Stephan Micus at LJF 2011 ~ Queen Elizabeth Hall /Purcell Room
11 November 2011 / 19:45
Stephan Micus is one of those artists who does not appear on the stage too often. There is a few reasons for that. First ,possibly is just simply lack of time. As opposed to artists who are recording particular projects and then touring with it, Stephan would rather explore the whole music universe ,putting his output on the tape and then trying to find the way to give to overall concept its final shape.Being a perpetual student he also keeps travelling constantly, finding his masters, living with them and deepen the knowledge of new instrument at the same time. It’s good to visit his profile on ECM web .If you have a look at the range of instruments he is performing on it is easy to spot that these all came from all over the world. The origin of them roughly covers Micus’ pilgrimage paths .These include most of Asia, Europe and Africa and both Americas. In this way it is world music in its deepest sense. But on the other hand it is very much him. A quick look at the scores shows that all compositions are by Micus himself. As he claims, he is not after exploring music and then composing in the manner of particular instrument’s performance tradition. Usually he takes instrument out of context and trying to find the way to express himself, push it to sing his own song. Self- expression is a key term, not research solely in the spirit of tradition .What makes it extraordinary is a unique approach, blending exotic sonics with thorough European musical tradition. On the top of it there is a whole philosophical context too, which is a part of the artist’s personality.This is what weighs most here, as he is totally solo performer. All dialogues and interactions between instruments are coursed through him as he is always the only player and human being behind every voice .Then he creates interactions between them, in studio jamming with himself. Such practice forces a very specific performing routine too, when lots of samples have to be prepared beforehand, as he can only operate as a single voice at one time.
This music is difficult to describe, as it is not as if it supposed to be judged by listening. Suggestion of dealing with authentic Oriental ,African, World Folk {you name it} music is strong and hard to avoid. Our knowledge about these cultures is minor, so it is easy to be fooled by what’s coming from associated memories. On the other hand this music is a result of complex studies of different cultures, and even if it is not exploring its backgrounds straight on, it still is a part of them.That is unavoidable and in this part his art dialogues with this heritage, even if he would prefer it not to. This is a natural evolutional process in consequence of which he then became a part of what he was studying. So ,this music is a hybrid.
Another thing is that this music is simply beautiful and it does not matter what we call it.
Being so honest, and coming from such an authentic backgrounds it is obsessively charming and meditative. That is where, in my opinion, the power of his music rests.
According to festival linear notes it was back in 1976 when he had last performed in the UK.
He was then just at the beginning of his long career and constant relationship with the ECM label. A mighty 35 years then. No kidding. Many artists would run lots of different projects during such a long period ,possibly changing style quite a few times, as well as their musical priorities. Micus started affairs with another instruments to make his chorus richer ,but he is still on the same path. This very much his own true way. Today ,when a life passes so quickly and things tend to change so often, this is a unique constancy, and a very specific quality too.Has he got stuck then with his performing manner, just slightly adjusting his voice with every instrumentation change ? Is he a fossil of 70’s back to nature philosophies? Certainly not. His music might be recognisable as being almost the same ,but it’s not. It is only a consequence of his artistic development that may make you believe that.
The best way to show such a contrast is listening to his music in reverse order. Let us begin with the latest one {Bold as Light – 2010} and go back to seventies {Implosions 1977}.
Hardly any of the many artists I deeply respect could handle such a test. Music they have composed was true and a voice of the days it was recorded in, but once time has passed, it is changed and it is not relevant any longer. The music can be beautiful in it’s own right but it is not a carrier of actual ideas, by any means. Nothing like that happened to Stephan. His early recordings still holding the same freshness and a mystery as they always did. Call it mysticism or just a charm, it is up to you. But these are facts. I believe that is because of his firm attitude. He worships the same ideas without change. But they are changing themselves, as time steps forward and feeds back the artist’s meanings .In the circle of life everything must move. Again then what is supposed to be a virtual weakness of his „conversations with myself„ actually become a power. Speak slowly and make no mistake like...
He completes his works gradually. It takes him 2 to 3 years to collect enough material for a record.But this is result of adoption not hesitation. Slow and adorable – deserving devotion for his reason. How was this set, I hear you ask then? Keep reading if you want to know. Special as it was the first time I have heard him playing alive, not listening to the records. It is just I am too young to remember his only, previously mentioned set in UK , but also any other one might bring to mind.
Stage set up was ascetic as it could be expected. Basic two mics to serve different instruments and vocal and a separate channel for an accompaniment. Served from a ... tape recorder ,yes.
No gadgets, samplers, high tech toys or omnipresent famous laptop with an apple facing you. Sort of instruments laying aside, just what is required.
It started with solo piece, performed on Sho - Japanese 'mouth-organ', closing tune on Stephan’s 1986 „Ocean „ recording. It amazed me to hear how rich and full bodied the sound of these tiny reeds can be. I always believed that this particular piece must be one of Stephan’s multitrack achievements,but it is not. That is a pure solo performance, matching exactly what you can hear from your cd. A fugue like piece .Based on burden sound created in cup chest of the instrument. It sounds similar to reeds played with constant breath, and on this background a gentle melodic motive appears. First timidly, then it slightly grows in pitch to create choral melody based on simple folk structure. It is a gently fingered song which slowly takes domination over the base (bass?) to disappear as imperceptibly as it came, after few repetitions. Pure charm. Such a great pleasure to hear it liveand a strong opener as well, leaving audience expectant for more.
Next to come is a song with a company of Bodhran - Irish tambourine drum, 50 centimetres in diameter. Played with a mallet while the other hand produces varying tones by pressing on the drum leather membrane. This song was gentle and melancholic, perfectly matching the mood from the first piece. However the drum was subordinate, leaving whole spaces for the song to build an expression.
Third piece was a solo performance on Nohkan – Japanese traverse bamboo flute used in the Noh theatre, as the artist explained in his announcement. He also mentioned that originally this instrument had only being played with a company of 2 drumsand it was achieved with a tape background played on 2 zithers. A very oriental sounding melody, stretched between rhythmic structure of stringed company with rapidly raising notes, reaching high pitch with a gentle vibrato, unlike conventional flute, which always generate ringing artifacts. The overall sound of this flute is rather juicy and much more meaty than one could expect from such a small size { about 30 cm }.After that Stephan sung a charming tune telling about perfection of the blue sky and white clouds travelling on Tibetan piece of heavens. Song was like a Buddhist mantra – very calm and preparing listener to travel inside his own mind. The following piece, the last before interlude, was performed on Nay, an ancient Egyptian hollow reed flute,as had been told-„the oldest instrument known to human kind and still being in use”.
Once again, with the simple accompanment of 2 guitars on samples prepared on tape, this one had a completely different tune to previously heard Nokhan. A bit more resonant ,but not so meaningful and round. The music reminded me of Arabic melodies which I often hear on African recordings, but they are usually with a company of Kora. But once again with the guitars it was given a completely new life.
After the break the performance resumed with another flute. This time it was Duduk - Armenian double reed instrument made from apricot wood and possessing very distinctive warm tone. It sounded a bit restricted in abilities ,or perhaps the composition made it sound like that. To my ears it was 3/4 dance, Bolero like ,with slow repetitive melody, coming back each time in a slightly different order, but having a charm which was heart catching straight away. I must say that after all it was my favourite piece among those presented, equal in its power to opening solo performed on Sho.
After that one the next wind instrument came. This time it was well recognisable Japanise bamboo flute – Shakuhachi, well known from Tibetan music and used by monks for practising Zen.
The piece was titled „Padre” and it originally appeared on the 2002 cd „Towards the Wind” which I am familiar with. However listening to this on stage was completely different experience. Being close to the mics the flute had more distinctive sound, plus on stage the artist was able to create sounds like sax or clarinet flaps, when touching every of the five flute holes. For this reason it was less meditative than the original recording, but instead more attractive because of counterpointing percussive sounds. „Passing Cloud” from 1996 „Garden of Mirrors” recording was another Shakuhachi based piece,but this time it was coupled with still drum and harp sample.
This piece was set up more in African pentatonic scale and the accompanying rhythm underlined it even more, it just moved us closer to African music. The next piece was performed on Kalimba, a kind of finger harp, made with piece of wood and broken cycle spokes, set up this feeling permanently. It was a part played, part sung composition handling all attributes of African folk and even if ,as we know, it was not – it sounded exactly like it. I admire Micus’ abilities to meld his European roots with exotic ingredients in the way that only really experienced ears may be able to split back and make it so pleasurable to listen to. His multiinstrumental skills are just adorable .One can really feel the charisma and a massive experience and wisdom coming from his position and attitude on the stage. A submission and a deep respect are probably the best words to describe it. It was fantastic performance and I just wish I do not have to wait so long till the next one. The audience rewarded it with careful listening and the applause was fully deserved, and the artist rewarded them with three encores to his listeners, without keeping them waiting.
I hope that this little review, my first for London Jazz Festival, will receive your approval upon reading these words, but also it conveys the feeling of spiritual and artistic quality of this event and encourage music enthusiasts to keep in touch with all the future projects coming from this outstanding personality.
Greg Drygala
Friday 16 December 2011
Berlin Jazz Fest 2011 intro :-)
Berlin JazzFest 2011 – Jazz from Poland!
preface
(based on Berlinerfestspiele press release )
The focus of this year edition was jazz from Poland. That’s why it formally started 15 of October with an opening performance of IRCHA ,the latest output from one of the most dynamic polish jazzman - Mikolaj Trzaska and his Clarinet Quartet. It took place at Martin-Gropius-Bau and was related to the opening of the exhibition titled “Side by Side. Poland –Germany. A 1000 Years of Art. And History”. Next to follow ,a week later ,was an ATOM String Quartet. Another interesting project which came from a young artists ,but took audience by storm with his freshness and vitality. Then as usual the main part of the Fest took place from 2 to 6 November and as always supposed to be long awaited by every jazz lover . A special highpoint of this year’s festival was music from Poland, with appearances by trumpeter Tomasz Stańko, pianist Leszek Możdżer, and many other Polish jazz musicians.
The motto of these projects was to present to the vast audience music of Krzysztof Komeda ,probably the most famous polish jazz composer and a godfather of jazz movement in Poland during a communistic period and after. International encounters represented concerts by Richard Galliano, Joe Sample, Charles Lloyd with Maria Farantouri, Carla Bley with Steve Swallow, and Gregory Porter and Lizz Wright. This year edition brought a lots of changes too. Long time artistic director of the festival – Mr. Nils Landgren had been leading venue last time .Also Henning Wagenbreth –graphic designer and painter responsible for festival image since 2003 finished his significant contribution with 2011 poster.
“ On Sunday, JazzFest Berlin 2011 came to a close with sold-out concerts at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele and in the clubs Quasimodo and A-Trane. Nearly all concerts at this year's festival were sold out – more than 8000 visitors attended 27 events, greeting the performers on stage with unbridled enthusiasm. To summarize: this farewell festival for Artistic Director Nils Landgren was a terrific success: “I am overwhelmed by the positive, even ebullient response on the part of the public. And I want to thank all of the musicians who have appeared at JazzFest Berlin for their marvelous performances. Their music made this festival a huge success. This has been the most wonderful parting gift I could have hoped for! Thank you! It was a joy to shape five editions of JazzFest Berlin. I wish Bert Noglik, my successor as artistic director, the best for the coming years with JazzFest Berlin, and I owe a great debt of gratitude to the festival and to all of its participants.”
Joachim Sartorius, Director of the Berliner Festspiele, also extended his thanks to the public and to the performing artists for this resoundingly successful festival, but in particular to Nils Landgren for the enthusiastically received programmes he assembled for JazzFest Berlin (in 2001 and in 2008-2011). “We knew, all of us, that Nils Landgren is a fantastic trombonist, a passionate musician, and an outstanding singer. But over the last four years, and in 2001, he demonstrated that he is great festival director as well, always close to the people, always taking care of everything. I am very, very pleased with his work – tusen tack!!” These were the words of Joachim Sartorius on Sunday evening during his farewell speech at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. (from BFS PR)
Once again this year, the concerts of JazzFest Berlin were recorded by ARD radio stations and Deutschlandradio Kultur and in some cases broadcast live. The remaining broadcast dates spread over the year will be publicized by the respective broadcasters.
Besides Haus der Berliner Festspiele, clubs A-Trane and Quasimodo, Hotel Savoy Berlin and Jazz-Institute Berlin’s Georg-Neumann-Saal at Einsteinufer had been the venues for JazzFest Berlin 2011.
Official programm of JazzFest Berlin 2011.
{ under construction}
Monday 31 October 2011
BJF 2010 ~ day 5 and last : - (
Day Five
07 November 2010
Sun 07-11-2010 | 15:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
‘Between Shores’ Kočani Orkestar meets
Municipale Balcanica & Roberto Ottaviano
Ajnur Azizov · vocals;
Djeladin Demirov· clarinet; Durak Demirov · saxophone;
Turan Gaberov, Nebi Kanturski · trumpet;
Nijazi Alimov, Redjai Durmisev, Shukri Zejnelov · euphonium;
Suad Asanov · tuba; Vinko Stefanov · accordion;
Enis Alimanovski · tapan
Michele de Lucia· clarinet;
Armando Giusti · alto sax;
Raffaele Piccolomini · tenor sax;
Paolo Scagliola · trumpet;
Raffaele Tedeschi · guitar, vocals;
Livio Minafra · accordion;
Giorgio Rutigliano · e-bass;
Nico Marziale · percussion; Luigi Sgaramella - drums
Closing day of the fest was rich and powerful from the first set . The fusion between Macedonian Kocani Orkestar and Mediterranean Municipale Balcanica was a funky tour the force folk and roll .To be honest it should be dance hall standing venue instead of sitting one as it was hardly possible to stay on seats listening to them . Kocani ,probably best known around the world from their appearance in Kustorica’s movie “ Time of The Gypsies “ is in their own country one of the leading bands. On the other hand Municipale Balcanica led by Roberto Ottaviano ,one of the veterans of Italian scene , becoming from the other part of the sea ,brings completely different energy to the mix. We have a pure Balkan TNT here ,as sound is dominated by Roman vitality. This particular project is just blowing audience out .
Powerful , James Brown like brass makes a constant pulsing background on which soloist appearing alternately with accordion duo and the vocalist Ajnur Azizov. But this is Balcan funk with lots of folk ingredients and as such sounds so different too . Score is often directed by Vinko Stefanov who continue playing his accordion with no brake during it .
It is spectacular to watch as it is heavy thing and no one could expect someone doing it. He is however not just staying in the front of the bands . He is jumping ,screaming ,waving ,boxing and generally doing things which you have never seen any other conductor to practice. Except a music there is a lot of theatrical action going on the stage in the same time ,as musicians make lots of gags ,and comical things ,like leaving and coming back ( brass ) when the others trying to cover what just missed from the sound .Particularly members of Kocani ,but it is just possible to judge after t- shirts they wearing as both bands are mixed up They also soloing in very Mediterranean manner trying to show rather capacity to play with a drive than looking after nuances – it brings even more power to the sound. Another part of this show are parts including Azizov vocals. They are more traditional ,closer to the Turkish folk and for these reasons sounding more oriental . But they are definitely Gypsy Oriental .They have it in the blood and they simply can not get rid of their underskin vitality ,which is good as it is one of their original qualities. He has very strong and melodic voice ,which is additionally modulated in the way that sound seems to roll out of his throat. Lovely set and fantastic family event ,being set up just after the lunch time . There were a lots of families on the stalls which is greatly appreciate . So an applause was massive too as there was no one who did not like it ,I am sure of that. With typical Balcan vigour they paid back with a couple of encores ,but even after that an audience did not let they go out .
Next on the list there were Urlich Drehsler Cello Quartet and Iro Haarla Sextet – both in Georg – Neumann Saal ,so I went there immediately.
Sun 07-11-2010 | 17:00
Georg-Neumann-Saal at Jazz-Institut Berlin
Ulrich Drechsler Cello Quartet
Ulrich Drechsler · bass clarinet
Rina Kaçinari · cello
Christoph Unterberger · cello
Jörg Mikula · drums
Ulrich Drechsler loves those low and semi-low sounds. In his new quartet, he surrounds himself with two celli and a drumset, while he himself favours the bass clarinet. His lines’ energetic elegance rests on the intensive study of Thelonious Monk, to whom he dedicated his 2004 album The Monk In All Of Us. The irresistible attraction of Drechsler’s songs not leastly harks back to the fact that as a nine-year-old, he played the clarinet in the marching band of his hometown. The dark, yet never gloomy sound of his Cello Quartet is absolutely unfamiliar in the jazz context. Nordic planes of sound encounter oriental ornaments, Balkan romanticism clashes with the modernism of a Viennese café, Mozart’s playful ease dissolves into Dolphy’s thoughtful complexity (...) from BFS PR.
It was simply gorgeous performance I enjoyed from the first to the last note . It has this similar hypnotic mood as Lorenz Raab’s set possessed too. Nothing surprising here as both musicians are shearing backgrounds and Rabb also appeared on Ulrich Monk tribute project.
However there is nothing else to compare as these were completely other programs. Drechsler’s newest programme is entitled Concinnity and had been recorded in November 2009 but already issued by German ENJA label in the middle of the 2010 year.
Ulrich’s Quartet was simply magnificent. He researched capacity of the harmony between a dark sound of his bass clarinet and two cellos perfectly . Surrounding himself just with a drum set ,very gentle and non dominant ,he created a superb space for his textural explorations .The cellos patterns varied a lot .There was a dominant element of classical articulation in the play as this is when their roots are. But being a part of Ulrich’s project such a long time they learned to how to express themselves in the improvising manner ,and there is where something significant was possible to be heard .But ,also playing rock like riffs in different tempos they created distinct counterpoint for his sonoric departures. This mix of abilities was shockingly good as well as whole music beautifully composed . They build a lovely background for Ulrich’s trips playing unisons and matching colour of his sound .This is another thing which is worth to be mentioned, as he not only swapped sax for a clarinet ,but also modified a bell of his horn .Being now wooden ,not metal one it became sonically a new solution .It lost typical bass clarinet nosy signature ,still keeping its lovely depth and woody sound .He also played it in the way which additionally strengthen these feelings .Skilfully choosing reeds and controlling vibrato with masterful perfection he additionally put attention to make this sound even more homogenous.
Sun 07-11-2010 | 17:00
Georg-Neumann-Saal at Jazz-Institut Berlin
Iro Haarla Sextett
Iro Haarla · piano, harp
Verneri Pohjola · trumpet
Kari ‘Sonny’ Heinilä · saxophones
Jari Hongisto · trombone
Ulf ‘Uffe’ Krokfors · bass
Mika Kallio · drums
“Music, like life a as a whole, is for me interaction among extremes: light – darkness, calm – storm, joy – sorrow. The extraordinary beauty of nature is one of my unfailing sources of inspiration.” Composer, pianist and harpist Iro Haarla always put aside her own ambitions for the benefit of her husband Edvard Vesala’s, whose musical interior architect she was considered to be. In 1986, she made an appearance on his album Lumi. Not until four years after Vesala’s death she released her 2003 debut trio-album Heart of a Bird, followed one year later by the quintet release Northbound on ECM – a recording hard to beat for its Nordic transfiguration, a monument full of melancholy and yearning. It is only a wild guess, but perhaps a glimpse into the exuberant schedule book of both Norwegian regulars‘ Mathias Eick and Trygve Seim would be sufficient to explain Haarla’s step towards an all Finnish line-up. At the frontline, we have trumpeter Verneri Pohjola whose album Aurora mightily enthused Nils Landgren last year, saxophonist Heinilä who, back at home is only called ‘Sonny’ and, with Jari Hongisto, a free spirit on the trombone
(...) from BFS PR .
Listening to Iro’s own project one knowing Vesala’s recordings might easy recognise now how much of her personality there was in his work ,even if she just appeared on the one .The way of organizing space for collaborating musicians is very significant here .Whole project is very ascetic ,very calm down and incredibly nostalgic . It might me easy called Finnish Haiku School what we have here .Haarla’s sounds are played in very understated way . Not only she is not playing lots of notes ,but even these few are perfectly controlled and well measured. She is leaving a lot of space for a sound to last instead. The silence is treated here in a special way ,not as a sound only ,but often as a background for delayed vibratos ,which appearing in such a depth even more balanced .On the harp she is more progressive and a melody becoming more definable ,but it is still nothing you might whistle . This is very fragile tissue .
The job Mika Kallio does ,her drummer , is crucial here .He is anchoring sounds in very special way ,interspersing rhythm to the selected parts of the melody only ,making this way whole space more floating with lots of gates just begging to come in through. After that whole percussive structure is like a net on which brass can twin their patterns with in the way that they are more like weaved in to it than flying over . On such a canvas Iro’s notes are like a long strokes of the brush . However they are not blur .They are so vivid and vital . Every single sound touches deeply. Brass what had been already mentioned are following the piano in the way of establishing whole melodic complex. Solos are very balanced and they got tangled up into the whole structure in the permanent way. Still being solos they are a fundamental part of whole composition . Brass deserves the highest acclamation here. What a wonderful players they are . So sensitive . They are dealing with fragile dynamic complexity in incredible intuitive way . One might get a feeling they sound together more like a harmonic instrument –a guitar for instance playing accords than brass section in usual meaning . Bass underline whole gentle structure with beautiful wooden and deep walk. There is a deep relation between Ulf and Iro – it goes without words .He was a part of Vesala’s late squad and they understand each other .She knows very well how to rely on his basement. This music is a pure poetry . It was heavenly pleasurable experience to see and hear such a set on the stage. Truly fantastic appearance and I wish to hear more and more from her. Such a pity she decided to run his own carrier so late . But the good thing is her star is raising quick . Capabilities she posses truly deserve to achieve position similar to Marilyn Crispell or Paul Blay, to mention just two most reminding me her style artists. I will be looking forward and keep watching carefully what’s going around . And I suggest You to do the same ,other way you gonna miss something valuable here.
Sun 07-11-2010 | 20:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Django Bates Beloved Bird
Django Bates · piano
Petter Eldh · bass
Peter Bruun · drums
„Django Bates is a jack of all trades. With his group Loose Tubes he changed the face of European jazz sustainably, with groups such as Human Chain and Delightful Precipice he continued turning tradition upside down. As a guest of Tim Berne, he teamed up with the New York scene. His humour is legendary, and the playful lighness of his performance tends to conceal the fact that behind his mischievous attitude lies a distinctive predilection for perfection(ism). Bates, one of the most influential British jazz musicians of the last three decades, has moved to Copenhagen where he is busy collaborating with the quirky young Danish
scene. With Petter Eldh and Peter Bruun from the elite Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium (RMC), he now has founded Beloved Bird. The three relish through the legacy of Charlie Parker, garnishing their homage with a handful of original compositions and supplying the ardent big-band leader with plenty of space to indulge in his passion as a piano virtuoso.
„If jazz is the music of surprise, then few deliver the gift of astonishment more readily than Mr Bates. After the high energy, multifaceted shenanigans of the splendid Stormchaser comes this unexpected, but not unexpectedly dazzling, piano trio. (…)
The purists, as ever, may find Bates’ reimaginings too superficially quirky for their liking: yet Bird’s spirit is here, Bird the iconoclast who wanted to learn from 2 von 3 Varèse, Bird the revolutionary who embraced Latin rhythms as well as bop’s sprung tempos, who nestled as happily against Mitch Miller’s oboe as he did Max Roach’s
rhythms. And Bird the composer in the moment is here too as Bates slices up thes familiar songs, dividing and ever sub-dividing, giving us not improvisations over a theme, but a re-composing, little epics in a (half) bar. (…) Bird Lives indeed.“
(Andy Robson/Jazzwise) - from BJF PR .
Andy Robson’s comments about the latest Bates’ project are so straight to the point that is a really good reason to use them as a preface to that set review as these words actually make a perfect introduction to the group as well as giving a clue what we can expect from . Andy’s review with Django published in an April edition of Jazzwise this year is worth to be read and fully informative compendium of knowledge about the project ,which I would like to recommend to everyone interested to know more . Now however ,let’s get back to the BJF main stage where all the magic happened. It is easy to say that this trio is run by Bird’s spirit. He is there all the time . This is an unusual tribute Bates did to his earliest hero . Quite unexpected for everyone who following pianist’s career .He is famous for his legendary sense of humour and amazing talent for transfigurations. Nothing like that happening here. No one is flying over the moon . Bird’s heritage as a composer is treated here with a greatest respect.
Tunes are easy recognisable . These are not Django’s variations about Parker’s music . This is pure Charlie in which Bates just blown the new life in . Blown is a good word here as he did in on the piano in the way that talented saxophonist possibly could thing about. Giving up with sax as an obvious and ordinary choice was a wonderful move too .It gave him a full ability to recompose Parker’s tunes in the way he could control every aspect of original brilliancy he found in . His dazzling technique and sparkling imagination truly brought be bop classics into the new life. And such was a target here I believe . Trio set it up with a surgeon precision . Crazy rhythmic make up which Django applied to be bop tunes ,raising up tempos ,braekneck speed ,with percussive piano patterns and a whole variety of changes was breathtaking. On the other hand it had been joyfully played with whole enthusiasm for bop piano achievements and respect for the tradition . One more time we have proof here that the best in avant-garde is always anchored in the well understood tradition. The way they had been linked together all the time was just hypnotic .If Django is a primary winding on the core his rhythm section is secondary – giving perfect positive feedback all the time . Inspiration and expiration .Perfect couple. I wonder if Bates would like to get back home ever if he is able pick up such a musicians he already has between the students he is working with .Both musicians ,bassist and drummer ,were simply perfect . Deadly precise , quick and dangerous ,easily following Django’s tour de force lead. They had been just flying over the stage as Bird used to do with his alt in the fifties .With the music which had been written 60 years ago and just rewritten now ,they still kept an ability to sound like an improvising trio could be . But as it was not ,they had a full control over the tunes matter and pay attention to the details which they are aware of . Well , Beloved Bird is on the tour now .Ladies and Gentleman – do not loose you chance to hear it . Whenever you music love is laying in – you will find the final satisfaction in this project . As it is connecting the past with the future . If You like bebop – you will love it. If you prefer contemporary classic – you gonna love it too . As it is not only tribute to the Bird’s music . This is tribute to XX century music’s ideas of freedom and modernism which Bird is a part of equally with Stravinsky ,Varese ,Webern or Cowell.
Django’s talent just makes it easy to hear and understand .As always whatever he touches it turns to the gold .One of his greatest gifts is his unpredictability. No one knows what is currently melding in his head .It is not possible to guess what he will jump with next. But like in the past ,same now – it is just genial. And I expecting from this Trio lots more good .It is just a matter of time .
Sun 07-11-2010 | 20:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Orchestre National de Jazz | Daniel Yvinec
‘Broadway In Satin’ Billie Holiday revisited
Daniel Yvinec · conductor
Karen Lano, Ian Siegal · vocals
Eve Risser · piano, flutes, sound objects;
Vincent Lafont · keyboards, electronics
Antonin-Tri Huong · alto sax, clarinets, piano;
Matthieu Metzger · alto, soprano andsopranino sax, electronic treatments;
Joce Mieniel · flutes, electronics
Rémi Dumoulin · saxophones, clarinets;
Guillaume Poncelet · trumpet
Pierre Perchaud · guitars, banjo;
Sylvain Daniel · e-bass, french horn, electronic effects
Yoann Serra · drums
„Some music never dies; it just gets better with time. So it is with the popular songsof America written between 1920 and 1950 – born in the Broadway musical and the Hollywood films and adorned with silky arrangements by the crooners of the period, they went on to form the bedrock of today‘s pop music, not to mention the fertile breedingground for jazz improvisation. These songs are the perfect vehicle for a voyage of exploration between the two worlds. Daniel Yvinec continues his rereading of the great American standards with Broadway In Satin, evoking the memory of Billie Holiday.
A wonderful but tormented performer, this great artist interpreted popular songs with such power and originality you could swear she‘d written them herself. Keeping intact the marvellous contours of the original melodies, the Orchestra National de Jazz will perform a selection of songs associated with the star (God Bless the Child, I‘m a Fool to Want You, Strange Fruit…), painting them in unusual orchestral colours and taking them into hitherto unexplored territory. Alban Darche‘s bold yet subtle arrangements make judicious use of the orchestral resources (prepared piano, electronics, toys...) to project a new light onto these melodies. Rooted in classical and film music as well as in jazz, pop and electronica, these transfigured versions will be performed by two unusual and contrasting voices and personalities: Karen Lano, whose precious talent is waiting to be discovered, and Ian Siegal, the charismatic English blues singer (....) from BFF PR.
Still with the new old sound from fifties we just heard from Django Bates Trio I faced another project being a tribute to the same period ,however to quite different personality – Lady Day .
It had been associated with 50th anniversary of Billie’s death ( marked 2009 ).Behind the program called “ Broadway in Satin “ staying following personas :
Orchestre National de Jazz – 10 person modern consort from France.
Daniel Yviniec – current artistic director of the band and conductor.
Karen Lanaud and Ian Siegal – vocalists
and Alban Darche who did all these extraordinary arrangements.
ONJ is a an open project . Kind of workshop orchestra. So the members of the band vary ,same as a projects which are always related with artistic directors running it . So this is not at all what I remembered. No one left from the past recordings I have known ,and except the name which is constant I never heard anyone of the new members . The only person here which I know is Ian Siegal . His deep dark voice reminding little bit Leonard Cohen and more or less Tom Waits from his Asylum years ,both unchangeably between my favorites ,promising something special if married with Billie Holliday’s repertoire. And it was .
Set started with solo bass introduction composed by Sylvain Daniel ,employing few cords from Elington’s “Solitude” .Then Siegal spoke the lyrics in more like theatrical manner either than sung them . Rough truth of this words ,amplified by Billie’s life story we all know was just overwhelming. It was strong and unexpected. Then piano handled it and together with brass pushed song into modern improvised structure. Next to come “ I’ll Be Seeing You” ,was arranged for Lanaud’s voice.. She sung it straight and simply with her bright and clean voice ,but then a break came with brass patterns flying over here and there in repetitive motives .
“ God Bless The Child” which came after was probably the most catching one and surpassing.
Started by Ian again ,in very low Waits like tune ,it raised quickly on the brasses percussive chunks of melody into furious climax .In response Karen intoned clearly first verse of the
“ Strange Fruit “. What happened next was very modern and unexpected. Eve Risser multitasked ,long solo crashed the phrase with lots of percussive sounds coloration effects played by her on the open piano mechanism. Forcing duo of the rhythm section took it all to the next tune ,I do not even remember which one now . Singers finished it together in an enjoyable and chilling out duo slowing down unleashed multi instrumental brass machinery .
There was lost of powerful funk in it but it was perfectly kept in the manner of Billie’s songbook. Arrangements were clear and melodic and influence of original compositions were still present there ,but with new powerful orchestration , modern improvisation achievement on the top ,and amazingly well skilled players we have got a quite new quality here . After Braxton ,Ra ,Parch ,ICP among many others -orchestral patterns and improvisers abilities are able to transform classic fifties sounds into completely modern language without sacrificing spiritual values of original . Billie’s songs were always brave . In her days she was singing about things that many others hardly dared to speak even. Straight forward and so deeply personal we will remember it forever .Today’s Billie tribute ,with all bravado and verve put on it and respect paid to the originals , truly devote justice to her life statement ,not only worshipping her vocal qualities. And as such it was a great finale of this year festival .Well ,not formally as there was still set in the club to listen .But for most of us the main stage is an only arena to visit. Wonderful and memorable performance which I wish to keep in my memory to the next year . What a great event it is .
It is your chronicler’s duty however to mention the rest too . So I do.
The last heart bit of the festival was double set in Quasimodo .As it always is.
Sun 07-11-2010 | 22:30
Quasimodo
Christine Tobin
Christine Tobin · vocals
Phil Robson · guitar
Dave Whitford · bass
Gene Calderazzo · drums
Partisans
Julian Siegel · tenor and soprano sax, bass clarinet
Phil Robson · guitar
Thaddeus Kelly · e-bass
Gene Calderazzo · drums
All these musicians are well acclaimed around the world and regularly appearing on the European festivals .All of them have lots of prizes on the account confirming their quality
as well as long list of international collaborators ,including the names from the very top.
They are regulars around British scene as well ,where I had an ability to hear them many times before and in different constellations ,as I am living there .
Christine’s set opened it . With her long time stage partner and now husband ,Phil Robson ,own bassist and a drummer borrowed from Partisans .She is one I have seen lots time . I am also familiar with most of her recordings. I like her strong ,vivid voice a lot . She is capable to hold whatever needed ,but her repertoire oscillating around folk ,blues and jazz .But with her Irish background this blend has a very special taste. Along many obvious influences it is easy to point singers like Nina Simone or Joni Mitchell .What I am writing here does not pointing this particular performance ,as I was not present there .It describes my general opinion about Christine build over the years since 2005 when I heard her first time on the stage. She is singing jazz with the same romantic passion as she sings folk. This is one of her trademarks in fact. But she has other strengths too. For example she is also fantastic dancer . I have seen a few of her performances which were set strictly on the folk side ,and her talent to mix complexity of both into the pure joy was just soulcatching. It is obvious she is taking deeply from the tradition she grown in and it comes to her easily. Singing jazz makes her more concerned about the mood . She always puts a lot of heart in and except of the melody there is always a lot of her own warm .Her lyrics are very interesting too .But she sings her own songs with same artistic quality as others .Being a long time partner ,Phil knows very well how to create the best accompaniment for her voice and that is another great quality coming from the couple. I am sure that it was lovely set ,but personally can not say a word about that.
But I was not too late to enjoy Partisans set .Phil still was there as a part of the group .He confound it together with Julian Siegel in the middle of 90’. They created quickly the sound which was fusion between funk and all directions of jazz and boundaries .And they exploring this vast idiom successfully till today. If compared to other groups from British golden era ,like Polar Bear ,Acoustic Ladyland ,Led Bib or Portico Quartet - they are more related to the strictly jazz tradition. It vary these days a lot ,as youngsters putting a lot of influences taken from the rock or even pop into the subject. Or like Portico ,from polyrhythmic African tradition mixed up with minimal music sonic concepts. It was enjoyable set played by guys which knows each other like bald horses .And they made it easy listening .God bless them for that ,as on the very end it was exactly what everyone seemed to be looking for. Soon the most tenacious guests joined , including artists performing on other stages ,and it lasts till 3 AM. Wonderful opportunity to chat about everything what just happened in last few days .In such a lovely company and with great German lagers served around ,time gone quickly ,as pleasures always does and sad time to say goodbye came. So I did promising myself to come back next year.
07 November 2010
Sun 07-11-2010 | 15:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
‘Between Shores’ Kočani Orkestar meets
Municipale Balcanica & Roberto Ottaviano
Ajnur Azizov · vocals;
Djeladin Demirov· clarinet; Durak Demirov · saxophone;
Turan Gaberov, Nebi Kanturski · trumpet;
Nijazi Alimov, Redjai Durmisev, Shukri Zejnelov · euphonium;
Suad Asanov · tuba; Vinko Stefanov · accordion;
Enis Alimanovski · tapan
Michele de Lucia· clarinet;
Armando Giusti · alto sax;
Raffaele Piccolomini · tenor sax;
Paolo Scagliola · trumpet;
Raffaele Tedeschi · guitar, vocals;
Livio Minafra · accordion;
Giorgio Rutigliano · e-bass;
Nico Marziale · percussion; Luigi Sgaramella - drums
Closing day of the fest was rich and powerful from the first set . The fusion between Macedonian Kocani Orkestar and Mediterranean Municipale Balcanica was a funky tour the force folk and roll .To be honest it should be dance hall standing venue instead of sitting one as it was hardly possible to stay on seats listening to them . Kocani ,probably best known around the world from their appearance in Kustorica’s movie “ Time of The Gypsies “ is in their own country one of the leading bands. On the other hand Municipale Balcanica led by Roberto Ottaviano ,one of the veterans of Italian scene , becoming from the other part of the sea ,brings completely different energy to the mix. We have a pure Balkan TNT here ,as sound is dominated by Roman vitality. This particular project is just blowing audience out .
Powerful , James Brown like brass makes a constant pulsing background on which soloist appearing alternately with accordion duo and the vocalist Ajnur Azizov. But this is Balcan funk with lots of folk ingredients and as such sounds so different too . Score is often directed by Vinko Stefanov who continue playing his accordion with no brake during it .
It is spectacular to watch as it is heavy thing and no one could expect someone doing it. He is however not just staying in the front of the bands . He is jumping ,screaming ,waving ,boxing and generally doing things which you have never seen any other conductor to practice. Except a music there is a lot of theatrical action going on the stage in the same time ,as musicians make lots of gags ,and comical things ,like leaving and coming back ( brass ) when the others trying to cover what just missed from the sound .Particularly members of Kocani ,but it is just possible to judge after t- shirts they wearing as both bands are mixed up They also soloing in very Mediterranean manner trying to show rather capacity to play with a drive than looking after nuances – it brings even more power to the sound. Another part of this show are parts including Azizov vocals. They are more traditional ,closer to the Turkish folk and for these reasons sounding more oriental . But they are definitely Gypsy Oriental .They have it in the blood and they simply can not get rid of their underskin vitality ,which is good as it is one of their original qualities. He has very strong and melodic voice ,which is additionally modulated in the way that sound seems to roll out of his throat. Lovely set and fantastic family event ,being set up just after the lunch time . There were a lots of families on the stalls which is greatly appreciate . So an applause was massive too as there was no one who did not like it ,I am sure of that. With typical Balcan vigour they paid back with a couple of encores ,but even after that an audience did not let they go out .
Next on the list there were Urlich Drehsler Cello Quartet and Iro Haarla Sextet – both in Georg – Neumann Saal ,so I went there immediately.
Sun 07-11-2010 | 17:00
Georg-Neumann-Saal at Jazz-Institut Berlin
Ulrich Drechsler Cello Quartet
Ulrich Drechsler · bass clarinet
Rina Kaçinari · cello
Christoph Unterberger · cello
Jörg Mikula · drums
Ulrich Drechsler loves those low and semi-low sounds. In his new quartet, he surrounds himself with two celli and a drumset, while he himself favours the bass clarinet. His lines’ energetic elegance rests on the intensive study of Thelonious Monk, to whom he dedicated his 2004 album The Monk In All Of Us. The irresistible attraction of Drechsler’s songs not leastly harks back to the fact that as a nine-year-old, he played the clarinet in the marching band of his hometown. The dark, yet never gloomy sound of his Cello Quartet is absolutely unfamiliar in the jazz context. Nordic planes of sound encounter oriental ornaments, Balkan romanticism clashes with the modernism of a Viennese café, Mozart’s playful ease dissolves into Dolphy’s thoughtful complexity (...) from BFS PR.
It was simply gorgeous performance I enjoyed from the first to the last note . It has this similar hypnotic mood as Lorenz Raab’s set possessed too. Nothing surprising here as both musicians are shearing backgrounds and Rabb also appeared on Ulrich Monk tribute project.
However there is nothing else to compare as these were completely other programs. Drechsler’s newest programme is entitled Concinnity and had been recorded in November 2009 but already issued by German ENJA label in the middle of the 2010 year.
Ulrich’s Quartet was simply magnificent. He researched capacity of the harmony between a dark sound of his bass clarinet and two cellos perfectly . Surrounding himself just with a drum set ,very gentle and non dominant ,he created a superb space for his textural explorations .The cellos patterns varied a lot .There was a dominant element of classical articulation in the play as this is when their roots are. But being a part of Ulrich’s project such a long time they learned to how to express themselves in the improvising manner ,and there is where something significant was possible to be heard .But ,also playing rock like riffs in different tempos they created distinct counterpoint for his sonoric departures. This mix of abilities was shockingly good as well as whole music beautifully composed . They build a lovely background for Ulrich’s trips playing unisons and matching colour of his sound .This is another thing which is worth to be mentioned, as he not only swapped sax for a clarinet ,but also modified a bell of his horn .Being now wooden ,not metal one it became sonically a new solution .It lost typical bass clarinet nosy signature ,still keeping its lovely depth and woody sound .He also played it in the way which additionally strengthen these feelings .Skilfully choosing reeds and controlling vibrato with masterful perfection he additionally put attention to make this sound even more homogenous.
Sun 07-11-2010 | 17:00
Georg-Neumann-Saal at Jazz-Institut Berlin
Iro Haarla Sextett
Iro Haarla · piano, harp
Verneri Pohjola · trumpet
Kari ‘Sonny’ Heinilä · saxophones
Jari Hongisto · trombone
Ulf ‘Uffe’ Krokfors · bass
Mika Kallio · drums
“Music, like life a as a whole, is for me interaction among extremes: light – darkness, calm – storm, joy – sorrow. The extraordinary beauty of nature is one of my unfailing sources of inspiration.” Composer, pianist and harpist Iro Haarla always put aside her own ambitions for the benefit of her husband Edvard Vesala’s, whose musical interior architect she was considered to be. In 1986, she made an appearance on his album Lumi. Not until four years after Vesala’s death she released her 2003 debut trio-album Heart of a Bird, followed one year later by the quintet release Northbound on ECM – a recording hard to beat for its Nordic transfiguration, a monument full of melancholy and yearning. It is only a wild guess, but perhaps a glimpse into the exuberant schedule book of both Norwegian regulars‘ Mathias Eick and Trygve Seim would be sufficient to explain Haarla’s step towards an all Finnish line-up. At the frontline, we have trumpeter Verneri Pohjola whose album Aurora mightily enthused Nils Landgren last year, saxophonist Heinilä who, back at home is only called ‘Sonny’ and, with Jari Hongisto, a free spirit on the trombone
(...) from BFS PR .
Listening to Iro’s own project one knowing Vesala’s recordings might easy recognise now how much of her personality there was in his work ,even if she just appeared on the one .The way of organizing space for collaborating musicians is very significant here .Whole project is very ascetic ,very calm down and incredibly nostalgic . It might me easy called Finnish Haiku School what we have here .Haarla’s sounds are played in very understated way . Not only she is not playing lots of notes ,but even these few are perfectly controlled and well measured. She is leaving a lot of space for a sound to last instead. The silence is treated here in a special way ,not as a sound only ,but often as a background for delayed vibratos ,which appearing in such a depth even more balanced .On the harp she is more progressive and a melody becoming more definable ,but it is still nothing you might whistle . This is very fragile tissue .
The job Mika Kallio does ,her drummer , is crucial here .He is anchoring sounds in very special way ,interspersing rhythm to the selected parts of the melody only ,making this way whole space more floating with lots of gates just begging to come in through. After that whole percussive structure is like a net on which brass can twin their patterns with in the way that they are more like weaved in to it than flying over . On such a canvas Iro’s notes are like a long strokes of the brush . However they are not blur .They are so vivid and vital . Every single sound touches deeply. Brass what had been already mentioned are following the piano in the way of establishing whole melodic complex. Solos are very balanced and they got tangled up into the whole structure in the permanent way. Still being solos they are a fundamental part of whole composition . Brass deserves the highest acclamation here. What a wonderful players they are . So sensitive . They are dealing with fragile dynamic complexity in incredible intuitive way . One might get a feeling they sound together more like a harmonic instrument –a guitar for instance playing accords than brass section in usual meaning . Bass underline whole gentle structure with beautiful wooden and deep walk. There is a deep relation between Ulf and Iro – it goes without words .He was a part of Vesala’s late squad and they understand each other .She knows very well how to rely on his basement. This music is a pure poetry . It was heavenly pleasurable experience to see and hear such a set on the stage. Truly fantastic appearance and I wish to hear more and more from her. Such a pity she decided to run his own carrier so late . But the good thing is her star is raising quick . Capabilities she posses truly deserve to achieve position similar to Marilyn Crispell or Paul Blay, to mention just two most reminding me her style artists. I will be looking forward and keep watching carefully what’s going around . And I suggest You to do the same ,other way you gonna miss something valuable here.
Sun 07-11-2010 | 20:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Django Bates Beloved Bird
Django Bates · piano
Petter Eldh · bass
Peter Bruun · drums
„Django Bates is a jack of all trades. With his group Loose Tubes he changed the face of European jazz sustainably, with groups such as Human Chain and Delightful Precipice he continued turning tradition upside down. As a guest of Tim Berne, he teamed up with the New York scene. His humour is legendary, and the playful lighness of his performance tends to conceal the fact that behind his mischievous attitude lies a distinctive predilection for perfection(ism). Bates, one of the most influential British jazz musicians of the last three decades, has moved to Copenhagen where he is busy collaborating with the quirky young Danish
scene. With Petter Eldh and Peter Bruun from the elite Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium (RMC), he now has founded Beloved Bird. The three relish through the legacy of Charlie Parker, garnishing their homage with a handful of original compositions and supplying the ardent big-band leader with plenty of space to indulge in his passion as a piano virtuoso.
„If jazz is the music of surprise, then few deliver the gift of astonishment more readily than Mr Bates. After the high energy, multifaceted shenanigans of the splendid Stormchaser comes this unexpected, but not unexpectedly dazzling, piano trio. (…)
The purists, as ever, may find Bates’ reimaginings too superficially quirky for their liking: yet Bird’s spirit is here, Bird the iconoclast who wanted to learn from 2 von 3 Varèse, Bird the revolutionary who embraced Latin rhythms as well as bop’s sprung tempos, who nestled as happily against Mitch Miller’s oboe as he did Max Roach’s
rhythms. And Bird the composer in the moment is here too as Bates slices up thes familiar songs, dividing and ever sub-dividing, giving us not improvisations over a theme, but a re-composing, little epics in a (half) bar. (…) Bird Lives indeed.“
(Andy Robson/Jazzwise) - from BJF PR .
Andy Robson’s comments about the latest Bates’ project are so straight to the point that is a really good reason to use them as a preface to that set review as these words actually make a perfect introduction to the group as well as giving a clue what we can expect from . Andy’s review with Django published in an April edition of Jazzwise this year is worth to be read and fully informative compendium of knowledge about the project ,which I would like to recommend to everyone interested to know more . Now however ,let’s get back to the BJF main stage where all the magic happened. It is easy to say that this trio is run by Bird’s spirit. He is there all the time . This is an unusual tribute Bates did to his earliest hero . Quite unexpected for everyone who following pianist’s career .He is famous for his legendary sense of humour and amazing talent for transfigurations. Nothing like that happening here. No one is flying over the moon . Bird’s heritage as a composer is treated here with a greatest respect.
Tunes are easy recognisable . These are not Django’s variations about Parker’s music . This is pure Charlie in which Bates just blown the new life in . Blown is a good word here as he did in on the piano in the way that talented saxophonist possibly could thing about. Giving up with sax as an obvious and ordinary choice was a wonderful move too .It gave him a full ability to recompose Parker’s tunes in the way he could control every aspect of original brilliancy he found in . His dazzling technique and sparkling imagination truly brought be bop classics into the new life. And such was a target here I believe . Trio set it up with a surgeon precision . Crazy rhythmic make up which Django applied to be bop tunes ,raising up tempos ,braekneck speed ,with percussive piano patterns and a whole variety of changes was breathtaking. On the other hand it had been joyfully played with whole enthusiasm for bop piano achievements and respect for the tradition . One more time we have proof here that the best in avant-garde is always anchored in the well understood tradition. The way they had been linked together all the time was just hypnotic .If Django is a primary winding on the core his rhythm section is secondary – giving perfect positive feedback all the time . Inspiration and expiration .Perfect couple. I wonder if Bates would like to get back home ever if he is able pick up such a musicians he already has between the students he is working with .Both musicians ,bassist and drummer ,were simply perfect . Deadly precise , quick and dangerous ,easily following Django’s tour de force lead. They had been just flying over the stage as Bird used to do with his alt in the fifties .With the music which had been written 60 years ago and just rewritten now ,they still kept an ability to sound like an improvising trio could be . But as it was not ,they had a full control over the tunes matter and pay attention to the details which they are aware of . Well , Beloved Bird is on the tour now .Ladies and Gentleman – do not loose you chance to hear it . Whenever you music love is laying in – you will find the final satisfaction in this project . As it is connecting the past with the future . If You like bebop – you will love it. If you prefer contemporary classic – you gonna love it too . As it is not only tribute to the Bird’s music . This is tribute to XX century music’s ideas of freedom and modernism which Bird is a part of equally with Stravinsky ,Varese ,Webern or Cowell.
Django’s talent just makes it easy to hear and understand .As always whatever he touches it turns to the gold .One of his greatest gifts is his unpredictability. No one knows what is currently melding in his head .It is not possible to guess what he will jump with next. But like in the past ,same now – it is just genial. And I expecting from this Trio lots more good .It is just a matter of time .
Sun 07-11-2010 | 20:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Orchestre National de Jazz | Daniel Yvinec
‘Broadway In Satin’ Billie Holiday revisited
Daniel Yvinec · conductor
Karen Lano, Ian Siegal · vocals
Eve Risser · piano, flutes, sound objects;
Vincent Lafont · keyboards, electronics
Antonin-Tri Huong · alto sax, clarinets, piano;
Matthieu Metzger · alto, soprano andsopranino sax, electronic treatments;
Joce Mieniel · flutes, electronics
Rémi Dumoulin · saxophones, clarinets;
Guillaume Poncelet · trumpet
Pierre Perchaud · guitars, banjo;
Sylvain Daniel · e-bass, french horn, electronic effects
Yoann Serra · drums
„Some music never dies; it just gets better with time. So it is with the popular songsof America written between 1920 and 1950 – born in the Broadway musical and the Hollywood films and adorned with silky arrangements by the crooners of the period, they went on to form the bedrock of today‘s pop music, not to mention the fertile breedingground for jazz improvisation. These songs are the perfect vehicle for a voyage of exploration between the two worlds. Daniel Yvinec continues his rereading of the great American standards with Broadway In Satin, evoking the memory of Billie Holiday.
A wonderful but tormented performer, this great artist interpreted popular songs with such power and originality you could swear she‘d written them herself. Keeping intact the marvellous contours of the original melodies, the Orchestra National de Jazz will perform a selection of songs associated with the star (God Bless the Child, I‘m a Fool to Want You, Strange Fruit…), painting them in unusual orchestral colours and taking them into hitherto unexplored territory. Alban Darche‘s bold yet subtle arrangements make judicious use of the orchestral resources (prepared piano, electronics, toys...) to project a new light onto these melodies. Rooted in classical and film music as well as in jazz, pop and electronica, these transfigured versions will be performed by two unusual and contrasting voices and personalities: Karen Lano, whose precious talent is waiting to be discovered, and Ian Siegal, the charismatic English blues singer (....) from BFF PR.
Still with the new old sound from fifties we just heard from Django Bates Trio I faced another project being a tribute to the same period ,however to quite different personality – Lady Day .
It had been associated with 50th anniversary of Billie’s death ( marked 2009 ).Behind the program called “ Broadway in Satin “ staying following personas :
Orchestre National de Jazz – 10 person modern consort from France.
Daniel Yviniec – current artistic director of the band and conductor.
Karen Lanaud and Ian Siegal – vocalists
and Alban Darche who did all these extraordinary arrangements.
ONJ is a an open project . Kind of workshop orchestra. So the members of the band vary ,same as a projects which are always related with artistic directors running it . So this is not at all what I remembered. No one left from the past recordings I have known ,and except the name which is constant I never heard anyone of the new members . The only person here which I know is Ian Siegal . His deep dark voice reminding little bit Leonard Cohen and more or less Tom Waits from his Asylum years ,both unchangeably between my favorites ,promising something special if married with Billie Holliday’s repertoire. And it was .
Set started with solo bass introduction composed by Sylvain Daniel ,employing few cords from Elington’s “Solitude” .Then Siegal spoke the lyrics in more like theatrical manner either than sung them . Rough truth of this words ,amplified by Billie’s life story we all know was just overwhelming. It was strong and unexpected. Then piano handled it and together with brass pushed song into modern improvised structure. Next to come “ I’ll Be Seeing You” ,was arranged for Lanaud’s voice.. She sung it straight and simply with her bright and clean voice ,but then a break came with brass patterns flying over here and there in repetitive motives .
“ God Bless The Child” which came after was probably the most catching one and surpassing.
Started by Ian again ,in very low Waits like tune ,it raised quickly on the brasses percussive chunks of melody into furious climax .In response Karen intoned clearly first verse of the
“ Strange Fruit “. What happened next was very modern and unexpected. Eve Risser multitasked ,long solo crashed the phrase with lots of percussive sounds coloration effects played by her on the open piano mechanism. Forcing duo of the rhythm section took it all to the next tune ,I do not even remember which one now . Singers finished it together in an enjoyable and chilling out duo slowing down unleashed multi instrumental brass machinery .
There was lost of powerful funk in it but it was perfectly kept in the manner of Billie’s songbook. Arrangements were clear and melodic and influence of original compositions were still present there ,but with new powerful orchestration , modern improvisation achievement on the top ,and amazingly well skilled players we have got a quite new quality here . After Braxton ,Ra ,Parch ,ICP among many others -orchestral patterns and improvisers abilities are able to transform classic fifties sounds into completely modern language without sacrificing spiritual values of original . Billie’s songs were always brave . In her days she was singing about things that many others hardly dared to speak even. Straight forward and so deeply personal we will remember it forever .Today’s Billie tribute ,with all bravado and verve put on it and respect paid to the originals , truly devote justice to her life statement ,not only worshipping her vocal qualities. And as such it was a great finale of this year festival .Well ,not formally as there was still set in the club to listen .But for most of us the main stage is an only arena to visit. Wonderful and memorable performance which I wish to keep in my memory to the next year . What a great event it is .
It is your chronicler’s duty however to mention the rest too . So I do.
The last heart bit of the festival was double set in Quasimodo .As it always is.
Sun 07-11-2010 | 22:30
Quasimodo
Christine Tobin
Christine Tobin · vocals
Phil Robson · guitar
Dave Whitford · bass
Gene Calderazzo · drums
Partisans
Julian Siegel · tenor and soprano sax, bass clarinet
Phil Robson · guitar
Thaddeus Kelly · e-bass
Gene Calderazzo · drums
All these musicians are well acclaimed around the world and regularly appearing on the European festivals .All of them have lots of prizes on the account confirming their quality
as well as long list of international collaborators ,including the names from the very top.
They are regulars around British scene as well ,where I had an ability to hear them many times before and in different constellations ,as I am living there .
Christine’s set opened it . With her long time stage partner and now husband ,Phil Robson ,own bassist and a drummer borrowed from Partisans .She is one I have seen lots time . I am also familiar with most of her recordings. I like her strong ,vivid voice a lot . She is capable to hold whatever needed ,but her repertoire oscillating around folk ,blues and jazz .But with her Irish background this blend has a very special taste. Along many obvious influences it is easy to point singers like Nina Simone or Joni Mitchell .What I am writing here does not pointing this particular performance ,as I was not present there .It describes my general opinion about Christine build over the years since 2005 when I heard her first time on the stage. She is singing jazz with the same romantic passion as she sings folk. This is one of her trademarks in fact. But she has other strengths too. For example she is also fantastic dancer . I have seen a few of her performances which were set strictly on the folk side ,and her talent to mix complexity of both into the pure joy was just soulcatching. It is obvious she is taking deeply from the tradition she grown in and it comes to her easily. Singing jazz makes her more concerned about the mood . She always puts a lot of heart in and except of the melody there is always a lot of her own warm .Her lyrics are very interesting too .But she sings her own songs with same artistic quality as others .Being a long time partner ,Phil knows very well how to create the best accompaniment for her voice and that is another great quality coming from the couple. I am sure that it was lovely set ,but personally can not say a word about that.
But I was not too late to enjoy Partisans set .Phil still was there as a part of the group .He confound it together with Julian Siegel in the middle of 90’. They created quickly the sound which was fusion between funk and all directions of jazz and boundaries .And they exploring this vast idiom successfully till today. If compared to other groups from British golden era ,like Polar Bear ,Acoustic Ladyland ,Led Bib or Portico Quartet - they are more related to the strictly jazz tradition. It vary these days a lot ,as youngsters putting a lot of influences taken from the rock or even pop into the subject. Or like Portico ,from polyrhythmic African tradition mixed up with minimal music sonic concepts. It was enjoyable set played by guys which knows each other like bald horses .And they made it easy listening .God bless them for that ,as on the very end it was exactly what everyone seemed to be looking for. Soon the most tenacious guests joined , including artists performing on other stages ,and it lasts till 3 AM. Wonderful opportunity to chat about everything what just happened in last few days .In such a lovely company and with great German lagers served around ,time gone quickly ,as pleasures always does and sad time to say goodbye came. So I did promising myself to come back next year.
BJF 2010 ~ day 4
Day Four
06 November 2010
Sat 06-11-2010 | 20:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Moss
Theo Bleckmann · vocals
Peter Eldridge · vocals
Kate McGarry · vocals
Lauren Kinhan · vocals
Keith Ganz · guitar
Kermit Driscoll · bass
John Hollenbeck · drums
I had a great expectations about that set. Four voices ally ,which three of them I used to listen to a lot .Plus similarly great rhythm section .I was growing on New York Voices recordings in early 90’ and I know Peter Eldridge’s and Lauren Kinhan’s vocal abillities really well. Theo Bleckmann’s albums recorded for Winter & Winter with Schumann’s and Ives’ songs are around my favourites and there is almost no week without listening to them .Same I can say about Refuge Trio including present drummer here –John Hollenbeck. Kermit Driscoll appeared on as many recordings I have in my collection it could probably take a while to point them all .Let me just mention these realised with John Zorn ,Bill Frisell or The New & Used quintet. He is a living legend and an impact he did to the last decade’s recordings is not possible to pass over. I heard him before many times too ,in different places and with numerous musicians. Nothing strange then I was looking forward to hear something special here. But it sadly did not happen. This performance was one of the worse I have ever being listening to. And it is even hard to say why ? I even though at the beginning maybe I misjudge something for some reason . But not .Substantial number of people leaving stands during the breaks between the songs just proofed me quick I am not in a minority here .There was nothing wrong with the rhythm section. They were playing good as always . But the vocal project seemed to have no spine. There was nothing catching ,nothing what could you involve or make interested in any possible way . Just plain and boring. It was strange .I like all of them . Separate , together or in different projects , but simply not in that one . As I do not want to write anything bad about an artists I deeply respect I’d like to leave it like that with no further comments . Just plain like newspaper news .One quick to forgot .Let’s skip to the next.
Sat 06-11-2010 | 20:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
‘Out of the Desert’
hr-Bigband feat. Joachim Kühn Trio
Örjan Fahlström · conductor
Frank Wellert, Martin Auer, Thomas Vogel, Axel Schlosser · trumpet
Günter Bollmann, Peter Feil, Christian Jaksjø · trombone
Manfred Honetschläger · bass trombone
Heinz-Dieter Sauerborn, Oliver Leicht, Tony Lakatos, Julian Argüelles · reeds
Peter Reiter · Fender Rhodes; Martin Scales · guitar; Thomas Heidepriem · bass
Jean Paul Höchstädter · drums
Joachim Kühn · piano; Majid Bekkas · vocals, guembri, oud, kalimba
Ramon Lopez · drums, percussion
Joachim Kuhn’s Out of Desert birthday celebration project is already well known and precisely described on the ACT web or album linear notes . Here on AAJ there is a good description of the project given too:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=32963
Second recording of the trio after 2007 Kalimba collected lots of great reviews around the world as a sensitive and innovative achievement in exploring and broadening world music boundaries .As a time gone musicians got used to play together what put the qualities even higher. However if original set is a cameral ,peaceful and hypnotic piece of music I am familiar with , the orchestral work seems to be something completely different.
„Departing from this experience and this fundus of material, Kühn wrote a special programme for the hr-Bigband. The 2009 premiere at Deutsches Jazzfestival Frankfurt was an overwhelming success and Frankfurter Allgemeine magazine even praised the stirring performance a “musical miracle”. ( after BFS PR )
The new score is completely different from original. There is nothing left from hypnotic intimacy , as one could remember from recording. This is innovative and fantastic big band arrangement. Full dynamic ,with vibrant attacks from the brass and virtuoso imaginative response from the grand piano. Between that Ramon Lopez keeps amazingly energetic drive.He blends high tempo hi-hat tour de force rides with sparkling brass tuttis with miraculous skills. This is truly great drummer ,specially when it comes to the improvised parts. There is just very little of it but enough to make him fly. His Spanish backgrounds gave him this special ability to play incredible duos with Majid Bekkas when he is soloing on his guembri (native bass instrument ).They both posses special understanding of Arabic scales and for this reason interactions they builds are special and very complex It was one of the cores in the main recording and it had been kept and exposed in orchestral incarnation too. Majid’s singing and oud solos had completely different weight when appeared as a part of rich orchestration ,but in piano parts and fill up brakes they were bringing the same mysterious nomadic feeling as remembered from recording. He posses lovely timbre of his voice ,which being slightly matt is a nice contrast for a brassy glittering. The moments he sings are strongest intersection between both projects. Kuhn’s play is nothing just a genius work . I always loved his music for this God’s sparkle. The special capabilities to improvise on the border of modern jazz and contemporary piano ,giving a blend which is so very him.
When I looked at the end on the title list I found that these were not just variations of the previous achievement – these were completely differently titled tunes :
1.Night in the Desert
2.Klangzeit , my favourite on this set .
3.Fresh Air
4.Lichtquelle
and the last for encore : Der Wanderer
When the tracks on original session are :
1. Foulani (Majid Bekkas)
2. Transmitting (Joachim Kühn)
3. One, Two, Free (Joachim Kühn)
4. Sandia (Majid Bekkas)
5. Seawalk (Joachim Kühn)
6. Chadiye (Majid Bekkas)
It was such an intense and dynamic performance it was really hard to say if the songs Majid sung have been taken from original set or he used a different ones. I forgot to ask him ,sorry.
But I asked him about his oud plying as he sounds so different from this performers we know good in Europe ,like Brahem or Abu Khalikh .He explained me there is so many styles people play it ,it might vary a lot . He also add that he sounds particularly this way for the need of that session .Privately he prefers a bit warmer and lyric expression .
It just showing how little we know about that .There is still so many to discover for daring challengers ,so we do not have to be afraid about the future . Joachim just did it one more time. And I hope that he will keep going .Yes he does. He already told me this is whole his life and he can not imagine himself to give up. It is a pleasure to see him in such a good form in the age of 66. It was another spectacular performance to keep in memory forever. Simply splendid . It covered these day’s opening and just made it vanished .
After unavoidable selection (same reason – time schedule) I gave up with Magnus Lindgren set in A-train and went straight on to the Quasimodo where a Borderhopping set was already on and Ray Anderson –Han Bennink with their international quintet will be following soon.
For me everything what these both did is always superior achievement.
Han Bennink from the beginning of ICP movement in the end of 60’ to these days is incessantly one of the most creative and leading musicians on European avant-garde scene.
Ray Anderson is a unique trombone player in every possible way and his arsenal of articulation weapon is capacious enough to start the war and win it in the same day.
Sat 06-11-2010 | 22:30
Quasimodo
Borderhopping
Paul van Kemenade · alto sax
Eckard Koltermann · bass clarinet, baritone sax
Stevko Busch · piano, compositions
Benjamin Trawinski · bass
Achim Krämer · drums
Paul van Kemnade’s artistic collaboration with German bass clarinettist Eckard Koltemann and his quartet is an open context .They are all top musicians and their qualities adds easily creating successful stage relationship. They playing vigorous patterns expanded between roughly sketched scores and rising up improvisation ,when reed’s voices changes from consonant duos to individual improvised parts .Kemenade’s play is very involving and I discovered at once listening to him on the stage is completely different experience.. He is same intriguing on the studio recording ,but live – just exposing his imaginative potential in a full scale .Here is where an audience sensitive response pays back at once giving them extra power and speed .His sound is very powerful and strong .He is able to handle any dynamic span without sacrificing melodic aspects in tune .Flying from post bop passages to the crazy scale walking he defines the direction of the set clearly. Unisons with Eckard baritone and bass voices settle very driving and catching up performance .Having a great section on the bottom and a pianist which is capable to follow any musical ideas too ,they truly can do whatever they feel .And they do. Played from the sketches tunes are just growing on your eyes ,blossom and shine to the final note . Great pleasure to listen to them . I hope that this collaboration will last long enough to make some recordings ,as it definitely deserves to be remembered.
Sat 06-11-2010 | 22:30
Quasimodo
Paul van Kemenade · alto sax
Ray Anderson · trombone
Frank Möbus · guitar
Ernst Glerum · bass
Han Bennink · drums
Wow , what we had there on the stage was just a dazzling bunch of personalities
All of them without separate describing are straight forward recognisable instrumentalists and there is no fan of contemporary or improvised music around the world who never had them.
There is no such a recording on the last few decades when few of them or even one have not appeared on. The Quintet as such had been created in 2007 by altoist Van Kemenade . Since that they produced a couple of recordings .Their “ Two horns and the bass” from 2009 is already well internationally acclaimed . Since 2008 a group gives concerts and appearing occasionally on festival venues .So here is a rare opportunity to hear them.
As I mentioned above every occasion to hear and see Han Bennink on his own is worth to take a day off and fly over the channel. With such a company around it is guarantied to be TNT performance , and it was . Van Kemenade after the first set was already well warm up.
But this company is fuelled by fire so they blown the whistle before the first tune reached the final. What can I say ? It was mind blowing experience to hear them. It was top notch summit.
All of them together and each on his own contributed absolutely equally to the final achievement ,some of them just more eye catching than the others .But this is just about personality. Van Kemenade gave up here from a leading position giving same room for every single member of the band .It explains clearly why the name of the band is not pointing any one. He amazed me here with his abilities to completely change the way he plays for maximum project support . Just a quarter before he was blowing his head off in bop based parades of patterns and high pitch responses . Now he switched into the lyric and some moments even romantic articulation to match sweet rising sound of Anderson’s horn.
Next moment ran cascades of notes solo or in unison with Ray. He is a very interesting musician and a sensitively listening improviser ,who truly deserves a company he just sharing the stage with. It just showed me how little I know about him and his music.
Anderson’s play was brilliant as always . I simply can not imagine myself him playing any wrong note even. Both with Bennink they had been a highly energetic furious machine . Supported on the bottom by Glerum’s bass they provided highest possible drive . I can not imagine anyone being able to do more with such an ensemble. Specially when you note the fact the only drum Han used on this set was a kettledrum. I do not know anyone who’s able to do the same .I have seen a few times Paul Lovens playing on single drum or very reduced sets ,but it is completely different musical personality. There is only one Han . Han Bennink.
Whatever hi is playing on , single drum ,rich percussion set ,or just bunch of trashes able to emit the sound only – he is doing it in the way no one else might. He is an unique player in every possible way .It is even hard to call him a drummer and it just do not explain whole range of his abilities. He is rather The Total Percussionists with imagination restricted with no borders. His feeling of sound ,understanding rhythm as a complexity of musical issue is beyond anyone imagination. He employed so many patterns and textures into the whole XX century music I sometimes finding myself wordless .The more I know about and listen to into early ICP recordings the more I find and understand ,and I still need to renew all I believed before I already knew. So many things he invented had been already adopted into the current improvisation scene and it is often presented as performers own achievement ,but believe me
or not – give a proper listening to 60’ , 70’ recordings and you will find out it is not . The problem is that these recordings are rare like a polar bears these days and most of us never heard them. Separate disaster is that the early ICP tapes did not survive ,and for this reason can not be easily reissued ,even if there is a great interest in it. The only hope is in the LP copies laying somewhere around the world . Anyway ,lots of great info from the first hand is already there on the Bennink’s web ,including his art. on the ICP and other labels covers .
http://www.hanbennink.com
This is a place every fan of the modern jazz have to go like Muslim to Mecca ,at least once in his life. It is also a mind opening trip which just showing us how vast and multi related are the basements his inspirations are coming from. Only watching his art. helps to understand his play better . But getting back to the set . There was all of that . The way he was rolling his drum ,with changing mood ,tempos ,articulation ,dynamics . Playing with sticks ,hands ,leg- YES – leg ,elbows. Damping patterns he employed to made it even more rich and essential .
It was just unbelievable. If I was watching him doing it on the silent movie I would be same impressed even without hearing the note .As his body only dancing over the drum had enough power to keep you entertained . Now add the rest and you have an answer . If there is any.
To finish quickly I need to write separate about Frank Mobus as an American did a marvellous integrating job to the sounds .His guitar was not only flying around completing complexity of sound . It was also picking up the threads and tie up the knobs ,establishing the foundations for every new idea to come on the top . Knowing that ,you can easy guess how devastated I was ,being actually forced to leave that set 15 minutes before the end to run back to final performance of this day . Pablo Held Trio .But this is reviewers duty and sometimes it is tough when you have to leave one set to do the job right and go to another. Knowing that you already leaving a heavens behind and have no sure what you will find out in return makes it even harder .But what the life would be like with no risk ?
Sat 06-11-2010 | 23:30
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Side Stage
Robert Landfermann · bass
Pablo Held · piano
Jonas Burgwinkel · drums
Well, this set deserve really special review .For many reasons .First of all because it was a challenge. Second due to it was new and very individual performance easy deserving to be claim one of the best among whole festival .Three ,what is sensational ,but spotted by many others before – this group and leading it Pablo Held ,they are all in their early twenties.
In the full respect to everything what I heard during this set that was to my ears nothing less but sensation . How a blossom here is in Germany in the last decade .First Wollny ,now Held .
As reviews of the first recording ,Forest of Oblivion had been published on AAJ ,and it include some biographical facts too I just link them below for interested parts to read ,with no sense to write about same facts . I will add his Biography chapter from BJF PR as this is a good and very informative reading ,worth to be shared with everyone interested in it .
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=33552 by Jerry D'Souza
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=32944 by Dan McClenaghan
The music presented this night came from Held’s Trio second recording called simply Music. Behind this straight on title however ,laying a massive deposit of musical personality the whole trio put in. Set started with Pablo’s solo introduction . Then the section enjoyed gently . It is worth to be said that it even if every part had been titled separately whole set had been presented in one piece with no brakes . It was such a flow .Natural and smooth with no enforcement – everything came here from the complete silence and just seemed to appear at the exact moment .The phenomenal feeling about that was this you might believe you listening to something you already well know ,but it is not true . It is Trio’s original voice . That unusual ability to blend tradition with their own invention in invisible way seems to be one of their biggest strengths. But behind that there is a great self confidence .There is an amazing maturity too ,which is adorable when it comes to the guys in their twenties. From that point another great quality comes .It is natural that the youngsters always looking for their own way to express .But it hardly happen that they already swallowed and digested such a piece of the jazz history and their search is set up on the solid understanding of tradition and capability to transform it into their very own voice .As far as set was going it just started to be clear for me I am actually dealing here with completely new phenomenon. Pablo Held already chased me through whole history of the jazz pianism .Whenever I tried to find one who he reminds me ,the birds just flew off my hands. I found so many indications of his awareness ,but even not a single quote. He could be percussive like Don Pullen ,to change just in a while , with a single note perfectly articulated ,to hypnotic core structure a la Jarret. But before anyone catch up with it he is already getting back with the voice lyric and poetic like from early Bill Evans . But this is transitory. It disappears a moment after it happened. But there is much more than just jazz in the complexity of his sound .The more you listen to the more coming to you .There is a whole history of music here .From Bach to Messiaen or even earlier as once you get in you finding out a choral medieval structures in ,too. And again its used and reused to blend into the structure of his own voice .He is definitely speaking with his own voice as whole the trio does . The sound is so involving that everyone is coming deeply inside. .It is like a spell put over. Whatever you believe it is ,the dream or the real thing it comes to you as a true . It is very honest and personal massage in this Music. The more you listen to the deeper it catches you. I tried to find out any similarities with present performers just to easier describe how this sound was like . The first to come to my mind was Tord Gustavsen. His power is laying in a silence too. He never forces sound ,it just rises in front of you and then the dynamic is already there . The kind of the less is more philosophy. Sometimes Brad Mehldau can sound similar. But mostly in his solo projects as his section is much more dynamic and independent than Pablo’s one. When it came to the rhythm section here ( Robert Landfermann on the bass and Jonas Burgwinkel on drums ) we find out another magic. These guys together sound so organic and coherent like they had been a part of the same creature , not separate human beings. There is some higher level of understanding each other they possessed .Call it telepathy ,as it is much more that just intuition .Pablo told me that they playing together long ,long time – that’s why . But this is what other trios do and they does not sound like that .What is most wonderful in it is that they are just on the beginning of their way and they already do absolutely great !!! So think what just gonna came from them in the future . I am looking forward to hear it .And here is a crowd of us.
I do not have to tell you on the end that was magnificent performance as I already did it .
But it was also charming and completely hypnotic. No one said a word ,no one even cough. There was a miraculous silent all the time. No one dared to move. He is a wizard and he did with us what he wanted .And we are happy on the end . That’s it.
What a wonderful end of a day it was or a beginning of the next either,as there was 2 AM on the clock .But who cares about that .No one did .
06 November 2010
Sat 06-11-2010 | 20:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Moss
Theo Bleckmann · vocals
Peter Eldridge · vocals
Kate McGarry · vocals
Lauren Kinhan · vocals
Keith Ganz · guitar
Kermit Driscoll · bass
John Hollenbeck · drums
I had a great expectations about that set. Four voices ally ,which three of them I used to listen to a lot .Plus similarly great rhythm section .I was growing on New York Voices recordings in early 90’ and I know Peter Eldridge’s and Lauren Kinhan’s vocal abillities really well. Theo Bleckmann’s albums recorded for Winter & Winter with Schumann’s and Ives’ songs are around my favourites and there is almost no week without listening to them .Same I can say about Refuge Trio including present drummer here –John Hollenbeck. Kermit Driscoll appeared on as many recordings I have in my collection it could probably take a while to point them all .Let me just mention these realised with John Zorn ,Bill Frisell or The New & Used quintet. He is a living legend and an impact he did to the last decade’s recordings is not possible to pass over. I heard him before many times too ,in different places and with numerous musicians. Nothing strange then I was looking forward to hear something special here. But it sadly did not happen. This performance was one of the worse I have ever being listening to. And it is even hard to say why ? I even though at the beginning maybe I misjudge something for some reason . But not .Substantial number of people leaving stands during the breaks between the songs just proofed me quick I am not in a minority here .There was nothing wrong with the rhythm section. They were playing good as always . But the vocal project seemed to have no spine. There was nothing catching ,nothing what could you involve or make interested in any possible way . Just plain and boring. It was strange .I like all of them . Separate , together or in different projects , but simply not in that one . As I do not want to write anything bad about an artists I deeply respect I’d like to leave it like that with no further comments . Just plain like newspaper news .One quick to forgot .Let’s skip to the next.
Sat 06-11-2010 | 20:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
‘Out of the Desert’
hr-Bigband feat. Joachim Kühn Trio
Örjan Fahlström · conductor
Frank Wellert, Martin Auer, Thomas Vogel, Axel Schlosser · trumpet
Günter Bollmann, Peter Feil, Christian Jaksjø · trombone
Manfred Honetschläger · bass trombone
Heinz-Dieter Sauerborn, Oliver Leicht, Tony Lakatos, Julian Argüelles · reeds
Peter Reiter · Fender Rhodes; Martin Scales · guitar; Thomas Heidepriem · bass
Jean Paul Höchstädter · drums
Joachim Kühn · piano; Majid Bekkas · vocals, guembri, oud, kalimba
Ramon Lopez · drums, percussion
Joachim Kuhn’s Out of Desert birthday celebration project is already well known and precisely described on the ACT web or album linear notes . Here on AAJ there is a good description of the project given too:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=32963
Second recording of the trio after 2007 Kalimba collected lots of great reviews around the world as a sensitive and innovative achievement in exploring and broadening world music boundaries .As a time gone musicians got used to play together what put the qualities even higher. However if original set is a cameral ,peaceful and hypnotic piece of music I am familiar with , the orchestral work seems to be something completely different.
„Departing from this experience and this fundus of material, Kühn wrote a special programme for the hr-Bigband. The 2009 premiere at Deutsches Jazzfestival Frankfurt was an overwhelming success and Frankfurter Allgemeine magazine even praised the stirring performance a “musical miracle”. ( after BFS PR )
The new score is completely different from original. There is nothing left from hypnotic intimacy , as one could remember from recording. This is innovative and fantastic big band arrangement. Full dynamic ,with vibrant attacks from the brass and virtuoso imaginative response from the grand piano. Between that Ramon Lopez keeps amazingly energetic drive.He blends high tempo hi-hat tour de force rides with sparkling brass tuttis with miraculous skills. This is truly great drummer ,specially when it comes to the improvised parts. There is just very little of it but enough to make him fly. His Spanish backgrounds gave him this special ability to play incredible duos with Majid Bekkas when he is soloing on his guembri (native bass instrument ).They both posses special understanding of Arabic scales and for this reason interactions they builds are special and very complex It was one of the cores in the main recording and it had been kept and exposed in orchestral incarnation too. Majid’s singing and oud solos had completely different weight when appeared as a part of rich orchestration ,but in piano parts and fill up brakes they were bringing the same mysterious nomadic feeling as remembered from recording. He posses lovely timbre of his voice ,which being slightly matt is a nice contrast for a brassy glittering. The moments he sings are strongest intersection between both projects. Kuhn’s play is nothing just a genius work . I always loved his music for this God’s sparkle. The special capabilities to improvise on the border of modern jazz and contemporary piano ,giving a blend which is so very him.
When I looked at the end on the title list I found that these were not just variations of the previous achievement – these were completely differently titled tunes :
1.Night in the Desert
2.Klangzeit , my favourite on this set .
3.Fresh Air
4.Lichtquelle
and the last for encore : Der Wanderer
When the tracks on original session are :
1. Foulani (Majid Bekkas)
2. Transmitting (Joachim Kühn)
3. One, Two, Free (Joachim Kühn)
4. Sandia (Majid Bekkas)
5. Seawalk (Joachim Kühn)
6. Chadiye (Majid Bekkas)
It was such an intense and dynamic performance it was really hard to say if the songs Majid sung have been taken from original set or he used a different ones. I forgot to ask him ,sorry.
But I asked him about his oud plying as he sounds so different from this performers we know good in Europe ,like Brahem or Abu Khalikh .He explained me there is so many styles people play it ,it might vary a lot . He also add that he sounds particularly this way for the need of that session .Privately he prefers a bit warmer and lyric expression .
It just showing how little we know about that .There is still so many to discover for daring challengers ,so we do not have to be afraid about the future . Joachim just did it one more time. And I hope that he will keep going .Yes he does. He already told me this is whole his life and he can not imagine himself to give up. It is a pleasure to see him in such a good form in the age of 66. It was another spectacular performance to keep in memory forever. Simply splendid . It covered these day’s opening and just made it vanished .
After unavoidable selection (same reason – time schedule) I gave up with Magnus Lindgren set in A-train and went straight on to the Quasimodo where a Borderhopping set was already on and Ray Anderson –Han Bennink with their international quintet will be following soon.
For me everything what these both did is always superior achievement.
Han Bennink from the beginning of ICP movement in the end of 60’ to these days is incessantly one of the most creative and leading musicians on European avant-garde scene.
Ray Anderson is a unique trombone player in every possible way and his arsenal of articulation weapon is capacious enough to start the war and win it in the same day.
Sat 06-11-2010 | 22:30
Quasimodo
Borderhopping
Paul van Kemenade · alto sax
Eckard Koltermann · bass clarinet, baritone sax
Stevko Busch · piano, compositions
Benjamin Trawinski · bass
Achim Krämer · drums
Paul van Kemnade’s artistic collaboration with German bass clarinettist Eckard Koltemann and his quartet is an open context .They are all top musicians and their qualities adds easily creating successful stage relationship. They playing vigorous patterns expanded between roughly sketched scores and rising up improvisation ,when reed’s voices changes from consonant duos to individual improvised parts .Kemenade’s play is very involving and I discovered at once listening to him on the stage is completely different experience.. He is same intriguing on the studio recording ,but live – just exposing his imaginative potential in a full scale .Here is where an audience sensitive response pays back at once giving them extra power and speed .His sound is very powerful and strong .He is able to handle any dynamic span without sacrificing melodic aspects in tune .Flying from post bop passages to the crazy scale walking he defines the direction of the set clearly. Unisons with Eckard baritone and bass voices settle very driving and catching up performance .Having a great section on the bottom and a pianist which is capable to follow any musical ideas too ,they truly can do whatever they feel .And they do. Played from the sketches tunes are just growing on your eyes ,blossom and shine to the final note . Great pleasure to listen to them . I hope that this collaboration will last long enough to make some recordings ,as it definitely deserves to be remembered.
Sat 06-11-2010 | 22:30
Quasimodo
Anderson-Bennink-Möbus-Glum-van Kemenade
Paul van Kemenade · alto sax
Ray Anderson · trombone
Frank Möbus · guitar
Ernst Glerum · bass
Han Bennink · drums
Wow , what we had there on the stage was just a dazzling bunch of personalities
All of them without separate describing are straight forward recognisable instrumentalists and there is no fan of contemporary or improvised music around the world who never had them.
There is no such a recording on the last few decades when few of them or even one have not appeared on. The Quintet as such had been created in 2007 by altoist Van Kemenade . Since that they produced a couple of recordings .Their “ Two horns and the bass” from 2009 is already well internationally acclaimed . Since 2008 a group gives concerts and appearing occasionally on festival venues .So here is a rare opportunity to hear them.
As I mentioned above every occasion to hear and see Han Bennink on his own is worth to take a day off and fly over the channel. With such a company around it is guarantied to be TNT performance , and it was . Van Kemenade after the first set was already well warm up.
But this company is fuelled by fire so they blown the whistle before the first tune reached the final. What can I say ? It was mind blowing experience to hear them. It was top notch summit.
All of them together and each on his own contributed absolutely equally to the final achievement ,some of them just more eye catching than the others .But this is just about personality. Van Kemenade gave up here from a leading position giving same room for every single member of the band .It explains clearly why the name of the band is not pointing any one. He amazed me here with his abilities to completely change the way he plays for maximum project support . Just a quarter before he was blowing his head off in bop based parades of patterns and high pitch responses . Now he switched into the lyric and some moments even romantic articulation to match sweet rising sound of Anderson’s horn.
Next moment ran cascades of notes solo or in unison with Ray. He is a very interesting musician and a sensitively listening improviser ,who truly deserves a company he just sharing the stage with. It just showed me how little I know about him and his music.
Anderson’s play was brilliant as always . I simply can not imagine myself him playing any wrong note even. Both with Bennink they had been a highly energetic furious machine . Supported on the bottom by Glerum’s bass they provided highest possible drive . I can not imagine anyone being able to do more with such an ensemble. Specially when you note the fact the only drum Han used on this set was a kettledrum. I do not know anyone who’s able to do the same .I have seen a few times Paul Lovens playing on single drum or very reduced sets ,but it is completely different musical personality. There is only one Han . Han Bennink.
Whatever hi is playing on , single drum ,rich percussion set ,or just bunch of trashes able to emit the sound only – he is doing it in the way no one else might. He is an unique player in every possible way .It is even hard to call him a drummer and it just do not explain whole range of his abilities. He is rather The Total Percussionists with imagination restricted with no borders. His feeling of sound ,understanding rhythm as a complexity of musical issue is beyond anyone imagination. He employed so many patterns and textures into the whole XX century music I sometimes finding myself wordless .The more I know about and listen to into early ICP recordings the more I find and understand ,and I still need to renew all I believed before I already knew. So many things he invented had been already adopted into the current improvisation scene and it is often presented as performers own achievement ,but believe me
or not – give a proper listening to 60’ , 70’ recordings and you will find out it is not . The problem is that these recordings are rare like a polar bears these days and most of us never heard them. Separate disaster is that the early ICP tapes did not survive ,and for this reason can not be easily reissued ,even if there is a great interest in it. The only hope is in the LP copies laying somewhere around the world . Anyway ,lots of great info from the first hand is already there on the Bennink’s web ,including his art. on the ICP and other labels covers .
http://www.hanbennink.com
This is a place every fan of the modern jazz have to go like Muslim to Mecca ,at least once in his life. It is also a mind opening trip which just showing us how vast and multi related are the basements his inspirations are coming from. Only watching his art. helps to understand his play better . But getting back to the set . There was all of that . The way he was rolling his drum ,with changing mood ,tempos ,articulation ,dynamics . Playing with sticks ,hands ,leg- YES – leg ,elbows. Damping patterns he employed to made it even more rich and essential .
It was just unbelievable. If I was watching him doing it on the silent movie I would be same impressed even without hearing the note .As his body only dancing over the drum had enough power to keep you entertained . Now add the rest and you have an answer . If there is any.
To finish quickly I need to write separate about Frank Mobus as an American did a marvellous integrating job to the sounds .His guitar was not only flying around completing complexity of sound . It was also picking up the threads and tie up the knobs ,establishing the foundations for every new idea to come on the top . Knowing that ,you can easy guess how devastated I was ,being actually forced to leave that set 15 minutes before the end to run back to final performance of this day . Pablo Held Trio .But this is reviewers duty and sometimes it is tough when you have to leave one set to do the job right and go to another. Knowing that you already leaving a heavens behind and have no sure what you will find out in return makes it even harder .But what the life would be like with no risk ?
Sat 06-11-2010 | 23:30
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Side Stage
Pablo Held Trio
Robert Landfermann · bass
Pablo Held · piano
Jonas Burgwinkel · drums
Well, this set deserve really special review .For many reasons .First of all because it was a challenge. Second due to it was new and very individual performance easy deserving to be claim one of the best among whole festival .Three ,what is sensational ,but spotted by many others before – this group and leading it Pablo Held ,they are all in their early twenties.
In the full respect to everything what I heard during this set that was to my ears nothing less but sensation . How a blossom here is in Germany in the last decade .First Wollny ,now Held .
As reviews of the first recording ,Forest of Oblivion had been published on AAJ ,and it include some biographical facts too I just link them below for interested parts to read ,with no sense to write about same facts . I will add his Biography chapter from BJF PR as this is a good and very informative reading ,worth to be shared with everyone interested in it .
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=33552 by Jerry D'Souza
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=32944 by Dan McClenaghan
The music presented this night came from Held’s Trio second recording called simply Music. Behind this straight on title however ,laying a massive deposit of musical personality the whole trio put in. Set started with Pablo’s solo introduction . Then the section enjoyed gently . It is worth to be said that it even if every part had been titled separately whole set had been presented in one piece with no brakes . It was such a flow .Natural and smooth with no enforcement – everything came here from the complete silence and just seemed to appear at the exact moment .The phenomenal feeling about that was this you might believe you listening to something you already well know ,but it is not true . It is Trio’s original voice . That unusual ability to blend tradition with their own invention in invisible way seems to be one of their biggest strengths. But behind that there is a great self confidence .There is an amazing maturity too ,which is adorable when it comes to the guys in their twenties. From that point another great quality comes .It is natural that the youngsters always looking for their own way to express .But it hardly happen that they already swallowed and digested such a piece of the jazz history and their search is set up on the solid understanding of tradition and capability to transform it into their very own voice .As far as set was going it just started to be clear for me I am actually dealing here with completely new phenomenon. Pablo Held already chased me through whole history of the jazz pianism .Whenever I tried to find one who he reminds me ,the birds just flew off my hands. I found so many indications of his awareness ,but even not a single quote. He could be percussive like Don Pullen ,to change just in a while , with a single note perfectly articulated ,to hypnotic core structure a la Jarret. But before anyone catch up with it he is already getting back with the voice lyric and poetic like from early Bill Evans . But this is transitory. It disappears a moment after it happened. But there is much more than just jazz in the complexity of his sound .The more you listen to the more coming to you .There is a whole history of music here .From Bach to Messiaen or even earlier as once you get in you finding out a choral medieval structures in ,too. And again its used and reused to blend into the structure of his own voice .He is definitely speaking with his own voice as whole the trio does . The sound is so involving that everyone is coming deeply inside. .It is like a spell put over. Whatever you believe it is ,the dream or the real thing it comes to you as a true . It is very honest and personal massage in this Music. The more you listen to the deeper it catches you. I tried to find out any similarities with present performers just to easier describe how this sound was like . The first to come to my mind was Tord Gustavsen. His power is laying in a silence too. He never forces sound ,it just rises in front of you and then the dynamic is already there . The kind of the less is more philosophy. Sometimes Brad Mehldau can sound similar. But mostly in his solo projects as his section is much more dynamic and independent than Pablo’s one. When it came to the rhythm section here ( Robert Landfermann on the bass and Jonas Burgwinkel on drums ) we find out another magic. These guys together sound so organic and coherent like they had been a part of the same creature , not separate human beings. There is some higher level of understanding each other they possessed .Call it telepathy ,as it is much more that just intuition .Pablo told me that they playing together long ,long time – that’s why . But this is what other trios do and they does not sound like that .What is most wonderful in it is that they are just on the beginning of their way and they already do absolutely great !!! So think what just gonna came from them in the future . I am looking forward to hear it .And here is a crowd of us.
I do not have to tell you on the end that was magnificent performance as I already did it .
But it was also charming and completely hypnotic. No one said a word ,no one even cough. There was a miraculous silent all the time. No one dared to move. He is a wizard and he did with us what he wanted .And we are happy on the end . That’s it.
What a wonderful end of a day it was or a beginning of the next either,as there was 2 AM on the clock .But who cares about that .No one did .
BJF 2010 ~ day 3
Day Three
05 November 2010
Fri 05-11-2010 | 19:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
‘Beyond’
zeitkratzer vs. Terje Rypdal & Palle Mikkelborg
Reinhold Friedl · musical director, piano
Burkhard Schlothauer · violin; Anton Lukoszevieze · cello; Uli Phillipp · bass
Maurice de Martin · percussion; Marc Weiser · electronics
Frank Gratkowski · clarinet, saxophone
Hild Sofie Tafjord · French horn; Hilary Jeffery · trombone
Terje Rypdal · guitar
Palle Mikkelborg · leader, trumpet
There was quite a few lovely venues expected again to happen in the middle of the festival event . The most recognisable was definitely zeitkratzer ,long term open project about which here is a complex information given in BFS press realise .
zeitkratzer was founded in 1999. Its concept of a European soloists ensemble is unique worldwide. The nine musicians, the light and the sound engineer live in different European cities from Vienna via Amsterdam to London and meet for working phases at Berlin.
Here, new projects are developed – in recent years as a steady guest of the Volksbuehne Berlin. zeitkratzer finances itself through free projects and international concerts and thus
is independant of institutional investors. This freedom allowed idiosyncratic and pathbreaking programs that made zeitkratzer internationally recognized. The repertoire comprises works and projects by and with such different musicians as Karlheinz
Stockhausen, Lou Reed, Carsten Nicolai, John Cage, Keiji Haino, Jim O’Rourke, James Tenney, Helmut Oehring, La Monte Young, Merzbow, Alvin Lucier, … as well as many interdisciplinary cooperations. zeitkratzer has realized all those projects with different musicians and artists without ever worrying about preserving the “purity” of new music. Music, especially so-called new music, thrives on continuous contamination. The idea of “pure taste” as an independent aesthetic category was revealed by Pierre Bourdieu to be a medium of social distinction.
“Thus, pure taste is based on nothing else but a rejection or rather disgust for the objects that ‘force us to enjoy’, such as disgust for such crude, vulgar taste that is also appealing in this forced enjoyment.” (Pierre Bourdieu (1987). Die feinen Unterschiede.
Frankfurt am Main. p.761) zeitkratzer benefits from its musicians, their advanced and unique playing techniques, their
acquaintance with electronics and technologies, their hybrid experience backgrounds: new or improvised music, experimental Rock and Pop, Noise, Ambient, Folk Music,
… Meanwhile, the awards range from the German Jazz Award (Frank Gratkowski) via a fellowship at the Kings College Cambridge (Anton Lukoszevieze) to a composition commission by the French state (Reinhold Friedl). Tours brought zeitkratzer to many European countries, zeitkratzer regularly performs at renowned festivals from Madrid, Rome or London to Vienna, Budapest and Berlin. Meanwhile there is more than ten record releases, many important European
broadcasting stations have recorded and broadcasted their concerts. With zeitkratzer RECORDS there now exists an own record label too. ( BFS PR )
This particular episode is as stated in the title :zeitkratzer vs. Terje Rybdal and Palle Mikkelborg. These both are already well established veterans .Terje is present on the world and European music market since late 60’ and being signed in to the German ECM label is very well known here . Danish trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg is probably best known to the world due to his collaborations with Gill Evans and Miles Davis .But it his own country he is very respected figure on the jazz firmament ,and we need to remember that The Copenhagen Jazz Festival in July is between the most admitted on the European map of jazz events.
I remember a project with Lou Reed from broadcasting and I really like it .Also I know recordings firmed by Gratkowski or de Martin or including them in different formations.
Zu , here is a first time with zeitkratzer live for me .I had really great expectations about that however finally I did not find it so exiting as a project .There was something incoherent about that as a whole concept . I liked orchestral work ,specially when they allied with Mikkelborg.
They sounded together just gorgeous .Their vital and vigorous sound was a great background for Palle’s muffled voice. His trumpet ,slightly matt , was appearing from nowhere ,then quickly gone out after just a few notes - discontinuously phrasing till complete muting.
On the other hand Rypdal was playing sounds which I really did not expect from him .
Very nervous and high pitched – they probably had been composed like that to contrast the mild part – but honestly – I could not get it .I like Terje’s music and listening to him quite a lot ,but this project just was not mine piece of cake .Getting back to the part I favoured I must say that it was nice to hear Palle playing ,again 1st time live for me .I enjoyed every single note he played .His trumpet always had a shadows of Miles’ warm tones in its sound ,but he was always playing higher ,like Dizz .Probably he just hears it like that – in these particular registers ,but for that reason he sounds brighter and more lyric ,when Miles in the same time -being on the dark side -was bringing to the table quite different emotions .What a pity they never recorded more together. So this is like it was like to me . Jump in the next set then ,as there is where something really sparkled .
Fri 05-11-2010 | 19:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Studio Dan feat. Nika Zach
Daniel Riegler · conductor
Nika Zach · vocals
Gunde Jäch-Micko · violin; Martina Engel · viola; Maiken Beer · cello
Bernd Satzinger · bass; Maria Augustin · flutes;
Theresia Melichar · oboe, English horn
Maria Gstättner · bassoon, Clemens Salesny · reeds;
Martin Eberle · trumpet, flugel horn; Philip Yaeger · trombone
Peter Rom · guitar; Clemens Wenger · piano; Andreas Moser · percussion;
Leo Riegler · electronics, vocals; Tibor Kövesdi · e-bass;
Wolfgang Kendl · drums; Werner Angerer · sound
It was a set which put me back into the mood .Not just the mood – The Excellent Mood .
It was sparkling ,it was catching ,it was so involving . It was pleasure to watch ,pleasure to listen to and such a great fun to follow musical ideas of Daniel Riegler and his crazy band.
An ensemble had been created in 2005 . They hit the Austrian music stage immediately and their reputation is still growing since, what is proved by year after year won prestigious nominations .The name of the band goes back to the Frank Zappa’s album called “Studio Tan” dated 1979 and explains partially where the initial point for this project came from .But the music the band creates goes much further than that. This states for where the basic fascination came from only – not where it came now ,or what more important ,where it is able to go to with such a potential they have .Riegler completed his studies in both – classical and jazz trombone. He is young ,bright and dangerous .Keep working with his own band as well as freelancing for the others. He is neatly educated and highly experienced – same his musicians. That’s why the job done is so complex .He is not simply mixing styles and genres. His orchestration works employing all modern achievements .From Bartok ,Varese and Schostakovich to minimal concepts of John Cage and Phillip Glass. He studied Harry Parch‘s or Henry Cow’s works same carefully as Frank Zappa or Captain Beefheart. That’s what my ears told me .They told me about Kurt Weill ,Count Basie and ICP ,too . Obviously he is aware of Vienna Art. Orchestra discoveries as well like is able to say how his own band vary from. That’s a knowledge ladies and gents – and a knowledge is King !
On the top of it he is a remains a modest silence and not looking for the limelight. Like everyone who’s aware of his own rights – he keeps going knowing that the rest just will come. Well lets go to the set then .
As far as it started one was clear at once- it gonna be something special. The band was ready and well warm up and was following Daniel’s directory easily , flawlessly and with joy.The repertoire had been based on latest band’s recording called “ Things “ which has been just recorded on beginning of September .So they were obviously perfectly prepared and had whole set well hackneyed. Band started the score (“ Box ” )when Nika Zach came on the stage.Her appearance was just sensational .Listening to the band on the morning soundcheck I noticed talented vocalist with a nice little matt voice ,with silky vibrato and intriguing harsh in upper registers. Here we got a lady with an image being a cross between Leningrad Cowboys hairdressing like mixed with an outfit which might belong to the redhood .If the story had been set up close to burlesque d’France. Image which was simply adorable and on the same hand matching crazy bands ideas perfectly .Her actress abilities soon followed and it was sure at once she is true professional in every single inch .The way she was singing purenonsens songs was nothing else just brilliant. It was class on his own performance quickly bringing to the mind Ute Lemper ,Marlene Dietrich or Lotte Lenya .She would be able to sing everything I believe - and with everyone .All assortment of vocal skills she put on showed it with no doubt. The broad arsenal of technical abilities from syllabic and tonal sound’s emissions ,through scat based jazzy vocalise to poetic like declamations ,were all there in the proper time ,perfectly matching score or feeling a space given for , in improvised parts.
In the “ Duck “ and “ Princess” – two completely absurd songs with the words bringing back Frankey Z ghost immediately on the stage - she created amazing theatre of madness.
Together with whole band to follow she just sung out all bunch of idiotic rhymes ,chatting between the words in rubato vocalises with the brasses .Band as such kept supplying top base for her all the time and they were playing with such a joy it was just a pleasure to watch . It left me a memory of smiled bassoonist walking through the quick passages and swinging her body and instrument in the rhythm of racing breaks. Band ,of course ,all the time perfect was doing with a score exactly same work like Nika did to the texts. Working out with crazy ,snaky waved rhythms ,pushing boundaries with improvising in different tunes in different sections ,feeling space for soloing – everything what had been written had been also played .
I loved cello riffs dialoguing with saxes .Percussive patterns lovely mixed up with brass passages ,floating bass function .Whole concept was so reach and complex it is really not easy to follow without proper listening with an attention given .On the other hand it was so easy going ,that the only feeling was a joy when it was intellectually consumed without any further implications in mind . And these is probably when the genius of this music is hidden .
We have here an tremendously complicated score to listen .And it is composed so good that no one even suspect that .Fantastic workout .And what a great band to play it .Seriously they are so good .Go for them if you spot them playing – you gonna remember it forever.
Straight after set been finished I moved to the Berlin Institute of Jazz ,as what was going on there was looking much more interesting for me that anything else today .A couple of sets. First presenting young trumpeter from Austria - Lorenz Raab and his trio with project Bleu.
Next after – The legend of bass clarinet and France avant-garde of the 80’ Denis Colin with his long time collaborators ,the ensemble called La Société des Arpenteurs
(“Society of Land Surveyors”). When I arrived there the 1st set just started .
Fri 05-11-2010 | 22:00
Georg-Neumann-Saal at Jazz-Institut Berlin
Bleu
Lorenz Raab · trumpet
Ali Angerer · tuba, e-dulcimer
Rainer Deixler · drums, percussion
I never heard them before as a trio but I knew Lorenz’s sound from Ulrich Drechsler’s recording called “ Monk in All of Us “ from 2004 .What I found in BFS PR made me immediately interested .Here ,on his own project ,already issued as a cd too , he presented himself in completely different light. First of all is an unusual instruments combination used here and an obvious question about how it would sound .Second to follow is the way the music had been composed . Behind the mood coming from description of the project there is truly beautiful score to hear .Traditional functions of the instruments used had been completely redefined and then , tuba or e-dulcimer ,traditionally related into the rhythmic functions in some rural or folk based use becoming equal soloing voices ,mostly being even favoured as a leading ones in particular pieces. I heard such a way of using tuba in French combos before ,but never like that anyway. Basically saying what Lorenz did here was composing score set up around the band mates rather than exposing himself. He gently moved back and appeared just over the notes they had been playing .As such he was mostly flying over them gently building connections between the instruments dialoguing each other. But it was not anything concrete. His trumpet was drifting in the air like a haze .There was a lot of space in his playing and the sound was so gently balanced .He did not force any single note .It was such a flow in it like in the whitish morning mist hovered over the meadows. But there was no hidden mystery behind the notes . Instead there was a rising dusk either – well expected and bringing a peace and solace ,so much appreciated. And the pure Beauty.
It was so soothing and calming down listening to this music. Not there were not enough dynamics ,not at all .Everything had been on the proper place and in brilliant proportions without even smallest enforcement. A-dulcimer voice with nicely delayed sounds was still there when the trumpet started his song. On the other side short and loudly walking tuba was bringing a gravity with humorous accents like a sounds we are all familiar with but we can not catch it up just at the moment we trying to get them uncovered . Percussion not only anchored it perfectly ,but was also actively switching between solo dialoguing and sparkling unisons with both e-dulcimer and brass. There was perfect balanced in this sound all the time .
On such a background Lorenz was really comfortable enough to play whatever he liked to. Hi is gifted with the sound evoking me Clifford’s sound .He has this rare ability to sound so resonantly without even playing loud. He was almost all the time ,excluding obvious solo moments , playing piano on this project and in spite of that he was able to hold on a sonorous ,rich and full-blooded sound . Fantastic performance had been rewarded by audience’s thunderous applause for what the trio responded immediately paying back with beautiful piece to be played as an encore. It was a great finish of the set with sweet part of trumpet solo which Lorenz played just brilliantly. This is trio is really the serious voice on European jazz scene and I wish to hear them more around as well like recommend to the others . He already has truly impressive discography as well as his trio regularly appearing around the German and Austrian scenes .But he is truly the one of the young lions and as such he deserves better . Again – go and hear them wherever you can .
There was just a quarter to calm down before the next set up .And these one was at least what brought me here .I have not hear any of French musicians in the band , just American Tony Malaby and Stephene Kerecki from different collaborations . I also never heard la Societe as an Octet. All late recordings of Denis Colin I am familiar with had been recorded in trio either which seems to be his long time medium. So long so good . Let’s have a look for a new.
Fri 05-11-2010 | 22:00
Georg-Neumann-Saal at Jazz-Institut Berlin
Denis Colin & la Société des Arpenteurs
Denis Colin · bass clarinet
Tony Malaby · saxophones
Sylvaine Hélary · flutes
Antoine Berjeaut · trumpet, flugel horn
Benjamin Moussay · Fender Rhodes
Julien Omé · guitar
Stéphane Kerecki · bass
Thomas Grimmonprez · drums
The Project had been titled “ Subject to Change “. And really everything had been changed there. Point of departure for the group dynamics between the musicians was the engagement with silent movies as it is announced in official program. In the manner of a slapstick flick, Colin confronts his fellow musicians with abrupt transitions between musical moods, constellations and intentions. Here is what he says about new project :
“After seventeen years of intense collaboration with Pablo Cueco (zarb)and Didier Petit (cello), mostly as a trio, I wanted to open up to a morevaried instrumentation and towards a larger network of musical relationships. Throughout 2007, I observed the Paris concert circuit closely, and I discovered an extraordinarily rich scene. I performed 11 concerts in 2008, and those concerts lead to the recording of “Subject of Change”, and put the “Société des Arpenteurs” (company of surveyors) officially on the map. The group has many formats, from trio to nonet. There is not just one sound – however, the cohesion of the set-up remains. Subject to Change characterizes, amongst others, the functioning of the different sets of the Société des Arpenteurs. By the word “Société”I mean the number, the outline of the ensemble - fuzzy, undefined, porous. Exchanges take place, musicians enter and leave, they return – the movement is constant. With this “Société”, my aim is to mirror the malleability and the permeability that characterise my own life! We often forget that our skin consists of pores, symbols of a place of constant exchanges which shape our lives. As a child, I became aware and curious, but also scared, by the existence of those little holes. But life does not only consist of exchanges. The temptation to develop convictions is great, our intelligence requires clear definitions, and it is practical to take them for granted. Rigidity becomes a threat. Subject to change - almost a programme; La Société des Arpenteurs - its
symbol, or its enforcer?’’ (...) Denis Colin ( from BJF PR )
After a preface like that no wonder we could expect almost everything .From romantic poetic voices of the winds to thunderous tremors of vivid improvisation. What have we got then ?
We got simply revelation . It was so vital and so lush sound no one could really expect . Other way it was constant subject of changes as had been predicted. Being on the calm side of the mood Colin’s set was completely different from opening one .Where all inspirations for came from was in his case definitely the classical music .Particularly French. Inspirations had been perfectly blended with a modern way of articulation in purely jazz way ,as we could expect from such a respected player himself .And whole band as well – as all of them are absolutely top musicians .Set started with Colin’s intro which soon had been followed by flutist and saxophonist. In the same time rhythm section found his way to ally the forces. All had been lovely melded with hang on the air rhodes organ chords played by Benjamin Moussay. Guitarist Julien Ome had been supporting him in building this chunky and homogeneous wall of sound . However , as Denis said , it was not “ Berlin Wall” . It was porous Normandy timber and lime tissue either. With a lot of space in to add winds contribution to final tune’s voice. And what a winds these were. Sylvaine Helary responsible for all kind of flutes we could hear there was simply amazing performer .She was able to hold on job truly on his own shoulders ,if there was such a concept of the changes . But it was not . So Denis’s bass clarinet enjoyed her appearance soon after she filled the space given .As the other brass did .
But her phrasing and the way she did articulations as well as treating tempo, it was that what straightforward brought to your mind the music of impressionism era , specially Debussy ‘s and Ravel’s souls were present there – in the air :-) .It was lovely and it was so French in the feeling of texture of the music ,that I can easily claim her contribution to the sound as a purely dominant .Separate respect have to be given to the brass as they build perfectly organic section on their own which was then powering whole engine .They often acted here as a part of rhythm section ,completely stick up to the drummer .Then they quickly betrayed him to disappear and veiled themselves between complicated improvised structures .
Coming back ,collectively or separately was not a problem .New instrumental affairs had been set up immediately on the run. What touched me deeply was their ability to sound so melodic ,even in the most improvised parts of score . This special signature was so audible to me after few days of listening to mostly German orchestras .It was so clear to see how different traditions are laying in their backgrounds ,even if classical and jazz music from whole the world is an international heritage as it is these days . So promises had been kept .The band was object of change all the time .Surprise factor was exceedingly high in this music .It was amazingly dazzling and sparkling performance which had been simply adored by audience .
And as such finished with a proper encore .It was sad to let they leave the stage ,but performance had been finished and the only chance to take it out for later was buying record.
Fortunately it was available .So I succeed.
Of course being there I had to omit Led Bib’s set in Quasimodo ,but there was no problem as they suppose to be a part of the London Jazz 2010 just a week later ,so much better choice for me .What I could not go to however was Jean -Pierre Froehly Trio in Hotel Savoy chamber music hall ,and this is something to regret as he is a rare bird too. But could I not to go and see Studio Dan on the main stage ? No , I could not.
05 November 2010
Fri 05-11-2010 | 19:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
‘Beyond’
zeitkratzer vs. Terje Rypdal & Palle Mikkelborg
Reinhold Friedl · musical director, piano
Burkhard Schlothauer · violin; Anton Lukoszevieze · cello; Uli Phillipp · bass
Maurice de Martin · percussion; Marc Weiser · electronics
Frank Gratkowski · clarinet, saxophone
Hild Sofie Tafjord · French horn; Hilary Jeffery · trombone
Terje Rypdal · guitar
Palle Mikkelborg · leader, trumpet
There was quite a few lovely venues expected again to happen in the middle of the festival event . The most recognisable was definitely zeitkratzer ,long term open project about which here is a complex information given in BFS press realise .
zeitkratzer was founded in 1999. Its concept of a European soloists ensemble is unique worldwide. The nine musicians, the light and the sound engineer live in different European cities from Vienna via Amsterdam to London and meet for working phases at Berlin.
Here, new projects are developed – in recent years as a steady guest of the Volksbuehne Berlin. zeitkratzer finances itself through free projects and international concerts and thus
is independant of institutional investors. This freedom allowed idiosyncratic and pathbreaking programs that made zeitkratzer internationally recognized. The repertoire comprises works and projects by and with such different musicians as Karlheinz
Stockhausen, Lou Reed, Carsten Nicolai, John Cage, Keiji Haino, Jim O’Rourke, James Tenney, Helmut Oehring, La Monte Young, Merzbow, Alvin Lucier, … as well as many interdisciplinary cooperations. zeitkratzer has realized all those projects with different musicians and artists without ever worrying about preserving the “purity” of new music. Music, especially so-called new music, thrives on continuous contamination. The idea of “pure taste” as an independent aesthetic category was revealed by Pierre Bourdieu to be a medium of social distinction.
“Thus, pure taste is based on nothing else but a rejection or rather disgust for the objects that ‘force us to enjoy’, such as disgust for such crude, vulgar taste that is also appealing in this forced enjoyment.” (Pierre Bourdieu (1987). Die feinen Unterschiede.
Frankfurt am Main. p.761) zeitkratzer benefits from its musicians, their advanced and unique playing techniques, their
acquaintance with electronics and technologies, their hybrid experience backgrounds: new or improvised music, experimental Rock and Pop, Noise, Ambient, Folk Music,
… Meanwhile, the awards range from the German Jazz Award (Frank Gratkowski) via a fellowship at the Kings College Cambridge (Anton Lukoszevieze) to a composition commission by the French state (Reinhold Friedl). Tours brought zeitkratzer to many European countries, zeitkratzer regularly performs at renowned festivals from Madrid, Rome or London to Vienna, Budapest and Berlin. Meanwhile there is more than ten record releases, many important European
broadcasting stations have recorded and broadcasted their concerts. With zeitkratzer RECORDS there now exists an own record label too. ( BFS PR )
This particular episode is as stated in the title :zeitkratzer vs. Terje Rybdal and Palle Mikkelborg. These both are already well established veterans .Terje is present on the world and European music market since late 60’ and being signed in to the German ECM label is very well known here . Danish trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg is probably best known to the world due to his collaborations with Gill Evans and Miles Davis .But it his own country he is very respected figure on the jazz firmament ,and we need to remember that The Copenhagen Jazz Festival in July is between the most admitted on the European map of jazz events.
I remember a project with Lou Reed from broadcasting and I really like it .Also I know recordings firmed by Gratkowski or de Martin or including them in different formations.
Zu , here is a first time with zeitkratzer live for me .I had really great expectations about that however finally I did not find it so exiting as a project .There was something incoherent about that as a whole concept . I liked orchestral work ,specially when they allied with Mikkelborg.
They sounded together just gorgeous .Their vital and vigorous sound was a great background for Palle’s muffled voice. His trumpet ,slightly matt , was appearing from nowhere ,then quickly gone out after just a few notes - discontinuously phrasing till complete muting.
On the other hand Rypdal was playing sounds which I really did not expect from him .
Very nervous and high pitched – they probably had been composed like that to contrast the mild part – but honestly – I could not get it .I like Terje’s music and listening to him quite a lot ,but this project just was not mine piece of cake .Getting back to the part I favoured I must say that it was nice to hear Palle playing ,again 1st time live for me .I enjoyed every single note he played .His trumpet always had a shadows of Miles’ warm tones in its sound ,but he was always playing higher ,like Dizz .Probably he just hears it like that – in these particular registers ,but for that reason he sounds brighter and more lyric ,when Miles in the same time -being on the dark side -was bringing to the table quite different emotions .What a pity they never recorded more together. So this is like it was like to me . Jump in the next set then ,as there is where something really sparkled .
Fri 05-11-2010 | 19:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Studio Dan feat. Nika Zach
Daniel Riegler · conductor
Nika Zach · vocals
Gunde Jäch-Micko · violin; Martina Engel · viola; Maiken Beer · cello
Bernd Satzinger · bass; Maria Augustin · flutes;
Theresia Melichar · oboe, English horn
Maria Gstättner · bassoon, Clemens Salesny · reeds;
Martin Eberle · trumpet, flugel horn; Philip Yaeger · trombone
Peter Rom · guitar; Clemens Wenger · piano; Andreas Moser · percussion;
Leo Riegler · electronics, vocals; Tibor Kövesdi · e-bass;
Wolfgang Kendl · drums; Werner Angerer · sound
It was a set which put me back into the mood .Not just the mood – The Excellent Mood .
It was sparkling ,it was catching ,it was so involving . It was pleasure to watch ,pleasure to listen to and such a great fun to follow musical ideas of Daniel Riegler and his crazy band.
An ensemble had been created in 2005 . They hit the Austrian music stage immediately and their reputation is still growing since, what is proved by year after year won prestigious nominations .The name of the band goes back to the Frank Zappa’s album called “Studio Tan” dated 1979 and explains partially where the initial point for this project came from .But the music the band creates goes much further than that. This states for where the basic fascination came from only – not where it came now ,or what more important ,where it is able to go to with such a potential they have .Riegler completed his studies in both – classical and jazz trombone. He is young ,bright and dangerous .Keep working with his own band as well as freelancing for the others. He is neatly educated and highly experienced – same his musicians. That’s why the job done is so complex .He is not simply mixing styles and genres. His orchestration works employing all modern achievements .From Bartok ,Varese and Schostakovich to minimal concepts of John Cage and Phillip Glass. He studied Harry Parch‘s or Henry Cow’s works same carefully as Frank Zappa or Captain Beefheart. That’s what my ears told me .They told me about Kurt Weill ,Count Basie and ICP ,too . Obviously he is aware of Vienna Art. Orchestra discoveries as well like is able to say how his own band vary from. That’s a knowledge ladies and gents – and a knowledge is King !
On the top of it he is a remains a modest silence and not looking for the limelight. Like everyone who’s aware of his own rights – he keeps going knowing that the rest just will come. Well lets go to the set then .
As far as it started one was clear at once- it gonna be something special. The band was ready and well warm up and was following Daniel’s directory easily , flawlessly and with joy.The repertoire had been based on latest band’s recording called “ Things “ which has been just recorded on beginning of September .So they were obviously perfectly prepared and had whole set well hackneyed. Band started the score (“ Box ” )when Nika Zach came on the stage.Her appearance was just sensational .Listening to the band on the morning soundcheck I noticed talented vocalist with a nice little matt voice ,with silky vibrato and intriguing harsh in upper registers. Here we got a lady with an image being a cross between Leningrad Cowboys hairdressing like mixed with an outfit which might belong to the redhood .If the story had been set up close to burlesque d’France. Image which was simply adorable and on the same hand matching crazy bands ideas perfectly .Her actress abilities soon followed and it was sure at once she is true professional in every single inch .The way she was singing purenonsens songs was nothing else just brilliant. It was class on his own performance quickly bringing to the mind Ute Lemper ,Marlene Dietrich or Lotte Lenya .She would be able to sing everything I believe - and with everyone .All assortment of vocal skills she put on showed it with no doubt. The broad arsenal of technical abilities from syllabic and tonal sound’s emissions ,through scat based jazzy vocalise to poetic like declamations ,were all there in the proper time ,perfectly matching score or feeling a space given for , in improvised parts.
In the “ Duck “ and “ Princess” – two completely absurd songs with the words bringing back Frankey Z ghost immediately on the stage - she created amazing theatre of madness.
Together with whole band to follow she just sung out all bunch of idiotic rhymes ,chatting between the words in rubato vocalises with the brasses .Band as such kept supplying top base for her all the time and they were playing with such a joy it was just a pleasure to watch . It left me a memory of smiled bassoonist walking through the quick passages and swinging her body and instrument in the rhythm of racing breaks. Band ,of course ,all the time perfect was doing with a score exactly same work like Nika did to the texts. Working out with crazy ,snaky waved rhythms ,pushing boundaries with improvising in different tunes in different sections ,feeling space for soloing – everything what had been written had been also played .
I loved cello riffs dialoguing with saxes .Percussive patterns lovely mixed up with brass passages ,floating bass function .Whole concept was so reach and complex it is really not easy to follow without proper listening with an attention given .On the other hand it was so easy going ,that the only feeling was a joy when it was intellectually consumed without any further implications in mind . And these is probably when the genius of this music is hidden .
We have here an tremendously complicated score to listen .And it is composed so good that no one even suspect that .Fantastic workout .And what a great band to play it .Seriously they are so good .Go for them if you spot them playing – you gonna remember it forever.
Straight after set been finished I moved to the Berlin Institute of Jazz ,as what was going on there was looking much more interesting for me that anything else today .A couple of sets. First presenting young trumpeter from Austria - Lorenz Raab and his trio with project Bleu.
Next after – The legend of bass clarinet and France avant-garde of the 80’ Denis Colin with his long time collaborators ,the ensemble called La Société des Arpenteurs
(“Society of Land Surveyors”). When I arrived there the 1st set just started .
Fri 05-11-2010 | 22:00
Georg-Neumann-Saal at Jazz-Institut Berlin
Bleu
Lorenz Raab · trumpet
Ali Angerer · tuba, e-dulcimer
Rainer Deixler · drums, percussion
I never heard them before as a trio but I knew Lorenz’s sound from Ulrich Drechsler’s recording called “ Monk in All of Us “ from 2004 .What I found in BFS PR made me immediately interested .Here ,on his own project ,already issued as a cd too , he presented himself in completely different light. First of all is an unusual instruments combination used here and an obvious question about how it would sound .Second to follow is the way the music had been composed . Behind the mood coming from description of the project there is truly beautiful score to hear .Traditional functions of the instruments used had been completely redefined and then , tuba or e-dulcimer ,traditionally related into the rhythmic functions in some rural or folk based use becoming equal soloing voices ,mostly being even favoured as a leading ones in particular pieces. I heard such a way of using tuba in French combos before ,but never like that anyway. Basically saying what Lorenz did here was composing score set up around the band mates rather than exposing himself. He gently moved back and appeared just over the notes they had been playing .As such he was mostly flying over them gently building connections between the instruments dialoguing each other. But it was not anything concrete. His trumpet was drifting in the air like a haze .There was a lot of space in his playing and the sound was so gently balanced .He did not force any single note .It was such a flow in it like in the whitish morning mist hovered over the meadows. But there was no hidden mystery behind the notes . Instead there was a rising dusk either – well expected and bringing a peace and solace ,so much appreciated. And the pure Beauty.
It was so soothing and calming down listening to this music. Not there were not enough dynamics ,not at all .Everything had been on the proper place and in brilliant proportions without even smallest enforcement. A-dulcimer voice with nicely delayed sounds was still there when the trumpet started his song. On the other side short and loudly walking tuba was bringing a gravity with humorous accents like a sounds we are all familiar with but we can not catch it up just at the moment we trying to get them uncovered . Percussion not only anchored it perfectly ,but was also actively switching between solo dialoguing and sparkling unisons with both e-dulcimer and brass. There was perfect balanced in this sound all the time .
On such a background Lorenz was really comfortable enough to play whatever he liked to. Hi is gifted with the sound evoking me Clifford’s sound .He has this rare ability to sound so resonantly without even playing loud. He was almost all the time ,excluding obvious solo moments , playing piano on this project and in spite of that he was able to hold on a sonorous ,rich and full-blooded sound . Fantastic performance had been rewarded by audience’s thunderous applause for what the trio responded immediately paying back with beautiful piece to be played as an encore. It was a great finish of the set with sweet part of trumpet solo which Lorenz played just brilliantly. This is trio is really the serious voice on European jazz scene and I wish to hear them more around as well like recommend to the others . He already has truly impressive discography as well as his trio regularly appearing around the German and Austrian scenes .But he is truly the one of the young lions and as such he deserves better . Again – go and hear them wherever you can .
There was just a quarter to calm down before the next set up .And these one was at least what brought me here .I have not hear any of French musicians in the band , just American Tony Malaby and Stephene Kerecki from different collaborations . I also never heard la Societe as an Octet. All late recordings of Denis Colin I am familiar with had been recorded in trio either which seems to be his long time medium. So long so good . Let’s have a look for a new.
Fri 05-11-2010 | 22:00
Georg-Neumann-Saal at Jazz-Institut Berlin
Denis Colin & la Société des Arpenteurs
Denis Colin · bass clarinet
Tony Malaby · saxophones
Sylvaine Hélary · flutes
Antoine Berjeaut · trumpet, flugel horn
Benjamin Moussay · Fender Rhodes
Julien Omé · guitar
Stéphane Kerecki · bass
Thomas Grimmonprez · drums
The Project had been titled “ Subject to Change “. And really everything had been changed there. Point of departure for the group dynamics between the musicians was the engagement with silent movies as it is announced in official program. In the manner of a slapstick flick, Colin confronts his fellow musicians with abrupt transitions between musical moods, constellations and intentions. Here is what he says about new project :
“After seventeen years of intense collaboration with Pablo Cueco (zarb)and Didier Petit (cello), mostly as a trio, I wanted to open up to a morevaried instrumentation and towards a larger network of musical relationships. Throughout 2007, I observed the Paris concert circuit closely, and I discovered an extraordinarily rich scene. I performed 11 concerts in 2008, and those concerts lead to the recording of “Subject of Change”, and put the “Société des Arpenteurs” (company of surveyors) officially on the map. The group has many formats, from trio to nonet. There is not just one sound – however, the cohesion of the set-up remains. Subject to Change characterizes, amongst others, the functioning of the different sets of the Société des Arpenteurs. By the word “Société”I mean the number, the outline of the ensemble - fuzzy, undefined, porous. Exchanges take place, musicians enter and leave, they return – the movement is constant. With this “Société”, my aim is to mirror the malleability and the permeability that characterise my own life! We often forget that our skin consists of pores, symbols of a place of constant exchanges which shape our lives. As a child, I became aware and curious, but also scared, by the existence of those little holes. But life does not only consist of exchanges. The temptation to develop convictions is great, our intelligence requires clear definitions, and it is practical to take them for granted. Rigidity becomes a threat. Subject to change - almost a programme; La Société des Arpenteurs - its
symbol, or its enforcer?’’ (...) Denis Colin ( from BJF PR )
After a preface like that no wonder we could expect almost everything .From romantic poetic voices of the winds to thunderous tremors of vivid improvisation. What have we got then ?
We got simply revelation . It was so vital and so lush sound no one could really expect . Other way it was constant subject of changes as had been predicted. Being on the calm side of the mood Colin’s set was completely different from opening one .Where all inspirations for came from was in his case definitely the classical music .Particularly French. Inspirations had been perfectly blended with a modern way of articulation in purely jazz way ,as we could expect from such a respected player himself .And whole band as well – as all of them are absolutely top musicians .Set started with Colin’s intro which soon had been followed by flutist and saxophonist. In the same time rhythm section found his way to ally the forces. All had been lovely melded with hang on the air rhodes organ chords played by Benjamin Moussay. Guitarist Julien Ome had been supporting him in building this chunky and homogeneous wall of sound . However , as Denis said , it was not “ Berlin Wall” . It was porous Normandy timber and lime tissue either. With a lot of space in to add winds contribution to final tune’s voice. And what a winds these were. Sylvaine Helary responsible for all kind of flutes we could hear there was simply amazing performer .She was able to hold on job truly on his own shoulders ,if there was such a concept of the changes . But it was not . So Denis’s bass clarinet enjoyed her appearance soon after she filled the space given .As the other brass did .
But her phrasing and the way she did articulations as well as treating tempo, it was that what straightforward brought to your mind the music of impressionism era , specially Debussy ‘s and Ravel’s souls were present there – in the air :-) .It was lovely and it was so French in the feeling of texture of the music ,that I can easily claim her contribution to the sound as a purely dominant .Separate respect have to be given to the brass as they build perfectly organic section on their own which was then powering whole engine .They often acted here as a part of rhythm section ,completely stick up to the drummer .Then they quickly betrayed him to disappear and veiled themselves between complicated improvised structures .
Coming back ,collectively or separately was not a problem .New instrumental affairs had been set up immediately on the run. What touched me deeply was their ability to sound so melodic ,even in the most improvised parts of score . This special signature was so audible to me after few days of listening to mostly German orchestras .It was so clear to see how different traditions are laying in their backgrounds ,even if classical and jazz music from whole the world is an international heritage as it is these days . So promises had been kept .The band was object of change all the time .Surprise factor was exceedingly high in this music .It was amazingly dazzling and sparkling performance which had been simply adored by audience .
And as such finished with a proper encore .It was sad to let they leave the stage ,but performance had been finished and the only chance to take it out for later was buying record.
Fortunately it was available .So I succeed.
Of course being there I had to omit Led Bib’s set in Quasimodo ,but there was no problem as they suppose to be a part of the London Jazz 2010 just a week later ,so much better choice for me .What I could not go to however was Jean -Pierre Froehly Trio in Hotel Savoy chamber music hall ,and this is something to regret as he is a rare bird too. But could I not to go and see Studio Dan on the main stage ? No , I could not.
BJF 2010 ~ day 2
Day Two
04 November 2010
In the 2nd day of Berlin JazzFest , after fantastic opening all seemed to be on the full steam from the early morning .I went to BFS main stage just to have a pleasure to watch tech guys working on the stage and setting up basics for starting later on sound checks .It is always pleasure to watch them as they are so fantastic organised as well as they always have everything in Ordung. It just prepares myself to be ready to work and set me up in the mood .
There was quite a few interesting events going on the main stage this day ,as well as a young team from Sweden called Paavo on the more cameral side stage .I wanted to enjoy sound checks just to get a clue what I may basically expect from , as there was a massive dispersion
in styles ,backgrounds and a traditions from which performing artist came from .
Also in the club stages there were couple of set ups hard to avoid ,and I was truly tempted to go there too ,but I was pretty aware that I will not be able as timetables had been covering themselves and venues were overlapped then. It just made me more determinate to see what’s going on before to make a best choice ,if such a thing was even possible there .
A-trane then , small club with a tinny stage was a host for Celine Bonancina Trio and Quasimodo , the long time JazzFest partner ,was presenting Roger Hanschels’ Heavy Rotation project on his stage. So again – great names and hard choice to do .
Getting back to the Haus der Berliner Festspiele main stage there were two interested venues already expected to happen ,both very interesting and promising ,however so different.
1st was a project called “KINSMEN” –a result of artistic collaboration between Rudresh Mahanthappa and Kadri Gopalnath with accompanying musicians from India and
United States connecting forces under the name Dakshina Ensemble .
2nd was Jazz Bigband Graz with an unusual orchestral project called
“ Urban Folktales ...And a Rose “ .
Both events already had a great press I was just reading one more time awaiting sound checks to come . Specially lots of information given about KINSMEN was really helpful as artists came to the rehearsal quite late ,hardly managed to finish the work in the time they had for ,so I had no chance to ask them personally about all I wanted to know . But what I read and further was able to hear helped me greatly to complete this review ,as this set was like nothing else you might like to compare it with . Lets start with some background from press realise:
“Kinsmen is Rudresh Mahanthappa‘s collaboration with Kadri Gopalnath, a living legendof Indian music known as „The Emperor of the Saxophone,“ a true innovator in bringing the saxophone to Indian classical music. The music on Kinsmen, featuring their co-led Dakshina Ensemble, is exemplar of successful multicultural, transnational collaboration.
Utilizing his extensive knowledge of both jazz and the traditional melodic and rhythmic concepts of Indian music, Mahanthappa has masterfully provided a framework that has brought out the best in all the musicians, resulting in spectacular interaction and virtuosic displays from Gopalnath, A. Kanyakumari on violin and Rez Abassi on guitar. The band also features Poovalur Sriji on Mridangam (South Indian barrel drum), Carlo deRosa on acoustic bass and Royal Hartigan (sic) on drums.
For Mahanthappa, who grew up in Boulder, Colorado to Indian immigrant parents, the pull of Indian classical music didn‘t come until his college years, when he toured India with the Berklee College of Music All-Stars and was lucky to attend an all-night concert outside of Bangalore where he heard both Carnatic (South Indian) and Hindustani (North Indian) music performed by greats such as Parween Sultana and Chitti Babu. As a young jazz musician, Rudresh saw the parallels between Indian music and jazz with both being improvised art forms with inherently strong rhythmic propulsion. Though he grappled for a way to embrace his Indian-American identity through his music, Rudresh could not find a clear entry point as he had no awareness of any saxophone tradition in classical Indian music. Then one evening, moments after the conclusion of one of his recitals at Berklee, Rudresh‘s older brother gave him a CD (as congratulatory gift and as a joke) called Saxophone Indian Style by Kadri Golpalnath. A complete eye-opener,
the CD provided a doorway into the realm of musical possibilities for Rudresh through which he could finally engage the music of his ancestry. A few years later, Mahanthappa managed to meet Kadri backstage at a Carnatic concert in Boston. Golpalnath was not only ecstatic to meet an Indian-American jazz saxophonist, but one of South Indian roots with a name that he deemed to have a powerful Hindu meaning – Rudresh, in Sanskrit, refers to a fierce incarnation of Shiva who saved the human race and Mahanthappa is derived from the same roots as “mahatma,” or “great soul.” Though not trained in jazz, Gopalnath too saw the similarities between the art
forms and was enthusiastic about the possibility of joining forces at some point. This became a reality when, with the help of a Rockefeller Grant and a commission from New York City‘s Asia Society, Rudresh traveled to Chennai (Madras) in 2005 to work with
Kadri at what would eventually become the music on Kinsmen.”
( from PR of BJF )
That’s about a project and the backgrounds related to .But there is also lost queues from Rudresh himself talking about how discovering experience it was for him to hear Kadri’s music for the very first time .He was really a missing link he was looking for such a long time to express his needs of expressing himself in the way where both traditions living in him ,the Indian one and the Jazz one - could be speaking together using one language.
„My older brother, kind of as a joke, gave me this CD called Saxophone Indian Style,“ - Mahanthappa says,
„and I was blown away. For me, that was a real entry point as far
as dealing with Indian music as a saxophonist. It wasn‘t so far-fetched: ‚Well, this guy‘s doing it!‘ So there is some possibilities to really incorporate this stuff sonically. He‘s playing all that complicated ornamentation, he‘s dealing with the tuning, and it was unlike any saxophone playing I‘d ever heard before.“
( from PR of BJF )
According to the last sentence -I can say nothing more than that I completely agree .
When he appeared on the stage I was already aware who He is ,but it was still so amazing to watch him preparing himself for the check .It was so different in every possible way .First of all he is very specific person in the way of moving and arranging a personal space . Next the way he is playing his sax siting in the traditional way on the platform with his legs crossed and a sax supported on .The way he was attaching a mouthpiece to the reed- it was like a kind of a ritual on his own . And his sax at least – the most unusually decorated instrument I ever seen in my life ,looking like a crystal chandelier with its luminescent shining bits swinging and glittering every time he just started to play it . But since a first blow I immediately understood why he is called : “ The Emperor of the Saxophone “.
By the time they met Kadri was already well established as a master of South Indian Carnatic saxophone ,but as he mentioned in an other part of his interview it was not always like that .
„He chose to try to play this music on saxophone when no one else had, and consequently was not taken very seriously for a long time,“ Mahanthappa says. „He tells me stories of working eight-, 10-hour shifts selling transistor radios in an electronics store, then coming home and praticing until 4 in the morning, sleeping four hours, then goingback and doing it again. Every day.“
( from PR of BJF )
Hearing that and being aware how titanic effort he took to achieve the position he has now ,how a big toil he put on and understanding the fact that in such a circumstances only his trust in his rights and love to the instrument he chosen to play make him strong enough to handle it- it just makes him in my opinion not only the Emperor – it makes him a Giant of the Sax .
After this sound heck I was determinate to see and hear his performance does not matter what I had to give up with to do that . And I did . How was it then ? I gonna tell later on. Now , let’s switch into the next set up as it was incredibly interesting what they brought on the table .For a few reasons actually .
First of all it is probably most acclaimed European Big Band of our times ,coming straight out from the Austrian orchestral tradition from which incredible Vienna Art Orchestra came too and in this meaning ,and due to such an affiliation commits we can expect from them nothing less than the best.
Second ,after collecting whole bunch of trophies during last years ,and having already well acclaimed latest recordings realised the current members of the band already proofed themselves .
And the third is the fact that newly refurbished orchestra extended by electric zither ,amplified hurdy – gurdy and a theremin is going to offer kind of sound which had never been heard before .
Plus visual projection in the background done by artist group OchoResoSotto to complete the set .Sounds intriguing – is not it ?
I watched whole sound check to the end as listening to Barbara Buchholz playing on the theremin and Matthias Loibner on his wheel fiddle was so involving ,that I could not resist to stay ,really .And as they gone through almost whole set playlist I already was sure this concert will be something really special .Later on I had a chance to speak to both of them ,what helped me to get additional information I was looking for as well and ask about their incredible instruments. They both told me that the whole concept is not here about soloing on the exotic instruments ,just about adding them to the kind of sound that the orchestra already worked out .Mix it with the rest completely to build a new complexity in the background and make a whole sound richer and very specific this way .And it truly was like that ,however there were a few solos showing sonic abilities of them between usual coming from the brass players ,drummer and guitarist . After all I checked out what I can find about both of them and I did a lot .There is a lot of interesting sound samples and general information on the web.
Here are Barbara’s and Matthias’ webs linked bellow to check it out for all of you who want to know more ,as there is no sense to me to retype what already had been written :
http://www.barbarabuchholz.com/
http://matthias.loibner.net/
As this sound check had been finished the next one for Paavo immediately started on the side stage , so I went there as quick as I could ,as I have been told by Nils Landgren this one is definitely one not to miss. The young band came from Sweden ,so even if half of us never heard about them , including myself - Nils knew for sure .He told me these gonna be a surprise – well ,and it was . Knowing quite a few voices from ACT label family very well , like Rigmor Gustafsson or Victoria Tolstoy ( both collaborated with Nils anyway ) I was really expected something else .Two young ladies staying behind this project amazed me with their maturity , Sofia Jernberg –vocal and Cecilia Persson – piano are responsible for all tunes on their second recording called “ Canzo del Pao “ (Song of the Peacock in Catalan) for which this appearance ,here on the festival is a part of their promotional tour. They both are a co- leaders of the Swedish septet based on the group of young and talented musicians ,sometimes supported with a guests artists appearance when a whole concept or composition sake require that. As it is not easy to find anything about them by accident ,even if they are well known in their own country I let myself to quote below what a linear notes from their home label saying about ,as it is not just a bunch of useful information here ,but whole list of the trophies and honours which they already achieved and which may really amaze you if you face the fact how young they are . Lets read that ,then and be prepared for :
The music of Swedish septet (sometimes octet) Paavo is indeed hard to describeand it is not always easy to trace the influences. The music is at times overwhelminglycomplex, with intricate rhythmic patterns and the voice in a purely instrumental role,sometimes just quite simple haunting melodies with lyrics. Some of the structures areconnected to free improvised music, while other songs have a more solid, throughcomposed character. All music performed by Paavo is composed and arranged by Sofia Jernberg and Cecilia Persson.Sofia and Cecilia have been cooperating in diverse constellations since 2002. Paavo was established in the autumn of 2004 and has since then performed in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, France, Ireland and England. The compositions are well structured and precise; the improvisations are undefined andunlimited. The purpose is to combine these opposites and still keep a feeling of wholeness and structure. “The music Sofia and I write is in constant change, I can hear movement in different directions in every tune,” says Cecilia Persson. The band thenmakes the music become Paavo with everything that implies, particularly when it comes to improvisation, energy and sound. In February 2007 the group’s first cd, simply called “Paavo” was released. The highly noticed debut record with hand sewn and numberedcovers received many enthusiastic reviews and was chosen as jazz record of the year by Sweden’s two largest newspapers Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet. Paavo
has since then been one of the most spoken of groups in Swedish jazz. In early 2010 the group’s second album “Cançó del Paó” was released, and Paavo once again received terrific reviews. The album was followed up by a tour of sixteen concerts around Sweden in January and February. After the tour, “Cançó del Paó” managed to
get into the Top 100 chart of best selling CDs in Sweden at the time. Paavo has been awarded the prestigious Swedish Radio distinction “Jazzkatten” as “Best jazz group 2007.” In 2008 Sofia Jernberg received the jazz award of the Swedish Royal Musical
Academy (the prize was handed over by crown princess Victoria).
Discography:
Paavo Apart Records (2007)
Cançó del Paó Found You Recordings (2010)
(from BJF PR )
So here we are .After this set up ,there just enough time left to move back to the main stage and enjoy what just came on – and there was a lot of fun and pleasure to listen to .
KINSMEN – The Indian Jazz in his BEST !
Thu 04-11-2010 | 19:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Kinsmen
feat. Rudresh Mahanthappa and Kadri Gopalnath
Rudresh Mahanthappa and Kadri Gopalnath · alto sax
A. Kanyakumari · violin
Rez Abassi · guitar
Poovalur Sriji · mridangam
Carlo de Rosa· bass
Ferenc Nemeth · drums
When the band came in to the stage there was a huge applause to welcome them Here is a long tradition on this stage related to he world music and this set seemed to much it perfectly .However there was also one “ but “... As it was not just “IT” this time . What they did here was something more .Indian influence has a long tradition in jazz .Miles started it in 70’ employing Badal Roy on tabla and Khalil Balakrishna on electric sitar when he switched to his electric period ,but in his case it was not world music at all ,he was not interested in oriental music. What he was looking for these days was a synthesis of cultures ,universal language for a global village for modern communication purpose, for all sort of funky orientated nuts. New language and new ways for expression – whole Miles at least . Then the followers ,specially in early days of rock era ,in hippie years made it more quote like .Those days Indian music was Shankar music and nothing else .As far as listeners were not involved in religious connotations . Then John McLaughlin pushed it further. And next in Europe was Jan Garbarek .Listening to Kinsmen tonight I am pretty amazed how close he was to the original .What he recorded with Zakir Hussain was truly close to what Mahanthappa found and it is pretty clear he grown on it too ,between many other inspirations. So what we got there were two groups of musicians on the stage : three jazz musicians playing electric guitar, bass and drums and three Indian musicians who aren‘t part of jazz, funk or American music:
A. Kanyakumari on the violin, Poovalur Sriji on the double-sided hand drum called
the mridangam and the alto saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath.What Rudresh wanted to find was a way to set up such a thing like an Indian jazz. He claimed that he has all rights to do that and fill like that as being born and grown in states .At least I agree with him .We have Latin Jazz ,Scandinavian Jazz ,Polish Jazz etc...why there should not be the way providing us to Indian Jazz .This young musicians as far as whole emigrants community posses all rights in my opinion to claim JAZZ to be their heritage too in very natural way ,as they are a part of this culture too .So ladies and gents – we have here pure Indian Jazz – in full respect – they did it !
Compositions they presented were basically based on the jazzy formula of call and response where a jazz part was following semi- funky ,semi improvised sound coming from the leader reeds and setting up a rhythm background in a common sense. Indian response was led by Kadri as a counter leader for Carnatic musicians. But ,as Indian music is not syncope based then melodic motives must be repeated to create repetitive response. There is no groove like that I heard before . In opening “ Ganesha “ united forces just blown the audience out like James Browns’ Funky people . They started with the hurricane and then ,following maestro Hitchcock’s formula – slowly started to increase tension. seriously it was so dynamic and so powerful. Indian tune once established by violinist Kanyakumari started to be a set up for Kadri’s trips. In one world he is simply phenomenal ! The way his is playing all complicated ornamentations on his reed - does not matter how quick – he is still able to stay perfectly in tune running throw quarter tonal scales of Indian micro tonal system . Just this makes him special and unique. Listening to him is a hypnotic experience .He sounds more like a sitar than like a sax in a term of articulation .What’s a man ! The music is sparkling and involving from beginning to the last piece . The pieces vary .Most traditional one on the set “ Snake “ is almost from the start lead by violin in very traditional way with sax and drums to follow ,here a jazz squad make a contribution melding them self with the sound incoming .Abassi plays his guitar in the manner of already mentioned McLaughlin proving one more time what they achieved here became from jazzy heritage. His flying passages supporting contemplative nature of the tune coming from the east side of the stage. In “Introspection “ or “ Longing “ pieces coming from blues and bebop background things suppose to start from few chords around which whole improvisation is build on ,established on guitar bars and Rudresh rubato improvisations .But there is more .The interactions between the drums and the sax leading to ferocious dissonance in finale showing clearly an inspiration in laying in the late John Coltrane and Rashid Ali achievement. Same with overblown tones in some passages which showing his understanding of Coleman’s ideas. Without too detailed analyse it was truly a set to enjoy and such an eyes / ears opener to proving that The Jazz belongs to international culture now ,we all own it and we can take as much from as we want as well like we have all rights to put in whenever we like .As far we are able to melt our own folk with a jazz complexity in the way which is in the same time catching ,pleasing and involving .
It was so rich that I welcomed the brake with a chests fully opened to catch some fresh air before a beginning of the next part ,which I already knew that , gonna be something special .
Cosmic Troopers with the Sonic Weapon
Thu 04-11-2010 | 19:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Jazz Bigband Graz ‘Urban Folktales...And A Rose!‘
Horst-Michael Schaffer · vocals, trumpet, conductor;
Heinrich von Kalnein · saxophones, flute, conductor;
Christoph ‘Pepe’ Auer · saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet
Johannes Enders · saxophones, flute;
Martin Harms · saxophones, bass clarinet
Bernhard Nolf, Axel Mayer, David Jarh · trumpet, flugelhorn;
Johannes Herrlich, Robert Bachner · trombone;
Wolfgang Tischhart · bass trombone;
Uli Rennert · keyboards, lapsteel guitar;
Matthias Loibner · electric hurdy-gurdy;
Christof Dienz · e-zither, bassoon;
Henning Sieverts · bass, cello;
Gregor Hilbe · drums, programming
Barbara Buchholz · theremin;
OchoReSotto · visuals
It was completely unexpected band appearance what they did ,what just shows Nils Landgren’s incredible ability as a festival host .He is a man with the horn too ,but he is also a man with the vision .In this case the repertoire he put in together in the one place and one day ,one after one made it spectacular sequence of miracles ,including the next one ,Paavo on the side stage included.. It was very contemporary performance in every aspect .The art from the bimmer on the back screen with the band on the front had a little taste of silent movie ,just brought back on in a modern incarnation .As it was doing both things :displaying titles for the scores with necessary information as well as being a movie showing the band in action ,but digitally manipulated canvas was a piece of art on its own. It was a great job done with it for a couple of reasons .1st – it was not boring cheap abstract done in the computer ,and just going with flashing storm of colours ,attacking you with no chances to get rid off it and leaving annoying afterimages tiring the eyes . Instead it was lovely monochrome documentary showing skills of all musicians in the band involved in creating an act of an art. Done mostly in macro shots it was showing close ups of hands walking on the strings ,touching vents ,doing sounds in every possible way ,even without a touch like Barbara did. 2nd there was an obvious relation between the colour mutations happening in front of us and an orchestral sound in the air in the same time making both synergistic and mentally even stronger and more amplified .It was based on the mood accorded to particular length of wave and matching aural colour .But not only. It was also warming out and cooling down just by switching the colour temperature scheme between the notes in the score. At least it is how I got it as a guy spending life on taking pictures and listening to the music . There was a whole world of musical tradition involved in this set .From cosmic universe to tribal reminiscences ,from deep tradition of orchestral sound to flying over the space without gravity. The set started with hurdy – gurdy solo introduction reminding me leading piano functions in Count Basie’s orchestral work in the meaning of harmonic set up. But as an intro it just brought such a powerful medieval feeling giving me strong sense of identity coming from European tradition. The whole band followed at once and as I heard before ( mentioned interview with 2 band members ) the sound melted lovely with the leading voice giving a charming ,complex harmonic structure .I think that describing all the pieces separate does not have a sense here as a whole work with matching art. had a stronger impact as such .Separate tunes in the lot ,like percussive sounding one bringing imagination of tribal dance ,or freed from a gravity one raised up on the brass fly ,amplified by unbelievable sound of theremin and e- zither are just a part of all. It was so beautifully composed with such a sensitively put in brakes between the notes. With solos perfectly feeding sonic space ,with no over wordy phrases or notes to long Filling the space like well sewed Tuxedo matches the body .The brass was just gorgeous , no comments – simply perfect. Barbara’s flying over the band was special on her own way .She was perfectly in of course ,but she did not personally melded with the rest in the same way like Matthias did playing on his wheel fiddle or Christof did with e- zithar.
This is not her guild even ,if there is anything about what might be tread like a sin .
It is just about her personal charm which you could not avoid watching her playing .
She could not do it either, unless she would play her parts from behind the curtain. There was something elfish in her moves .In touching sounds without a touch ,like in a fairy tale. So esoteric and unreachable .There was also a common physical beauty behind the marvel of the sound ,as being so athletically build and so feminine fragile in the same time. With such a strength visible in her play and a power in control of the sound of her theremin - no one simply could take his look out of her. She was magnificent and hypnotic . It was just sad when the set reached the end. We all love magic ,do not we ?
Paavo Part - Swedish card in The Modern Art
Thu 04-11-2010 | 23:30
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Side Stage
Paavo
Sofia Jernberg · voice
Cecilia Persson · piano
Per ‘Texas’ Johansson, Alberto Pinton, Marcelo Gabard Pazos · reeds
Emil Strandberg · trumpet ( guest )
Clas Lassbo · bass
Gustav Nahlin · drums
As been said in the preface Paavo did not come from nowhere . After the set interview I did with Sofia and Cecilia explained a lot of backgrounds ,what is important here for many reasons. The most important one is : nothing like Swedish jazz really exist in international awareness. The fact is that jazz from Sweden ,Norway ,Denmark is usually defined as a Scandinavian Jazz and this is hard to get over it ,as we do not know a lot about the culture of these countries ,that’s why it is so hard to recognise what is what . It sounds funny ,I know ,but in English spoken dominated culture all the rest have to fight hard to won the rights for his own voice .But many did and expect artist already mentioned coming from the ACT stables there are also others ,like Lars Danielsson and sorely missed Esbjörn Svensson .
But let everyone find it for himself – it is always a pleasure making such a discoveries .
What we need to remember is : PAAVO is from SWEDEN ( in Europe :-) as Made in Europe is an official motto of these year edition of the Fest. Let’s go the set details then.
From the first song it was clear we are dealing here with a top class performers and let no one will be fooled with their young age or informal appearance. Sofia had a permanent control over the band and a great respect for her lead was easy to spot .The character of the compositions made her closely related with the brass section ,which is quite strong here . Cecilia was on other side watching whole harmonic concept and setting up the background with rhythmic section . This is roughly how they shared the duty. Sound of the band is broad enough to handle lots of musical traditions here . They are moving around scores already written ,but you have a feeling listening to them – there are just a sketches . And all fun is coming from collective improvisation .In the most complicated parts Sofia’s direction is visible and all band is working hard to go through smoothly. The quality of brass men guarantee they will succeed ,but it did not came easy – these are really complicated rhythmical patterns . Full of brakes ,harmonic traps ,changes of tempo ,and flying individual rubato improvisations which start in different tact – but need to be finished together .Sofia’s voice works here as a buckle – just closing a piece .But there are also tunes build around her voice ,like Carved out obviously written to support her vocalise or Passage starting with piano introducing her ,and then clarinet to follow .But it never is like an singer on the front with accompanying band . She is using her voice mostly in an instrumental manner .improvising with cut off phrases exactly like a brass does which she is receptively dialoguing with . But medieval based Laude like singing from O Virgo Miserrere Mio for instance ,is her very own jewellery , like a diamond in a jazzy framed ring. And here is where we have all that richness and brilliant technique given .As she can sound harsh and dissonant as overblown reeds ,but might be also smooth and warm like woods or recorders .Her singing is perfectly new quality in the meaning of vocalise as she is melding together what modern vocalise experiments achieved with the way of instrumental improvisation. Of course we heard it before from Meredith Monk or Laureen Newton , to just mention my favourite , but she is just a next step .She is listening carefully and transforming what she needs into her very own voice .In this meaning she is a BIRD with his own song.
What is touching as well is a majority of inspiration here . I can easy recognise what came from classical music here as well like from a jazz . And as Sofia and Cecilia confirm it is true.
They both claim that European music heritage ,laying in the background of their musical identity equally with jazz .Another think ,which is hard to recognise for us ,but obvious for them is a Swedish folk .They told me that the most of melodies are just coming from there.
In Cecilia’s play is a lovely balance hidden . She is the one to slow things down .She is also setting up and controlling tempo . There is a lot of space left for the notes to delay ,as well like a lots of pauses which just counts as a sounds .This is kind of aesthetic we may expect from the pianist coming from the north and inspired by contemporary sound.
On the very end let me say that the final blend sounds very jazzy even for an inexperienced ears .But more you know about music the more you finding out on the end. . Braavo Paavo !
These are an venues I enjoyed permanently and as such was able to describe them properly .
Between them I was also able to have a quick “ run through “ the A-train club venue with Celine Bonacina Trio performing there and I must tell you – the place was full .You could not even put your finger in it .I stayed there a few minutes ,just to enjoy couple of pieces and was getting back to the main stage. As she was performing twice ( next set ,next day in the same place ) I naively believed that I will come tomorrow. Well I did ,but it was not any better ,so finally I gave up . I know Celine recording for ACT and I like it for a freshness it bringing on. She is connecting successfully many different traditions in her music .From Dub and Reggae to Funk and Ethnic bit . Her background explains a lot as he spend few years on the pacific island , so he has in her blood – the feeling of rhythm ,I mean. But she also posses an amazing vitality ,which is something you may understand just seeing her on the stage . She is a tiny person with a great instrument ,almost her size ,which she plays with such an easiness it just disappears like piccolo flute. She is dancing ,tapping ,swinging – she is all in to the music .It is something you can not get from listening to the studio recording ,that’s why I felt obliged to write about to bring justice to her ,she deserves for .As she is a young star which just started to shine on the jazz firmament I am pretty sure that I will spot her somewhere ,sooner or later and will be able to see whole performance and enjoy it.
Another quick look in was Roger Hanschel’s Heavy Rotation set in Quasimodo .
There was just a half I could stay on before getting back to the BSF’s side stage.
Finally I achieved only 45 minutes of a 1st hour as it started with delay .I love Hanschel’s
recordings with Hans Keller and to be honest these are only I know him from .
I found in PR that he is a very creative instrumentalist and he also did lots of different projects after .I was expecting something similar to what I heard before ,but it was completely different set .
It was valuable music in every inch ,generally heavy sound with overridden guitar as a other leading voice to talk with ,reminding me early John Scofield’s sound .
But I left quick also due to it was just to heavy to handle after such a harmonic and complex venues I just heard on the main stage . In the quick summary – it was really rich day ,full of surprises and new wonderful sounds which was just a pleasure to hear and then make a comments to them .
04 November 2010
In the 2nd day of Berlin JazzFest , after fantastic opening all seemed to be on the full steam from the early morning .I went to BFS main stage just to have a pleasure to watch tech guys working on the stage and setting up basics for starting later on sound checks .It is always pleasure to watch them as they are so fantastic organised as well as they always have everything in Ordung. It just prepares myself to be ready to work and set me up in the mood .
There was quite a few interesting events going on the main stage this day ,as well as a young team from Sweden called Paavo on the more cameral side stage .I wanted to enjoy sound checks just to get a clue what I may basically expect from , as there was a massive dispersion
in styles ,backgrounds and a traditions from which performing artist came from .
Also in the club stages there were couple of set ups hard to avoid ,and I was truly tempted to go there too ,but I was pretty aware that I will not be able as timetables had been covering themselves and venues were overlapped then. It just made me more determinate to see what’s going on before to make a best choice ,if such a thing was even possible there .
A-trane then , small club with a tinny stage was a host for Celine Bonancina Trio and Quasimodo , the long time JazzFest partner ,was presenting Roger Hanschels’ Heavy Rotation project on his stage. So again – great names and hard choice to do .
Getting back to the Haus der Berliner Festspiele main stage there were two interested venues already expected to happen ,both very interesting and promising ,however so different.
1st was a project called “KINSMEN” –a result of artistic collaboration between Rudresh Mahanthappa and Kadri Gopalnath with accompanying musicians from India and
United States connecting forces under the name Dakshina Ensemble .
2nd was Jazz Bigband Graz with an unusual orchestral project called
“ Urban Folktales ...And a Rose “ .
Both events already had a great press I was just reading one more time awaiting sound checks to come . Specially lots of information given about KINSMEN was really helpful as artists came to the rehearsal quite late ,hardly managed to finish the work in the time they had for ,so I had no chance to ask them personally about all I wanted to know . But what I read and further was able to hear helped me greatly to complete this review ,as this set was like nothing else you might like to compare it with . Lets start with some background from press realise:
“Kinsmen is Rudresh Mahanthappa‘s collaboration with Kadri Gopalnath, a living legendof Indian music known as „The Emperor of the Saxophone,“ a true innovator in bringing the saxophone to Indian classical music. The music on Kinsmen, featuring their co-led Dakshina Ensemble, is exemplar of successful multicultural, transnational collaboration.
Utilizing his extensive knowledge of both jazz and the traditional melodic and rhythmic concepts of Indian music, Mahanthappa has masterfully provided a framework that has brought out the best in all the musicians, resulting in spectacular interaction and virtuosic displays from Gopalnath, A. Kanyakumari on violin and Rez Abassi on guitar. The band also features Poovalur Sriji on Mridangam (South Indian barrel drum), Carlo deRosa on acoustic bass and Royal Hartigan (sic) on drums.
For Mahanthappa, who grew up in Boulder, Colorado to Indian immigrant parents, the pull of Indian classical music didn‘t come until his college years, when he toured India with the Berklee College of Music All-Stars and was lucky to attend an all-night concert outside of Bangalore where he heard both Carnatic (South Indian) and Hindustani (North Indian) music performed by greats such as Parween Sultana and Chitti Babu. As a young jazz musician, Rudresh saw the parallels between Indian music and jazz with both being improvised art forms with inherently strong rhythmic propulsion. Though he grappled for a way to embrace his Indian-American identity through his music, Rudresh could not find a clear entry point as he had no awareness of any saxophone tradition in classical Indian music. Then one evening, moments after the conclusion of one of his recitals at Berklee, Rudresh‘s older brother gave him a CD (as congratulatory gift and as a joke) called Saxophone Indian Style by Kadri Golpalnath. A complete eye-opener,
the CD provided a doorway into the realm of musical possibilities for Rudresh through which he could finally engage the music of his ancestry. A few years later, Mahanthappa managed to meet Kadri backstage at a Carnatic concert in Boston. Golpalnath was not only ecstatic to meet an Indian-American jazz saxophonist, but one of South Indian roots with a name that he deemed to have a powerful Hindu meaning – Rudresh, in Sanskrit, refers to a fierce incarnation of Shiva who saved the human race and Mahanthappa is derived from the same roots as “mahatma,” or “great soul.” Though not trained in jazz, Gopalnath too saw the similarities between the art
forms and was enthusiastic about the possibility of joining forces at some point. This became a reality when, with the help of a Rockefeller Grant and a commission from New York City‘s Asia Society, Rudresh traveled to Chennai (Madras) in 2005 to work with
Kadri at what would eventually become the music on Kinsmen.”
( from PR of BJF )
That’s about a project and the backgrounds related to .But there is also lost queues from Rudresh himself talking about how discovering experience it was for him to hear Kadri’s music for the very first time .He was really a missing link he was looking for such a long time to express his needs of expressing himself in the way where both traditions living in him ,the Indian one and the Jazz one - could be speaking together using one language.
„My older brother, kind of as a joke, gave me this CD called Saxophone Indian Style,“ - Mahanthappa says,
„and I was blown away. For me, that was a real entry point as far
as dealing with Indian music as a saxophonist. It wasn‘t so far-fetched: ‚Well, this guy‘s doing it!‘ So there is some possibilities to really incorporate this stuff sonically. He‘s playing all that complicated ornamentation, he‘s dealing with the tuning, and it was unlike any saxophone playing I‘d ever heard before.“
( from PR of BJF )
According to the last sentence -I can say nothing more than that I completely agree .
When he appeared on the stage I was already aware who He is ,but it was still so amazing to watch him preparing himself for the check .It was so different in every possible way .First of all he is very specific person in the way of moving and arranging a personal space . Next the way he is playing his sax siting in the traditional way on the platform with his legs crossed and a sax supported on .The way he was attaching a mouthpiece to the reed- it was like a kind of a ritual on his own . And his sax at least – the most unusually decorated instrument I ever seen in my life ,looking like a crystal chandelier with its luminescent shining bits swinging and glittering every time he just started to play it . But since a first blow I immediately understood why he is called : “ The Emperor of the Saxophone “.
By the time they met Kadri was already well established as a master of South Indian Carnatic saxophone ,but as he mentioned in an other part of his interview it was not always like that .
„He chose to try to play this music on saxophone when no one else had, and consequently was not taken very seriously for a long time,“ Mahanthappa says. „He tells me stories of working eight-, 10-hour shifts selling transistor radios in an electronics store, then coming home and praticing until 4 in the morning, sleeping four hours, then goingback and doing it again. Every day.“
( from PR of BJF )
Hearing that and being aware how titanic effort he took to achieve the position he has now ,how a big toil he put on and understanding the fact that in such a circumstances only his trust in his rights and love to the instrument he chosen to play make him strong enough to handle it- it just makes him in my opinion not only the Emperor – it makes him a Giant of the Sax .
After this sound heck I was determinate to see and hear his performance does not matter what I had to give up with to do that . And I did . How was it then ? I gonna tell later on. Now , let’s switch into the next set up as it was incredibly interesting what they brought on the table .For a few reasons actually .
First of all it is probably most acclaimed European Big Band of our times ,coming straight out from the Austrian orchestral tradition from which incredible Vienna Art Orchestra came too and in this meaning ,and due to such an affiliation commits we can expect from them nothing less than the best.
Second ,after collecting whole bunch of trophies during last years ,and having already well acclaimed latest recordings realised the current members of the band already proofed themselves .
And the third is the fact that newly refurbished orchestra extended by electric zither ,amplified hurdy – gurdy and a theremin is going to offer kind of sound which had never been heard before .
Plus visual projection in the background done by artist group OchoResoSotto to complete the set .Sounds intriguing – is not it ?
I watched whole sound check to the end as listening to Barbara Buchholz playing on the theremin and Matthias Loibner on his wheel fiddle was so involving ,that I could not resist to stay ,really .And as they gone through almost whole set playlist I already was sure this concert will be something really special .Later on I had a chance to speak to both of them ,what helped me to get additional information I was looking for as well and ask about their incredible instruments. They both told me that the whole concept is not here about soloing on the exotic instruments ,just about adding them to the kind of sound that the orchestra already worked out .Mix it with the rest completely to build a new complexity in the background and make a whole sound richer and very specific this way .And it truly was like that ,however there were a few solos showing sonic abilities of them between usual coming from the brass players ,drummer and guitarist . After all I checked out what I can find about both of them and I did a lot .There is a lot of interesting sound samples and general information on the web.
Here are Barbara’s and Matthias’ webs linked bellow to check it out for all of you who want to know more ,as there is no sense to me to retype what already had been written :
http://www.barbarabuchholz.com/
http://matthias.loibner.net/
As this sound check had been finished the next one for Paavo immediately started on the side stage , so I went there as quick as I could ,as I have been told by Nils Landgren this one is definitely one not to miss. The young band came from Sweden ,so even if half of us never heard about them , including myself - Nils knew for sure .He told me these gonna be a surprise – well ,and it was . Knowing quite a few voices from ACT label family very well , like Rigmor Gustafsson or Victoria Tolstoy ( both collaborated with Nils anyway ) I was really expected something else .Two young ladies staying behind this project amazed me with their maturity , Sofia Jernberg –vocal and Cecilia Persson – piano are responsible for all tunes on their second recording called “ Canzo del Pao “ (Song of the Peacock in Catalan) for which this appearance ,here on the festival is a part of their promotional tour. They both are a co- leaders of the Swedish septet based on the group of young and talented musicians ,sometimes supported with a guests artists appearance when a whole concept or composition sake require that. As it is not easy to find anything about them by accident ,even if they are well known in their own country I let myself to quote below what a linear notes from their home label saying about ,as it is not just a bunch of useful information here ,but whole list of the trophies and honours which they already achieved and which may really amaze you if you face the fact how young they are . Lets read that ,then and be prepared for :
The music of Swedish septet (sometimes octet) Paavo is indeed hard to describeand it is not always easy to trace the influences. The music is at times overwhelminglycomplex, with intricate rhythmic patterns and the voice in a purely instrumental role,sometimes just quite simple haunting melodies with lyrics. Some of the structures areconnected to free improvised music, while other songs have a more solid, throughcomposed character. All music performed by Paavo is composed and arranged by Sofia Jernberg and Cecilia Persson.Sofia and Cecilia have been cooperating in diverse constellations since 2002. Paavo was established in the autumn of 2004 and has since then performed in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, France, Ireland and England. The compositions are well structured and precise; the improvisations are undefined andunlimited. The purpose is to combine these opposites and still keep a feeling of wholeness and structure. “The music Sofia and I write is in constant change, I can hear movement in different directions in every tune,” says Cecilia Persson. The band thenmakes the music become Paavo with everything that implies, particularly when it comes to improvisation, energy and sound. In February 2007 the group’s first cd, simply called “Paavo” was released. The highly noticed debut record with hand sewn and numberedcovers received many enthusiastic reviews and was chosen as jazz record of the year by Sweden’s two largest newspapers Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet. Paavo
has since then been one of the most spoken of groups in Swedish jazz. In early 2010 the group’s second album “Cançó del Paó” was released, and Paavo once again received terrific reviews. The album was followed up by a tour of sixteen concerts around Sweden in January and February. After the tour, “Cançó del Paó” managed to
get into the Top 100 chart of best selling CDs in Sweden at the time. Paavo has been awarded the prestigious Swedish Radio distinction “Jazzkatten” as “Best jazz group 2007.” In 2008 Sofia Jernberg received the jazz award of the Swedish Royal Musical
Academy (the prize was handed over by crown princess Victoria).
Discography:
Paavo Apart Records (2007)
Cançó del Paó Found You Recordings (2010)
(from BJF PR )
So here we are .After this set up ,there just enough time left to move back to the main stage and enjoy what just came on – and there was a lot of fun and pleasure to listen to .
KINSMEN – The Indian Jazz in his BEST !
Thu 04-11-2010 | 19:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Kinsmen
feat. Rudresh Mahanthappa and Kadri Gopalnath
Rudresh Mahanthappa and Kadri Gopalnath · alto sax
A. Kanyakumari · violin
Rez Abassi · guitar
Poovalur Sriji · mridangam
Carlo de Rosa· bass
Ferenc Nemeth · drums
When the band came in to the stage there was a huge applause to welcome them Here is a long tradition on this stage related to he world music and this set seemed to much it perfectly .However there was also one “ but “... As it was not just “IT” this time . What they did here was something more .Indian influence has a long tradition in jazz .Miles started it in 70’ employing Badal Roy on tabla and Khalil Balakrishna on electric sitar when he switched to his electric period ,but in his case it was not world music at all ,he was not interested in oriental music. What he was looking for these days was a synthesis of cultures ,universal language for a global village for modern communication purpose, for all sort of funky orientated nuts. New language and new ways for expression – whole Miles at least . Then the followers ,specially in early days of rock era ,in hippie years made it more quote like .Those days Indian music was Shankar music and nothing else .As far as listeners were not involved in religious connotations . Then John McLaughlin pushed it further. And next in Europe was Jan Garbarek .Listening to Kinsmen tonight I am pretty amazed how close he was to the original .What he recorded with Zakir Hussain was truly close to what Mahanthappa found and it is pretty clear he grown on it too ,between many other inspirations. So what we got there were two groups of musicians on the stage : three jazz musicians playing electric guitar, bass and drums and three Indian musicians who aren‘t part of jazz, funk or American music:
A. Kanyakumari on the violin, Poovalur Sriji on the double-sided hand drum called
the mridangam and the alto saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath.What Rudresh wanted to find was a way to set up such a thing like an Indian jazz. He claimed that he has all rights to do that and fill like that as being born and grown in states .At least I agree with him .We have Latin Jazz ,Scandinavian Jazz ,Polish Jazz etc...why there should not be the way providing us to Indian Jazz .This young musicians as far as whole emigrants community posses all rights in my opinion to claim JAZZ to be their heritage too in very natural way ,as they are a part of this culture too .So ladies and gents – we have here pure Indian Jazz – in full respect – they did it !
Compositions they presented were basically based on the jazzy formula of call and response where a jazz part was following semi- funky ,semi improvised sound coming from the leader reeds and setting up a rhythm background in a common sense. Indian response was led by Kadri as a counter leader for Carnatic musicians. But ,as Indian music is not syncope based then melodic motives must be repeated to create repetitive response. There is no groove like that I heard before . In opening “ Ganesha “ united forces just blown the audience out like James Browns’ Funky people . They started with the hurricane and then ,following maestro Hitchcock’s formula – slowly started to increase tension. seriously it was so dynamic and so powerful. Indian tune once established by violinist Kanyakumari started to be a set up for Kadri’s trips. In one world he is simply phenomenal ! The way his is playing all complicated ornamentations on his reed - does not matter how quick – he is still able to stay perfectly in tune running throw quarter tonal scales of Indian micro tonal system . Just this makes him special and unique. Listening to him is a hypnotic experience .He sounds more like a sitar than like a sax in a term of articulation .What’s a man ! The music is sparkling and involving from beginning to the last piece . The pieces vary .Most traditional one on the set “ Snake “ is almost from the start lead by violin in very traditional way with sax and drums to follow ,here a jazz squad make a contribution melding them self with the sound incoming .Abassi plays his guitar in the manner of already mentioned McLaughlin proving one more time what they achieved here became from jazzy heritage. His flying passages supporting contemplative nature of the tune coming from the east side of the stage. In “Introspection “ or “ Longing “ pieces coming from blues and bebop background things suppose to start from few chords around which whole improvisation is build on ,established on guitar bars and Rudresh rubato improvisations .But there is more .The interactions between the drums and the sax leading to ferocious dissonance in finale showing clearly an inspiration in laying in the late John Coltrane and Rashid Ali achievement. Same with overblown tones in some passages which showing his understanding of Coleman’s ideas. Without too detailed analyse it was truly a set to enjoy and such an eyes / ears opener to proving that The Jazz belongs to international culture now ,we all own it and we can take as much from as we want as well like we have all rights to put in whenever we like .As far we are able to melt our own folk with a jazz complexity in the way which is in the same time catching ,pleasing and involving .
It was so rich that I welcomed the brake with a chests fully opened to catch some fresh air before a beginning of the next part ,which I already knew that , gonna be something special .
Cosmic Troopers with the Sonic Weapon
Thu 04-11-2010 | 19:00
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Jazz Bigband Graz ‘Urban Folktales...And A Rose!‘
Horst-Michael Schaffer · vocals, trumpet, conductor;
Heinrich von Kalnein · saxophones, flute, conductor;
Christoph ‘Pepe’ Auer · saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet
Johannes Enders · saxophones, flute;
Martin Harms · saxophones, bass clarinet
Bernhard Nolf, Axel Mayer, David Jarh · trumpet, flugelhorn;
Johannes Herrlich, Robert Bachner · trombone;
Wolfgang Tischhart · bass trombone;
Uli Rennert · keyboards, lapsteel guitar;
Matthias Loibner · electric hurdy-gurdy;
Christof Dienz · e-zither, bassoon;
Henning Sieverts · bass, cello;
Gregor Hilbe · drums, programming
Barbara Buchholz · theremin;
OchoReSotto · visuals
It was completely unexpected band appearance what they did ,what just shows Nils Landgren’s incredible ability as a festival host .He is a man with the horn too ,but he is also a man with the vision .In this case the repertoire he put in together in the one place and one day ,one after one made it spectacular sequence of miracles ,including the next one ,Paavo on the side stage included.. It was very contemporary performance in every aspect .The art from the bimmer on the back screen with the band on the front had a little taste of silent movie ,just brought back on in a modern incarnation .As it was doing both things :displaying titles for the scores with necessary information as well as being a movie showing the band in action ,but digitally manipulated canvas was a piece of art on its own. It was a great job done with it for a couple of reasons .1st – it was not boring cheap abstract done in the computer ,and just going with flashing storm of colours ,attacking you with no chances to get rid off it and leaving annoying afterimages tiring the eyes . Instead it was lovely monochrome documentary showing skills of all musicians in the band involved in creating an act of an art. Done mostly in macro shots it was showing close ups of hands walking on the strings ,touching vents ,doing sounds in every possible way ,even without a touch like Barbara did. 2nd there was an obvious relation between the colour mutations happening in front of us and an orchestral sound in the air in the same time making both synergistic and mentally even stronger and more amplified .It was based on the mood accorded to particular length of wave and matching aural colour .But not only. It was also warming out and cooling down just by switching the colour temperature scheme between the notes in the score. At least it is how I got it as a guy spending life on taking pictures and listening to the music . There was a whole world of musical tradition involved in this set .From cosmic universe to tribal reminiscences ,from deep tradition of orchestral sound to flying over the space without gravity. The set started with hurdy – gurdy solo introduction reminding me leading piano functions in Count Basie’s orchestral work in the meaning of harmonic set up. But as an intro it just brought such a powerful medieval feeling giving me strong sense of identity coming from European tradition. The whole band followed at once and as I heard before ( mentioned interview with 2 band members ) the sound melted lovely with the leading voice giving a charming ,complex harmonic structure .I think that describing all the pieces separate does not have a sense here as a whole work with matching art. had a stronger impact as such .Separate tunes in the lot ,like percussive sounding one bringing imagination of tribal dance ,or freed from a gravity one raised up on the brass fly ,amplified by unbelievable sound of theremin and e- zither are just a part of all. It was so beautifully composed with such a sensitively put in brakes between the notes. With solos perfectly feeding sonic space ,with no over wordy phrases or notes to long Filling the space like well sewed Tuxedo matches the body .The brass was just gorgeous , no comments – simply perfect. Barbara’s flying over the band was special on her own way .She was perfectly in of course ,but she did not personally melded with the rest in the same way like Matthias did playing on his wheel fiddle or Christof did with e- zithar.
This is not her guild even ,if there is anything about what might be tread like a sin .
It is just about her personal charm which you could not avoid watching her playing .
She could not do it either, unless she would play her parts from behind the curtain. There was something elfish in her moves .In touching sounds without a touch ,like in a fairy tale. So esoteric and unreachable .There was also a common physical beauty behind the marvel of the sound ,as being so athletically build and so feminine fragile in the same time. With such a strength visible in her play and a power in control of the sound of her theremin - no one simply could take his look out of her. She was magnificent and hypnotic . It was just sad when the set reached the end. We all love magic ,do not we ?
Paavo Part - Swedish card in The Modern Art
Thu 04-11-2010 | 23:30
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Side Stage
Paavo
Sofia Jernberg · voice
Cecilia Persson · piano
Per ‘Texas’ Johansson, Alberto Pinton, Marcelo Gabard Pazos · reeds
Emil Strandberg · trumpet ( guest )
Clas Lassbo · bass
Gustav Nahlin · drums
As been said in the preface Paavo did not come from nowhere . After the set interview I did with Sofia and Cecilia explained a lot of backgrounds ,what is important here for many reasons. The most important one is : nothing like Swedish jazz really exist in international awareness. The fact is that jazz from Sweden ,Norway ,Denmark is usually defined as a Scandinavian Jazz and this is hard to get over it ,as we do not know a lot about the culture of these countries ,that’s why it is so hard to recognise what is what . It sounds funny ,I know ,but in English spoken dominated culture all the rest have to fight hard to won the rights for his own voice .But many did and expect artist already mentioned coming from the ACT stables there are also others ,like Lars Danielsson and sorely missed Esbjörn Svensson .
But let everyone find it for himself – it is always a pleasure making such a discoveries .
What we need to remember is : PAAVO is from SWEDEN ( in Europe :-) as Made in Europe is an official motto of these year edition of the Fest. Let’s go the set details then.
From the first song it was clear we are dealing here with a top class performers and let no one will be fooled with their young age or informal appearance. Sofia had a permanent control over the band and a great respect for her lead was easy to spot .The character of the compositions made her closely related with the brass section ,which is quite strong here . Cecilia was on other side watching whole harmonic concept and setting up the background with rhythmic section . This is roughly how they shared the duty. Sound of the band is broad enough to handle lots of musical traditions here . They are moving around scores already written ,but you have a feeling listening to them – there are just a sketches . And all fun is coming from collective improvisation .In the most complicated parts Sofia’s direction is visible and all band is working hard to go through smoothly. The quality of brass men guarantee they will succeed ,but it did not came easy – these are really complicated rhythmical patterns . Full of brakes ,harmonic traps ,changes of tempo ,and flying individual rubato improvisations which start in different tact – but need to be finished together .Sofia’s voice works here as a buckle – just closing a piece .But there are also tunes build around her voice ,like Carved out obviously written to support her vocalise or Passage starting with piano introducing her ,and then clarinet to follow .But it never is like an singer on the front with accompanying band . She is using her voice mostly in an instrumental manner .improvising with cut off phrases exactly like a brass does which she is receptively dialoguing with . But medieval based Laude like singing from O Virgo Miserrere Mio for instance ,is her very own jewellery , like a diamond in a jazzy framed ring. And here is where we have all that richness and brilliant technique given .As she can sound harsh and dissonant as overblown reeds ,but might be also smooth and warm like woods or recorders .Her singing is perfectly new quality in the meaning of vocalise as she is melding together what modern vocalise experiments achieved with the way of instrumental improvisation. Of course we heard it before from Meredith Monk or Laureen Newton , to just mention my favourite , but she is just a next step .She is listening carefully and transforming what she needs into her very own voice .In this meaning she is a BIRD with his own song.
What is touching as well is a majority of inspiration here . I can easy recognise what came from classical music here as well like from a jazz . And as Sofia and Cecilia confirm it is true.
They both claim that European music heritage ,laying in the background of their musical identity equally with jazz .Another think ,which is hard to recognise for us ,but obvious for them is a Swedish folk .They told me that the most of melodies are just coming from there.
In Cecilia’s play is a lovely balance hidden . She is the one to slow things down .She is also setting up and controlling tempo . There is a lot of space left for the notes to delay ,as well like a lots of pauses which just counts as a sounds .This is kind of aesthetic we may expect from the pianist coming from the north and inspired by contemporary sound.
On the very end let me say that the final blend sounds very jazzy even for an inexperienced ears .But more you know about music the more you finding out on the end. . Braavo Paavo !
These are an venues I enjoyed permanently and as such was able to describe them properly .
Between them I was also able to have a quick “ run through “ the A-train club venue with Celine Bonacina Trio performing there and I must tell you – the place was full .You could not even put your finger in it .I stayed there a few minutes ,just to enjoy couple of pieces and was getting back to the main stage. As she was performing twice ( next set ,next day in the same place ) I naively believed that I will come tomorrow. Well I did ,but it was not any better ,so finally I gave up . I know Celine recording for ACT and I like it for a freshness it bringing on. She is connecting successfully many different traditions in her music .From Dub and Reggae to Funk and Ethnic bit . Her background explains a lot as he spend few years on the pacific island , so he has in her blood – the feeling of rhythm ,I mean. But she also posses an amazing vitality ,which is something you may understand just seeing her on the stage . She is a tiny person with a great instrument ,almost her size ,which she plays with such an easiness it just disappears like piccolo flute. She is dancing ,tapping ,swinging – she is all in to the music .It is something you can not get from listening to the studio recording ,that’s why I felt obliged to write about to bring justice to her ,she deserves for .As she is a young star which just started to shine on the jazz firmament I am pretty sure that I will spot her somewhere ,sooner or later and will be able to see whole performance and enjoy it.
Another quick look in was Roger Hanschel’s Heavy Rotation set in Quasimodo .
There was just a half I could stay on before getting back to the BSF’s side stage.
Finally I achieved only 45 minutes of a 1st hour as it started with delay .I love Hanschel’s
recordings with Hans Keller and to be honest these are only I know him from .
I found in PR that he is a very creative instrumentalist and he also did lots of different projects after .I was expecting something similar to what I heard before ,but it was completely different set .
It was valuable music in every inch ,generally heavy sound with overridden guitar as a other leading voice to talk with ,reminding me early John Scofield’s sound .
But I left quick also due to it was just to heavy to handle after such a harmonic and complex venues I just heard on the main stage . In the quick summary – it was really rich day ,full of surprises and new wonderful sounds which was just a pleasure to hear and then make a comments to them .
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