A bridge between classical music and jazz?

Jazz roots:

Benjamin Schmid came in contact with jazz in his early childhood, when he tried to play the hits of his time from memory and was accompanied by his father, a good amateur and jazz musician. While the father taught Benjamin Schmid the basics of playing simple tunes and variations, several other musicians opened the harmonic and rhythmic world of jazz to Benjamin Schmid. At the age of 16, the encounter with Stephane Grappelli led to his continuous activity in this field.

Benjamin Schmid: Jazz obsession

Classical music and jazz - two independent fields?

Benjamin Schmid considers both fields as equally important, although classical music plays the much larger role in his concert schedule. While Friedrich Gulda attempted to bridge both worlds by playing classical pieces and jazz to the same audience, Benjamin Schmid is convinced that they have to be seen as independent. "I see connections between both fields, but they don't rely on each other. My prime interest is not a synthesis of both but to understand them as individual expressions of our mature culture" "I consider myself lucky to be at home in both worlds - classical music and its dependence on the score on one hand and improvisation as a link between interpretation and composition on the other hand."