Lisa Fischer & Taylor Eigsti Duo

Description

Friday, April 2 to Sunday, April 4, 2027
MiP goes Caspar – Caspar Wolf Saal, Muri
There are concerts where the size of the ensemble is impressive. And then there are those rare evenings when two musicians are enough to fill an entire room. With Lisa Fischer and Taylor Eigsti, two extraordinary personalities meet in the Caspar-Wolf-Saal in Muri, whose musical paths lead through some of the most significant chapters of recent jazz, soul, and pop history. One voice, one piano – that's all that's needed on these three evenings. Lisa Fischer is one of the great voices of American music. For decades, she has stood on the biggest stages in the world – often just a few steps behind those stars whose names everyone knows. She has sung with Luther Vandross, Tina Turner, Sting, Nine Inch Nails, and many others. Most notably, she was part of the Rolling Stones' touring band from 1989 for many years. Her interplay with Mick Jagger on 'Gimme Shelter' became one of those moments that went far beyond the classic role of a background singer. Fischer could have easily been in the spotlight herself at any time. Her song 'How Can I Ease the Pain' reached number one on the American R&B charts and earned her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1992. Nevertheless, she long chose against a traditional solo career in favor of a musical life where listening, reacting, and supporting others were at least as important as her own spotlight. This extraordinary story became known to a wider audience through the Oscar-winning documentary '20 Feet from Stardom.' The film highlighted those singers whose voices have shaped some of the most famous recordings and concerts in music history, yet whose names often remained in the background. For Lisa Fischer, the film also marked the beginning of a new chapter. Since then, she has increasingly performed under her own name on stages around the world – showing why her voice has fascinated musicians and audiences alike for decades. Fischer is much more than a singer with extraordinary range and technical mastery. Her voice can whisper and explode, connect soul and jazz, rock, gospel, and pop, and within moments grow from an almost intimate conversation to an overwhelming force. The demonstration is never the focus; Fischer tells a story with every note. At the piano sits Taylor Eigsti, a musician well-known to the audience of Musig im Pflegidach. Eigsti has been a guest in Muri multiple times and is one of those musicians whose development we have been able to follow over many years. What was early recognized as extraordinary talent has long since developed into an international career. The New York-based pianist, composer, and bandleader is now one of the most versatile musicians of his generation. Eigsti began playing the piano at the age of four and first performed professionally at eight. The former child prodigy has become a musician who defies simple stylistic classification. Jazz is the starting point, but Eigsti's music goes far beyond: complex rhythmic structures meet grand melodic arcs, chamber music delicacy meets improvisational freedom. In 2022, he received his first Grammy Award for 'Tree Falls' as Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Just three years later, the second followed: 'Plot Armor' was also awarded a Grammy in the same category in 2025. And this is where the paths of Taylor Eigsti and Lisa Fischer also meet musically. Fischer is one of the special guests on 'Plot Armor.' Their collaboration is therefore not a chance encounter of two prominent names, but an expression of an already existing musical connection. Both share a quality that becomes crucial in a duo: the ability to listen. To leave space. To respond to the smallest changes and to allow something new to emerge from a song in every moment. In the Caspar-Wolf-Saal, this connection is now reduced to its most immediate form: Lisa Fischer's voice and Taylor Eigsti at the piano. No big band. No musical safety net. No sound behind which one could hide. This is precisely where the appeal of this concert lies. A voice of almost incredible expressiveness meets a pianist who does not simply accompany but reacts, comments, provokes, and carries with every phrase. Songs can open up, leave their original form, and be newly created in the moment. Jazz, soul, pop, and songwriting become less genres than shared musical material. For Musig im Pflegidach, this concert is also something personally special. Taylor Eigsti has been with us many times over the years. Bringing him back to Muri together with Lisa Fischer means much more to us than just booking two internationally renowned artists. It is the meeting of two musicians who belong to the absolute world elite – and at the same time, exactly the kind of concert for which the Caspar-Wolf-Saal seems to have been created: close, acoustic, personal, and without distance between the stage and the audience. Three consecutive evenings. Two musicians. One voice. One piano. Lisa Fischer – vocals
Taylor Eigsti – piano