ISRAEL VARELA

Modern Jazz Without Labels

VWW is the collision of three of Europe’s most vital jazz voices. No filters, no compromises, no genre cages.

*Israel Varela* - drums, voice, 
Raw energy. Ritual rhythms. He doesn’t keep time, he creates it.

*Florian Weber* - piano  
ECM artist. Architect of space and silence..

*Lisa Wulff* - bass  
Hamburg Jazz Award winner. Deep groove, modern edge, fearless lines.

Together they form “VWW”: cosmopolitan, modern, and completely free. Their music moves between Mediterranean fire, European sophistication, and urban instinct. Three masters listening, clashing, and building something new in real time.

ISRAEL VARELA 
A native of Tijuana, Mexico, Israel Varela is a third-generation member of a renowned family of Tijuana musicians. His originality and distinctive style have allowed him to perform with a multitude of renowned artists such as Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Mike Stern, Yo-Yo-Ma, Victor Bailey, Abe Laboriel, Pino Daniele, Diego Amador, Rita Marcotulli, Nita Aartsen, Andrea Bocelli, Joaquin Cortes, Jorge Pardo,, Carles Benavent, Dwiki Darmawhan, Enrico Rava, Chano Dominguez, Markus Stockhausen, Andy Sheppard, Maria Pia de Vito, Kamal Musallam, the OSEM Symphony Orchestra, the Baja California Orchestra, and Gary Willis, among many others.

He has performed his music in over 45 countries, including Spain, the Netherlands, Mexico, Italy, the United States, Indonesia, India, Singapore, Greece, Australia , Belgium, China, France, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Tunisia, Switzerland, Germany, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Jamaica, Portugal, Uruguay, Angola, the United Kingdom, Romania, Turkey, and Luxembourg.

During his adolescence, he studied privately in Los Angeles, California with Alex Acuna and Dave Weckl before moving to Italy in 2000.
Awards
Euro Latin Award 2008, Milan, Italy.

Winner of the Tijuana Drum Contest, 2001, Mexico.
National Prize, "Culture and Arts" FONCA, 2001
Winner of the "Young Creators" prize, Baja California, Mexico.
"Distinguished Mexicans" Award, presented by the Mexican Embassy in the World (2023)

He remains faithful to his jazz and Latin roots, while also drawing influences from flamenco and contemporary classical music on each of his 11 albums: Tijuana Portrait (2007), Border People (2009), Zamar (2012), Invocations (2015), As Above So Below (2018), Israel Varela Collection (2018), Yin And Yang (2019), "The Labyrinth Project" (2019), Frida En Silencio (2021), and Eleusis (2024)

Festivals he has participated in include: DU World Festival, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Java Jazz Festival, Jakarta, Indonesia; Bali Live Festival, Bali, Indonesia; Umbria Jazz Festival, Perugia, Italy; Vitoria Jazz Festival, Vitoria, Spain; Suma Flamenca Festival, Madrid, Spain; El Jazz Viene del Sur, Granada, Spain; Cambio Festival, Assisi, Italy; Oltre Festival, Gubbio, Italy; Flamenco Gipsy Festival, Jodhpur, India; Bangalore Jazz Festival, India; Amman Jazz Festival, Amman, Jordan; Jerash Music Festival, Jerash, Jordan; Tunisia Jazz Festival, Tunisia; Singapore Jazz Festival, Singapore; Elba Jazz Festival, Marciana Marina, Italy; Orbetello Jazz Festival, Italy; Montalcino Jazz Festival, Italy; Ascona Jazz, Ascona, Switzerland; OSEM Summer Festival, Mexico; Think Jazz Festival, Casapozzano, Italy; Borneo Jazz, Borneo, Indonesia; Bandung Jazz Festival, Bandung, Indonesia; Batam Jazz, Batam, Indonesia; Bali Live, Bali, Indonesia. Sant’Anna Arresi Jazz, Italy. Biennial Flamenco Festival, Seville, Spain. Albuquerque Flamenco Festival, Albuquerque, United States. Pescara Jazz Festival, Pescara, Italy. Seixal Jazz, Seixal, Portugal. Mondo Arte, Brussels, Belgium. Asian Games Festival, Guangzhou, China. Montpellier Jazz Festival, France. Marseille Jazz, Marseille, France. Buenos Aires Jazz, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Santiago Music, Santiago, Chile. Flamenco Summer, Lima, Peru. Viersen Jazz Festival, Viersen, Germany.

FLORIAN WEBER 

 is an award-winning pianist known for merging classical virtuosity with contemporary jazz.
 
His music is marked by a deep sensitivity to sound, with a refined approach to dynamics and structure that infuses each piece with emotional depth. Weber transitions seamlessly between complex rhythms and delicate, lyrical passages, making his performances both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant. Weber’s collaborations include jazz legends like Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Tomasz Stańko, and Lee Konitz. His acclaimed recordings with trumpeter Markus Stockhausen, such as Alba, and the praised album Lucent Waters with an American all-star quartet showcase his ability to integrate various musical styles into a cohesive and innovative sound.

Recipient of the German Jazz Critics Prize, Weber is also an accomplished composer. His work explores the intersection of composition and improvisation, blending structured and spontaneous elements.

His latest projects continue to push jazz boundaries by incorporating classical and avant-garde influences.
Florian Weber has been a permanent member of the NDR Bigband in Hamburg since August 2021.

LISA WULFF

born in Hamburg and studied at the University of the Arts in Bremen (with Detlev Beier) as well as at the Hochschule for Music in Hamburg.

She has worked with the NDR Bigband, Nils Landgren, Wolfgang Haffner, Rolf Kühn, Caecilie Norby, and in a duet with pianist Clara Haberkamp.

In 2016, she introduced her quartet performing her own compositions. She was nominated for the ECHO Jazz Prize in 2017 and received the Hamburg Jazz Prize in 2019.