Biography

Salim(a) is sitting in front of a dark background in a black outfit. They wear their shoulder-length hair open and curled.
Salim(a) Javaid (they/them) is a Czech-Pakistani saxophonist and improviser based in Cologne working in settings ranging from playing contemporary music solo or in ensembles to performing improvised music and free jazz. As a performer of contemporary music and founder of the Trio Abstrakt, they premiered a number of new works and are in the process of developing exciting new projects and concert formats. Salim(a) has worked with world-renowned composers such as Franck Bedrossian, Giorgio Netti, Pierluigi Billone, Isabel Mundry, Marco Momi, Mark Andre, Michael Edwards & Pierluigi Billone.

They performed at festivals/institutions such as Biennale del Arte Venice, Biennale for Contemporary Music in Bremen, Hellerau Festival / Dresdner Tage für zeitgenössische Musik, aDevantgarde Festival München, Nieuwe Noten Amsterdam and NOW! Festival / Philharmonie Essen, Mozartfest Würzburg, ZKM Karlsruhe, IAMIC summit 2022, IMD Darmstadt, Serious Series Berlin, Stadtgarten Köln and won first prizes at competitions Biberacher Jazzpreis 2018, Getxo International Jazz Contest 2017 and European Jazz Competition Burghausen 2016.

Salim(a) studied both classical and jazz saxophone at the HfMT Cologne as well as contemporary music and chamber music in the excellency program ‘Konzertexamen’ at the Folkwang UdK Essen. Since 2023 they teach at the ZZT / HfMT Köln.

Salim(a) is a curator of the ‘Plattform Nicht Dokumentierbarer Ereignisse’ – a concert series for improvised music that has an over 20-year-long tradition in Cologne.

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