Carlo Colombo / Michel Godard / Eugenio Rizzo

multikulti.com
''. . . Przedziwne to nagranie (i w dodatku nagranie koncertowe - zarejestrowane w słynnym podrzymskim Casa del Jazz) dokonane w zupełnie niecodziennym składzie instrumentalnym: saksofony - tuba / serpent - tamburyn. Nie znam drugiej płyty w której taka konfiguracja w ogóle miałaby miejsce. A muzyka - prócz tego, że wymyka się jednoznacznym stylistycznym szufladkom - uwodzi na dodatek od pierwszych niemal dźwięków.
W warstwie rytmicznej to płyta w całości folkowa - gęsta struktura wygrywaną na hand drums i tamburynie niemal wprost czerpie z muzyki Orientu i Arabii. Carlo Rizzo dodatkowo wzmacnia ten efekt wyśpiewując delikatne, zawodzące wokalizy. Drugim rytmicznym instrumentem jest tutaj tuba, ale świetnie znany z nagrań dla oficyn CamJazz (''Cousins Germains'', ''Impertinance'' czy ostatnio ''Archangelica'') i Intuition (''Trio Rouge'', ''Deep'') Michel Godard potrafi znacznie więcej niż tylko odgrywać partie basu. Udowadnia to i tutaj dialogując z saksofonem na tubie, ale przede wszystkim, gdy chwyta za drugi ze swoich instrumentów - serpent. Ten instrument wykonywany jest ''z dwóch wydrążonych drewnianych łusek drzewa kasztanowego sklejonych razem i powleczonych dla trwałości skórą'' - stąd też nazwa w angielskim języku oznaczająca węża. Rzadko wykorzystywany w przeszłości (przede wszystkim jako akompaniament śpiewu chóralnego), współcześnie właściwie nikt już go nie używa. A wielka szkoda - dobitnie uzmysławia to na tej płycie Michel Godard - brzmi niczym puzon, lecz o jeszcze cieplejszym, pozbawionym blaszanego pobrzęku, brzmieniu.
Ostatnim bohaterem nagrania jest Eugenio Colombo - nieznany szerzej włoski saksofonista. A wielka to szkoda, bowiem to właśnie on odpowiada tu za większość solówek i prawie całą gamę awangardowych brzmień, jakie znajdują się na tej płycie. Gra przedziwnie - solówki jego są krótkie, poszarpane. Często dzielone na kilka części, pomiędzy którymi wykorzystuje on saksofon jako kolejny instrument rytmiczny. Pięknie brzmią dialogi z Godardem zwłaszcza, gdy Colombo sięga po sopran.
Muzyka płynie tu nieśpiesznie - trudno właściwie mówić, że tematy są tutaj rozwijane. Każdy w prowadzany element melodyczny jest nie podstawą do solowego popisu, ale pretekstem do dialogu dwóch frontmanów: Godarda i Colombo. Piękna, avant-folk-jazzowa płyta. . . ''
autor: Józef Paprocki



Editor's info:
According to those who wrote and played it, the titles of this CD, recorded live at the Casa del Jazz in Rome came at a later date. First came the moment of creation-improvisation; then, once in the studio for the nitty-gritty recording business, the thought occurred that even moments of organized freedom have to have a name - not for them, of course, but for us, the audience, in need of an anchor or compass. New elements are the flutes Eugenio decides to play, dredging up deep, slow notes from the bass flute. Two saxes are played simultaneously, drawing on all his virtuoso versatility and technical refinement: natural stereo, his two-in-one sound-body becoming choral: see to believe, and listen. The lofty, triple chamber receiving the soloists is an achieved example of chamber music: each individual, intent on their own trajectory, is listening in to what the others have to say, to answer, to add. A conversation then, where the individual voice is never raised to drown the others'. To play well together, the first step forwards is backwards: wanting to show not how good you are, but how good you are together. Merging personal talent with ensemble playing means single and group collaboration. The trio formation itself would seem to be a tribute to the classical history of the music which was the first to break into the universal musical culture with a sound which was neither European, nor American, nor South American, nor Asian. The sound and horizon of alterity. On the other hand the contemporary technical know-how, the perfection of new acoustic possibilities from an ancient percussion instrument, the rehabilitation of a long-forgotten bass 'cornet' and the desire to grant Mr. Tuba full dignity of voice, sound, and phrasing, make this performance the felicitous point of arrival of a research project which is informed, aware, non gratuitous, and still unsated.

L'Ensemble Enchiriadis

Editor's info:
The Ensemble Enchiriadis, founded in Rome in 1998 by Andrea De Luca and Silvia Scozzi, specialises in Mediaeval and Renaissance music, with emphasis on the area of the Mediterranean basin.

Antonio De Rose / duo Troiani-De Rose / duo Rose-Maurer / duo Giuliani-Margoni

Editor's info:
Simple, sentimental pieces for solo guitar, double guitar, flute and guitar, four guitars.

Zap&Rap

Editor's info:
The group has chosen silence and invisibility, in the hope of concentrating public attention exclusively on the contents of the CD and cartoon. Given that not to appear is not to exist, at the present state of the market, this (temporary?) choice is brave indeed, and turns a hard, bright spotlight on the record's release.

Alessandro Bonanno & Francesco Mazzeo

Editor's info:
Original pieces by Alessandro Bonanno (piano) and Francesco Mazzeo (acoustic and electric guitar) and standards with guest Davide Grottelli (alto, tenor and soprano sax, bass clarinet). A record of rare and rarefied atmospherics.

Solo2

Editor's info:
The first release by the Rome duo is a challenge, mid-way between mainstream and alternative rock, with full emphasis on acoustics. The CD cuts a generous swathe through the whole music scene of the last five years, through Italian light music, and rumouristic.

Gianluca Littera / Ensemble Project

multikulti.com:
Nagranie Ensemble Project i Gianluc'i Littery to płyta dzięki której możemy obcować z żywą tradycją tanga - rozumianego w tym przypadku nie jako taniec ale jako muzyczny gatunek. Wywodzące z się domów publicznych Buenos Aires, gdzie pierwotnie było formą rywalizacji mężczyn o kobietę, tango do sal koncertowych wprowadził w dwudziestym wieku Astor Piazzolla I tak już pozostało - obok granego tylko - czy aż - do tańca, powstały koncerty na bandoneon, które do tanga wciąż przynależą. Płyta ta jest jednak pierwszą, z jaką mamy możliwość się zetknąć, w której bandoneon zastępuje ustna harmonijka. I to wcale z niemałym powodzeniem. Natychmiast niemal słuchacz przestaje zwracać uwagę na to, iż główny instrument tanga jest tu nieobecny. Niemała w tym zasługa wykonawców, którzy w wykonanie wkładają olbrzymi zapał, emocje i pasję, którymi wszak tango szarpane jest od początku.

Giampaolo & Stefano Scatozza

Editor's info:
Recorded in Canada, mixed in Norway, and masterised in London shuns all stereotypes in avoiding all direct reference to Afro-american mainstream music, despite constant nods in the direction of bebop, free, John Zorn, and Dudu Pukwana. Their separate musical history (Stefano has for ten years been guitarist and composer of Acustimantico) finds concrete expression in eleven tracks which both contain and transcend jazz, moving as they do in decidedly new directions. The first element to make this clear is the sound: the sober guitars of Stefano Scatozza (composer of almost all the pieces); the quasi-humanising trumpet of Norwegian Audun Wage; the metabolised free and post-free of the Englishman Marcus Cummins, who has played in a number of formations with Trevor Watts, and the electric bass of Canadian Rich Brown, both solo (La vita imprevedibile), and as subsidiary, propelling factor.

Nohaybandatrio

Editor's info:
Nohaybandatrio is a group which formed in Rome in 2004, when 'Reeks' perfected a technique that made it possible for him to play both bass and guitar at the same time. The singular feature of this group springs from the dual role of every musician. The simultaneous use of drums and percussion instruments, of bass and guitar and of sax and live electronics creates the effect of listening to a sextet, an effect amplified by the spatial arrangement of the various sound signals (microphones and lines).
The fact of playing several instruments at the same time makes it possible for the group to engage in a wide variety of musical genres blended without the sound limits of a trio and without the help of pre-recorded sequences that might intertwine the improvised portions by diminishing the spectacular features of the performance, especially in live renditions.
Fixed motifs are woven into the free improvised portions that reveal the disparate influences on the musicians, influences that range from post-rock to funky, from rumorismo (noise-making) to jazz, from hardcore to progressive -- all without ever losing sight of the harmonic element.
The group plays and records only via live performances, without any dubbing whatsoever, in order not to give a false picture of its basic characteristics.
The video presentation provides further explanation and evidence on this subject.

Quartetto Urbano

Editor's info:
Vocal quartet performing and researching popular music. A CD journey through different universes of sound, from the rural to the metropolitan (from songs from the oral tradition to contemporary madrigals).

Each singer specialises in a different area of music: contemporary, improvisation, religious music, classical and Mediaeval, popular, popular music from the Rome area, etc.

Lee Colbert

Editor's info:
An act of homage to Jewish culture from the vast, five-language repertoire of this extraordinary performer. Traditional Yiddish and classic American songs. With Paolo Cintio and Emilio Vallorani, and the participation of Eugenio Colombo, Nicola Granillo, and Moni Ovadia.

Lucilla Galeazzi

multikulti.com:
Któż nie zna płyty 'La Tarantella (Antidotum Tarantulae)' zespołu l'Arpeggiata, uchodzącego za jeden z najciekawszych zespołów muzyki dawnej?
Jeśli jednak są tacy, to powiem tylko, że płyta ta, jak mało która przypadła do gustu zarówno i wtajemniczonym, na co dzień słuchających muzyki dawnej, barokowej jak i tym niewtajemniczonym, którzy swoje muzyczne sympatie lokowali raczej gdzie indziej.

Bohaterką tej płyty była włoska pieśniarka Lucilla Galeazzi, której charyzmatyczny głos stał się emblematem nagrania.

Płyta 'Amore E Acciaio' będąca projektem z pogranicza klasyki i muzyki tradycyjnej jest o potędze miłości, jej nieprzemijalności.

Artystyczna mądrość i dojrzałość Lucilli pozwalają jej na takie posługiwanie się głosem, że włoskie pieśni opowiadające o miłości, miłości intensywnej, pełnej gwałtowności, namiętności i zazdrości, czasami bezmyślnej, bez pamięci o konsekwencjach w jej wykonaniu po prostu porywają.

Kompozycje przypominające te z płyty 'La Tarantella (Antidotum Tarantulae)', rytmiczny wigor i zapierająca dech swoboda i wirtuozeria muzyków, atmosfera jazzowego jam session i zarazem folkowej biesiady tworzą piękno prawdziwe, pełne i doskonałe.
autor: Tomasz Konwent

Eugenio Colombo

Editor's info:
A restless devotee of many musical languages and the able organizer of musical performances, Eugenio Colombo has involved in this effort -- in addition to the director and the instrumentalists of the Band of Clusone -- several soloists intensely active in the world of jazz and experimental music: Antonio Balsamo, Ettore Fioravanti, Pino Minafra, Giancarlo Schiaffini and Luca Spagnoletti. The musical pieces composed by Eugenio Colombo explore and enhance the Band's quality of sound and expressive possibilities, even while paying homage to the cultural context and allowing the soloists to express themselves upon a richer musical fabric. The project was intended to confront the experience and the meaning of the Band's very existence (. . . to educate and delight. . . ) through an original repertory strongly influenced by the world of jazz and by the European avant-garde. The pieces in Sonora Sorgente are basically performed in the manner of the historic 'concerto grosso': the role of the so-called 'concertino' (a group of soloists) is sustained by the improvisers and by that of the 'whole' from within the body of the band itself. To give substance to this original project as conceived by Eugenio Colombo, the Associazione Clusone Jazz has furthered its production with the following personnel: Eugenio Colombo in the position of composer and artistic director of the event and the 50 members of the Banda Cittadina Giovanni Legrenzi of Clusone as performers of the entire repertory, with the enriched execution of the soloist improvisers. In addition to the 1988 tour and participation in the Europa Jazz Festival at Noci in 1989, the Sorgente Sonora project was recorded on a disc in Clusone on 30 April 1988 in collaboration with the Europe Jazz Network and RAI-Audio Box.

Rapoon

Opis Wydawcy:
Każdy fan post-industrialu darzy szacunkiem zespół Zoviet France. Wszyscy fani zespołu znają dokonania jednego z liderów tej legendarnej formacji.
Robin Storey, bo o nim mowa, tworzy od lat pod szyldem Rapoon. Publikuje w tak uznanych wytwórniach jak Relapse, Soleilmoon, Staalplaat, Manifold. Najnowszy album projektu publikujemy w VIVO RECORDS. Tribal-ambient, post-industrial, drone music dla wtajemniczonych.

Teiji Ito

Editor's info:
The fifth CD in Tzadik's initiative to make available the music of Teiji Ito presents his undisputed masterpiece Watermill. Created in 1971 for the controversial ballet by Jerome Robbins and named for the town on Long Island where Robbins had a peaceful country home, Teiji draws upon Chinese, Tibetan, African, Native American and Japanese ceremonies in creating what many consider his most profound compositional achievement. Based on the ideas of cycles-years, moons, ages and seasons, Watermill is brilliantly brought to life by Teiji colleague Steve Gorn and a brilliant ensemble that includes Teiji's daughter Tavia Ito. This is music of deep spirituality composed by a pioneer of the New York Underground who is finally getting the recognition he has long deserved.

Medeski, Martin & Wood

multikulti.com:
To bez wątpienia najbardziej przebojowa płyta z zornowskiego cyklu 'The Book of Angels'. XXI księga przynosi interpretacje tria Medeski, Martin & Wood. Nie przez przypadek użyłem tutaj określenia 'przebojowa', przecież to trio miało być obok brytyjskiego US3 flagowym okrętem w muzycznej flocie wytwórni Blue Note. I tak też było przez siedem lat, podczas których wydali pięć premierowych albumów plus podsumowującą współpracę kompilację.
Nie czas na przywoływanie rozlicznych ocen, czasami skrajnych, z jakimi spotykały się kolejne ich płyty, jedno jest pewne, trio stworzyło własny, rozpoznawalny styl, ta niezwykła fuzja stylów i rozwiązań dźwiękowych, barwowych wyniosła ich na szczyty popularności nie tylko jazzowej publiczności.
Z kronikarskiego obowiązku dodam, że Medeski, Martin & Wood na płycie 'Unknown Masada' z 2003 grali już jedną kompozycję Johna Zorna, zresztą nadzwyczaj udanie.
Tym razem otrzymujemy cały album wypełniony utworami słynnego nowojorczyka.
Na początek grany z atomową energią 'Zagzagel', następnie kołyszący 'Sefrial', kolejny to energetyczny 'Agmatia' z mocno przetworzonymi brzmieniowo organami. . .
Na koniec prawdziwe rarytasy, przedostatni to 12-minutowy, mistyczno-majestatyczny 'Malach ha-Sopher', takiego Medeski, Martin & Wood jeszcze nie znacie.
I na koniec mieniąca się wieloma kolorami 'Tutrusa'i', John Medeski na klasycznym fortepianie z towarzyszeniem obu kolegów prezentują się znakomicie, transowa rytmika i punktowe, fortepianowe preparacje sprawiają, że płytę z bólem serca wyciąga się z odtwarzacza.
Jak mówi perkusista Billy Martin: 'cały sukces zespołu to, to, że podziwiamy się nawzajem, stanowimy rodzinę i jesteśmy po prostu przyjaciółmi, którzy uwielbiają improwizację, dobrą zabawę i eksperymenty muzyczne'.
Płyta 'Zaebos' potwierdza te słowa!
autor: Krzysztof Szamot

Gazeta Wyborcza; 31/10/2008 :
Interpretacji ''Księgi Aniołów'' Johna Zorna próbowało już wielu: Eric Friedlander, Mark Feldman, Jamie Saft, Masada String Trio, a także nasz The Cracow Klezmer Band. Teraz wyzwanie podjęło trio genialnych improwizatorów Medeski, Martin & Wood.

Zespół zasłynął dzięki udanym połączeniom tradycyjnego soul jazzu lat 50. i 60. z elementami muzyki klubowej. I właśnie te doświadczenia przenosi na muzykę nowojorskiego enfant terrible. Robi to energicznie, ale też ze smakiem. I już w otwierającym album ''Zagzagelu'' zapowiada prawdziwie ostrą jazdę. Rozwibrowane klawisze Johna Medeskiego, przytłaczająca gęstością brzmienia perkusja Billy'ego Martina oraz transowy bas Chrisa Wooda śrubują emocje do granicy możliwości. To jedno z najlepszych nagrań zornowskiej ''Księgi Aniołów''.
autor: Tomasz Handzlik


Editor's info:
The long awaited release of Medeski Martin and Wood performing Masada material is finally available and it is one of their tightest and most imaginative CDs ever! Playing to packed houses from Budokan to Bonaroo and back again, MMW is one of the most popular and vibrant modern instrumental ensembles around. Original members of the earliest Masada family units (reaching back to 1993), they are keenly in tune with Zorn's musical world, and a natural choice to interpret the lyrical Book of Angels. Returning to the fold like three prodigal sons, they have created twelve exhilarating arrangements that alternately groove, loop, shred and burn with a fiery passion.


All About Jazz:
Composer John Zorn has entered what could cautiously be referred to as his mature period. His early game pieces have given way to neoclassical works heavily influenced by modernists such as Boulez, Ligeti and Xenakis, while his Hassidic-inspired Masada projects have gained him unprecedented mainstream popularity. Masada has roots deeper than its recorded history however; before the original acoustic Masada quartet, there was the Thieves Quartet.

Zorn's score for Joel Chappelle's 1994 film noir, Thieves Quartet, utilized the same line-up that would eventually become known as Masada. On subsequent tours, that small, but talented roster occasionally included John Medeski and Billy Martin.

The Book of Angels, Zorn's second book of Masada tunes, has been a continuing source of inspiration for the composer and his legion of interpreters. On Zaebos: The Book of Angels Vol. 11, Medeski, Martin & Wood's intimate understanding of Zorn's working method lends their interpretations of these sturdily crafted tunes an air of cleverly inspired authority.

Embracing a wealth of genres, instrumental combinations and stylistic detours, the veteran trio brings their signature sound to this melodically distinctive body of work; the end result is one of their most satisfyingly diverse efforts.

Dispensing with preconceived boundaries, the trio ranges far and wide across the spectrum of available sound. ''Rifion'' utilizes classic swinging piano trio dynamics, complete with brief detours into outside playing. ''Malach ha-Sopher'' unveils a moody, haunting tone poem, while ''Jeduthun'' adopts the stunning silences, harsh angularity and pneumatic rhythms of Zorn's own jump-cut/collage oriented approach towards popular music.

Plugged-in, the trio burns white-hot as they careen through the whiplash frenzy of ''Zagzagel'' and the propulsive anthem ''Vianuel.'' Medeski's vintage analog keyboards squeal and sputter, Wood ferrets out subterranean reverberations from a fuzz-toned electric bass and Martin kicks out thorny polyrhythms as the trio basks in waves of distortion and electronic sustain.

Covering familiar ground, ''Agmatia'' and ''Chafriel'' ride groovy, modal melodies driven by swirling organ washes, hypnotic bass lines and snappy shuffle rhythms. Revealing their longstanding rapport, they invest the oblique angles of ''Ahaij'' with a string of inventive solos and edgy interplay.

Maximizing the gorgeous melodic potential of Zorn's writing, ''Sefrial'' and ''Asaliah'' recall the dreamy exotica of the composer's lounge-inspired ensemble, The Gift, as kaleidoscopic keyboard washes, languorous bass pulses and spare trap set ruminations expand with cinematic atmosphere.

Zaebos is a homecoming of sorts for both Zorn and the Brooklyn-based trio. An endlessly rewarding listen, this session is one of Medeski, Martin & Wood's most varied and enjoyable releases, and one of the most commanding interpretations of the Book of Angels.
By Troy Collins


freejazz-stef.blogspot.com; ratings: * * * 1/2:
Is it excellent? Hmm, not really. Is it bad? Hmm, not really. I would say that it's just good. True, I'm a great fan of the Book Of Angels series, and I must admit that MMW is not really my style. I've seen them perform, and their musicianship is beyond question. I have several of their records, but I lost interest with ''The Dropper'', and although they were creative enough to create their own substyle of iconoclastic rock-jazz funky organ trio, they were kind of stuck in it, trying to wriggle out of their self-created format, but not really successfully, I think. Some tunes are brilliant, such as ''Malach Ha-Sopher'', which is dark, with a bass clarinet (?) carrying the melody, or ''Sefrial'', on which Medeski demonstrates some unusual restraint, creating a bluesy klezmer melody out of single notes instead of creating his usual high energy avalanches of multiple keyboard swoops, and this to great effect. ''Asaliah'' is great too, maybe because it's slow too, and creating the kind of kabbalistic darkness and dread, sauced with a tinge of melancholy that is the hallmark of the Book Of Angels series. Medeski switches to piano on some tracks, and that doesn't quite work as well as Jamie Saft's approach to the ''Book''. Other tracks are just plain uninteresting, such as ''Chafriel'', on wich the keyboard plays around the usual klezmer scale with the drums sounding awfully cheap, despite Martin's obvious skills. I think MMW has done better things than this, and if you're new to the ''Book Of Angels'' series, there are other albums which are clearly of a much higher level, but it's OK, it has its great moments, but that's about it. Considering that Zaebos is the demon, the grand count of the infernal regions, half human, half crocodile, who governs the 30 legions of spirits, what menace and doom could have been conveyed here, if only there was a little more unity and coherence . . .
by Stef

Anthony Braxton / Milford Graves / William Parker

multikulti.com:
Pierwsza płyta Anthony'ego Braxtona dla wytwórnii Tzadik to również pierwsze jego muzyczne potkanie z dwoma innymi legendami jazzowej sceny - Williamem Parkerem i Milfordem Graves'em. To także jedna z nielicznych jego płyt gdzie gra on w pełni free, nic wczesniej nie komponując. Muzyka na płycie to siedemdziesiąt minut ekstatycznej improwizacji - muzycy nie oszczędzają tu ani siebie, ani swoich słuchaczy. Znakomita płyta i na pewno jeden z najciekawszych free jazzowych albumów w 2008 roku!

diapazon.pl; 2008-10
''. . . Nazwiska Braxton i Parker z miejsca zapewniają ''Beyond Quantum'' zainteresowanie jazzowych afficionados. Wybitny saksofonista, jeden z największych innowatorów współczesnej muzyki i basista, o którym powiedzieć ''wybitny'' byłoby eufemizmem, działają na fanów free jazzu jak lep na muchy. Ale pole position wywalczone przez lata działalności artystycznej przez Williama Parkera i Anthony'ego Braxtona daje im, co najwyżej, fory na początku. Na końcowy sukces muszą zapracować sami. I robią to, pokładane nadzieje spełniając z nawiązką.
W tym nieco apologetycznym wprowadzeniu zabrakło jednej trzeciej składu: perkusjonalisty Milforda Gravesa. Nie przypadkowo, bo jego gra to temat na osobny wątek. Były współpracownik Alberta Aylera stosuje rytm nie tylko podczas nagrywania płyt, ale też w specyficznej muzycznej terapii, głównie przy użyciu hinduskiej techniki Unani. Metoda ma za zadanie wyczuć puls pacjenta i dopasować doń jego własny, indywidualny rytm. Brzmi to raczej jak szarlatanizm par excellence, ale na szczęście nie jesteśmy przedmiotem kuracji, a podmiotem estetycznym. Gdyby jednak bębnienie Gravesa na ''Beyond. . . '' komuś pomogło, np.. Pozbyć się czkawki, niech da znać na adres Diapazonu.
Całkiem poważnie: polirytmiczna, ataktyczna gra perkusji Gravesa to olbrzymi walor nagranego w studiu Billa Laswella wydawnictwa. Graves nie tworzy figur rytmicznych o wyraźnych rysach, perkusja pulsuje, ale nie jest to standardowe metrum, nie ma tu tradycyjnej synkopy. Przez ponad godzinę bębniarz intuicyjnie podąża za kolegami, starając się każdy takt, każdy beat inaczej zaakcentować, urozmaicać barwę płyty. Dlatego wykładowca Bennington College gra z częstym wykorzystaniem dzwonków i rantów bębnów, pałeczek z otulinami i szczoteczek oraz przypuszczalnie dłoni. W każdym razie stara się uciec od sztampy i nie brzmieć jak rasowy jazz drummer, a nie ulega wątpliwości, że mógłby, gdyby tylko chciał - tak dobrą ma technikę. Summa summarum - można zaryzykować twierdzenie, że gdyby z krążka usunąć partie kolegów i zostawić same bębny, to i tak byłoby ciekawie.
Momentami Graves przypomina nieco Rashida Aliego, ale jeden wpływ jest tak wyraźny, że nie do przeoczenia: Afryka z jej żarem i pierwotną energią. Czarny Kontynent to zresztą lejtmotyw całego albumu, co widoczne jest w prawie każdym momencie, np.. W ''Drugim spotkaniu'', które otwiera się niepokojącym popisem wokalnym Gravesa. Pierwsze skojarzenie to zaśpiewy o afrykańskiej, transowej, rytualnej proweniencji. . . ''
[Paweł Franczak]
pełny tekst recenzji dostępny na diapazon.pl


Audio Video; 2008-11
''. . . Oto jedna z żelaznych kandydatek do tytułu płyty roku. Jest to zapis studyjnej sesji podczas której po raz pierwszy w historii zagrali razem trzej giganci awangardowego jazzu: Anthony Braxton, Wiliam Parker i Milford Graves. Jest to równocześnie jedna z niewielu płyt na których Braxton gra zupełnie free, nie stosując wizualnych partytur, graficznych symboli ani jakichkolwiek sposobów muzycznej notacji - wychodzi i gra. Nie ma tu chwili przestoju - trzech szaleńców napędza się wzajemnie i na chwilkę nawet nie zwalnia. Gdy Braxton zaczyna utwór niemal balladowego sola (''Second Meeting'') pozostała dwójka natychmiast przyspiesza; gdy Graves śpiewem nadaje muzyce bardziej rytualny charakter - Braxton tnie ostrą jak brzytwa, szaloną solówką. Rewelacyjne nagranie. . . ''


Editor's info:
Anthony Braxton, Milford Graves and William Parker are quite literally three of the most important virtuoso instrumentalists in new music, each a vivid conceptualist as well an influential composer / performer. This intense improvisational outing features them at their best: excited, inspired and in complete communication. Recorded and mixed by musical alchemist Bill Laswell, sparks fly in this important and historic meeting of creative music masters.

John Zorn

Brand Magazyn
Franz Kafka, Izaak Babel, Izaak Bashevis Singer i Sholem Aleichem to najwybitniejsi żydowscy pisarze z diaspory. Temu ostatniemu poświęcił swój film Joseph Dorman. Dla wielu nazwisko Sholema Aleichema pozostaje raczej nieznane, choć to on właśnie jest autorem opowiadania 'Tevye the Milkman', na podstawie którego powstał musical 'Fiddler on the Roof'.
Urodzony na terenie dzisiejszej Ukrainy Aleichem w swoich książkach prezentuje ten wyjątkowy punkt widzenia Żyda-outsidera, wynikający z doświadczenia życia zarówno wewnątrz, jak i na zewnątrz wspólnoty.
Być moża właśnie to doświadczenie jest podstawą żydowskiego humoru, służącego jako medium dla przekazywania uczuć.
Wspaniale się stało, że Joseph Dorman zwrócił się do Johna Zorna z propozycją współpracy.
Parafrazując niezapomniane sformułowanie Tewje mleczarza 'z jednej strony' płyta ta bez wątpienia jest kontynuacją kompozytorskiego zamysłu ostatnich części 'Filmworks', raczej muzyki 'bezkantowej', 'z drugiej strony' jednak jest inna niż poprzednie, choćby przez fakt włączenia do instrumentalnego składu harfy [Carol Emanuel], której brzmienie wyznacza charakter wielu utworów ['Mamme Loshen', 'Beyond The Pale', 'Mekubolim', Portable Homeland' i 'Lucky Me ].
'Z trzeciej strony' supergrupa Masada String Trio [Mark Feldman, Erik Friedlander, Greg Cohen] i akoredonista Rob Burger wielokrotnie już byli wykonawcami koronkowych kompozycji Zorna.
Ilość stron jest oczywiście nieograniczona, pewne jest jednak to, że Zornowi wciąż udaje się komponować w pełni autonomiczną muzykę [do której znajduje idealnych wykonawców], dzięki której tworzy się ten szczególny rodzaj intymności, będący znakiem rozpoznawczym 'Prac filmowych' Johna Zorna.
Zatem podwójne podziękowania należą się autorowi filmu za przypomnienie nam postaci Sholema Aleichema i Johnowi Zornowi za iście królewską ucztę muzyczną!
autor: Tomasz Konwent


Editor's info:
This twentieth volume of John Zorn's exciting FilmWorks series features the fabulous accordionist Rob Burger and harpist Carol Emanuel accompanied by the world acclaimed Masada String Trio performing music for a documentary on the 19th century Jewish writer Sholem Aleichem. Known primarily for the Tevye stories that inspired Fiddler on the Roof, Aleichem wrote tales in Russian, Hebrew and Yiddish that have a dark subtext reminiscent of Kafka and Poe. Avoiding overt klezmer references, Zorn's score both breaks with and draws upon tradition, dramatizing the writer's life and work with lyricism, orchestral color and a keen sense of irony and black humor.

Berangere Maximin

Editor's info:
Berangere was born on the remote French colonial island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean and moved to France at the age of sixteen. A resident of Paris since 2002, she has performed as a singer in rock and world music bands and also studied electroacoustic music with Denis Dufour at Perpignan conservatory. Working out of her own Home Sweet Home Studio in Paris, her work is seductive and beautiful. This, her debut CD presents six environmental landscapes that pull you in and hold your attention with a keen sense of detail and subtle sense of surprise.

Yoshie Fruchter

multikulti.com:
To nagranie oferuje sporo wrażeń zwłaszcza tym, którym nazwisko Yoshie Fruchter niewiele mówi. To debiut płytowy młodego gitarzysty i kompozytora, urodzonego na nowojorskim Brooklynie. To płyta niejazzowa - próżno bowiem szukać choćby elementów swingu. Z jazzu pozostała tylko improwizacja. Najkrócej można powiedzieć, iż rockowa awangarda spotyka żydowską tradycję muzyczną. Wyraźnie słychać tu fascynajce i wpływy dokonaniami Franka Zappy i Sonic Youth, ale również zornowskiej Masady. Fruchterowi towarzyszy świetna rytmiczna sekcja: Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz i Kevin Zubek, znani głównie z tria Satlach, ale także z płyty Chinatown wydanej nakładem krakowskiej oficyny Not Two. Mroczne brzmienie basu i elektrycznej gitary oraz porządny perkusyjny łomot rozświetlają tylko skrzypce i altówka Jeremy Browna - rzadko jednak odwołującej się do żydowskiej tradycji - czasem w grze Browna pobrzmiewają fascynacje muzyką orientalną, czasem wręcz country. Judaistyczny element to zasługa kompozycji lidera opartych o charakterystyczne żydowskie skale. Mocne, energetyczne granie dla zainteresowanych rockową awangardą, ale także wciąż żywą żydowską muzyczną tradycją.

Editor's info:
Avant-garde rock meets the Jewish tradition in Pitom, a shredding Jewish instrumental band led by Yoshie Fruchter. Born in D.C. and now living in Brooklyn, Yoshie combines influences from Frank Zappa, Sonic Youth and Masada into a rocking band performing catchy, hooky compositions that both pay tribute to and challenge its heritage. Recorded and mixed at the studio of legendary musical terrorist Bill Laswell, Pitom is a hard-edged new addition to the legacy of Radical Jewish Culture.

Peter Garland

Editor's info:
This historic release presents the first recordings of the early music of Peter Garland, one of the most personal voices in the second generation of west coast minimalists. Drawing inspiration from Native American and Mexican ritual music, Peter creates beautiful and lyrical sonic portraits. This long out of print masterpiece, considered by many to be Peter's greatest recording, was originally released in 1989 on WhatNext? as Border Music and is supplemented here by rare live recordings from the same period. Featuring new expanded notes by the composer and rare photos from the period, this is the definitive document of an American experimental classic.

Maryanne Amacher

Editor's info:
One of contemporary music's greatest and most elusive mavericks returns to Tzadik with yet another CD of ear bending electronic sounds. A student of Stockhausen and close collaborator of John Cage and David Behrman, Amacher has been creating acoustic art, electronic soundscapes and site-specific installation work since 1967. A new CD of Amacher compositions is a true cause for celebration and Teo! Is one of her greatest works. The winner of Prix Ars Electronica in the Digital Musics category, Teo! premiered in the Esplanade of the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and is a collaboration with scientists at the Sun Pyramid of Teotihuacan. An absolutely stunning electronic masterpiece!

Paola Prestini

Editor's info:
Paola Prestini is a brilliant young composer born in Italy and raised in Mexico. A graduate of Julliard, she is the founder and director of the award-winning interdisciplinary performing collective VisionIntoArt. Her work is sensual and heartfelt, touching upon minimalism, film soundtracks and the American avant-garde tradition. Her first cd presents a stunning group of compositions for multiple celli, voices and percussion, clarinets, electronics, a moody piece for solo piano and a new work composed expressly for this release. Absolutely beautiful music by a fresh young compositional voice!

Anthony Pateras

Editor's info:
Anthony Pateras is a composer/performer based in Melbourne who is as comfortable writing for full orchestra as he is performing in intimate improvisational groupings. Pateras represents the best in the new generation of musicians combining the spontaneity of improvisation with the formal logic of composition and for his second Tzadik CD he has chosen an eclectic mix of ensemble pieces that blend instrumental virtuosity and electro acoustic sonorities in startling new ways. Sound, texture and surprise from this marvelous new voice from Australia.

Matt & Kim

Editor's info:
Matt & Kim are a girl/boy duo from Brooklyn, USA commonly described as the ´happiest couple in indie-pop´. With Matt on keys and Kim on drums they make one hell of a high energy racket and have been thrilling audiences worldwide since 2005. Yea Yeah - the first single from their eponymous album has already been a huge internet hit in the US with the video attracting 300,000 plays as of February 2008. Released in Europe on Norwegian label Tellé Records on February 11th the song has already been Single of The Week in The Guardian (Jan 19th). Remixed by up and coming Chicago djs Flosstradamus the B-side is a exhilerating mix of retro raver references and bouncy Baltimore beats. Matt & Kim have already played a veritable legion of festivals including two shows at Lollapalooza , Oya(Norway) and a frankly disturbing 7 shows at SXSW - all in 2007. The band will embark on their first fullscale European tour in April/May 2008 in support of the release of their debut album on Tellé Records. Tracklist: 1. It´s a fact, 2. Dash after dash, 3. Yea Yeah, 4. R ok?, 5. No more long years, 6. 5K, 7.Grand, 8. Frank, 9. Someday, 10. Lig

Rubies

Editor's info:
Rubies are an extremely well connected female duo based in San Francisco. Their music has been described as bedroom disco crossed with danceable folk and comparisons can be drawn with both Kings of Convenience and Whitest Boy Alive which is perhaps no coincidence as Eirik Glambeck Boe provides guest vocals on their debut album Explode From The Centre which is out now Norwegian label Tellé Records.Tracklist 1. Room Without a Key, 2. Too Bright, 3. Sings of Love, 4. I Feel Electric, 5. Turquoise, 6. Stand in a Line, 7. Diamonds on Fire, 8. Silver Mornings, 9. The truth and the Lie

Familjen

Editor's info:
A veritable ton of good electronic bands and artists have come out of Scandinavia in the last few years with Röyksopp, Annie, The Knife, Lindström, Kleerup, and Robin representing the tip of a snow-decked iceberg. But never in our more than 10-year history as a record label and dj duo have we seen such a reaction as when we play Swedish artist Familjen at our clubnights in Bergen, Oslo, Stockholm and London. Indie girls and electro boys alike jump, scream and wiggle to tracks like 'Det Snurrar i min Skalle' and 'Kom Säger dom' - without fail the highlight of the evening. Familjen is the name used for the solo electronic music project of Johan T Karlsson. Hailing from Hässleholm, now living in Stockholm Johan writes all the music and lyrics, plays all instruments, sings and produces. Live he is joined by fellow electronic artist and internationally reknowned dj Andreas Tilliander,. This year's new star in the Scandinavian indie-dance constellation, Familjen produces music which draws references to artists such as Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Underworld, with clear roots in the Madchester-wave from late 80s, early 90s mixed together with 90s dance and future orientated electronic pop. The result is acid-house, meeting indierock with lyrics delivered in the unique skansk dialect (think Bob Hund and Timbuktu) just as suited to home listening as to a night out in one of Scandinavia's hippest nightclubs. In January/February Familjen have been warming up for fellow Swedes KENT on a 30-date sold out tour ( over 100,000 tickets sold), which has rounded off a hectic year of concerts over the whole Nordic region. Tellé Records is proud to start 2008 by releasing Familjen´s jawdroppingly good debut single ´Det Snurrar i Min Skalle´ (Tr. It´s Spinning in My Head) with a music video for the same song which managed to win a Swedish Grammy before it was ever shown on television on the strength of a remarkable 435,000 plays on youtube . The single has already been played on BBC Radio 6 and the video was in Pitchforks Top 50 videos of 2007. Tracklist: 1. Nu händer det igen, 2. Det lilla livet, 3. Det snurrar i min skalle, 4. Det vet du, 5. Nan Gang, 6.Hög luft, 7. Huvudet i sanden, 8. Kom säger dom, 9. Förste sista, 10. Vad du vill

Kenny Werner / Jens Sondergaard duo

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Pomimo tego, że pod szyldem ballada jazzowa powstaje dzisiaj całkiem sporo nagrań, taka płyta jak ta to rzadkość. To co urzeka już po pierwszym przesłuchaniu, to liryzm i spokój, subtelny nastrój jazzowej siesty, jednak do spania jest całkiem daleko. Wiele balladowych nagrań skrojonych pod zmęczonego codziennością odbiorcy po prostu nudzi, usypia. Takie płyty jak ta, swingujące ciepłym, ludzkim swingiem, uwodzące delikatnym akordem fortepianu, ciepłym dźwiękiem saksofonu pozwalają uwierzyć, że duety fortepianowo-saksofonowe powstające nie na zapotrzebowanie rynkowe potrafią nadal zachwycać.
Duetowe granie to prawdziwa próba ognia dla muzyków jazzowych, taki mały skład to jakby granie pod szkłem powiększającym. Z tej próby muzycy wychodzą obronną ręką. A trzeba powiedzieć, że są to nie bylejacy muzycy: Kenny Werner to obok Kenny Barrona jeden z najciekawszych pianistów jazzowego środka, lista współpracowników budzi prawdziwy podziw: Archie Shepp, Toots Thielemans, Lee Konitz, Joe Henderson, Bobby McFerrin, Stan Getz, Michael Brecker, Dizzy Gillespie, Ron Carter czy Keny Wheeler.
W jednej z recenzji płyty Kenny Wernera nasz rodzimy pianista Bogdan Hołownia wspominając czasy swoich studiów w Berklee Collage of Music, gdzie wykładowcą był właśnie Werner, zwracał uwagę na głęboką wiedzę teoretyczną pianisty i wspaniałą koncepcję grania w trio. ''Pamiętam, że długo myślałem nad wszystkim, o czym mówił Kenny Werner i zaniechałem pogoni za rozwikływaniem złożonych struktur harmonicznych, a zająłem się wyłącznie nutami prostymi i oczywistymi. Tyle, że podczas ćwiczenia zauważyłem, iż to co proste i oczywiste w głowie, ogromnie trudno zagrać na fortepianie!''.
Któż zatem jak nie mistrz ''nut prostych i oczywistych'', którym bez wątpienia jest Werner potrafi zachwycić swoją grą w małych składach ?.
Jens Sondergaard to jeden z filarów jazzowej sceny w Danii, wielokrotny członek big bandów i mniejszych składów, w wywiadach często powołuje się na Arta Peppera i Lee Konitza, a to najlepsze rekomendacje.
Osiem nieśmiertelnych standardów z Great American Songbook [z '''Round Midnight'' Monka, ''Lover Man'' Ramireza, ''Over The Rainbow'' Arlena czy ''But Beautiful'' Van Heusena], stroniąc od jazzowego sentymentalizmu w przemyślany sposób tworzy ujmującą bezpretensonalnym wdziękiem opowieść, warto jej posłuchać.
autor: Tomasz Konwent



Editor's info:

There were no long, tedious days of rehearsals prior to the session when the Danish saxophonist Jens Sondergaard and American pianist Kenny Werner recorded around 15 ballads from the Great American Songbook. No more than two takes of each tune - if the magic was there, they may as well move on. And the magic most certainly was there, when the two seasoned musicians met at Copenhagen's Sun Studios; a magic that enabled both players to perform with ease. Jens Sondergaard's main instrument is the alto, but he also plays baritone and clarinet. He masters his idiom of expression and allows the inspiration of the moment to carry him. Kenny Werner is an awe-inspiring pianist - supersensitive and reflective. He seems to master everything, weaving an extremely beautiful tapestry of notes as a backdrop for the lyrical horn-player. This is how experienced and insightful jazz musicians find each other; this is how the ego is neutralized - a wonderful and elegant recording, lyrical and romantic.
Copenhagen was first introduced to Kenny Werner in the '80s, when he visited as part of saxophonist Archie Shepp's quartet. Since then, he returned many times, often to play with Danish drummer Alex Riel's trio (listen to the Stunt release 'Celebration'), but also to see his sax-playing dentist Jens Sondergaard! They played together informally on several occasions, and finally a recording date was arranged. This is the happy result.
Kenny Werner (b.1951) is a musician's musician who impresses equally as a solo pianist, in trio format or with horns. He has been active as a musician, composer and teacher since the '70s. In the 1980s he joined Archie Shepp's quartet, and in 1984 he became a key member of Mel Lewis' orchestra. Since then, he has played at home and abroad with an impressive list of musicians, always cherished for his sublime and attentive musicality and enormous technical abilities as well as for his talent as an arranger for big bands. The list includes Toots Thielmans, Lee Konitz, Joe Henderson, Bob Brookmeyer, Tom Harrell, Kenny Wheeler, Eddie Henderson, Ron Carter, Michael Brecker, Dave Holland, Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette, Billy Hart, Bobby McFerrin, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Elvin Jones, and Joe Lovano. He appears on the Stunt releases 'Relatin', The Riel Deal' and 'Celebration' with Alex Riel, Michael Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi and Mike Stern. His latest release is for Blue Note.
Jens Sondergaard (b.1945) has been active on the Danish jazz scene for over 40 years in big bands and small combos, as a sideman and bandleader. His main influences are Art Pepper and Lee Konitz. He has often worked - and also recorded - with Konitz. His previous album, the critically acclaimed 'More Pepper' is from 2007 and also released on Stunt Records.

Kaya Brüel with Jacob Christoffersen trio

multikulti.com
Od aktorstwa do wykonywania muzyki, taka drogę przeszło wielu artystów, wystarczy wymienić Franka Sinatrę, Woody'ego Allena, Marlenę Dietrich czy ostatnio Scarlett Johansson.
Kaya Brüel, ceniona aktorka od lat już flirtuje z jazzem, trzeba dodać, że robi to z sukcesem. Jej płyta 'The Love List', do której nagrania zaprosiła młode lwy skandynawskiej sceny jazzowej - Jacob Christoffersen trio, potwierdza, że to dobra decyzja.
Jedenaście jazzowych piosenek, zaśpiewała z wdziękiem i wielką kulturą muzyczną, nie ma w tym 'parcia na szkło' ani koniunkturalizmu. Kaya Brüel pokazuje, że aktorstwo może inspirować, popychać do zjawiskowych działań artystycznych, niekoniecznie opierających się na szokowaniu publiczności.


Audio Video; 2008-11
''. . . Jazzowa wokalistyka stała się już od dawna workiem, w którym obok klasycznych gwiazd pokroju Elli Fitzgerald czy Niny Simone lądują gwiazdki w typie Ives Mendez z jazzem zaiste nie mające nic wspólnego - to pop, który producenci starają się nobilitować na siłę klasyfikując do jazzu. Kaya Bruel jest gdzieś pośrodku - świetnie potrafi frazować, ale napięcie i emocje buduje bardziej w stylu popularnych gwiazd: uwodzi i flirtuje ze słuchaczem, co świetnie ułatwia znakomite trio Jacob'a Christoffersona towarzyszące artystce. Jeżeli ktoś lubi współczesną wokalistykę - powinien koniecznie sięgnąć po tę płytę. . . ''

Gazeta Wyborcza2008-11-27:
Śpiewających aktorów było już wielu - dość wspomnieć Franka Sinatrę, Marlenę Dietrich czy wykonującą ostatnio przeboje Waitsa Scarlett Johansson. Ceniona aktorka Kaya Brüel z jazzem flirtuje już od lat i robi to dość zgrabnie. Dowodem jej najnowsza płyta, na której znajdziemy oprócz piosenek własnych kilka utworów Waitsa, nieśmiertelną balladę ''My Funny Valentine''. Na szczęście nie sili się na wymyślne, zmanierowane interpretacje. Jest naturalna i subtelna. Ale największy plus to towarzyszący wokalistce zespół - trio Jacoba Christoffersona, czyli młode lwy ze Skandynawii. . . ''
[Tomasz Handzlik]

Editor's info:

With 'The Love List', her first release for adults since 1999, Kaya Brüel takes status of where she stands right now. This collection features songs that she has brought with her from various places and stages in her personal life and career: Originals, jazz standards, the title track from the movie 'Veninder' - and songs written with Kaya in mind by Tom Waits for the play 'Woycek', which toured all over the world.

An extensive career
Kaya Brüel is an actress and vocalist. At present she is active in both fields; playing Ingeborg in the musical Matador to open May 17th in Copenhagen's Opera House, and releasing a new album. Previously, she has recorded for both children and adults, but this is her first selection of jazz songs. She explains, 'After many years as an actor in music theater, singing tunes others have chosen exactly the way they feel, they should be sung, it became essential for me to create an album all my own.' The personal approach is apparent in her interpretations of the songs from Woycek: In the play, Tom Waits had very clear ideas of how he wanted the songs to be performed. Now we hear Kaya interpret them rather than her character in the play.

An old-fashioned recording
The whole album was recorded in a few days, everything at the same time. The idea was to choose the take with the right feeling. In other words, Kaya's new CD is a good old-fashioned record. 'Recording like this, the musicians and vocalist follow each other. If I pause for a second to take a breath, the musicians automatically respond, and it becomes part of the music. We accompany each other through the tunes, and feel the same joy of playing together, that one experiences on stage', says Kaya, who hopes that this joy will reach out of the speakers.

It runs in the family
Kaya Brüel has music in her genes. Her mother and aunt, Sanne and Rebecca Brüel, are well-known Danish songwriters, musicians and singers, and her grandparents and great-grandparents were composers and performers. Kaya has recorded a CD of her great-grandfather's songs for children, 'Jeg fandt en sang pa vejen'.

This album shows Kaya Brüel following in the footsteps of one ancestor in particular. Those of her grandmother, Birgit Brüel, Denmark's perhaps most acclaimed and famous jazz vocalist, recently re-released on two CD's. Kaya wishes she could play this CD for her grandmother, especially her version of 'My Funny Valentine'. When she was a teenager, Kaya sang the tune for her, and she responded by telling her granddaughter not to hesitate pursuing a career in jazz. At the time, Kaya did not feel ready, but now the time has come, 'I have the experience and insight to offer a personal interpretation', she says.

Paul Banks & Jakob Dinesen

multikulti.com:
Paul Banks, gitarzysta i wokalista balansujący na styku jazzu, folku, bluesa i gospel zabiera nas do krainy pełnej frapujących brzmień, zaskakujących akordów i niesamowitych muzycznych niespodzianek.

Na płycie celnie sekunduje jemu Jakob Dinesen, jeden z czołowych jazzmanów swojej generacji w skandynawii. Lider dwóch formacji, Beautiful Day i Once Around The Park, nagrał kilka płyt z Kurtem Rosenwinkelem, Eddie Gomezem, Nasheetem Waitsem, Paulem Motianem i Benem Streetem.

Na płycie usłyszymy jeszcze harmonijkę ustną, raczej traktowaną jazzowo niż bluesowo i dwie wokalistki, soulową Marie Fisker i jazzowa Hanne Boel.

Krążek ''Grace'' jest bardzo melodyjny, narracja prowadzona jest bardzo jasnymi, wyrazistymi akordami, zmysłowym gitarowym brzmieniem i pełną inwencji grą saksofonu tenorowego.

Muzykę na płycie cechuje nieczęste wyczucie formy, dbałość o styl i odpowiednią dramaturgię. Jesień z Banksem i Dinesenem będzie piękniejsza.
autor: Krzysztof Szamot


Editor's info:
The new Paul Banks release GRACE - with tenor saxophonist Jakob Dinesen playing on all ten tracks - is a collaboration between two distinct stylists within different genres.
This hand-played music is delivered with virtuosity, warmth and plenty of time, resulting in much more than a crossover between genres. Although the music balances on the edge of many well-known labels: folk, jazz, blues, country and gospel, the two musician's highly personal approach to their instruments create a timeless world uniquely their own. Some tunes were premeditated, others popped up on the spur of the moment.
The two backing vocalists, Hanne Boel and Marie Fisker contribute yet another twist to the stylistic framework. Boel - one of Denmark's most cherished soul vocalists for the past 25 years - and Fisker - a young, original voice - clearly enjoy each other's company and Paul's songs. Paul's son Peter plays harmonica on the title track.
A duo-collaboration is a demanding discipline, which never lets either participant off the hook for very long. It is also an art form in which simplicity is a keyword, and the ten tunes are kept in refreshingly stripped-down arrangements.
Paul Banks is a one-man-band. His guitar is the album's lyrical and grooving engine, and his vocal has never sounded better. Jakob Dinesen's tenor goes from slender translucency to raspy, growling swing. It is a perfect fit.
So this is it: Vocal, guitar and sax with a few backing vocals and a pinch of harmonica. It doesn't read as much, but these few elements come together to create a unique atmosphere in the nine songs and one instrumental included on the album. It's like being there your self.
PAUL BANKS has released 10 albums in his own name and appears as a session musician on close to 100 others. He has received quite a few awards, including a Danish Music Award for the STUNT release 'White Noise & Diamond Nights' (Best Songwriter 2001) and another for 'One Man Band Live' (Best Blues Album 2006).
JAKOB DINESEN is one of the most personal Danish saxophonists of his generation. Beautiful Day and Once Around The Park are but two groups, which have found listeners beyond usual jazz audiences. He has recorded a number of albums for STUNT Records: 'Around' (with Paul Motian and Kurt Rosenwinkel), 'Everything Will Be All Right' (with Kurt Rosenwinkel), 'Lady With A Secret' (with Eddie Gomez, Ben Besiakov and Nasheet Waits) and 'One Kiss Too Many' (with Ben Street, Jakob Brio & Nasheet Waits), 'This Is The Sound Of Music' and '#3' (with Once Around The Park).

Arnvid Meyers Orkester [featuring: Jay C. Higgenbotham / Coleman Hawkins / Ben Webster / Vic Dickenson / Don Byas / Bill Coleman / Buck Clayton / Charlie Shavers / Brew Moore / Harry Edison / Benny Carter / Roy Eldridge. . . ]

multikulti.com:
Box złożony z pięciu płyt kompaktowych, płyty DVD oraz książki dokumentuje działalność najsłynniejszego i najbardziej popularnego duńskiego bigbandu - Arnvid Meyers Orkester - na przestrzeni lat 1959-1973. W tym to okresie nagrywali oni i koncertowali z najsłynniejszymi muzykami zza oceanu, wśród których wymienić należy Jay'a C. Higgenbothama, Colemana Hawkinsa, Bena Webstera, Vica Dickensona, Dona Byasa, Billa Colemana, Bucka Claytona, Charlie Shaversa, Brew Moore'a, Harry'ego Edisona, Benny Cartera czy Roy'a Eldridge'a. Zebrane tu nagrania w większości nigdy wcześniej nie były publikowane - częściowo pochodzą z prywatnych archiwów, gdzie zostały odnalezione poczym poddano je niezwykle starannej - a tak charakterystycznej dla duńskiej oficyny - obróbce cyfrowej i masteringowi. Dzięki temu możemy znów podziwiać brzmienie Arnvid Meyers Orkester w pełnej krasie.


Editor's info:
Arnvid Meyer BOX: Book + 5 CDs + 1 DVD Arnvid Meyer's Orcehstra 1959-1973, featuring Jay C. Higginbotham, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Vic Dickenson, Don Byas, Bill Coleman, Buck Clayton, Charlie Shavers, Brew Moore, Harry Edison, Benny Carter & Roy Eldridge.

Arnvid Meyer's Orchestra was one of Denmark's leading jazz bands from 1959 to 1973. Respected critics have stated that no Danish swing band has ever reached the same musical level. The deep swing of the orchestra's ensemble playing and the solid, steady work of the rhythm section provided a perfect backdrop for the soloists.

Despite a massive impact on the numerous Danish venues of the period, until now, the band has been documented on only two rare LPs. This luxurious box set amply corrects the situation, while also serving as weighty historical documentation of an important period in Danish jazz music.

Five CDs.
This exclusive collection provides over five hours of music, taking the listener back to Boris Rabinowitsch's Beboppers and Torben Ulrich's Blue Note Jazz Band - respectively John Darville's and Arnvid Meyer's first groups.

However, the majority of the playing time features Arnvid Meyer's Orchestra with or without its many legendary soloists, on private, studio, and Danish Broadcasting Corporation recordings. Many of these recordings have gone the rounds among collectors - often in poor copies - but now all have been carefully edited and mastered for noise reduction. Fortunately, the sound on over half of these recordings is close to perfect. And the music is great - and most of it has never been released before! There are sessions with Hawkins, Webster, Brew Moore and Bill Coleman that are no less than amazing.
Some even claim that the group was at their very best on their own, which is not hard to understand with a lineup consisting of people like Jesper Thilo, Niels Jorgen Steen and Hugo Rasmussen.

One DVD.
Happily, a number of television shows with the orchestra have survived. The 66-minute long DVD opens with the group in great form at Vingaarden in 1965, and closes with footage of Arnvid Meyer blowing on his own in a forest in 1973. In between, you will enjoy ten touching films featuring Ben Webster, Benny Carter and Harry 'Sweets' Edison.

One book Not a booklet - a real book in hardcover with 124 pages in large format and in color. The contents are built up around 23 interviews and a myriad of illustrations in a beautiful layout and printed in a legible size. The story of jazz is full of entertaining stories. You will find many such anecdotes in this book, but the author/editor also makes sure that the real story is told from every point of view and in detail.

Extra illustrations As a bonus, the box includes six separate drawings of the band and on the topic of the period drawn by Klaus Albrectsen and printed on heavy quality paper.

Pasborg's Odessa 5

multikulti.com:
Stefan Pasborg jest dzisiaj jednym z najbardziej zapracowanych jazzowych perkusistów na starym kontynencie. Już dawno temu przestał być kojarzony wyłącznie ze skandynawską sceną jazzową. Częste kolaboracje z muzykami jazzowymi innych narodowości sprawiły, że jego nazwisko znane jest coraz większej rzeszy jazzfanów.
W Polsce od kilku już lat znany jest za sprawą koncertów z nowym kwartetem Tomasza Stańko [lider na trąbce, Alexi Tuomarila: piano, Stefan Pasborg: drums, Sławomir Kurkiewicz: bass], w 2007 roku na festiwalach w Kopenhadze i Aarhus Tomasz Stańko przedstawił program z legendarnej płyty ''Balladyna'' w nowym składzie [Tomasz Stańko - trąbka, Stefan Pasborg - perkusja, Anders Jormin - kontrabas, Tim Berne - sax], oba koncerty spotkały się z niezwykle żywiołową reakcją publiczności i krytyków.
Dla zwolenników funkowo-jazzowych odjazdów z pewnością znaną marką jest IBRAHIM ELECTRIC, którego jednym z założycieli jest właśnie Stefan Pasborg. Jeśli dodamy do tego jego nagrania z laptop-jazzową formacją ROD PLANET czy ethno-punk-jazzową FRA DE VARME LANDE wielowymiarowość osobowości muzyka okaże się zadziwiająca.
Pomimo młodego jeszcze wieku ten utalentowany perkusista ma już na swoim koncie płyty z wieloma znakomitościami współczesnego jazzu: Lotte Anker, Marc Ducret, John Tchicai, Liudas Mockunas, Ellery Eskelin, Ray Anderson, Carsten Dahl, Alex Riel, Peter Friis Nielsen.
Najnowsza jego płyta, która ukazała się w zasłużonej dla promocji skandynawskiego jazzu oficynie wydawniczej STUNT/Sundance [The Scandinavian Music Company] odkrywa kolejną już twarz tego wszechstronnego muzyka.
Śledząc od lat artystyczną drogę Passborga dochodzę do przekonania, że podstawowym jego atutem jest artystyczna otwartość i odwaga połączone z instrumentalnym mistrzostwem i wielką samodyscypliną. Być może właśnie dzięki tym cechą z sukcesem odnajduje się w tak różnych stylistycznie projektach. Jak choćby ten najnowszy PASBORG's ODESSA 5.
Wyobraźmy sobie połączenie witalności i humoru Brass Fantasy Lestera Bowie, wirtuozerię World Saxophone Quartet z wykonawczą i kompozycyjną dyscypliną The Vandermark 5.
Tej płyty po prostu nie można przeoczyć!
autor: Tomasz Konwent


artPapier; 1 grudnia 23 (119) / 2008:
Przegląd wybranych nowości z obszaru avant-jazzu i współczesnej kompozycji.

Duńskiego perkusistę Stefana Pasborga polscy jazzfani powinni kojarzyć jako członka nowego projektu Tomasza Stańki. Na świecie znany jest jednak przede wszystkim z zespołu Ibrahim Electric. Formacja ta proponuje nieszczególnie emocjonujące wydanie soul-jazz-rocka, ale nasz bohater w licznych innych przedsięwzięciach, które prowadzi, bądź w których się udziela, potrafi olśnić. Odessa 5 to akustyczny kwintet (4 dęciaki i bębny) zapatrzony w najbardziej rozrywkowe wydanie downtownu. Momentami zahacza także o rejony bliskie Brass Fantasy Lestera Bowiego. Są więc dziarskie tematy, sięgające od nowoorleańskich marszów, przez funk, po muzykę bałkańską i klezmerską, są brawurowe improwizacje, jest pełna wigoru i humoru ekspresja.


wybrane fragmenty z relacji z koncertu kwartetu Stańki z Pasborgiem w składzie z programem 'Balladyna':

Politiken 16/7-07 * * * * *
Obrazy z Polski: Stanko na czele swego nowego projektu dał się poznać jako malarz wyrafinowanych abstrakcyjnych obrazów. . . tego wieczoru publiczność doznała wielkiego i intensywnego doświadczenia muzycznego. . . muzycy przedstawili jeden nadzwyczaj skupiony set, a bas i bębny pomogły dwom instrumentom dętym stworzyć pejzaż pełen pięknych szczegółów. . . Anders Jormin wraz ze Stefanem Pasborgiem tworzyli wyrafinowane, ale satysfakcjonujące faktury. Nie sposób przecenić Stefana Pasborga. W całym koncercie nie było ani jednego słabego punktu. . . Generalnie był to nadzwyczaj satysfakcjonujący koncert!'

Berlingske Tidende 16/7-07 * * * *
Creations for quartet:

Jazz to uniwersalny język - bez żadnych granic geograficznych ani wiekowych. 65-letni trębacz z Polski może bez żadnych ograniczeń komunikować się z 52 letnim amerykańskim saksofonistą, 49-letnim szwedzkim basistą i 32-letnim duńskim perkusistą. To właśnie to usłyszała publiczność w sobotę wieczorem w Tivoli. . . Od wydania albumu Balladyna w r. 1976 Tomasz Stańko umocnił status jednego z najbardziej oryginalnych i wpływowych muzyków jazzowych Europy i nawet jeśli do pewnego stopnia ulega inspiracjom amerykańskiego free jazzu, w swym przypominającym muzykę kameralną tonalnym uniwersum pozostaje bardzo europejski. . . Koncert ten był jak suita z wieloma różnymi pejzażami dźwiękowymi. . . Anders Jormin grał pięknym organicznym dźwiękiem, a Stefan Pasborg zapewnił odpowiednią dozę dynamiki, brzemienia i energii. Gra Tima Berne'a nawiązywała do amerykańskiej tradycji free jazzowej i brzmiała świeżo i intrygująco. . . Moim zdaniem przydałoby się nieco więcej grania 'czasu', co przyniosłoby mi jeszcze większą satysfakcję. Ale dźwięki trąbki Stańki, raz czułe, kiedy indziej ekspresyjne, nieodparcie przywodzą na myśl słowo takie jak 'genialne'.


Editor's info:

Some people ask the Danish drummer, Stefan Pasborg, why he calls his band 'Odessa 5' ? He answers, that he actually never visited Odessa, and continues, 'But once you've seen the 'Odessa Steps Sequence' from Eisenstein's movie film 'Battleship Potemkin' (1925), you'll have to agree with me, that there's a mystical vibe around the city! The position as a major port by The Black Sea has not reduced my 'mystification'; Seeing it from the perspective of the northern Viking that I am (!), the image of a sea which is black (with black being my favorite color) is definitely sounding much more interesting and something worth fantasizing about, than the cold seas in my neighborhood, e.g. 'Kattegat' (meaning: The ass of a cat!).'
But Stefan Pasborg's fascination doesn't stop here; For a long period Odessa was a so called 'free port' and therefore became home to a very diverse population of Russians, Ukrainians, Jews, Romanians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Albanians, Armenians, Italians, Frenchmen, Germans and traders representing many other nationalities - a cosmopolitan nature you probably today only find in a city like New York. Furthermore the intricate network of underground mines (The Odessa Catacombs) tunneled into the spongy rock that served as building material for the city, even once worked as the shelter of pirates and contraband smugglers. What a dramatic mixture!

Because of the fact that the imaginative and exciting young Danish drummer never have been as far as Odessa, he always allowed his imagination to run loose:
'In my imaginative-Odessa I see a melting pot of all possible nationalities, pirates, smugglers, huge USSR-armies marching, canons exploding, battleships fighting, endless markets with everything from jewels to snakes for sale etc. accompanied by a gigantic 'cacophony' of enormous USSR-male-choirs, Balkan-brass-bands from Rumania and Bulgaria, several young piano-prodigies performing Rachmaninovs 2. piano concert in unison, while a bunch of middle-eastern darbuka-players - just arrived by boat from Istanbul - plays the beat from my tune Gullash Baron.'

The only reason Pasborg never will visit Odessa is probably, that the city never would be able to live up to his imagination! So he'd rather stay up here in the cold North and keep his version of Odessa intact.

Naturally no existing band would ever be able to create the music-score to Stefan Pasborgs 'Odessa-fantasy', but with the mixture of 5 musicians being Scandinavians who plays music inspired by 'the warmer countries', combined with the elements of improvisation, world, jazz, rock etc. etc., he hopes you'll be able to feel the multi-ethnical vibe, the canons exploding and sometimes feel the presence of a pirate or two!

Jesper Thilo & Dennis Mackrel

Editor's info:

Anders Christensen / Lasse 'Illington'Jensen

Editor's info:
MA SALAMA JAMIL - GO WITH PEACE JAMIL - is Omar Shargawi's debut as a full-length movie director. The movie has already received awards all over the world for its dramatic portrayal of 1400 years of inherited religious animosity brought by two Muslim fractions with them to Denmark. It is a story about love, punishment, guilt and revenge, and about taking responsibility for your actions. Jamil is caught in the middle of it all, fighting the battle of his life - a battle raging inside him. When the whole situation gets out of control, blood flows freely in the streets of Copenhagen, and fate has one last cruel twist left, illustrating that even when people come to their senses, their actions may have consequences that prove to be out of their control.
GO WITH PEACE JAMIL portrays Arabs in Western society, and bases its story on the cultural, religious and traumatized backgrounds brought by many Middle Eastern fugitives with them to the West. No other movie has ever dealt with the theme 'Arabs in Europe' in such a deep and realistic fashion, but the director also seeks to show the beauty in Arab culture, the sophistication of the language, and the warmth and care amongst the vast majority Arabs.
The musical score for Go With Peace Jamil has a story of its own. Just as the characters in the award-winning movie, the music is likewise split between two cultures, two musical directions: Arabic and Western. Although the two cultures' music are based on very different musical foundations, bassist and producer Anders Christensen (AC) and sound wizard Lasse M. Jensen (Illinton) pounced on the opportunity. But how combine the highly emotional songs and complicated rhythms of Arabic music with the pumping sound of Western metropolis-music?
They succeeded, but only after several visits to Cairo, where they recorded some of Egypt's best vocalists and instrumentalists.
The music was composed and put together in Copenhagen.
Virtually all music for the soundtrack had been composed before the movie production started, which enabled the use of music while shooting some scenes, thus creating the right atmosphere for the actors.
The music video, Habibti Shams (Beloved Sun), was sung by 18-year old Danish/Palestinian singer Jasmin and 83-year old gypsy queen, Gamalat Shea. While the recording the song, Gamalat's vocal caused the whole surrounding area in Cairo to fall silent, except for the thunderous applause and yells during her rhetorical pauses.
AC is one of Denmark's most important young bassists. He has been active in jazz and rock, performing with The Raveonettes, Lars Hug, Savage Rose, Caroline Henderson and Nikolaj Norlund, as well as with an impressive list of Danish and international jazz musicians, including the legendary drummer Paul Motian, in whose band AC was the lone European for several years. However, his talents reach even further. He also composes and produces. Most recently, his production of Caroline Henderson's latest album, 'No. 8' has received wide acclaim. ILLINTON is a composer, producer and pianist. He has a long history as musician and producer for a multitude of international pop/R&B/hip hop acts for labels which include Effective, Airtight, Invincis, Distance, Bedrock, Bigbeat, Caoz, Fatal Tracks, M1, Desire, Manifesto, Island, Arista, Sony, Mercury, Warner Bros. and BMG. Last year, he was on DMC's hitlist with 'Valley Chick', he has produced music for American and British TV shows, including the award winning show 'CSI' and 'Dead Famous'. In 2008 Illinton will release two electro/progressive albums, two ambient albums, and a record with Anne Rani on the London-based Flying Forever Free Rec. label.

Jonas Westergaard Nonet

multikulti.com
Jonas Westergaard, którego mieliśmy okazje gościć w Polsce na trasie koncertowej Soren Kjaergaard Trio w 2007 roku to kolejny muzyk z tzw. złotego pokolenia jazzowego w Danii.
Współpracując z m.in. Blake Tartare Michaela Blake'a, George'm Garzone, Anderskov Accident, Bandapart czy też John Tchicai/Oliver Lake/Kresten Osgood stał się jednym z najbardziej rozchwytywanych kontrabasistów w Skandynawii.
Nowa płyta, prezentująca własne kompozycje lidera ujawnia talent nie tylko wykonawczy Jonasa Westergaarda, jego kompozycje cechuje wielki respekt dla tradycji jazzowej, jednak nie ona jest tutaj bohaterem, do głosu dochodzi ciekawa koncepcja kompozytorska bliższa raczej konteplacyjności nagrań Jana Garbarka z lat 80tych niż nowobrzmieniowych mariaży młodszego pokolenia jazzmanów.


Audio Video; 2008-11
''. . . Combo Jonasa Westergaarda, duńskiego basisty znanego choćby z nagrań i koncertów u boku obecnego i tu pianisty Sorena Kjaergaarda, proponuje nam muzykę spokojną, czerpiącą z jazzowej tradycji ale o niemal ilustracyjnym, pastelowym charakterze. Dwa pierwsze utwory (''Helgoland'' i ''Dream'') to powolne budowanie napięcia, przy czym ten drugi na dziwny, nieco po nowoorleańsku szalony charakter. Zwraca tu uwagę świetny, a zupełnie nieznany trębacz Kasper Tranberg. Środkowa część płyty jest najżywsza ale i tutaj muzyka raczej się snuje niż nabiera rozpędu, by w końcówce postawić na pastelowe ballady. Taka konstrukcja nie jest wadą tego nagrania - starannie zaaranżowane, miłe dla ucha piękno staje się atutem tej skupionej płyty. . . ''



Editor's info:
'It is not easy to be in the slipstream of the many young Danish jazz bassists. However, Jonas Westergaard has found his own innovative and challenging place in music without turning his back on traditions.'
These were some of the words that accompanied the Danish Broadcasting Corporation's P2 Prize 2006, when it was awarded Jonas Westergaard (b. August 6, 1976) for his obvious talent and his consistent contributions to the jazz scene.
Westergaard's bass playing has long since found its way to improv as well as more traditional jazz audiences. His bass line began when he was 14; it wove its way through the Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen, private tuition in New York with Mark Dresser among others, and into many bands and collaborations with a large number of Scandinavian and American musicians. His first sign of recognition came when the trio Fuchsia, of which he was a member, was elected Young Scandinavian Group of the Year. Westergaard's stay in New York (2001-2003) lead to collaborations with saxophonist Michael Blake in Blake Tartare, and with saxophonist George Garzone. In 2005-2006 Westergaard was based in Berlin. Other of his many activities include recordings and live performances with musicians and groups such as Soren Kjargaard, Bandapart, Anderskov Accident, John Tchicai/Oliver Lake/Kresten Osgood, and the trio WBZ with Jesper Zeuthen and Peter Bruun. His Scandinavian collaborations include Norwegian saxophonist Peter Wettre's groups and the Danish/Finnish band Delirium. Westergaard is of a generation of Danish jazz musicians who orientate themselves internationally and who with ease play music that crosses traditions and genre boundaries.
Part of the P2 Jazz Prize was a recording in one of the corporation's studios, and Jonas Westergaard returned the favor by leading a group playing original arrangements of his own material. The basic ensemble is a nine-piece band of handpicked musicians in an instrumentation providing the diverse textures, which are part of Westergaard's vision. The musicians have been chosen among people with whom Westergaard has worked in various groups - musicians with a personal means of expression and a personal sound.
Westergaard's music is sometimes fragile, subtle and translucent. It breathes in an intense but often quiet mood. It is certainly influenced by Ellington and Gil Evans. The stage is set with an inkling of minor and a melancholy flavor.
The title tune 'Helgoland' was originally written for a documentary on the Copenhagen ocean bath Helgoland. It has since been reworked and arranged for the nine-piece band and Jesper Zeuthen's lead alto sax.
Bassist Westergaard is the kind of musician that favors interplay in a band, and although he is the bandleader here, he is somewhat stingy with his own solos. However, in 'The Impossible Dream', a blues in E, his firm, deep bass finds its way to the forefront in a blues and gospel flavored mood right from the beginning of the bass introduction. By the way, Westergaard's early bass influences include Jimmy Blanton, Oscar Pettiford, Wilbur Ware, Butch Warren and Charles Mingus.
The creation of a piece of music is sometimes circumspect and difficult to trace. Although in a different form, the melodic material for 'One Over the Hill' was the basis for a previous Westergaard composition ('Kreuzer Valse'). Here it has been rearranged for the nine-piece band and dedicated to pianist and composer Andrew Hill. In this Hill tribute, Soren Kjargaard on Fender Rhodes and Jakob Bro on guitar display their fascination with Lennie Tristano-Billy Bauer, before Jakob Hoyer's lively drum solo paves the way for a walk back over the hill.
'Red River' is a classic ballad arranged for a septet with guitarist Jakob Bro in the leading role.
It is not far from the ballad to the introductory rubato of the long melody in '. . . And they'll take what you got', which eases into steady time as trumpeter Kasper Tranberg begins his solo.
A contrast to the broad brush strokes of the nine-piece and septet arrangements, 'Levitated' is a fragile, cloudy tune played by a clipped quartet with Bro's guitar and Kjargaard's celeste with the heavenly sound weaving melodic lines, and the open ending hanging like a question mark in midair.
Jonas Westergaard is not in a hurry on his bandleader and composer/arranger debut. The music is allowed to unfold in all its beauty and facets, and on the final track, 'Until It's Time' - another nine-piece arrangement - Jesper Zeuthen's alto sax once again cuts to the bone with its particular cry, soloing over an Ellington-inspired backdrop.
On 'Helgoland' Jonas Westergaard presents us with a beautiful collection of tunes and moods.

Dominique Leone

Editor's info:
Dominique Leone is the first artist on Stromland Records, which is the new label ran by Hans-Peter Lindstrom and Smalltown Supersound founder Joakim Haugland. Dominique Leone wears many hats, only a few faces and has a hundred songs that you haven't heard. In fact, but for his bestest buddies and the fine folks of Stromland Records, very few people have heard more than a peep from him. And yes, he´s a him. If you read internet record reviews, you may have seen his name around, though if you hate record reviewers, please don't hold that against him. The truth is, he's a songwriter, producer, singer, lover, fighter. . . scratch that, he´s one of a growing number of college-educated musical auteurs with more than a slight command of pop history and theory chops, and writing songs for joyous, infatuated people. Perhaps some of them are a bit over stimulated. Perhaps some of them just like good melodies and strange chord progressions that still seem vaguely familiar. Dominique is a 'classically trained' musician from Texas who currently operates out of San Francisco. He lists Brian Wilson, Claude Debussy, Andy Partridge, Randy Newman, Glenn Gould, ABBA, Miles Davis, Olivier Messiaen, and Magmaís Christian Vander as personal heroes. He thinks Julie Mehretu is the bomb. All of his music could be considered 'pop' of a sort, though parts have a definite proggy edge. Lindstrom recently used Dominiques ballad 'Conversational' on the recent LateNightTales compilation [Azuli; 2007], also featuring Todd Rundgren, old school art-disco provocateurs Gina X Performance and Norwegian one-man prog-pop show Alf Emil Eik, which gives a pretty good indication of the kind of space Dominique´s music inhabits -- but then again, a recent interviewer compared it to Harry Nilsson. The music is catchy but ambitious; crafted but not sterile; interesting but not pretentious. It's just a lot of fucking fun.The first taster of the album is the 12' released by Feedelity and includes the already much talked about 16th Rebels Of Mung 'Claire'-medley/remix (thats taken at least 1/2 year to make). The Medley is produced, directed and arranged by Knut & Paul from Mungolian Jetset in cooperation with Lindstrom.



www.dustedmagazine.com:
[. . .] Dominique Leone is released on Lindstrom's Stromland label. That Oslo-based producer's space-disco is one of the sounds at work here, but the most obvious touchstone is English Settlement-era XTC. One of the things Leone wrote in his recent Listed submission for this site - about Pattern Is Movement's music reminding him of the UK group's 'stubbornly original song structures and chord progressions' - applies equally well to the 11 tracks presented here. Leone has a knack for writing these pretty, soaring, multi-tracked vocal melodies that give the impression of eternity. In the case of the 13-minute 'The Return,' that feeling of inexhaustibility comes from repetition (the chorus consists of the words 'High up on top / How do you feel?' and 'ba ba ba'), as well as the ambitious chord structure it's built on. Like some of the other tracks on the album (opener 'Kaine' and 'Claire'), noisy parts interrupt the song's prettiness. There's a special pared-down, purposeful quality to the noise, which is built around piercing or squelchy synth sounds, compressed drums, and static - sort of like a pocket Boredoms. I'm still unsure what the exact purpose of the noise is, and it's likely Leone thinks it doesn't need one, but it comes off like a combination palate-cleanser and self-puncturing gesture that keeps Leone from exceeding his reach. [. . .]
By Brandon Bussolini.

Serena Maneesh

Lars Horntveth

Jazkammer

Editor's info:
Jazkamer has always done something completely different on every album; on Timex (Rune Grammofon) they worked with subtle noise and electronics. On the next album 'Rolex' (Smalltown) they were remixed by among others the two godfathers of noise music Sonic Youths Thurston Moore and Merzbow. On the third album they went in the total different direction and made and album of white noise. Note under the encyclopaedia definition of white noise that is 'noises the human ear can`t hear, but noises that are there, beneath, under and behind'. And you almost couldn't hear anything of Pancakes, but playing it loud, the bass made the room almost move and even gave many listeners headache. Their most silent but also most frightening album. Jazkamer is always dealing with different kinds of noise and noise-music. On the fourth album 'Metal Music Machine' the duo became a five piece band and they changed their name from Jazzkammer to Jazkamer (without any reason). The album was a homage to Lou Reeds groundbreaking 'Metal Machine Music' album (Lou actually contacted the label to get a copy of the album that he had heard rumours about. We never heard back from him..). This time it was a different kind of noise, it was metal and it was Jazkamer`s take on black-, grind- and death- metal. And it got universal praise and was among others voted as one of 2006 best 'Underground Albums of The Year' by Mojo. So what is next we were thinking at Smalltown Superjazzz HQ? What will they come up with next time? And without any warning or explanation the new album arrives at the door. It has 58 tracks and is 17 minutes long! See tracklisting under. This time the Jazkamers has gone as far with rock and punk as humanly possible. We guess this is their homage to Japan`s noisecore and their love for early Boredoms, Melt Banana, Hanatarash and Zeni Geva. But we don't know. Just listen for yourself.

OffOnOff

Tussle

Mental Overdrive

Editor's info:
Norwegian producer/DJ/live act Per Martinsen is back in the studio hot seat with a new album under his Mental Overdrive alias. Already a long time part of the Norwegian dance sound his new opus 'You Are Being Manipulated' sees him develop even more with a melody driven electro/acid/disco/house sound all of his own. Featuring his anthemic cover version of Iron Maiden's 'Run to the Hills', the much hyped art/ebay experiment of 'Elephantastic' which was originally planned as a one bid buys the masters sale and recent singles 'The Rage' and 'Spooks' Per Martinsen is back to show us how it´s done. Per first released a series of vinyl EPs and singles under the name Mental Overdrive on now legendary Belgian techno label R&S Records in the early nineties. This early material ranged from nosebleed industrial euro-ebm-techno to romantic electro ballads, and caused a lot of praise as well as raised eyebrows from Berlin to Detroit at the time. In 1995, after relocating to Oslo, the label Love OD Communications was set up to release the first Mental Overdrive album - 'Plugged' - followed by the seminal limited run of it's mute bastard brother 'Unplugged' a year later. A couple of singles then surfaced on Virgin Records in the late nineties, before the album 'Ad Absurdum' was released in 1999 - also by Virgin. The Mental Overdrive project then went kind of quiet in the early noughties, as Martinsen focused on his other engagements in Anglo-Norwegian hippie house duo/remix team Illumination/Chilluminati and electropop duo Frost. The exceptions to this were a string of remixes showing up in between other activities - of which the most hard to get hold of is the Mental Overdrive remix of Isolée's 'Beau mot plage' - a smashing dubby discoid ska-electro number that was released as a 12' single in 90 (!) copies on Music Man Records, before the license was pulled by Playhouse under mysterious circumstances.
In 2003 the 'Me EP' suddenly surfaced on Love OD Communications, and a year later the album '083' was released in Norway and on occasional export in association with Norwegian noise-jazz-electro-rock label Smalltown Supersound. The title '083' was based on Martinsen's Northern Norwegian hometown Tromso's old telephone prefix in the eighties - a time when he grew up in his arctic surroundings listening to British and German synthpop, Kraftwerk and early electro. The retrospect compilation 'The Phuture that never happened' was released in 2005, also in conjunction with Smalltown Supersound. This album consisted of all the tracks from the early R&S 12inch series, remastered and tastefully re-packaged, sporting Martinsen's own creation, the 'Pongstation' as cover star. Electro-disco smasher 'Diskodans', featuring 76-year old Finnish dance instructor Ake Blomqvist (of internet disco instruction guide video fame) was released in the summer of 2005, with remixes by Bjorn Torske, Prins Thomas and Tufan Demir. The initial run of 12inch singles were quickly sold out, and is now a much sought-after record. The last couple of years has seen some more remix work surfacing, nu-kraut darlings 120 Days' 'Come out, come down, fade out, be gone' was given the Mental Overdrive treatment to much acclaim and more recently the 12inch single 'Spooks/Original Material', released on Prins Thomas' Full Pupp imprint in the spring of 2007. An experimentation with releasing his master tapes in single copies on eBay for the track 'Elephantastic' put Martinsen in the middle of the non-stop debate on where the new music industry is heading, and a string of new Mental Overdrive releases are lined up for the near future, both through Love OD and other labels such as Full Pupp whilst his cover version of Iron Maiden's 'Run to the hills' was licensed to Airtight Recordings to much acclaim last year.
Now with a new live set, Mental Overdrive is set to take to the road once more with new armoury in the shape of 'You Are Being Manipulated's melodic, prog-disco funk.

Różni Wykonawcy

Nisennenmondai

Editor's info:
''With walls of distortion and a pummeling rhythmic backbone that fluctuates between krautrock`s repetition and free-rock calamity, bassist Zai, guitarist Ma-Chan and drummer Hime have formed an unassuming juggernaut' (Dazed & Confused. )'I am in love with them' (Prefuse 73). Nisennenmodai is:Sayaka Himeno (drums), Yuri Zaikawa (bass), Masako Takada (guitar). Smalltown Supersound is extremely proud to introduce Nisennenmondai for audiences outside of Japan for the first time. Nisennenmondai means 'Year 2000 Problem'' and is an instrumental Japanese girl trio from Tokyo.Visits to Tokyo by Lightning Bolt, Battles and No Age and others have unearthed these three girls with the mammoth sound. Prefuse 73 said in an interview with Dazed & Confused 'John Stanier from Battles had told me that they were sick. They start to play. Next thing you know, these three tiny diminutive women were making us look like idiots because they were so incredible'. The band also appears in Hella`s tourvideo 'Concentration Face' DVD that was shot on tour in Japan.With song titles such as This Heat, Sonic Youth and Pop Group, one understand which musical territory the band comes from, and if you ad Black Flag, DNA, Neu! and Pere Ubu you are pretty close to Nisennenmondais sound. It's raw and repetitive (post) punk instrumentals, at the same time as they are wild groovy with a no wave/disco vibe to it. The band is now signed to Smalltown Supersound. This is the first release outside of Japan and it contains the bands two EPs 'Neji' and Tori' released as one album with new cover design by Kim Hiorthoy.

Svartbag

Editor's info:
Noise and Silence. The band Svartbag is an entity full of contradictions. Like its namesake the gull, Svartbag is a free bird, but also a scavenger with a black back. An outsider impelled by an underlying primitive force. A black sheep.Elements, that on the surface seem violent and indigestible for everyday people are, in the hands of Svartbag, transformed into something oddly fascinating, alluring and soothing. With the use of guitars, loop-pedals and analogue effects, Svartbag creates a minimalist instrumental music, where generated coincidences are intuitively integrated in a repetitive universe of drones. The references are clear: krautrock (Neu/Can/Popol Vuh), spacerock (Spacemen 3), noise rock (VU/Sonic Youth), and electronic pioneers like Terry Riley, Brian Eno and Suicide.In 1996, an ad in a Buy and Sell paper brought the two guitarists, A.REX and Niels Ladefoged together. Under the pretence of composing rocksongs for their band, they spent time in rehearsal exploring their gear, and soon realised that they could generate incredible moods using simple effects.In 2005, the multi-musician Peter Kyed joined the duo and contributed with a more electronic sound through simple drum programming and sampled real sounds. Occasionally, the trio becomes a quartet when joined by Andreas Hauer-Jensen (Düreforsög/Mit Nye Band/The Bleeder Group) on drums, which can be heard on 4 of the albums 5 tracks. Furthermore, Peter Peter (ex-Sort Sol/Bleeder Group) gives a guest performance on the homage to The Factory, 'Billy Name', in which faint voice-overs from some of Andy Warhol's sidekicks from the sparkling Factory period at the end of the 1960's, can be heard. The long tracks and evocative patterns of sound unveil dark and ominous states of mind, which are consistently relieved by confident tones and minimalist melodies. The two guitars alternate between performing duets and complementing each other, while bass drones, real sounds, and intermittent, jazzy drums and echoes create hypnotic rhythms. Svartbag's debut album has been in development for a long time, not least because of the band's impromptu working method. The band finds their point of departure in the philosophy that the equipment itself knows what it can and will do - which makes it the band's job to pick, refine and arrange the manifestations which are brought about by the equipment itself. SVARTBAG BIOGRAPHY: A.REX has, since 1979, been prevalent on the punk scene of Copenhagen in bands like Mad Gustav Band, Warshore, The Tide and Bleeder Group. Under his own name he has, among other things, composed music for Nicolas Winding-Refn's film 'Pusher 2'. Peter Kyed has collaborated for a number of years with Peter Peter on soundtracks for a number of films and computer games. Additionally, he is a member of The Bleeder Group and has released the solo album 'The World Inside Her'. Niels Ladefoged has been part of the organization Subotnick since 2002 and has in this context taken part in planning and executing more than 300 experimental concerts. In 2001 they take the name Svartbag and start performing live, among other places at the Roskilde Festival, the Nordberg Festival and at miscellaneous happenings.

Badun

Snöleoparden

Różni wykonawcy

Barra Head

Editor's info:
Go Get Beat Up is Barra Head's third album. They've found a more melodic and immediate form but have managed to maintain their distinct expression. The band has always been an exciting acquaintance, both musically and lyrically, and that has not changed on this record. Each track is served cool, dry and tight. They won't bring you easy answers or simple slogans, but prefer to ask questions and describe the complex world they exist in.

Greg Macpherson

muzyka.gery.pl; ocena: 4 / 6
(. . . ) Greg MacPherson, bliżej nikomu nieznany Kanadyjczyk, debiutuje na starym kontynencie. Płyta ''Sun Beats Down'' jest prezentacją najlepszych dokonań muzyka, jakie wcześniej pojawiły się na trzech longplayach i jednej EPce, wydanych jedynie w USA i Kanadzie.

''Europejski'' debiut MacPhersona można zdecydowanie podzielić na dwie części: stricte rockową i balladową. Twórczości Grega blisko do Bruce'a Springsteen'a czy Neil'a Young'a, a miejscami także do Wilco czy Pavement. I wszystko byłoby w porządku, bo inspiracje naprawdę zacne, gdyby w balladowym obliczu artysta nie chciał brzmieć jak Iron & Wine czy Johnny Cash. Wychodzi mu z tego niestety marna, tania podróbka. Do niczego innego nie można się przyczepić; album przesiąknięty jest ekspresją zarówno ze strony instrumentalnej, jak i wokalnej, a w miarę ciekawe melodie choć nie przykuwają zbytnio uwagi to i nie męczą nadto. Nic nadzwyczajnego, a mimo wszystko to całkiem niezły album, którego miło się słucha. (. . . )
[LookAsh Mijała]

Lack

Editor's info:
Once again Lack has taken their unique expression and done something new with it. On their third album the music is controlled and very melodic. It's either the most sophisticated hardcore you have ever heard or the meanest indie rock. But Lack doesn't confine themselves to petty genre definitions and neither should you. With sarcastic lyrics, provocative song titles, catchy and utterly uncompromising music this is a record it's hard NOT to have an opinion about. Listen. Love it. Lack kicks your ass. Again.

Little Jimmy Reeves

Editor's info:
Bring Out The Dogs is the title of Little Jimmy Reeves´ first effort. A 5-song EP that perfectly shows the spectrum that this band is covering. Little Jimmy Reeves know how to strike the chords just right, whisper the words so gently, hammer the beat so hard and stomp the distortion pedal at just the right time. These songs get the treatment they deserve.
Asger Techau is the man behind the song writing, Jan Damage Pedersen, Tobias Ljungar Sodring and Johan Hoyer are the skilled experienced musicians on his side. Sure, you might know these guys from other good bands. But there´s just one Little Jimmy Reeves.

Barra Head

Editor's Info:
BARRA HEAD is a three piece based in Copenhagen, Denmark. They've been playing together since the early nineties always progressing and doing their own thing. The result is a personal and focused musical expression full of energy and drive. Although built up around the traditional set-up; guitar, bass and drums, the music and the lyrics created by BARRA HEAD cannot be described as traditional. Complex rythmic patterns effortlessly interact with more simple passages, quiet introvert melodies fuse with sudden explosions of noise as political lyrics become existential statements. It doesn't fit any genre. It is complex in its composition, its rhythm, its poetry and its melody. It`s dynamical, emotional and thoughtful. Music for the listener. . .

Barra Head´s second full-length, ´We Are Your Numbers´ was released on Monday, October 11, 2004. The album contains ten tracks from this incredible trio, whose trademark sound and intelligent song-writing have given them a reputation as one of the most remarkable and unique acts in the business.

Kazutoki Umezu Kiki Band

Gebhard Ullmann Basement Research

Charles Gayle Trio

Michael Marcus

Lulu Rouge

Editor's info:
The Copenhagen underground is buzzing in anticipation for the debut album from Lulu Rouge. 'The next big thing to come out of Denmark!'- Trentemoller in UK press The most hyped album in the underground. First single 'Bless You' feat. Trentemoller & Mikael Simpson gets airplay on national radio, airplay on DR P3 (Danish equivalent to BBC Radio 1).Lulu Rouge are performing live at the new Astoria Stage this summer's Roskilde Festival. Bless you soon. . . Tracklisting: 1.Melankoli, 2.Lulu's Theme, 3. Bless You, 4.Ninna Nanna, 5.Thinking Of You, 6.Runaway Boy, 7.Sweeter Than Sweet, 8.Pitch Black,9.End Of The Century, 10.Slow Pigeon.

N* Grandjean

Editor's info:
THE NERVE IS MORE IN THE MISTAKES THAN IN THE PERFECT.An album that shakes the red wine and pushes in to deeper thoughts - with built in radio potential
The solo debut 'Carrying Stars' is a solid document that in a laid back singer songwriter universe tells about the fascination of the stars that we all carry inside us. That we're all stars, with our own fantastic and passionate stories that defines who we are. About how it's often hard to find space for the little explosions that lives and dies within us. And how to share and acknowledge them.
'Carrying Stars' is a poppy, deep, Jack Johnson meets Kings of Convenience ish affaire, where Grandjean steers clear of cliché banalities and succeeds in telling stories about how it's okay to be vulnerable and honest. To experience reward and satisfaction and not worrying about other people's judgement. To work through loss, loneliness, joy, stubbornness, pride and wickedness.
With 'Carrying Stars' we get a fine glimpse inside a thinking young guy who with great talent has accomplished an album consisting of a pearl string of well composed melodies and texts that grabs you. One of those albums that you keep going back too. And a lot of music people already realised this. . .

Hess Is More

Editor's info:
Concept album fra Hess Is More The 3367 seconds long album is one piece split up in three parts.'SSSHHHH',The Beatles-ish first single is on the brink of airplay on national radio on DR P3 (Danish equivalent to BBC Radio 1). Exquisite guest vocals:Norwegian/Vietnamese Bang Chau, who also featured on the worldwide hit 'Yes Boss', and Sylvia G who composed and sang the title track on the new Moby album. Tracklisting: 01/1013 sec - All The Girls - Don't Tell - Country Boy, 02/1449 sec African Bells-I needed The Money-I Love to Forget About Myself-Blue Pepper-Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen-Denial is The New Confession Work Is The New Chill, 03/914 sec- Never - Ssshhhh - North Is The New West, East Is The New East - Secret

Hakon Kornstad / Havard Wiik

Hakon Kornstad / Havard Wiik

Jacob Anderskov & Airto Moreira

multikulti.com:
Wiele razy już młodzi muzycy byli zapraszani lub zapraszali swoich mistrzów. Efekty bywały różne. O spotkaniu Airto Moreiry i Jacoba Anderskova można mówić jako o sporym wydarzeniu.

Airto Moreira to brazylijski multiinstrumentalita i perkusista, uznawany powszechnie za jednego z najważniejszych mistrzów instrumentów perkusyjnych, nie tylko ojczystego/brazylijskiego pochodzenia.

Na przestrzeni 50 lat (debiutował u boku Hermeto Pascoala w latach 50) współpracował z wieloma osobami: z Milesem Davisem przy m.n. ''Bitches Brew'', Lee Morganem, Weather Report, Return To Forever [występował w zespole wraz z żoną Florą Purim], Stanem Getzem, Gato Barbierim, Cannonballem Adderleyem, Mickeyem Hartem [Grateful Dead], z którym nagrał muzykę do filmu Francisa Forda Coppoli ''Apocalypse Now''.

Nowa płyta, nagrana z Jacobem Anderskovem, duńskim pianistą, o którym coraz głośniej na świecie potwierdza wysoką formę Airto, który od swego wyjazdu w 1968 roku do USA, zebrał ponad 120 perkusyjnych instrumentów z całego świata, z których część na niej usłyszymy.

Ten twórczy międzykulturowy dialog, prowadzony przez muzycznych erudytów obdarzonych wielką wyobraźnią zaskoczy pewnie poszukiwaczy technicznych ekstrawagancji, nie znajdziemy tutaj walenia w bębny i przeszkadzajki czy popisowej pianistyki w stylu Bad Plus Trio. Muzycznie dialog skręca często w stronę czułej rozmowy, podczas której słuchamy się z uwagą, wypowiadamy TYLKO słowa, które coś znaczą.

''Ears to the Ground'' zawierająca pięć zupełnie nowych kompozycji autorstwa obu muzyków to blisko godzina bardzo kameralnej, subtelnej, niezwykle wyrafinowanej muzyki.
autor: Krzysztof Szamot


Editor's info:

Ears to the Ground is an epic and poetic duet between Jacob Anderskov on piano and Airto Moreira on percussion, drums and vocal. A meeting of two strong music makers from very different backgrounds, with a direct and intuitive interaction.
The music transcends categories and styles, and is maybe mostly about presence, sensibility and a way of approaching life. At the same time, it seems like the duo has created a situation around the two musicians that brings forth the best in each of them, and brings them to places they have not been before.
Airto Moreira needs no further introduction. More than anybody else he has had a defining role for the use of percussion in Western music. He met Jacob Anderskov in Denmark in 2005, and they instantly agreed to work together when the chance arose. This album documents the result of the 2006 meeting.
Anderskov's carrier is skyrocketing these years. This duo album naturally continues and expands the musical and artistic thread in his production so far. Yet his meeting with Airto has unique characteristics, and will probably reach an even broader audience than his earlier works. It is no bad place for new listeners to start.


''This is the kind of music that I like the most. It is pure improvisational with no ego involved. I wish I could play this music all the time.'' Airto Moreira.

''For me, making this music felt like stepping into an enchanted parallel reality. The extreme awareness between us gave me a feeling similar to being hypnotized, while the music basically found its paths by itself.'' Jacob Anderskov

Anderskov Accident

Gazeta Wyborcza; 2008-08-28:
Myślą przewodnią kolejnego projektu duńskiego pianisty Jacoba Anderskova jest kolektywna i wybuchowa improwizacja. A więc ostra jatka, tym bardziej że Anderskov Accident to ośmioosobowy zespół ze sporą grupą dęciaków i sekcją rytmiczną, w którym żaden z artystów nie spuszcza z tonu ani na moment. To nie wyścigi, ale muzyka tętni emocjami, a jej barwy zmieniają się z każdą kolejną minutą nagrania. Sam lider pełni tu raczej funkcję dyrygenta i kompozytora, choć i jego fortepian dostarcza czasem szalonych fraz.

Oryginalne pomysły, stylistyczna różnorodność muzyki Anderskova oraz swoboda, z jaką porusza się po rozległym terytorium jazzu, stawiają go w ścisłej czołówce europejskich artystów. Nie dziwi więc, że mówi się o nim jako następcy zmarłego tragicznie Esbjörna Svenssona.
autor: Tomasz Handzlik


Dziennik; Piątek, 12.09.2008, ocena: * * * * *:
Trzeci album grupy Accident, działającej pod dowództwem doskonałego duńskiego pianisty Jakoba Anderskova, przynosi złożoną muzykę o gęstej, organicznej, nerwowej oraz kolektywnej fakturze.
Oktet wykonuje długie, dość mroczne tematy, z których poszczególne dęciaki wyrywają się ku natchnionym improwizacjom.
'Newspeak' to kolejny dowód na odrodzenie się w modern jazzie ducha eksperymentów, który zaginął w latach 70.
autor: Tymon Tymański



Editor's info:
Anderskov Accident has digested and transcended the irrational time feel from the internationally acclaimed previous album, Unity of Action (2005). The sound on NEWSPEAK is more acoustic, and a number of new approaches has been added to the book: Political accellerations on top of a steady pulse, weddingmarches with african GMOs, Baltic rocks in the mist, radioactive lower voices & protest songs without words - etc..

The result is visionary and warm-blooded. It is liquid, sparkling and intuitive yet subtly structured. Though constantly investigating new ground, the music is performed with great musical reserve, giving the music an inner balance and a true spontaneity.

Anderskov Accident works as a vehicle for what may be the most grandiose, poetic, odd and beautiful part of Pianist & Composer Jacob Anderskov's compositional euvre. The music easily juxtaposes and unifies new combinations of e.g. writing vs freedom, time vs rubato, broad beats vs solid grooves, and displays various types of tonalities. Rhythmically, structurally and emotionally, there is nothing like it.

ANDERSKOV ACCIDENT's previous CD, UNITY OF ACTION, was praised around the world. It resulted in the election as ''spearhed'' in the ''International Danish Jazz Launch'', and in touring in a.o. USA, Canada, Germany, Denmark, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Holland & France.

Magnet

Editor's info:
The Simple Life is the third official full-length album from Magnet since his critical debut in 2003 with On Your Side and follow up; The Tourniquet (2005). Heading straight to the top on Norway's album chart in its first week, The Simple Life proves once again that Magnet is amongst the finest Norway has to offer. His three debut EP's Where Happiness Lives, Chasing Dreams and The Day We Left Town (2003) for Ultimate Dilemma created a storm amongst the tastemakers of the world, i-D proclaimed him for his 'extraordinary songs,' Dazed & Confused were wowed by his 'beautiful pop melodies which ebb and flow over slide guitar', Rolling Stone, NME and Q all swooned over his unique charms. Magnet, or Even Johansen, draws upon a vast array of influences, from the dusty warmth of Gram Parsons to the ethereal electronica of Air, tenderly etching out the mark that is his own unique sound. NME has likened Magnet to artists Tim Buckley and Coldplay, and others have placed him in the ranks of such names as Johnny Cash, Elliott Smith, Beck, and Radiohead. Indeed, these comparisons have not been made in vain. Living just outside of in his hometown Bergen, a town he shares with fellow musicians such as Röyksopp, Annie and Sondre Lerche, he recorded The Simple Life in his own studio; a converted barn, and although much of the electronic elements and the studio wizardry are gone, the album still has that unique Magnet sound. Even Johansen has had a great career so far, with several bands and projects. But it's as Magnet he has won the hearts of fans around the world. His records are released and sold at a steady stream in Japan, Australia, Europe and the USA Magnet has also spent the last 5 years touring the USA, Europe, Australia and Japan extensively. Both headlining and as support to bands and artists as broad as Doves, Phoenix, Stars, Ed Harcourt, Hayes herself, Zero 7, A-ha outdoors to 30,000 people in his hometown, and countless others.The Simple Life has reaped warm reviews commending Even Johansen's quite unique sense of writing pop songs that oscillate between melancholy and wit, and between distance and utter nearness in ways that seem to cater to so many people's conceptions of what the soundtrack to what Magnet calls 'the sad and beautiful world,' should be like.

C.A.P.S

Editor's info:
C.A.P.S. - Crusaders And Protectors Of Sin!
C.A.P.S. plays power-garage-punk-pop-noisy-rock'n'roll, containing organ and lapsteel. Raw, cool and primitive in the most awesome way.
The Power! The Glory! The Raaawk!
Said about C.A.P.S:
''I then caught C.A.P.S. which were absolutely smoking with their catchy garage powerpop, they just keep getting better each time I see them. The harmonies were tight and Kiko's boss organ was sexy as Nancy Sinatra's panties & boots.''
- Jens, Lowcut Magazine, Gutter Island festival '06.
''You're playing hit after hit after hit!''
-Molle, lead singer in President Fetch.
''Fantastic concert!''
-Jan Sneum, producer at DR (Denmark's Radio).

Gunhild Carling Big Band

Editor's info:
A great swingin' album from Gunhild Carling Big Band feat: Jesper Thilo.
The multitalented Gunhild Carling finally got here first Big Band release on HepTown Records. It's showing another spectra of the jazz queen on an album where you get swing music as it where made from the old stars.

Różni wykonawcy

Editor's info:
We Would Like To Do You Some Damage is HepTown Records first label sampler and comes out from the event ''Terminal Damage Act I''
The last years have seen HepTown Records grow into being one of the leading underground labels of Scandinavia. The label has seen successes as Cherry Overdrive, the DMA nomination of J.Tex & The Volunteers, Screamin' Eric's been recognized as best Danish punk release, The Untamed appearing in the sound track of Swedish cult horror flick ''Frostbiten'', El Ray, recognized modern surf kings, President Fetch, Denmark's oldest, playing punk band, jazz queen Gunhild Carling and having the roster appearing in Mad Fabricator Society's latest release with The Buckshots, Cyclones, The Untamed and El Ray.
The label that started out as a local swing label and has turned out having the hottest roster in Scandinavia has now decided to celebrate it's 5th anniversary together with life style clothes line De Palma. The anniversary is a milestone and it's celebrated on two ocassions.
First out comes the sampler ''We Would Like To Do You Some Damage Act I''.

Astrolites

Editor's info:
We at the HepTown family welcome this rockin' trio from Sweden. No one can been missing one of the absolute hottest bands in the rockabilly/punk scen today. Yes, were talking about the Astrolites.
They call it ''HI SPEED ROCKABILLY''. . . And this wild trio really can live up to it. On ''Hard Luck'' the Astrolites really put out a great mix of different influences from old be-bop, swing, rockabilly, surf and some punk. The band have created theire own unique sound.

Nosey Joe & The Pool Kings

Editor's info:
Nasty, raw swing/rhythm'n'blues with its roots in the 40's club scene.
Nosey Joe & The Pool Kings' second release ''Tunes from the Bighouse'' sets the band straight at the top of the scene.
With an outstanding rhythm section and its deep roots, this nine piece band is really showing what's what as they deliver hit on hit. Mean, bad-ass covers such as ''Sapphire'' by Big Danny Oliver to Scatman Crothers version of ''Ghost riders in the sky'' are blended into an explosive cocktail with their on material.
Nosey Joe & The Pool Kings are reaching to the roots of music and with Lil' Linn's guest appearance on the duet ''Knock Knock'' they have already set their mark in history. This great mix of swing, rhythm & blues and rock & roll really takes us on a wild ride.
This band is packed with talent. Ubbe Rydeslätt, Nosey Joe's frontman, unsheats his talents as great singer and skilled writer. As former member of Snakepit Rebels he spent quite some time in the well-known ''Abbey Road'' studio. But that's not all, guitar player Totte, played on The Go Getters' debut record and bassist Mika is originally from Knock-Out Greg and the Blue Weather. The band is further backed by the infamous Johnny Blue Orchestra's awesome brass section.
However brilliant the album is, Nosey Joe & The Pool Kings should absolutely be experienced live. This band totally overwhelms its audiences with a sound from the old times remade for the scene of today.

John Snijders

Editor's info:
Transatlantic Swing is a CD of music rich in elusive connections. Some of the music is 'transatlantic' because it's music by Europeans influenced by the Americas, some because it's music by an American played by a European. In some way all the music 'swings', but no two pieces swing in the same way. There's also a network of friendships between the composers represented here, although together they don't represent any one tendency in contemporary musical aesthetics.And there's a network of shared preoccupations in the music here - the balance between process and fantasy in musical form, the dynamics of sound and silence, the reconfiguration of popular music - but not all these preoccupations occur in every piece.
What does clearly connect all this music, however, is its composers' recognition that the piano is an instrument which, for all its size, is hard to pin down. At one moment it can seem to offer only black and
white, at the next an extraordinary range of colour; the sense of the effort necessary to make so many
notes sound with such force can be overwhelming, but we can also hear its sound as physically remote; piano notes can be pitched abstractions, or their sound can arrive weighed down with the instrument's history. So each composer here is working not just with the sound of the piano but with what the piano has been. Richard Rijnvos's Study identifies itself with the tradition of the piano 'étude' - more specifically he describes it is 'a study in the threehand technique of Busoni' - and Luca Francesconi's Mambo pays tribute to the great jazz pianist Lennie Tristano. Nevertheless Francesconi argues that this music has 'nothing in common with postmodernism or collage'. For him, and I suspect for all the composers here, each composition is located 'in a kind of micro-history of music', a 'polyphony of languages fused within a fundamental code'.
How to begin? Like this CD one can begin with something very familiar, the pounding handfuls of notes which were the trademark of the 1950s rock- 'n'roll star Jerry Lee Lewis (the title 'relliK' reverses Lewis' nickname, 'Killer') and gradually hear it transformed into something less familiar. Or one can begin as if from nothing. James Rolfe describes how his Idiot Sorrow (1989-91) 'reveals itself grudgingly: pitches are few and static, and durations and dynamics come in black and white, although tones of grey appear towards the end'. Luca Francesconi also begins his Mambo (1987) quite grudgingly, a note at a time, but there's an almost immediate sense of an inexorable momentum at work, a progressive filling up of musical space.Yet Mambo is like lliK too in that it derives ideas and energies from American popular music; instead of lliK's libidinous Bible Belt rock'n'roll Mambo is inspired by Lennie Tristano's 'Turkish Mambo', the extraordinary multitrack experiment first heard on the Tristano album of 1955. Or one can set off in more than one direction: Richard Rijnvos's Study in five parts (1986/7) kicks off with energy bouncing back and forth between different figurations of the same harmony - this first part, as Rijnvos says,'a kind of compressed preview of what is going to happen later in the piece in a far more crystallized way'. Or one can start beyond music. Idiot Sorrow takes its title from Rimbaud's Les Illuminations:'en hurlant son songe de chagrin idiot' (yelling his dream of idiot sorrow). Ivo van Emmerik's Polyphon gefasstes Weiss (1989) takes its title from a watercolour by Paul Klee and, according to its composer,' contains as many segments as the painting contains surfaces'. But Polyphon gefasstes Weiss is also inspired by Wittgenstein's Remarks on Colour, equating visual qualities with sound:'white' with 'silence','transparency' with 'resonance'. Fittingly this music from beyond music also goes beyond the piano, juxtaposing isolated notes picked out by the pianist from a celesta to set beside the resonating space of the piano.
How to go on? Polyphon gefasstes Weiss unfolds gradually, an organic growth sustained by extensive use of the technique whereby groups of notes are depressed silently so that their strings act as selective resonators for other notes. James Rolfe says he composed Idiot Sorrow 'by trial and error' and the music holds us with its tentative progress, feeling its way forward, a step forward, a step to one side, a pause, a step back. In lliK the pianist's hands follow the sorts of patterns ('licks') that Jerry Lee Lewis used but in ways that he might not recognise.There's a break, then relliK pushes the clock forward from the rock'n'roll 1950s to the techno '90s for music with a more systematic continuity, sampling and looping fragments of lliK.Whereas lliK offers a fragmented commentary on verse-chorus form, relliK is a monolith, albeit a monolith broken by bursts of manic chant.
In Mambo too there are dramatic interruptions, surprises along the way to keep us guessing, but the overwhelming trajectory is towards ever denser music in which one, two and eventually three polyphonic layers are in play. Francesconi has talked of his fascination with the poly-rhythms that Tristano generated in 'Turkish Mambo' as he dueted with a recording of himself and then later added a third over-dub; Francesconi hears parallels with the music of the pygmy peoples of Africa, as well as with Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and medieval European music. Rijnvos's Study stops and then starts again, each successive re-start at more and more of a tangent to what has gone before, creating a complex polyphony across time as well as in time. Rijnvos insists that the work is one Study in five parts, not Five Studies, but he also suggests other bi-partite divisions: 'the first four movements against the last, in dynamic, velocity and density', or the two 'one minute parts' (parts 2 and 4) which have the same tempo and layering idea and do not change in tempo' against the parts 1, 3 and 5 with their more complex structure of tempi, 'one after the other or on top of each other'.What makes this music so fascinating to follow is that its progress seems logical and yet the final vista which opens as the work closes is an outcome unimaginable when the music began.
How to finish? Inevitably, magically, dal niente, abruptly.
Christopher Fox, June 2002

Joe McPhee / Lisle Ellis / Paul Plimley

multikulti.com; 2008-10
''. . . Płyta 'Sweet Freedom - What Now?' jest wznowieniem, ale w dystrybucji w Polsce pojawia się po raz pierwszy. W tym nagraniu trio Joe McPhee - Lisle Ellis - Paul Plimley sięga po standardy (połowa kompozycji na płycie), ale traktuje je w duchu do którego Joe McPhee nas przyzwyczaił w Trio X. Nie wiadomomo tutaj gdzie przebiega granica pomiędzy kompozycją oryginalną - najczęściej kilka dźwięków - a całą resztą. Próźno tu doszukiwać się także rozróżnienia pomiędzy improwizacją a kompozycją - słuchając tego nagrania możemy z cała pewnością określić tylko drobne fragmenty jako kompozycję lub improwizację - olbrzymia przestrzeń muzyczna pozostaje niewiadomą. Joe McPhee przyzwyczaił nas bowiem do tego iż w oparciu o kilku dźwiękowe tematy buduje zupełnie nową jakość, zupełnie od pierwotnej kompozycji odbiegającą. Inaczej niż Braxton, który grając standardy najczęściej ocala - przynajmniej na chwilkę - pierwotnego ducha tej muzyki (bebop, hardbop), przetwarza go i do niego powraca. McPhee korzystając z melodyki pierwowzoru buduje własny świat dźwiękó, często melancholijny i drapieżny jednocześnie, liryczny i poetycki, i awangardowo diki zarazem. A partnerzy w tym nagraniu obecni dostosowują się w pełni do głosu saksofonisty. Lisle Ellis gra posągowo, mocno, pozwala to, niczym w muzyce Bacha, oprzeć cała strukturę utworów na basie. Paul Plimley - pianista tyleż wybitny co nieznany jest dla McPhee partnerem niemal idealnym - tak samo potrafi on z kilku dźwięków wyimptrowizować logicznie skontruowaną, niepowtarzalną suitę. Kolejna piękna płyta w dorobku Joe McPhee. . . ''
[Józef Paprocki]

Editor's info:
''A Timeless Protest, Updated''
''In 1960, when he recorded his Freedom Now Suite, Max Roach presented an open-ended, flexible piece of work. A protest piece that focused on the cruelty experienced by blacks, from the United States to South Africa . . . Mr. Roach had discovered the perfect vehicle upon which to expand, and for the last 30 years, he has been doing just that . . . ''
Peter Watrous,
The New York Times, August 7, 1993

To attempt to cover the many accomplishments of Max Roach in the limited space available here, would do a disservice to the man and his music. Besides being well documented elsewhere, he is still evolving, developing, growing. If you haven't already done so, I would recommend that you check out his classic recordings We Insist!, Freedom Now Suite and Percussion Bitter Sweet. When the project was proposed by Werner X. Uehlinger, he suggested that we concentrate essentially on Mr. Roach's compositions, and in particular the period during the 1960's when he began to use his music to promote socio-political awareness. Additionally, we decided to include original compositions inspired by Mr. Roach as well as others closely associated with him. Why perform the music of Max Roach without a drummer? We simply view Mr. Roach from an orchestral perspective, and in dealing with his compositions we put the ''drummer'' inside the music. Drumming is what Max Roach does. A visionary, a teacher, an inspiration is what he is. In any event, creating a museum piece was not our goal, and the 30th anniversary of the victories of the American civil rights movement provided a poignant opportunity for reflection upon the changes freedom has brought, as well as the significant historical parallels which exist in the world today. Thirty plus years after Ornette Coleman's ground-breaking Free Jazz, the question of ''Failed experiment or vital musical force?'' (Down Beat, Jan. 1992) continues. Fifty years after the end of World War II, neo-Nazi skinheads kill gypsies in Austria, terrorists poison thousands with nerve gas in the Tokyo subway system, and a black family finds a burning cross on their lawn in a community near where I live in New York State. These are but a few isolated examples to be sure, but they represent symptoms of a problem. Perhaps the concept of freedom itself is the problem. Perhaps it is too vague, too ill-defined. Perhaps it needs qualification; freedom from what, for what, for whom? Once qualified, questions of rights, responsibilities, discipline and control arise. Perhaps freedom has to be viewed with a kind of peripheral vision in order to be seen. If viewed directly, it might not be seen at all, like an optical illusion or love. Just when you think you have it firmly in focus it jumps, changes and becomes something else entirely.
Sweet Freedom - Now What? (The answer is the question!) Each answer invites a new question, and when the questions stop, we are in big trouble! The challenges and the dangers are considerable once freedom has been achieved, but failure to question and challenge invites disaster. Clearly any consideration of the subject of freedom can not be so narrowly limited to race or gender or even music. Freedom, whatever it is, like Max Roach's timeless protest, is an ongoing process, a work-in-progress which demands constant engagement!
''The wonderful thing about this music that we deal with here, this improvisational music that we basically call jazz (I know we can talk about that), is that it's fluid. It's not static . . . The thing that is basic about it is that you have to make people feel something . . . In this music you arrive when you make somebody
feel something!''
Max Roach, Interviewed on ABC TV, Like It Is

Mike Westbrook

multikulti.com; 2008-10:
''. . . To płyta, wcale nienowa, która z miejsca powinna zostać okrzyknięta wydarzeniem. Wznowienie genialnego nagrania Mike Westbrooka nie powinno bowiem - w moim odczuciu - przejść niezauważone. Chociaż od nagrania tego materiału minęło z górą 20 lat, płyta wciąż zaskakuje i inspiruje, chociaż naśladowcy pomysłów Westbrooka - np. Uri Caine - nie dorastają mu do pięt. Pomysł na sięgnięcie po muzykę Rossiniego narodził na początku lat osiemdziesiątych - Westbrook rozpoczął wtedy pracę nad przetworzeniem fragmentów opery ''Wilhelm Tell'' Rossiniego na festiwal teatralny w Lozannie (w 1984 r.). Później stopniowo poszerzał tę koncepcję (chociaż szkieletem wciąż pozostaje uwertura do tej opery), aż - w roku 1986 - przybrała ona formę, z którą możemy obcować na płycie (prócz tego na płycie znajdują się utwory z oper ''Sroka złodziejka'', ''Cyrulik sewilski'' oraz ''Otello''). Westbrook podchodzi do muzyki Rossiniego z potężną dawką tak właściwego jej humoru - momentami ''a la'' Frank Zappa - ale też humor ten nie jest celem samym w sobie. Z kompozycji Rossiniego nie zostaje więc tylko pastisz, ale jest to muzyka, która oczarowuje pięknem, uwodzi liryzmem, porywa energią ale i wybiega w przyszłości. 'Avant garde' oznacza wszak 'straż przednią', wybiegnięcie przed tłum innych twórców, i śmiało możemy używać tego pojęcia w stosunku do aranżacyjnych i interpretacyjnych pomysłów zebranych na tej płycie. Niemała zasługa w tym współpracowników Westbrook'a - świetnie wypadają przede wszystkim saksofoniści Lindsay Cooper i Peter Whyman, bardzo silnie osadzają muzykę w czysto jazzowym kontekście. Zgoła inne zadanie przypisuje lider tubiście Andy'emu Grappy'ie (ale i sobie - bowiem sam także chwyta za ten instrument) - najczęściej 'napędza' ona muzykę zespołu - chociaż duet z puzonistą Paulem Niemanem w 'William Tell Overture IV' czy też solo w uwerturze do 'Cyrulika sewilskiego' są naprawdę zjawiskowe. Niezła jest także Kate Westbrook - tutaj także pełniąca rolę wokalistki. Zwłaszcza, gdy odchodzi on tradycyjnej formy, gdy nie śpiewa a zgrzyta czy charczy - nadaje to muzyce nowego, momentami mrocznego charakteru.
Gdy jest to możliwe, lider pozostawia muzykom miejsce na improwizacje, kompozycje Rossini'ego w niewielkim stopniu ich krępują - jest tu miejsce na dzikie, rozpędzone solówki i sonorystyczne zgrzyty przeplatane ciszą. Mimo tego, wszyscy i wszystko podporządkowane jest tutaj wizji Westbrook,a który narzuca zespołowi rygorystyczną dyscyplinę, przez co muzyka zyskuje niezwykły, kolektywny charakter. Interpretacja propowana przez Westbrooka zdaje się rozszerzać muzykę, ale w niczym nie burzy jej piękna i harmonii, a połączone ze sobą na płycie utwory - z różnych wszak oper Rossiniego - stanowić się zdają jedną, spójną, nierozerwalną całość. Niezwykła dla mnie i porywająca płyta!!!. . . ''
[Wawrzyniec Mąkinia]


Editor's info:
Anyone who has followed British composer/bandleader Mike Westbrook's career for the past 15 or so years knows of the remarkable variety of musical styles and settings he has so deftly utilized. From expressionistic cabaret songs to electric jazz-rock boogaloos, lush tone poems to sizzling straightahead swing charts, his writing has been as uncategorizable as it is individual. But even those familiar with Westbrook's penchant for diversity will be surprised by the music contained on this disc - and for the novice, well, sit back and prepare to be astounded. Echoes of New Orleans marching bands, melodramatic silent film scores, ''free'' contrapuntal episodes, wry slightly drunken marches, humorous parodies, stately Italian arias, a near-tarantella with a boppish alto solo, an Arabian Nights snake-charmer routine, tuba solos traversing flatulent subterranean depths only to waft into lighter-than-air ethereal breezes, a pseudo-tango, and, as a finale, the Lone Ranger - incongruous seeming combinations, to be sure, but all find a home in the sometimes madcap, ofttimes mellifluous suite which Westbrook has penned from themes by the 19th century Italian opera composer Gioacchino Rossini.
Despite its rather unlikely premise and almost willful multiplicity of styles, Westbrook-Rossini is not merely a pastiche. Nor is it an academic re-ordering of operatic excerpts. Actually, it was never intended to be anything more than a short divertissement for a street theater entertainment. But let's allow Westbrook himself to pick up the story: ''The William Tell material was first performed in Lausanne in 1984. We were approached by the organizers of a contemporary street festival - theater people, basically - and the theme of their festival was William Tell. Actually, we didn't know very much about him then - he's a sort of semi-mythical, semi-factual revolutionary hero from the Middle Ages, not at all the joke we sometimes think of him as. And since their performances took place in the street, we had to create some music which could be performed in the open air. Since Kate knows quite a bit more about opera then I do, she had the idea that we listen to Rossini's opera - a somewhat popular version of the story. So we got the albums and a score, and poured over them, and found there was a lot of material - particularly in the overture, but also two or three other pieces - which leapt out, and suggested themselves to the sort of approach we've had over the years, which is basically jazz, but using other sources - unusual song forms, different from the typical jazz standards.''
''So we assembled a band which was initially designed to play in the street, which accounts for the slightly unusual lineup; it's sort of like a brass band really, I suppose, step of using the sopranino as lead instrument, which gives a particular character to the music.''
Somewhat like Rossini himself, the piece outgrew its modest origin, casually, accidently, almost magically. Westbrook relates, ''This Lausanne project could have simply been a very enjoyable one-off, but I found it produces very interesting results when you try to arrange material for that sort of instrumentation - quite economical as it is, and the challenge is to make it sound like a much larger group, with more colors and all - and I found it refreshing to be working on somebody else's material. Most of the time I'm writing original work, which I find very demanding and taxing, and it was a nice change to take Rossini's music, the way you might take a jazz standard, say, and see what you might do with it. So we started listening not only to more William Tell, but also some of the other operas, and took some of the obvious things like the overture to The Thieving Magpie, The Barber of Seville - the popular themes were the first to come to mind, possibly because they were popular, and had that sort of built-in recognition.'' There's no doubt that the vocal aspect of Rossini's music supplies an inherent lyricism to Westbrook's adaption, but the basic appeal goes much deeper than that. ''Kate and I did quite a lot of reading about Rossini's life - he was quite a character, very popular, very highly regarded by the other musicians of his time, a gourmet, and a man who certainly lived life to the fullest - and when it came time to rehearse as a band we talked quite a lot about this, and I think it comes through in the playing. There's a lot of humor, but there's also a lot of very grand music, and a lot of very passionate music - and that's something that comes right through, I think, to a jazz performer; there's a great deal of feeling, and it's very directly expressed. It's something you can really get off on, instrumentally.''
Westbrook's knowing transformation of Rossini's themes gives everyone in the band their moment to shine - and more than a few of the moments are stunning, indeed. The long, with two tubas, and percussion, trombone, tenor horn, and the two saxophones, with the rather unusual eventful treatment of the song ''Lindoro,'' from The Barber of Seville, is a case in point. Introduced as a haunting serenade by trombonist Paul Nieman (accompanied by the band's dogged distortions of his serious demeanor), Westbrook's own piano soliloquy is full of touching sentiments in its prismatic rendering of the theme; there's an almost bel canto expressiveness in Peter Whyman's alto aria, and Kate Westbrook's vocal entry, surrounded by silence, seems to suck all the air out of the room. Her range - not only of tessitura, but of emotion as well - is something special, and her talent is justification enough for Westbrook's concentration on vocal music over the last few years. Keep in mind that this is not a collection of isolated episodes, but a considerable ensemble work as well, full of relaxed pastoral airs alternating with more tumultuous melees - a juxtaposition which has found favor in Westbrook's writing as far back as '60s and '70s scores like Marching Song, Metropolis, and Citadel / Room 315, and as recent as The Westbrook Blake, The Cortege, and On Duke's Birthday. Typically, his arrangements set you up in what appear to be comfortable surroundings, then suddenly alter your sense of perspective with a swift shift of mood. As a composer and arranger of the first rank, Westbrook thrives on contrast and diversity; yet even given that, Westbrook - Rossini's playful suggestions of Ellington, Anthony Braxton, and Charlie Chaplin could be considered surrealistic. Still, in the long run, it's Rossini, it's Westbrook, and the twain do meet.
Art Lange, February 1987


All About Jazz:
Whether you believe that opera is the loftiest manifestation of lyric art, or a bastard tradition typified by mannered singing, indifferent acting and an audience that would have Robespierre rubbing his hands in glee, there's no doubt that it has some great tunes. British composer and pianist/tuba player Mike Westbrook gathered a few of them together in the mid 1980s for this Rossini project.

Westbrook-Rossini grew out of a commission Westbrook received from a Swiss street-theatre company in 1984. The brief called for a band which could provide musical interludes for a play about the Swiss national hero, William Tell - a perambulatory band that could make itself heard in the open air, which explains the unusual seven-piece instrumentation including a sopranino saxophone, two tubas and (in the original line-up) no piano.

At the suggestion of his singer/wife Kate, Westbrook listened to the 19th century Italian composer, Gioacchino Rossini's opera 'William Tell,' which went on to provide the source material for the commission. As Westbrook's enthusiasm for Rossini's music grew, so did the scope of the project, and an expanded version of the original theatre commission, including pieces from Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville,' 'The Thieving Magpie' and 'Otello,' was performed at Zurich Jazz Festival in 1987 (and subsequently released on a double LP). A studio version was released on CD in 1988, and Westbrook-Rossini is a re-issue of that session.

It's a playful, mellifluous affair in which Westbrook celebrates some of Rossini's best known tunes (even non-opera buffs will recognize most of them), refracted through his own singular, multifaceted, musical prism. Grand opera aside, the suite draws from post-Duke Ellington orchestral jazz, jazz-rock, free improv, Maghrebi folk music, tango and (slightly drunken) Ruritanian marches. Even the Lone Ranger is acknowledged in the full-tilt reading of the 'galloping theme' from 'William Tell,' hinted at briefly in 'William Tell Overture IV' and then embraced with abandon on the disc's closing track, 'William Tell Overture V.'

Instrumentally, the emphasis is on richly harmonised ensemble work driven by Peter Fairclough's powerful, Sonny Greer going on Ginger Baker drums, but there are several fine solos from Lindsay Cooper on sopranino saxophone, Peter Whyman on alto saxophone and Paul Nieman on trombone. Kate Westbrook sings on three tracks 'L'amoroso E Sincero Lindoro,' 'Isuara' and 'Tutto Cangia' on which Mike switches from tuba to piano. Her performances, which are by turns respectful of the Italian opera tradition and subversive of it, are wonderful and stirring, highlights of the album.

Westbrook-Rossini might not make an opera fan of you. . . but then again, stranger things have happened.
By Chris May

Steffen Schleiermacher

Editor's info:
For Prepared Piano (1951) was my first experiment with John Cage's invention (putting various objects into the piano strings to produce percussive or non-specifically pitched sounds) and a continuation of interest in percussion as such. I had been a friend of John's, after a brief time as a student, for about a year. But I'd known about the prepared piano earlier from scores in Henry Cowell's New Music Publications of Amores and Sonatas and Interludes, also about percussion scores - of Varese, William Russell and others, as well: as Amores music organized without reference to pitch as such. As a student I had been assigned by John the analysis of Webern's Symphony opus 21, whose transparent textures and, in the first movement, registrally fixed pitches (and so a quite restricted number of sounding pitches) made a great impression on me. I had then taken to writing with very small numbers of pitches (three or four for about six-minute pieces) whose combinations, single, vertical, overlapping, I heard as discrete sonorities. So, for instance, two melody instruments using three pitches (fixed, no register changes) made available 12 such sonorities; these I thought of as units of variable character with which I could make a kind of melodic line. I had also learned from John rhythmic structuring, the reflection of microstructural phrases' proportions in the proportions of the larger parts of a piece's overall structure.

For Prepared Piano consists of four pieces, each with a limited number of sounds or small sound complexes (seven, 11, 11 and nine), each sound also with its own unchanging dynamic indication, the sounds making up single elements of a linear (monophonically conceived) compositional process. This process takes place within a pre-set space, the same 25 measures in 4/4 taken as a square of 5 x 5 measures, for each piece. The sequence of composing, through, proceeds by various geometrical moves that are not only just sequential (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). For example, in the first piece the composing went from measure 1 to 6 to 11 to 16 to 21 to 22 to 17 to 12, and so forth, that is, down the first column of the 5 x 5 squares, then up the next. When performed, the music is read normally (measures 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on), which makes a result oblique to and, for me, a little bit surprising or indeterminate, with regard to the compositional process.

For Piano I (1952) is also restricted in its pitches (there are a total of nine) and uses a limited set of rhythmic complexes and of dynamics. The overall structure is accumulative, not pre-set, made out of a collection of 16 time lengths, each characterized by a density of sound (the number of sounds in a given duration, say, 10 within three beats, or none, i.e. silence, for seven beats). Which of these structural units is used, their sequence and sometimes overlapping is determined by chance procedure (derived from the I Ching, one of the very few times I've used this kind of chance).The reason was to allow situations balancing exact, given limits with free choice. More particularly it was to allow silence to appear in ways not directly intended and in this way free from willful rhetoric.

Except for a tape piece, For Piano I, For Piano II, Suite and For Piano with Preparations were all that I managed to write between 1952 and the first half of 1957, a time spent mostly away at college learning how to do classical philology. The pieces were all written because of David Tudor and his extraordinary virtuosity. There were hardly any other performance resources available at the time for us (that is, Cage, Feldman, Brown, and myself). Affecting the music too, directly and by reaction, was the European avant-garde, especially Boulez and Stockhausen, with its complex serial systematizing. When he saw my pieces with the restricted numbers of pitches, Boulez asked me, why so few? I next wrote For Piano II making a point of using all 88 notes of the piano keyboard. The music is made with pre-set pitch collections, having each various numbers of pitches in them (each pitch fixed in its octave as a particular sound), not using the serially transposable set of 12 and sometimes including serially forbidden octaves. The approach was, I thought, more pragmatic or musically ad hoc, open as regards to system rather than determinately global in the European way. I also shared with John Cage a feeling for the presence of silence or spaces where the composition required no sounds of its own, so as to be transparent with respect to its sonic environment, the world around it.

Suite (I) (1954) and For Piano with Preparations (1957) return, now within the context of the complexly textured music of that time, to the use of piano preparations. In the first part of Suite the preparations (there are 10 of them) are not used so that the following two parts become a timbral metamorphosis. For Piano with Preparations uses preparations (17 of them) and sounds made directly on the piano strings (plucking, scraping, snapping, etc.). Complexities of texture in these pieces result from structural schemes. Rhythmic structures are used geometrically, that is, with continuities following non-linear moves over a total structural space, not now only singly (as in For Prepared Piano) but in multiples, resulting in a kind of three-dimensional counterpoint of sound events where sometimes as many as four such events might overlap. These overlaps sometimes result in performing requirements that are impossible to realize in the required tempo, which led me to use at those points a tempo designation of zero, that is, simply any or free time, jumping, so to speak, outside the otherwise structure-determining time spacing. Intending to make in early 1957 a two-piano piece for Frederic Rzewski and myself in my then complexly written way, I realized there wouldn't be time to finish it for the concert we had scheduled. We devised instead a kind of double improvisation based on fixed time lengths, a rhythmic structure of widely varying length, within which we each independently could play freely using for each structural space a specified and limited source of material (pitches, dynamics, timbres, and individual sound durations).This got me started on a music at the core of which was the both free and specified playing of several performers who, under the playing circumstances, could not help but react to one another's playing. For Pianist (1959) was a somewhat paradoxical attempt to put David Tudor, as solo pianist, into situations where his playing might in part be determined by what he unpredictably heard, not now from another player but from his own playing. For instance, the score calls for a sound ''as soft as possible.'' At the moment of playing the sound might be just that, or it might be a bit louder, or there might be no sound at all. Each of these results cues a separate path of material to be played next. The piece is made up of a number of paths or continuities, sometimes, according to cues that result unpredictably from the playing, bifurcating, overlapping and drawing the pianist into labyrinthian complications. The continuities are sequences of time lengths, fractions of a second to half a minute, within which numbers of sounds are given with varying degrees of specifications, for example, giving for a single sound only its amplitude or for several a choice of two or five pitches. The player makes final specifications, sometimes in advance, sometimes where there are longer time spaces at the moment of performance, and the specifications (choices) are almost always variable. The interchange between the score's fixed determinations and the player's use of its free spaces and loopholes, between the dependence on suddenly arising necessities and a freedom to choose in the course of playing underlies the music.
Christian Wolff, 2001

Bleu

Singers

Klinke

Madsole Quartet

Venice

Hot'n Spicy

Bentzon Brotherhood

Reve Boheme

Frank Hemmingsen

Thulla

Alcoholic Faith Mission

Flojl

Christina Boelskifte

Salem

Britt Hein

Thorbjorn Risager

Naked Fish

Thomas Mannsfeldt

Horace Parlan

Frans Bak

Southern Gothic Tales

Thomas Mannsfeldt

Okyerema Pra & Agoro-Band

Moller / Madsen / Andersen

Mads Vinding - Jacob Fischer Duo

Jesper Riis

Ayi Solomon

Wonderbrass

Wonderbrass formed in 1992 as a community street band from Pontypridd South Wales. Today they are bigger, bolder and brassier (pun intended) than ever before. Under the expert leadership of instrumentalist and composer Rob Smith and drummer extraordinaire Mark O'Connor, Wonderbrass are constantly evolving and exploring new musical challenges. Expect an intoxicating mix of jazz, Latin, ska and soul; a diverse repertoire including Cannonball Adderley, Abdulah Ibrahim and Madonna whilst indulging in a number of their own compositions along the way.

Having enjoyed a number of successful and ongoing collaborations with international musicians such as Claude Deppa, King Django, Jason Yarde and South Africa's very own Amampondo, Wonderbrass are always seeking to thrill audiences both at home and abroad, in their unique style that once heard will never be forgotten. . . They've got to be seen to be believed!

Thomas Mannsfeldt

Thomas Mannsfeldt

Shaka Johnson

The Law

Nande & The Big Difference

Jakob Reich

Lysdal/Rasmussen

Kinguru

Mike H

Flamenca Navidad

The Ice Cream Vendors

Helle For Mig

Rent Mel

Thorbjorn Risager

Sara Grabow

Maya Albana

Turbulens

World On A String

Trioscope Feat. Chris Cheek

Pernille Bevort

Katrine Suwalski Another World

Wonderbrazz

Wonderbrass formed in 1992 as a community street band from Pontypridd South Wales. Today they are bigger, bolder and brassier (pun intended) than ever before. Under the expert leadership of instrumentalist and composer Rob Smith and drummer extraordinaire Mark O'Connor, Wonderbrass are constantly evolving and exploring new musical challenges. Expect an intoxicating mix of jazz, Latin, ska and soul; a diverse repertoire including Cannonball Adderley, Abdulah Ibrahim and Madonna whilst indulging in a number of their own compositions along the way.

Having enjoyed a number of successful and ongoing collaborations with international musicians such as Claude Deppa, King Django, Jason Yarde and South Africa's very own Amampondo, Wonderbrass are always seeking to thrill audiences both at home and abroad, in their unique style that once heard will never be forgotten. . . They've got to be seen to be believed!

Teddy Edwards

multikulti.com
Dokumentalny film, którego bohaterem jest urodzony w stanie Mississippi Teddy Edwards, saksofonista tenorowy blisko związany z muzykami tej miary co Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown czy Benny Goodman, to bez wątpienia jeden z twórców bebopu, dominującego w latach 40tych i pocz. 50-tych kierunku w jazzie.
Związany ze środowiskiem jazzowym zachodniego wybrzeża pozostaje muzykiem niedocenianym a to przecież do niego należy pierwsze bebopowe solo na saksofonie tenorowym.

Sam Edwards tak opowiada o tych latach w wywiadzie udzielonym All About Jazz [Fred Jung]:
'The middle Forties was the most creative period in history because everything was at its highest tempo. Everything was moving. The country was moving. People were moving across the country back and forth. Musicians were going from this band to that band. When they would draft guys, they would have to change guys and it was just a fantastic period.'

Kompozycje Edwardsa cechuje kontrastowanie lirycznych fraz z rytmicznymi tempami, skomplikowanymi zapętleniami.
Gdyby miał więcej szczęścia byłby stawiany obok takich saksofonistów co Cannonball Adderley czy Sonny Rollins. Wystarczy posłuchać np. 'L.A. After Dark' czy 'It's All Right' by zarazić się fascynacją muzyką tego saksofonisty.
Dla Edwardsa jazz to dziedzina prób i poszukiwań, pełna radości i prawdziwej pasji. Nagranie z 2000 roku jest tego dowodem.
autor: Krzysztof Szamot

Matchbrothers

Rikke Mach

Tintin Og Hartorrerne

Salem

Alex Canasta

Stine Michel

Bagdad Dagblad

Marten Lundgren

Morten Schantz Segment

Peter Rosendahl Trio

Jens Lysdal

The Latin Dance Band

Flamenco Passion

Cordelia

Larry Nelson

Martin Bernt

Alcoholic Faith Mission

Kasper Foss

Ulc

Thulla

Prinsens Orkester

San featuring Hans Ulrik

Strengedrejerne

Clubheads

Zeroes And Ones

Peter Graae

Svein-Inc

Lightnin' Moe And His Peace Disturbers

Squaresville

Helle Hesdorf

Anne Dueholm & Henrik Kunz Duo

Turnip Greens

Kynne Ingvordsen

Senderovitz Nordal Tagel Trio

Randers Big Band

The Soul Academy

Saranoah

Sophisticated Ladies

Jan Lippert

Kristian Marcussen

Second Nature

Kalles World Tour

The Orchestra Plays Jacob Riis

Sinne Eeg

Paul Banks

Salem

Mojo Hands

Mike H

Rent Mel

Maya Albana

Blank

Evelyn's Kitchen

Trommetroldens Sange

Dissing & Las

Lonnie Kjer

Peter Rosendal

Rasmus Hedebo

Baggeschack

Tesco Value [Czesław Mozil]

multikulti.com
Debiutancki album zespołu Tesco Value wreszcie w Polsce.
Czy jest jeszcze ktoś w Polsce, kto nie słyszał o formacji 'Czesław śpiewa', prowadzonej przez Czesława Mozila?
Pewnie nie, skoro chyba wszystkie media pełne są entuzjastycznych recenzji jego polskiej płyty wydanej przez Mystic Records.
Zupełnie zasłużenie!.
Dotąd w Polsce nikt z taką gracją nie połączył paryskiego chanson, kabaretu, latynoskich rytmów, indie-rockowego grania. Czesław Mozil wraz z kolegami (absolwenci kopenhaskiej Royal Danish Music Academy) doskonale odrobili lekcję z Tiger Lilies, Kurta Weila, Toma Waitsa i Françoiz Breut.
Na plakatach pierwszych koncertów Tesco Value hasłem reklamowym było: 'romantic punk, pop cabaret, jazz rock'. Taka też jest ich debiutancka płyta.

Płta ukazała się w bardzo bogatej edytorsko wersji: sześcio-stronicowy digipack.


Kasia Nosowska (z którą Czesław miał przyjemność nagrać płytę i koncert Hey Unplugged)
'Cześć i sława dla Czesława! Nie pamiętam jak było nim się pojawił.'

Tomek Lipiński
'Czesław to absolutnie wyjątkowe zjawisko. Jego wrażliwość na dźwięki i słowa sprawia, że albo go kochasz, albo go nie znasz.'

Nergal (Behemoth)
'Nie mam pojęcia jaki to gatunek muzyczny, nie wiem jak ten gość to robi. . . ale dźwięki które produkuje Czesio nie są z tego świata. Prawdziwie bajkowa muzyka. Rzecz niezwykła i wyjątkowa na polskim rynku. Ja jestem zaczarowany!'

ArtRock.pl; ocena: 10/10
[. . .] Album niesamowity ! Witalność, melodyka i desperacki ekspresjonizm sprawiając ze odkrywa się ten krążek z wielkim zaciekawieniem i radością. Z czasem nie można się obejść bez tej płyty a w szczególności od takich nagrań jak FISCHIKELLA, CATCHY KATHY, PERVERSUTIES IN D-MINOR. W zasadzie nie ma nagrania które jest mało udane i które omijam.
Doskonały krążek i prognostyk na przyszłość. Dodam że zespół odwiedził już kilka razy nasz kraj z licznymi koncertami. Tak tez się stanie mam nadzieje niebawem gdyż zespół planuje już wydać drugą pełną płytę.
Naprawdę Warto !!!


sluchaniezabija.blogspot.com
[. . .] Tesco Value 'Tesco Value' nie da się ot tak zrecenzować, opisać. Jest to muzyka, która albo Was oczaruje od pierwszych dźwięków, albo zniechęci - trudno przejść obok niej obojętnie. [. . .]

P3, Peter Poulsen Sextet

Pelle Fridell

Wonderbrass

Wonderbrass formed in 1992 as a community street band from Pontypridd South Wales. Today they are bigger, bolder and brassier (pun intended) than ever before. Under the expert leadership of instrumentalist and composer Rob Smith and drummer extraordinaire Mark O'Connor, Wonderbrass are constantly evolving and exploring new musical challenges. Expect an intoxicating mix of jazz, Latin, ska and soul; a diverse repertoire including Cannonball Adderley, Abdulah Ibrahim and Madonna whilst indulging in a number of their own compositions along the way.

Having enjoyed a number of successful and ongoing collaborations with international musicians such as Claude Deppa, King Django, Jason Yarde and South Africa's very own Amampondo, Wonderbrass are always seeking to thrill audiences both at home and abroad, in their unique style that once heard will never be forgotten. . . They've got to be seen to be believed!

Wonderbrazz

Wonderbrass formed in 1992 as a community street band from Pontypridd South Wales. Today they are bigger, bolder and brassier (pun intended) than ever before. Under the expert leadership of instrumentalist and composer Rob Smith and drummer extraordinaire Mark O'Connor, Wonderbrass are constantly evolving and exploring new musical challenges. Expect an intoxicating mix of jazz, Latin, ska and soul; a diverse repertoire including Cannonball Adderley, Abdulah Ibrahim and Madonna whilst indulging in a number of their own compositions along the way.

Having enjoyed a number of successful and ongoing collaborations with international musicians such as Claude Deppa, King Django, Jason Yarde and South Africa's very own Amampondo, Wonderbrass are always seeking to thrill audiences both at home and abroad, in their unique style that once heard will never be forgotten. . . They've got to be seen to be believed!

Charlotte Thorsen

Maria Hiort Petersen

Blank

Harbeck/Agesen/Johnsen/Landors

Salem

John Sund & Acoustic Sense

The Dynamite Vikings

Jan K

Schmidtpedersen

Barner-Wittrock

Mista Mat

Mad Parker

Louise Marie

Janes Rejoice

Salem

Sara Grabow

Experterne

Blank

Steric

Thullabandulla Band

Svend Hedegaard

Tip Toe Big Band

Nanna

Catching The Rabbit

Turbulens

Mads Hansen

Blandvark

Salem

Magnus Hjorth

Hess/Dayyani

Rosendal, Vinding, Rosendal

Helle Henning

Bevórt - Schmidt

Niels Jorgen Steens Monday Night Big Band

Michael Heise

Refraction

Calibrated Sampler

Niels Lyhne Lokkegaard

Mads Kjolby

Birds Of Beauty

Sinne Eeg

multikulti.com
''. . . Na dzisiejszym rynku muzycznym istnieje cała grupa wokalistek, którą wszyscy uporczywie klasyfikują jako ''jazzowe'' a z jazzem de facto nie mają one wiele wspólnego. Śmiało można zaliczyć do nich Diane Krall, Katie Melua'e czy Annę Marię Jopek o efemerydach typu Ives Mendes nie wspominając. Dla większości bowiem producentów, wydawców ale i słuchaczy ''jazz'' jest słowem nobilitującym muzyczne doznania, podnoszącym ich wartość więc jeżeli coś ma być ''dobre'' lub ''lepsze'' to świetnym zamiennikiem może być ''jazzowe''. Drugim problemem jest to, iż do jazzu wrzuca się to wszystko, co o jazz choćby się ociera a jest trudne do sklasyfikowania.
W przypadku Sinne Eeg możemy mówić o pewnych podobieństwach - płyta jest ''jazzowa'' w podobnym stopniu jak nagrania Diany Krall czy Inger Marie Gundersen: wokalistka głosem właściwie nie improwizuje, swinguje - owszem, lecz nie za wiele. Eeg towarzyszy klasyczne jazzowe trio z fortepianem, którego muzycy pozwalają sobie na improwizowane wycieczki czy pasaże. Lecz ta nietrafność określania ''jazzowe'' wcale nie oznacza, iż jest to zła muzyka i należy ją wyrzucić na śmietnik. Jeżeli szukać podobieństw to Sinne Eeg bodaj najbliższa jest kanadyjskiej wokalistce Holy Cole - a to rekomendacja znakomita. Nie ma na tej płycie, co prawda, mroczniejszych utworów, ale wykonując balladowy repertuar Sine Eeg nie ma sobie równych. Potrafi śpiewać, potrafi wyczarować ze zdawałoby się banalnego tematu - perełkę, uwodzi i kołysze pozostawiając jednak towarzyszącym muzykom (świetny pianista Lars Jansson) sporo miejsca by mogli po prostu pograć. I jeszcze jeden wielki plus tego nagrania - większość piosenek zgromadzonych na płycie to kompozycje wokalistki, a i pozostałe to wcale nieograne standardy. Wszystkim, którzy sięgną po to nagranie gwarantuję jednak jedno - ta ''jazzowo-wokalna'' płyta potrafi każdego zauroczyć i oczarować. . . ''
[Paweł Wierzbicki]

Martin Granum Acoustic Quintet

Niels Lyhne Lokkegaard

Mike H Project

The Orchestra Feat. Anders Trentemoller

Thulla

Livingstones Kabinet

The Orchestra Plays Music By Niels Gerhardt

Claus Waidtlow

Torben Westergaard Oktober

Niels Balle Project

Hogsbro/Nordal Iv

Reve Boheme

John Tchicai & Kristian Hoeg Ensemble

Peter Rosendal

Soren Lampe (W. Kasper Villaume Etc.)

Steen Rasmussen

Różni Wykonawcy

Mads Thorsen

Camilla Dayyani

Fredrik Mellqvist Trio - Presenterar Ester Arman

Wonderbrazz

Rebop Union (W.Thomas Fryland Etc.)

Emil De Waal

Dalia Faitelson (W. Adam Nussbaum, Jay Anderson)

Jka And The Band

Blood Sweat Drum´N Bass

Kasper Tagel

Jazz Five

Pernille Bévort

Erling Kroner New Music Orchestra

Jakob Davidsen

Six City Stompers

Jan Lippert

Blood Sweat Drum´N Bass

Jakob Davidsen Mangfoldighed

Secret Oyster

Orion Brass Band

Ed Epstein

Sidsel Storm

Maj-Britt Kramer

Marius Neset

Eknmo - La Mariposa Project

Jazzfive

Strom

Olivier Antunes Trio

multikulti.com
Jak wyglądałby świat muzyki jazzowej bez formuły grania w klasycznym trio: fortepian, kontrabas i perkusja?
Nie musimy oczywiście szukać odpowiedzi skoro trio w klasycznym składzie stanowi prawdziwy fundament języka jazzu.
Cała prawda jednak nie tkwi w składzie instrumentalnym czy tez doborze repertuaru, tkwi ona w człowieku, jego wrażliwości, wychowaniu, temperamencie, jego umiejętnościach wypowiadania się, mówienia swoim głosem.
I tu okazuje się, że klasyczne trio jest częściej przeciwnikiem niż sprzymierzeńcem muzyków szukających swojego głosu, stanowi kłopotliwą barierę ograniczającą ich wyobraźnię.
W przypadku młodego pianisty Oliviera Antunesa możemy jednak być spokojni, refleksyjna pianistyka, bez nadzwyczajnych efektów aranżacyjnych, klawiaturowej pianistyki może być tylko dziełem pełnokrwistego muzyka, jakim Olivier Antunes z pewnością jest. Dodam jeszcze, że z wyjątkiem dwóch kompozycji, majestatycznego 'The Duke' Dave'a Brubecka i medytacyjnego, wyciszającego 'My one and only love' Wooda / Mellina całość materiału na płytę wyszła spod pióra lidera.
Dbałość o brzmienie swoich instrumentów tworzą głębię i piękno improwizowanej muzyki akustycznej, świetnie brzmiący, dźwięczny kontrabas Lennarta Ginmana zasługuje na szczególną uwagę osób wyczulonych na realizacyjne smaczki.
autor: Krzysztof Szamot

Reflex

Dr. L. Subramaniam / Karsten Vogel

Nordal Twang

Strange Party Orchestra

People Are Machines

Martin Lutz

Nickelsen Trio

Helena Ljunggren

Anne Kierulff

Abrikostr'et

Mads Hansen J.A.M

Strange Party Orchestra

Xploding Plastix

Editor's info:
Xploding Plastix has come ''home'' again, with a two album deal for Beatservice Records!!
Xploding Plastix is consisting of Hallvard Wennersberg Hagen and Jens Petter Nilsen. Their debut was the 7'' ''Treat Me Mean, I Need The Reputation'' in 2000 which was an instant underground hit. It was followed by the debut album ''Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents'' in 2001, an album which quickly became a classic, and is still one of the all-time bestselling Norwegian underground electronica albums. A revisited version was later released in the UK by Palm Beats in 2004.
After the debut, Xploding Plastix left Beatservice Records for the Norwegian branch of the major company Sony, and in 2003 they released their second album ''The Donca Matic Singalongs''. Both this album and the debut where nominated to the Spellemann award (Norwegian Grammy) as well as the Alarm award (an alternative Norwegian award).
Since then, they have mainly worked with music for short films, film, TV and radio. They have collaborated with the Kronos quartet, commissioned a dance performance in Serbia, released the album ''Domestic Engine'' with the side-project; Piston Ltd, plus worked with their other side project; The Electones.
In the autumn, they are finally releasing new material. The new album ''Treated Timber Resist Rot'' continues the development from ''The Donca Matic Singalong'' album, but moves into a more clouded, organic toned down sondscape. However still with a quirky leftfield electronica as the basis, mixed with intricate rhythm structures, melodic themes, and a creative instrumentation.
In addition, Beatservice Records will also release a revisited version of ''The Donca Matic Singalong'' for export and digital download, plus the EP ''Devious Dan'' with some tracks from the archives.

Ralph Myerz

Editor's info:
Erlend Sellevold is the composer and electronic main man in Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band (Emperor Norton/Rycodisc). Along the years with the Jack Herren Band, there where lots of material and ideas that didn't quite fit with the RM&TJHB formula. This material was the starting point for the work on the solo-album Ralphorama. But it is far from a collection of leftovers and b-priority material. Quite the opposite! Erlend Sellevold has been working day and night with this album the last two years, breaking one deadline after another. And Ralphorama has become a tour de force of what Erlend Sellevold/Ralph Myerz stands for, a tour de force of an album with one masterpiece followed by the other!

Some of the tracks are style wise familiar with the two first albums from RM&TJHB: melancholic downbeat-oriented electronica, two of them with vocals from Christine Sandtorv (courtesy of Ephemera). However, the main difference from the RM&TJHB material is in the first part of the album, where the vocalist Erlend Sellevold steps forward: a handful of tracks topped with the great 80's white-boy-disco-rap-track All Night Long (in a duet with Caro) with tongue-in-cheek references and to bands like Indeep and Modern Romance.

Then the album does a new surprising turn, when Erlend is joined with a bunch of American rappers: Devin The Dude, Kurupt, Taleb Kweli, Planet Asia, J Wells and others from the crews around Snoop Dog and Ice Cube.

In addition we get cool guest appearances from the Jamaican rapper Lexie Lee on We Don't Play, and the Swedish Norwegian singer Karen Park on Prison Break. Add some extra spice with minimalistic dub and smoke filled beats, and you have the full picture of the Ralphorama treat!

Ralph Myerz

Flunk

Editor's info:
Before the album 'Personal Stereo' was out this spring, Flunk invited fans, followers and everyone with a computer to remix three chosen tracks from the album. Sound files were uploaded on their website and downloaded by the remixers.
Before the competition deadline in August, they had received more than 30 finished remixes of the tracks 'Personal Stereo', 'If We Kiss' and 'Diet of Water and Love' from all over the world (Japan, Brazil, UK, Poland, Israel, Australia. . . ). From straight remixes to total remakes and strange versions made by professionals and amateurs.
The result is the 16 track remix album 'Democracy'. Enjoy!

Biosphere

The Defectors

Editor's info:
The Danish music scene is in better shape than ever and The Defectors from Aarhus is Bad Afros best bet for a Danish garage rock band with focus on good melodies covered in loads of fuzz guitar.
The Defectors started in late 1997 and have two albums out on ESP-Recordings. Their new and 3rd album was recorded at the Delta Lab studio in Copenhagen with Thomas Troelsen at the helm.
Turn Me On! is a bold attempt at expanding the limits of an often conservative genre and The Defectors takes some chances. From the creepy ''Sleepwalking'' that sounds like a psychotic nightmare to The Defectors very own definition of dub with a garage twist in the head-boppin' ''The Zoom-Out''. Not forgetting garage pop in ''It's Gonna Take Some Time'' that features Lorenzo from Baby Woodrose on backing vocals.
The Defectors have played at the Roskilde Festival, Gutter Island, Barbarella, Swamp Room Happening and showcased at Popkomm in 2002. They have played all over Europe and especially Italy and Germany have been visited frequently. They recently went to the US for the first time, gigging in Austin, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego and in New York during the two week trip, that concluded with a rocking show at CBGB's.
The first single and video outtake from Turn Me On! will be ''It's Gonna Take Some
Time'' and gigs are set up in France, Sweden and Denmark to promote the album. March 20th The Defectors will return to the US for a showcase at SXSW along with label mates Silver.

Baby Woodrose

Viva Vertigo

Editor's info:
Viva Vertigo is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Simon Beck who under the moniker Viva Vertigo has put together a strong team of musicians to perform the songs on his debut album. Viva Viva has been on the way for a long time since Simon Beck cut the first demos on a 4-track recorder back in 1999.
The material grew from acoustic songs to a more rocking sound and things progressed when Beck met Mick Grondahl (Jeff Buckley Band) who had recently moved to Copenhagen. That shaped the idea of recording Simon Becks songs with skilled musicians while maintaining an open band structure. A structure that still exists today and enables Simon Beck to work with musicians of his choice.
The songs on Viva Viva have a timeless quality to them and finds inspiration in a
wide range of sounds from the 60's to the present. Viva Vertigo combine upbeat
rockers like ''Devilhead'' and ''Viva Viva'' with melodic baritone songs like ''Jaguar
Tornado'' with great ease and the album sounds cohesive although the songs can be
everything from dreamy, shamelessly poppy tunes to right on guitar rock with a
ghostrider touch. Becks background as a singer/songwriter shines through but he is
not afraid of rocking out when necessary.
Viva Viva was recorded during 2002 at various nightly sessions at Sauna Recording
Studio and Winther Wonderland in Copenhagen. Then the master was literally left
under Simon Becks bed during 2003 where he among other things moved to Los Angeles for awhile. But late last year it was finally time to do something about the
recordings and Beck got in touch with Bad Afro who soon heard the potential in Viva
Vertigo.
Viva Viva was recorded and produced by Sune Rose Wagner and mastered by Flemming Hansson. The first single and video outtake from the album is ''Viva Viva (Edie Sedgewick)'' and Viva Vertigo will be supporting the release with live shows in
Denmark on through the spring. Live Viva Vertigo consists of Simon Beck (guitar/Vocals), Sara Soerensen (guitars), Anders Wallin (bass) and Troels Drasbech
(drums).

Silver

Editor's info:
Silver from Oslo, Norway are now finally ready to release their long awaited debut album. WHITE DIARY is the clash between rebellious rock'n'roll, mohawk-provoking punk rock and fierce glam rock. Singer Blanco spits out the dark lyrics with blistering intensity and the band play with a strong urge to shake things up. A classic debut album with 10 songs in 35 minutes that brings new life to a worn out genre.
Silver were formed in the Southern parts of Norway in 1997 by Blanco, Katz and Amy Jubb. They soon moved to Oslo to be involved in the happening local punk rock scene and here they met Bee Buzter and Peady Pedal and the Silver line-up was complete. They build up an audience by playing live and the buzz about an exceptional live band soon spread. Silver put out the self-financed ''Billboard Blackout'' EP in May 2001 but appeared on the major Norwegian festivals Quart and Oya even before their first official release.
The debut EP ''Riot 1-2-3'' was released in November 2001 and was produced by Euroboy of Turbonegro fame and Don Dons from We. Here it became obvious how explosive Silvers glamorous punk rock really was and the title track also appears on WHITE DIARY for a good reason. Silver kept on touring extensively and while still in their early twenties they have more than 200 gigs under their belt including five German tours, stints to Austria, Sweden, Switzerland and they were supporting Turbonegro on their ''Scandinavian Leather Tour''. Silver also appeared at Popkomm in August 2003 along with Ricochets.
WHITE DIARY was recorded during the fall 2003 at Crystal Canyon in Oslo by Emil Nikolaisen & Silver with additional production by Anders Moller. The album release will be supported by two singles: Intimate Cussing as a 3-track CD single and Evacuate as 7'', both released on Bad Afro Records. A video for Intimate Cussing is also in the making. Silver will be touring in Norway in January/February and Germany and Denmark are up in March.

Baby Woodrose

Editor's info:
Re-release of the classic Baby Woodrose debut album. In reality a one-man operation by Lorenzo Woodrose who wrote the songs, played all the instruments, produced the record together with Riky Woodrose and put it out on his own Pan Records in 2001. More obscure, psych and lo-fi than the new stuff but the songs are every bit as cool! Presented in a daring sleeve by Malleus sure to raise an eyebrow or two.

Sweatmaster

Editor's info:
Sweatmaster is without doubt the hottest new Finnish act for five years. . . . . . . . . since The Flaming Sideburns emerged infact. With only a couple of singles under their belt Sweatmaster turned into the second most played band (Sideburns was # 1) on the weekly rock program on Finnish National radio in 2001 and there is a serious buzz going in Finland at this very moment.
And it's pretty obvious why. This rocking and original trio is like a storm of fresh air on the Scandinavian rock scene where nothing compares to Sweatmaster. The music is delivered with guts and cunning twists and turns that separate them from the rest and there is room for a sense of humour in the lyrics too. As the band describes themselves: Sweatmaster is a triangle of hot rhythms trembling hard for the love of rock'n'roll.
''Sharp Cut'' is Sweatmasters long awaited debut album and it was recorded at Redhouse in their hometown Turku and mastered by Jürgen Hendlmeier (The Flaming Sideburns, Thee Ultra Bimboos, Baby Woodrose and many others) at Kick Out The Jams in Helsinki. 12 blistering tracks in less than a half hour is all these newcomers need to overshadow the current ''rock'' scene.
And we are not the only ones who have high hopes for Sweatmaster. ''Sharp Cut'' will also be released in the UK on Must Destroy. First single will be ''I am a Demon and I Love Rock'n'Roll'' 7''/CD-EP on Must Destroy October 14th 2002. As this is written '' I Am A Demon. . . '' has been played seven times for the past week on BBC 1 by people like John Peel and Steve Lamacq and it was also ''Single of the Week'' on XFM (the leading alternative radio in London). Rave reviews have followed in NME, Rock Sounds, The Times, Kerrang etc. etc. The hype is on. . . ..baby!
The second single from Sharp Cut, ''Well Connected'', was released on Bad Afro earlier this year and was just released as 7'' and CD-single in July on Must Destroy in the UK.

Sweatmaster

Baby Woodrose

Editor's info:
The Danish music scene is finally getting somewhere and Baby Woodrose is the latest proof. They create a unique sound that takes them to the 60's and back leaving the music being influenced by many shades of rock'n'roll and psych but played with heartfelt punk attitude. Baby Woodrose are: Lorenzo Woodrose alias Guf Lorenzen on guitar/vocals (ex-drummer for OnTrial and main man behind side projects like Disconnected Flowers, Pandemonica, Spids Nogenhat a.o.) Riky Woodrose alias Anders Skjodt on bass (ex-guitar player in On Trial) Rocco Woodrose alias Anders Gron on drums (drummer in an early incarnation of The Raveonettes).
Baby Woodrose received quite a lot of attention outside Denmark with their self-released debut album ''Blows Your Mind'' from 2001. In reality a one-man operation by Lorenzo Woodrose who wrote the songs, played all the instruments, produced the record and put it out on his own Pan Records. Baby Woodrose is now a real band and the next album is quite different.
Baby Woodrose have only been playing live for 2 years but they already have a reputation of being a sweaty, jaw-dropping live experience. During the summer 2002 they played festivals like Roskilde Festival, Gutter Island, Barbarella, By:Larm, Swamp Room Happening and a showcase at Popkomm with Flaming Sideburns and Sweatmaster. In 2003 they have toured in Norway twice and in Germany with Sweatmaster, played SXSW in Texas and New York and in June they opened the main stage at the biggest festival in Northern Europe: Roskilde Festival.
The new Baby Woodrose album was released on Bad Afro Records April 7th 2003. The title is ''Money For Soul'' and the album was mixed and mastered by Jürgen Hendlmeier who has also worked with The Flaming Sideburns and Sweatmaster to name a few.
Two singles, ''Carrie'' CD-single and ''Disconnected'' 7'', was released March 10th on Bad Afro. At the moment the band is working on a video for ''Pouring Water'' which will be the next radio single too. The debut album of Baby Woodrose, Blows Your Mind, will be re-released on Bad Afro is September 2003. Plenty of gigs in Denmark and Norway are coming up in the fall.

Leopold Kozłowski

Informacja wydawcy:
Leopold Kozłowski urodził się przed wojną w Przemyślanach pod Lwowem. Absolwent lwowskiego konserwatorium i Państwowej Wyższej Szkoły Muzycznej w Krakowie. Kompozytor, dyrygent, pianista. Był kierownikiem muzycznym Teatru Żydowskiego w Warszawie i cygańskiego zespołu Roma, oraz konsultantem muzycznym zespołu Rzeszowiacy. Założyciel Zespołu Pieśni i Tańca Krakowskiego Okręgu Wojskowego. Opracował wszystkie polskie wersje musicalu Skrzypek na dachu.
Autor muzyki teatralnej i fimowej (m.in. do Austerii, Wichrów Wojny polskich sekwencji Wojny i miłości, sekwencji cygańskich Wiosennych wód, Listy Schindlera - muzyki obozowej i getta). W Liście Schindlera zagrał rolę Inwestora. Razem z Itzchakiem Perlmanem wystąpił w filmie In the Fidler's Home. O jego życiu i twórczości opowiada film The Last Klezmer.
Ta płyta jest pierwszą, polskojęzyczną częścią dwupłytowego albumu zawierającego tradycyjne piosenki żydowskie śpiewane po polsku i w jidysz.

Wartością tego projektu są unikalne aranżacje Leopolda Kozłowskiego na kilkunastoosobową orkiestrę. To ''żywe granie'' pozwalające na utrwalenie wszystkich klezmerskich ozdobników, tradycyjnych brzmień instrumentów, charakterystycznych zaśpiewów jest swoistą wartością tej płyty.

Zespół wokalny współpracujący z Leopoldem Kozłowskim od kilku lat tworzą artyści krakowskich teatrów : Marta Bizoń, Katarzyna Jamróz, Renata Świerczyńska, Katarzyna Zielińska, Andrzej Róg.

W roli wokalisty występuje tu także Jacek Cygan, który jest autorem polskich wersji starych żydowskich piosenek, oraz nowych oryginalnych utworów.

Leopold Kozłowski - Kleinman, zwany przez Amerykanów Ostatnim Klezmerem Europy jest kompozytorem, dyrygentem, aranżerem, jedynym dziś wybitnym znawcą muzyki klezmerskiej.
Jego dziad miał najsłynniejszą kapelę klezmerską w całej Galicji, a wuj - Naftuli Brandwein został okrzyknięty królem amerykańskich klezmerów.
Leopold Kozłowski skomponował muzykę między innymi do filmu ''Austeria'' Jerzego Kawalerowicza, do sekwencji polskiej ''Wichrów wojny'', do sekwencji cygańskiej w ''Wiosennych wodach'' Jerzego Skolimowskiego oraz do filmu ''I skrzypce przestały grać'' Aleksandra Ramattiego. Był konsultantem muzycznym muzyki gettowej i obozowej w ''Liście Schindlera'' S.Spielberga, gdzie grał również rolę żydowskiego inwestora. Był kierownikiem muzycznym sześciu realizacji musicalu ''Skrzypek na dachu'' w różnych teatrach Polski. Współpracował długie lata z wybitnym znawcą muzyki żydowskiej, mistrzem aranżacji Tadeuszem Dobrzańskim.

Nagrań dokonano w Studio Polskiego Radia w Krakowie w 2002 roku

Quartet Klezmer Trio

Informacja wydawcy:
Zespół Quartet Klezmer Trio jest jednym z najciekawszych zespołów klezmerskich w Krakowie. Artystów inspiruje jednak nie tylko tradycyjna muzyka klezmerska, ale także różne odmiany muzyki folkowej i etnicznej, w tym muzyka bałkańska.

Zespół został założony w 2004 roku przez troje młodych i utalentowanych absolwentów krakowskiej Akademii Muzycznej
i występuje w składzie trzech osób i czterech instrumentów:
Magda Brudzińska - śpiew i altówka
Oskar Gut - akordeon
Michał Siudyszewski - kontrabas elektryczny

Taki skład charakteryzuje się bogatym, nasyconym i różnorodnym brzmieniem
i stwarza najlepsze warunki do wykonywania muzyki klezmerskiej.

Muzycy QKT zdobywali doświadczenie w kraju i za granicą występując z różnymi formacjami klezmerskimi oraz uczestnicząc w prestiżowych imprezach muzycznych, konkursach i festiwalach, a także współpracując z orkiestrami, teatrami, radiem i telewizja.

Quartet Klezmer Trio gra żywiołowo, wykorzystuje różne brzmienia i tworzy zmienne nastroje, a posługując się dźwiękiem i słowem wyczarowuje na koncertach niepowtarzalny klimat.

Altówka, akordeon , kontrabas i głos, to zestaw instrumentów idealnie współbrzmiących i najlepiej oddających różnorodność barw i klimatów muzyki klezmerskiej. 'Ciepły' dźwięk altówki, potęga akordeonu, podstawa basowa i najpiękniejszy z instrumentów: głos, to wystarczająco dużo by odnaleźć w brzmieniu QKT całe piękno muzyki klezmerskiej.

o muzykach:
Magda Brudzińska jest absolwentką Akademii Muzycznej w Krakowie klasie altówki. Uczestniczyła w wielu kursach mistrzowskich takich pedagogów jak: Marek Marczyk , Stefan Kamasa, Jerzy Kosmala, Claude Lelong. Jest lauretem I Nagrody na Międzynarodowym Konkursie Zespołów Kameralnych na Węgrzech. Uczestniczyła w wielu projektach międzynarodowych orkiestr młodzieżowych, współpracuje także z wieloma orkiestrami ('Sinfonietta Cracovia' Krakowska Orkiestra Radiowa, Orkiestra Filharmonii Opolskiej) i zespołami kameralnymi. Muzyczne zainteresowania i pasje Magdy dotycza również muzyki rozrywkowej, występowała na Festiwalu Piosenki Polskiej w Opolu, Piosenki Aktorskiej we Wrocławiu. Jako muzyk sesyjny brała udział w nagraniach z zespołami jazzowymi, bluesowymi i rockowymi, jest także laureatką popularnego programu telewizyjnego ' Szansa na sukces'. Od kilku lat zajmuje się muzyką klezmerską wykorzystując zarówno swe umiejętności instrumentalne jak i wokalne.

Oskar Gut jest absolwentem Akademii Muzycznej w Krakowie w klasie akordeonu. Uczestniczył między innymi w : Internationale Bach Akademie, Festiwalach Muzyki Akordeonowej w Przemyślu, Festiwalu Piosenki Studenckiej w Krakowie, Festiwalu Piosenki Aktorskiej we Wrocławiu, Festiwalu Teatralnym w Sankt Petersburgu, Festiwalu Muzyki Żydowskiej w Monachium, Festiwalu Heidelberger Herbst oraz kursach mistrzowskich prowadzonych przez profesorów : Matti Rantanena ( Finlandia) oraz prof. Elizabeth Moser (Niemcy). Współpracuje z PWST, Państwową Filharmonią i Teatrami w Krakowie oraz Teatrem im. Witkacego Zakopanem. Nagrywał dla Radia i Telewizji. Koncertował w kraju i za granicą ( Austria, Francja, Izrael, Niemcy , Rosja). Pracuje z młodzieżą w Państwowej Ogólnokształcącej Szkole Sztuk Pięknych Krakowie oraz Państwowej Szkole Muzycznej w Zakopanem.

Michał Siudyszewski jest absolwentem Akademii Muzycznej w Krakowie w klasie kontrabasu. Jego zainteresowania muzyczne dotyczą głownie muzyki rozrywkowej. Brał udział w wielu festiwalach oraz warsztatach muzyki jazzowej, bluesowej oraz folklorystycznej. Jako muzyk sesyjny nagrał kilkanaście płyt z różnymi wykonawcami. Występował niemal we wszystkich krajach Europy, Azji, a także obu Ameryk. Od ponad 10 lat działa na scenie krakowskiej muzyki klezmerskiej.

One-Eyed Mule

One-Eyed Mule

Lenny Ibizarre

Editor's info:
Lenny emerged on the music scene in Ibiza in 1997 with his debut album The Ambient Collection; a refreshing laid-back affair encapsulating Ibizas chilled environment. ''An amalgamation of slow-burning funked-up retro-grooves clad in subliminal soundscapes of tender melancholy and inner peace'', as the press put it at the time. The album was hailed by reviewers and chill-out DJs like Jose Padilla with whom Lenny temporarily remixed and co-produced. Within the year he was sound-tracking movies and documentaries as well as remixing several cult artist lurking in the vault of major labels. Over the last years he has firmly established himself as a leading force in the Ibizan chill-out scene through continous contribution to local events. The Ambient Collections represent some of Lenny's finest work. His summer schedule is mostly international but you can still catch him spinning in Ibiza for his residences in Pacha, Mambo, Kumharas and Café Del Mar.

Today his music can be found on Ibiza Chill-Out CD compilations, TV TV, movies, DVD´s. His Chillled Ibiza compilations for Warner went multi-platinum in the UK selling over 1,5 million copies. Today his music can be found on over 4 millions sold CDs, from Ministry of Sound to Café del Mar. He has produced several DVDs and DJ compilations with more on the way.


Press Quotations:

''Ambient king and Ibiza legend'' Ministry in Ibiza (Jeremy Case)

''Finally I am no longer alone. This is a talent to look out for'' Jose Padilla (DJ Magazine 1997)

''One day this man is going to sell as many CDs as Mike Oldfield'' Muzik (Chris Coco)

''Lenny reflects the spiritual side of Ibiza'' Mixmag

''Ibizas King of Chill'' Ben Osborne (Dotmusic.com)

''Lenny exudes that sun-drenched ibizan spirit from every track. His sound is simply cool.'' Ministry Magazine

''He is Ibizas foremost exponent of Chill Out. Lenny Ibizarre is a star'' Cultura Magazine (Ronnie Randall)

''Lenny is on his way to a new dimension, so intense and so complete!'' Dub magazine Ibiza (Andy Hoffer)

''The Ibiza scene looks healthy today, with Lennart Krarup releasing cut after cut of blissful Balearic electronica on his Ibizarre label.'' Rough guide to Ibiza (Lain Stewart)

''Lenny has to be heard to be believed. Excellent'' DJ Magazine Ibiza Edition (Ben McArdle)

''The aural message is impossibly relaxing, and never gets boring'' Future Music

''Lenny captures the real feel of Ibiza chillout'' DJ Magazine

''The sound of Lenny typifies the early morning sound of Europes No. 1 party island'' Dream Magazine

''Lenny proves that the white islands groove is still cool, mellow, euphoric, and universal'' Music Magazine

His name crops up everywhere music making is mentioned on the island, how on earth does this hyperactive hippy get his head around it all? DJ Magazine (Ronnie Randall)

''Its hard to find words when you come across something as emotionally charged as this, Lenny Ibizarre has yet again shown the world how to chillout'' 4/5 DJ Magazine UK (Kate Wildblood)

''Lenny Krarup who records as Ibizarre is an incredibly prolific and talented producer, the best on the island'' Sally Rogers (A Man Called Adam) on Worldpop.com

''What a beautiful joint Brilliant'' Fink (Ninja Tune/London Live)

''Lenny is Lord of Ibiza Ambient'' Richard Norris (Ammo City/Worldwide)