German-french bassist PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER played from early age on the violin and the piano. At the age of 17, he experienced the impact of improvised music and started to play the double bass.
In 1999 he moved to Cologne where he studied jazz and classical double bass at the Hochschule für Musik. He coleaded the audio visual dance project Turbo Pascale. This formation toured Germany, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and France, as well as appeared at Festivals such as the Moers Festival, Jazzmesse “Jazzahead Bremen“ and the "WDR Jazznight" with live radio broadcast on WDR Radio.
In 2005 Pascal Niggenkemper was granted the DAAD Award and moved to New York.
It is in NY that Pascal met Robin Verheyen and Tyshawn Sorey and formed the PNTrio. The trio recorded the CD "pasàpas" (Konnex 2008) and “urban creatures” (JazzHausMusik 2010). PNTrio toured extensively in Europe (Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France and Austria) They performed at the Jazzcologne Festival and the Jazzherbst Konstanz. Their performances were recorded for the WDR and the BR Radio. In June 2010 the Trio performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
With guitar player Scott DuBois and drummer Jeff Davis Pascal formed the group pascal’s newfield, that explores an area where post-modern jazz aesthetic, rock music and contemporary classic music fuse together. The group toured in 2009 in Europe.
In cooperation with Jazzdor Strasbourg-Berlin, Pascal formed this year the french-german septet vision7 that performed at Jazzdor Strasbourg-Berlin and Vive le Jazz in Cologne among others.
With Simon Nabatov and Gerald Cleaver, Pascal released in September 2011 the CD/LP upcoming hurricane on NoBusiness Records which is among 'ALBUMS OF THE YEAR' 2011 in the 'The New York City Jazz Record'.
Pascal is also co-leading the groups baloni (CD ‘fremdenzimmer’ Clean Feed Nov 2011) a duo for two prepared basses with Sean Ali called PascAli and speaking tube.
With Frantz Loriot and friends, he curates in NY the house concert series ze couch, where every month artists meet to present their work.
He is a member of Thomas Heberer’s Clarino (CD ‘klippe’ Clean Feed Sept 2011), Joe Hertenstein’s HNH (HNH on clean feed 2010) and polylemma (CD polylemma on red toucan 2011), Joe Morris Quartet, Carlo Costa’s Minerva (CD ‘saturnismo’ between the lines 2011), Gerald Cleaver’s Black Host and Jean Carla Rodea’s Azares.
Festival presence includes: Vision Festival New York, Umbrella Festival Chicago, Strade del Cinema Aosta, Jazzcologne, NewAdits Klagenfurt, Font New York, Jazzdor Strasbourg-Berlin etc...
He has played with musicians such as Gunther Schuller, Rudi Mahall, Louis Sclavis, Wolfgang Puschnig, Henning Berg, Claudio Puntin, Frank Gratkowski, Terrence N’Gassa, Phil Woods, Arve Henriksen, Frantz Loriot, Scott DuBois, Hans Lüdemann, Jeff Davis, Billy Harper, Robin Verheyen, Kris Davis, JP Schlegelmilch, Thomas Heberer, Beñat Achiary, Daniel Carter, Carlo Costa, Joe Morris, Eddie Daniels, Jean-Paul Dessy, Emilie Lesbros, Jon Irabagon, Cooper-Moore, Joe Hertenstein, Joachim Badenhorst, Maria Schneider, Christian Lillinger, Simon Nabatov, Gerald Cleaver, Steve Slagle, Lionel Loueke, Tyshawn Sorey, Scott DuBois, Tom Rainey, Frank Gratkowski, Satoshi Takeishi, Darius Jones, Jeff Davis, Billy Harper, Shoko Nagai, Tatsuya Nakatani etc.
