bebop elements, driving beats, hints of rap, and fantastic solos from all the musicians.

The enthusiastic calls for an encore were gladly granted. “Dame alegría,” which translates to “Give me joy”—what a fitting title for the finale! Both band and audience certainly enjoyed themselves that evening.