August 31, 2010

Arve Henriksen "Cartography" live at Punktfestival Kristiansand 2009

Photo © by Alf Solbakken/ Punkt 06

Arve Henriksen: Trumpet, Vocals, Electronics, Percussion
Jan Bang: Live Sampling, Electronics
Eivind Aarset: Guitar, Electronics, Bass
Anna Maria Friman: Vocals

Punktfestival Kristiansand/ Norway, September 5, 2009

1. Cartography - Fantasy No. 1
2. Cartography - Fantasy No. 2

In 2008 Arve Henriksen recorded his album Cartography for ECM. A shifting cast of characters, with live sampling man and album co-producer Jan Bang at the centre, provides a series of soundscapes, an ambient-experimental map of moods, for the uniquely liquid, singing trumpet lines of Arve Henriksen to scale and explore. Some tracks are recorded live in concert, others are studio creations. Singer David Sylvian reads his own poetry on two cuts.

August 04, 2010

Tingvall Trio live at Jazzfest Berlin 2009 - UPDATE!


Martin Tingvall · piano
Omar Rodriguez Calvo · bass
Jürgen Spiegel · drums

recorded live at A-Trane, November 4, 2009

1. Våg in
2. Vattensaga
3. Valsång
4. Mustasch
5. Tveklöst
6. Hajskraj
7. Movie
8. Mjau
9. Rödblå
10. Grrrrr
11. Pinocchio
12. Nu Djävlar
13. Under Ytan
14. Vagor
15. Trolldans

16. Norrland Guld
17. Avsked
18. Monster
Swedish piano player Martin Tingvall’s compositions are characterized by catchy melodies, which not only sweep along jazz lovers but even appeal to audiences which are not familiar with jazz. The three Hamburg based musicians play their very own kind of Scandinavian jazz with a Cuban touch and a slight rock’n’roll attitude. In the ballads you can hear the Northern melancholy but always spiced with a positive feel.
Careful listeners can recognize Swedish folksongs which are an important ingredient in many songs.. The arrangements of those songs give the trio plenty of space for improvisation which turns every concert into a one-time experience.
Tingvall Trio recorded three absolutely great albums for Skip records, called "Skagerrak", "Norr" and the latest "Vattensaga".

August 03, 2010

FM Trio live at Jazzclub Karlsruhe 2010


Fabian Mueller - Piano
Kaspar von Grünigen - Bass
Fabian Bürgi - Drums

recorded live at Jazzclub Karlsruhe, June 17, 2010

1. Vue Miniature/Schublade (von Grünigen)
2. Die Spule (von Grünigen)
3. Selber Fisch (von Grünigen)
4. Ligne Libre (Mueller)
5. Hemtuk/Fiasko/Montage (von Grünigen/Paul Motian/von Grünigen)
6. Das Hotel (Bürgi)
7. Le Grand Souffleur (Mueller)
8. Grains & Dots (von Grünigen)
9. Platzhirsch (Mueller)


FM Trio's first live performance was given in 2004, after two years of intense work together. Two years later the Trio was a well-established and consolidated formation, and it continued to focus on its repertoire of original compositions. During the same year it started to tour extensively throughout Switzerland and in other European countries as well: Austria, Germany, Sweden, Lichtenstein and Slovakia.
The new CD “ligne libre”, released by Altrisuoni, the Swiss jazz label, was recorded during a 2-day session at the Radio Studio Zurich by engineer Martin Pearson and producer Peter Bürli.
The new music of this CD is a further expression of the main characteristics of FM Trio's art: the fresh and mature interpretation of original compositions, that come out of the "compositive nowhere", and that arise from the momentary conceptual genius of the Trio.
With this album, FM Trio draws charm from the classic “piano trio” form. The ability to act collectively and to take risks are two essential elements of the music of these three young Swiss musicians.
With this album the Trio proves its commitment to servicing the true expressiveness in music, as opposed to the all-too-common self-indulgence of the majority of current line-ups.

August 01, 2010

Nils Wogram & Simon Nabatov live at Jazzfest Bonn 2010

photo © by friedrich von hülsen
Nils Wogram, trombone
Simon Nabatov, piano

recorded live at Kulturzentrum Brotfabrik, Jazzfest Bonn, June 4, 2010

1. Moods and Modes (Wogram)
2. Moving In (Wogram)
3. Split The Difference (Wogram)
4. Time Machine (Wogram)
5. Danca Nova (Nabatov)
6. Assuming (Nabatov)
7. Full Stop (Nabatov)

Russian pianist Simon Nabatov and German trombonist Nils Wogram definitely have no problem communicating with each other and clearly have tremendous fun playing together.  Their duo has remained fresh and continued to thrive since it made its debut in 1997 at The Loft in Cologne and won over the critics and audience at the 1997 Moers Music Festival with a performance hailed as a highlight of the event.  They first played together in 1995 in a quartet the trombonist led and one can attribute the success of their ongoing collaboration – which has included an octet of Wogram’s and a quartet of Nabatov’s—to the fact that aesthetically they are unmistakably kindred spirits.  Above all both are intrepid musical adventurers who fearlessly set their sights on distant, un-chartered horizons in their improvising and composing, secure in their knowledge that they can always bring their music back home to the safe stylistic harbors of the mainstream and modern jazz and classical traditions from which they each set sail.
Their latest album called "JazzLimbo" was released in 2007 on leo records.