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Bio information: MUJICIAN Title: THERE’S NO GOING BACK NOW (Cuneiform Rune 232)

Cuneiform publicity/promotion dept.: (301) 589-8894 / fax (301) 589-1819 email: Press: joyce@[email protected] website: www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: / IMPROVISATION

One of THE best improvising quartets in the world, Mujician sets a gold standard for intuitive, highly spiritual, and near- clairvoyant communication within an improvising ensemble. Composed of four of the biggest names in the European jazz and improvised music community - Paul Dunmall, , Paul Rogers, and – this “super group” is nonetheless a true cooperative, a collective critically praised for its sensitive interplay and coherent voice. “This is a band that breathes life together,” noted Coda, “The magic level of response and the creation of mood and event between players is masterful, inspiring…” In recent years, a groundswell of interest in improvisation has resulted in myriad groups of varied skill attempting this art; Mujician, however, stand as a band apart: “…Mujician shows how it can and should be done… Group members take some fine solos throughout, but the real quality of the performance is in the interplay, whether in various duos, trios or in full quartet. A real test of collective improvisation is the willingness and ability of a group to sustain a full range of dynamics, instead of slipping quickly into the full-title collective freakout mode. If you want to know where free jazz is at these days, check this one out.” – Option

Mujician formed in in 1988, after Dunmall assembled Tippett, Levin, and Rogers to play a gig on July 11, 1988. Impressed by how well they worked together, the four musicians decided to form an ongoing, leaderless cooperative ensemble. The group decided to call itself ‘Mujician’, a name that Tippett had used in the early ‘80s for his solo series on FMP. (Tippett agreed not to use ‘Mujician’ for any of his future solo projects after the band adopted it.) The term ‘mujician’ derived from Tippett’s daughter Inca’s mispronounciation of her father’s profession as a small child. All four musicians liked what ‘mujician’ evoked; in Tippett’s words: “a combination of magic and music…[and] also the word “mu” contained in it as well, which some people regard as a sacred word.”

Describing Mujician’s music, critics frequently use the terms “masterful”, “epic,” “volcanic, “startling”, “surprising”, “marvelous”, “brilliant”, “flawless” and most commonly, “inspired”. The quartet plays completely , adhering to their rule of never discussing music prior to playing it. As Levin maintains: “There is a spiritual feeling that emanates from the music; our shared aim is to create a holistic spontaneous composition.” Dunmall, who has called Mujician “the best band I’ve ever played in” remarked in a 1997 interview: “I believe there is telepathy in the group but it is instinctive, you don’t have time to think of anything, The music is based on trying to tune into spiritual energy, to get into this state of mind. Then it is projected out into the audience. When you are in this state the music takes care of itself and you just go with the flow of it… I suppose it’s like rivers that strive to get to the ocean and will not let stand in the way of its journey. As an artist you want to find whatever you can and see where it leads you…”

Since its inception, Mujician has performed at countless international jazz festivals and released 7 highly acclaimed CDs, all but one on Cuneiform. Mujician's first Cuneiform release was The Journey (1992), a single, 55 minute unbroken improvisation recorded live by the BBC at the Bath Festival. Critics regarded the performance with awe; Jazz Times called The Journey “a small miracle, a spontaneously improvised large-scale canvas with form, textural variation and forward momentum.” Avant claimed the recording “…should be given awards in heaven.” Mujician’s subsequent Cuneiform CDs were live studio recordings featuring multiple tracks; Cadence called Mujician’s 2nd release, Poem About The Hero (1994), "a wonderful window on how improv begins, ends, and interconnects.” Mujician’s 3rd CD, Birdman (1996), was given 4-stars by DownBeat, who noted: “Sensitive interaction, but volcanic all the same; it’s organic free-jazz played just right.” produced Colours Fulfilled (1998), Mujician’s 4th CD, which appeared on numerous critic’s ‘Best of Year’ lists. Coda noted that “The magic level of response and the creation of mood and event between players is masterful, inspiring…” In 2000, the British label Whatever UK released Concert, a performance by Mujician and the Georgian Ensemble. In 2001, Cuneiform released Spacetime, which Signal to Noise called “state of the art free improvisation.” Reviewing Spacetime, Jazz Weekly noted that “the band situates itself in a space midway between what could be called Brit Improv and American energy music,” and commented that “Mujician is, if anything more exhilarating than it has ever been.” [continued on verso…]

Mujician’s new release on Cuneiform, There’s No Going Back Now, consists of a single, 45:30 live, spontaneous composition. Questioned about the title, Dunmall remarked: “in life you make choices and as you work on something for years you realize there is no going back… you can’t, you study and play music in a certain way and that’s who you are.” An unbroken instrumental epic, There’s No Going Back Now returns to the format Mujician used on The Journey. When it reviewed Mujician’s 1st CD, Alternative Press noted that “This is a journey, and a journey is a sum of all its footsteps.” The music on There’s No Going Back Now is the sum of nearly 20 years of experience by four of the best improvisers and master musicians on the planet, working together in a singular goal of artistic search. For the past two decades, their interwoven instruments have flowed together as a river, cutting a distinct and shining path through the musical wasteland. There is no going back now, and this legacy cannot be erased. Mujician’s music has left a lasting impression on jazz improv, as permanent as a canyon carved through rock walls. As DownBeat once noted: “this working Brit quartet breathes as a unit, while leaving each player room to dominate for a while... They’re individuals, but years together have made them some other kind of animal: a mujician, singular.”

An active performing ensemble, Mujician has been showcased at music festivals worldwide. It has performed at Britain's Greenwich (1989) and Bath (1990+2001) Festivals; at Italy's Sardina (1990), Saracusa (2000) and Clusone (2002) Festivals; at France’s Grenoble and Le Mans festivals (1998); and at Canada’s Victoriaville Festival (FIMAV, 1999). In 1991, Mujician traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia (former USSR) to play concerts with Georgian improvisers and be taped for television; What Disc/ Whatever UK released a CD of these recordings. The band toured South Africa in 1996 and the UK in 2001. Besides their on-going work with Mujician, the band members remain active in numerous other recording and performance projects, both solo and in groups, and often include their fellow Mujician members within larger ensembles that they lead.

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PAUL DUNMALL efi.group.shef.ac.uk/musician/mdunmall.html, www.mindyourownmusic.co.uk/paul-dunmall.htm Reed player Paul Dunmall was born in 1953 in Welling, England. Described by the Guiness Who’s Who in Jazz as “A powerful player often cited as the cream of British saxophonists,” Dunmall was classically trained on and also plays bagpipes and other wind instruments. Since beginning his professional career in Marsupilani in 1969 and joining Guru Maharaj Ji’s Divine Light Mission, Dunmall has worked with countless musicians including Richard Thompson, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Polly Bolton, Alice Coltrane, , The London Jazz Composer's Orchestra, British Quartet, John Adams, Mark Sanders, Philip Gibbs, Hilary Jeffries, Simon Picard, Paul Rutherford, and many more. He has released a staggering numbr of recordings on Slam, EMI, Intakt, FMP, HatArt, Cadence, Rare Music, Cuneiform, and other labels, and in 1999, he founded the limited edition label DUNS to further faciliate his prodigious recorded output. In addition to his work in Mujician, Dunmall leads The Paul Dunmall Octet, which includes all members of Mujician and has released two CDs on Cuneiform: Be-bop Starburst (1999) and The Great Divide (2001). He also leads the Paul Dunmall Moksha , a 14 piece big band whose recording, I Wish You Peace, was sponsored by the BBC in honor of Dunmall’s 50th birthday and released in 2004 by Cuneiform.

TONY LEVIN www.mindyourownmusic.co.uk/tony-levin-biog.htm Percussionist Tony Levin, described as “one of the UK’s top drummers…equally adept in both wholly improvised and straight ahead jazz” by The Rough Guide to Jazz, was born in 1940 in , England. Self-taught, he began his jazz career in mid-50s , playing with such Londoners as , , , and Don Rendall. He joined ’ quartet in 1966, recording on 2 albums, and played with Art Farmer, , Joe Henderson, Lee Konitz, , Humphrey Littleton, Hank Mobley, , , and vocalists John Hendricks and . He has performed and/or recorded with numerous artists, including , Nucleus, , , Third Eye, , , Jerry Underwood, The European Jazz Ensemble, Gerd Dudek and others, and worked on numerous projects with (recording TCB on Phillips), Dunmall, and Rogers. In addition, Levin has led various trios and quartets. In 1994, Levin founded his own label, Rare Music [raremusicrecordings.co.uk], to release new and archival recordings by himself and his circle of musician friends Levin, Dunmall, Rogers, Evan Parker, , , Julien Siegal, Phil Robson, and Jeremy Brown. Rare Music has released archival recordings by Tubby Hayes Quartet and Joe Harriott.

PAUL ROGERS www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:4mkxu3r5an2k~T1 calyx.club.fr/mus/rogers_paul.html www.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/bio/0,,486463,00.html#bio www.mindyourownmusic.co.uk/paul-rogers-interview.htm Bassist Paul Rogers was born in 1956 in Chester, Wales. A self-taught musician, he turned professional upon moving in 1974 to London, where Mike Osborne introduced him to the free jazz scene. He has worked in both improvised and composed contexts with a large number of players including , Elton Dean, Mike Osbourne, Alan Skidmore, Harry Becket, Howard Riley, Evan Parker, Dennis Gonzalez, Paul Rutherford, , Andrew Cyrille, Lol Coxhill, Alex Von Schlippenbach, (Equip’Out), John Lloyd’s Syzygy, Dennis Gonzales and has worked in numerous groups with Dunmall, Levin and Tippett. Rogers lived in the US for a year, c 1987, playing with Gerry Hemingway, Myra Melford, Mark Dresser, Tom Cora, Tim Berne, , and John Zorn,. Currently living in France with wife and musical collaborator Sophia Domancich, Rogers collaborates with Michel Doneda and others in France while recording and playing internationally. Rogers leads his own Quartet and Sextet, and has recently released 2 solo double bass Cds, Heron Moon and Listen.

KEITH TIPPETT www.allclassical.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:4e8j1vyjzzba~T1 calyx.club.fr/mus/tippett_keith.html www.mindyourownmusic.co.uk/keith-tippett.htm efi.group.shef.ac.uk/musician/mtippett.html Pianist Keith Tippett, born in Bristol, England in 1947, was trained as a classical pianist. He first came to prominence in the late 60's/early 70's with his 50 piece ensemble Centipede and his Sextet, and as a studio member (1970-72) of . He worked closely with the ex-patriot South African musicians in London (, Mongezi Feza, Johnny Dyani and , and Harry Miller), recording numerous CDs on Ogun and currently playing in the Dedication Orchestra. In addition, Tippett has worked with such prominent European improvisors as Elton Dean, Derek Bailey’s Company, Howard Riley, Julie Tippetts and Peter Brotzman, and played in a number of Dunmall’s groups. Tippett has recorded an extremely large body of work with many ensembles (Ovary Lodge, The Ark, Epiphany and his current 21-piece big band Tapestry), on labels such as Polydor, Vertigo, RCA, Impetus, Cuneiform, FMP, FMR, Affinity, Emanem, Slam and Duns. In addition, he is internationally reknown for his solo piano work, both recorded and live.

WHAT THE PRESS HAVE SAID ABOUT

SPACETIME 2002 Cuneiform Records [Rune 162]

“…The collective quartet…plays music and creates magic that demonstrates an attention to textures, dynamic range, spontaneously generated forms, and a compelling variety of emotions. This is state-of-the-art free improvisation, never falling into the traps of directionless noodling, Sturm und Drang pyrotechnics, or fire without inner light. Unlike many groups operating within similar parameters, contrast and shading are never ignored; not to say that Mujician can’t raise the hairs on the nape of your neck with explosively energized passages…but that segment is followed by an extended portion at a pianissimo so subdued that it is nearly inaudible. …. the intercommunication is always at a level that reaches deep, recondite, and numinous depths in one’s psyche that transcend the commonplace. The two extended “suites” – for lack of a better term – that comprise Spacetime explore such heterogeneity of moods and textures that conscious thought is suspended. The music IS the magic…” – Bill Barton, Signal to Noise, Summer 2002, issue 26.

“…Mujician continue to set new challenges for themselves. Their latest, Spacetime, experiments with shorter pieces than usual, arranged in two suites whose titles (“Spacetime” and “Exquisitely Woven Spiritual Communication”) sum up their approach to music-making. (And how does Keith Tippett get his piano to sound so much like a harpsichord on the eighth track?)…” – IAJRC, vol. 35, No.3, Summer 2002

“…the sound of the British quartet Mujician, is, if anything more exhilarating than it has ever been. Working within the instrumental parameters of their standard post-bop combo – piano, bass, drums and saxophone – the band situates itself in a space midway between what could be called Brit Improv and American energy music. In other words, while some sections of the more than 72 1/2 minutes of music on this disc are given over to microscopic instrumental evisceration through extended technique and emphasis, others spew out molten-hot slabs of intense, protracted, multi- faceted free jazz assertions. … the raison d’étre of Mujician, since its birth in 1988, has been how seamlessly one tune flows into the next. And this disc is no exception. …Moving from pacific spiritualism to modal frenzy and back again appears to be little more than a stroll along the garden path for this band. … In tandem, there are times the four can create their own U.K. rendering of the classic quartet. Tippett’s swirling, modal piano references McCoy Tyner; Rogers…alternately walks, strums and bows like a Jimmy Garrison clone. Meanwhile Dunmall…spews out reed flotsam and jetsam like Trane at his most experimental; while Levin…becomes as fast and furious as Elvin Jones. But that’s where the comparison breaks down… So don’t fasten on American models. Pick up this CD for Tippett’s two handed pianism, which flow from European classicism as well as jazz, and Dunmall’s range of honks and individual sheets of sound, to name two of its virtues. Quartet or not, it’s no second coming of any other combo, but a new example of Mujician music pure and simple. That’s what makes listening worth your while.” – Ken Waxman, Jazz Weekly, www.jazzweekly.com

“…On SPACETIME, as ever, the band makes the most of its greatest asset; the ability (and inclination) to listen to one another. The album is made up of two lengthy pieces, each broken down into several sections that find the musicians alternately kicking up a dust storm, pulling back for some pointillistic scene-setting, and creating contrapuntally woven tapestries in which each musician’s statements are balanced interdependently on the others. Ultimately, it may be restrictive to label Mujician’s work as anything so idiomatic as “jazz”. Rather, consider SPACETIME a rich nuanced example of modern improvisations, within a jazz quartet framework.” – Muze, www.muze.com

“The group…are clearly absolute masters at their instruments, but also masters of restraint. The songs touch on many of the ideas of modern jazz, not the least of which is minimalism. But when Mujician cuts loose, it’s a majestic, controlled tornado.” – Che Arthur, Your Flesh, Summer/Fall 2003

“Acclaimed UK improvising quartet Mujician is quite possibly the best telepathic set of players on the planet. … Where their work hits you is in the level of communications, and the sincerity of the execution. … Previous albums merely initiated the communication lines between players, while this work establishes finer pints. Difficult music doesn’t necessarily mean migraine time, but it’s a moody navigational process between sensitive players at the helm, often navigating stormy seas. The storms, in this case, leave the listener with a profound sense of accomplishment and resolution.” – Jeff Melton, Exposé, no. 24, April 2002

“Primarily known for extended pieces propelled by blast-furnace energy, here they deconstruct the music into short, varied segments lined into two long suites. Both the title piece and “Exquisitely Woven Spiritual Communication” shrewdly alternate episodes that continually realign instrumental combinations, speeds, dynamics, textures and lyrical character. The music is constantly changing perspectives….The individual sections create and sustain a vivid atmosphere even as the point of view shifts: tranquil pastoral interludes, uncoiling chromatic sax-and-piano counterpoint, Brillo-pad arco bass solos, delicate percussion patterns. There’s a surprise every step of the way. 3 1/2 stars” – Art Lange, Pulse, No. 214, April 2002

“…although the instrumentation is the same, the ideas and the language are different, not only between albums but within the same album, each and every time we hear it. … This is listening to the great minds converse.” – Fred Barrett, Beyond Contrane,

“Sober, serious music by four giants. The Mujician quartet is maybe the best jazz expression you can find today, with technical abilities and hard pumping lungs going together all the time. Paul Dunmall is a master sax player and this CD shows him at his very best… Paul Rogers and Tony Levin are much more than your usual “rhythm section” and each has his own distinct voice, well documented in many beautiful solo sections. No one is better on than Keith Tippett when you come to think about the best of English music. This record has a breathing quality and it’s an intelligent proposition, a highly enjoyable lesson for anyone.”– Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes

“This is a great example, as all Mujician records are, of free music… Dunmall and Tippett are clearly in the driver’s seat, in terms of ramping up the energy. Dunmall’s playing is in better relief here than on his own band projects and he swoops and dives through the supporting cast. Tippett…has a

knack for finishing Dunmall’s phrases in an understated way. His prepared piano…can sound like a harpsichord or even a distorted guitar, but with more nuance. Levin lays back, occasionally throwing in a steady ride to propel things but mostly playing for coloration. Rogers sometimes plays lead, but more often fills the role of the bottom of the mix. …Spacetime is not energy music… but it’s still vital free jazz. This band is… vital free jazz.” –David Dacks, Exclaim, April 9, 2002, www.exclaim.ca

“…Spacetime features plenty to get excited about.” – Charlie Wilmoth, Dusted Magazine, www.dustedmag.com

COLOURS FULFILLED 1998 Cuneiform [Rune 102) “My colors certainly got fulfilled on this wonderful 67.5 minute CD of high-energy free jazz from some high-level improvisors.” – Glenn Engstrand, the improvisor, www.the–improvisor.com

“…”Colours Fulfilled” is a mesmerizing exhibition of rhythmically structured pieces which by design, enable the band to launch into some momentous dialogue and improvisation. …Collectively, Mujician represents perhaps the finest assemblage of free-jazz modernists within the genre itself. …no band of this ilk is better. …These gentlemen don’t compete…but harmonize their ideas in somewhat soulful fashion. … With their latest and perhaps finest release to date (a bold statement, perhaps) Mujician takes us into the 21st Century with the intentions of transcending and redirecting some of our sterotypical thoughts and impressions of modern jazz. As a group, Mujician is a democracy of ideas while perpectually maintaining a firm stake in the ground. Plenty of room for expression and evolution yet rhythm and form play a major role in their compositions. “Colours Fulfilled:” is a modern day masterpiece and should be revered as one of the top jazz recordings of the 1990’s. It doesn’t get much better than this, folks.” – Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz, www.allaboutjazz.com/

“…this is a high-energy date, with group members going full tilt on large portions of the four tracks and drummer Tony Levin getting a chance to really strut his stuff as he lays down a constant polyrhythmic barrage worthy of Elvin Jones at his most volatile. Reed player Paul Dunmall … [is] a musician who can wail convincingly without abandoning his intellect. "Part 3" revisits the energy music of the late Coltrane quartet, and yet maintains the unique Mujician personality, with a sensibility that is somewhat more playful, and less reverent, than Coltrane's. Keyboard artist Keith Tippett plays piano strings on "Part 4" behind Dunmall's bagpipes, suggesting a skewed world music orientation which perhaps represents new possibilities for Mujician. As usual, group members are almost prescient in their knowledge of each other's moves, and even though very little on this date is scripted, there is always an impression of common purpose. Simply put, this is spontaneous, interactive jazz at its best.” – William Tilland, All Music Guide, www.allmusic.com

“On Colours Fulfilled… Mujician continues its excellence. …This is a band which breathes life together. The magic level of response and the creation of mood and event between players is masterful, inspiring… If you latched on to the critically acclaimed Birdman, this date gets under that volcano.” – Doug Lang, Coda Magazine, #284, March 1999

“Coda Magazine’s Writers’ Choice 1998: Andy Bartlett: #1 = Mujician – Colours Fulfilled – Cuneiform” –Coda Magazine, #283, Jan/Feb. 1999

“The Tone Clusters Magazines Top 40 or so Releases for 1998: #37, Mujician, Colours Fulfilled, Cuneiform, USA” –Tone Clusters

“…it’s full of energy, especially when all four musicians are playing… It’s an album that caputures some very talented musicians taking risks…It’s worth listening to...More power to these musicians for taking these risks.”– Eric Saidel, Cadence, v. 24, Oct. 1998

“This release…is an excellent and very large stomp into the current Brit-jazz scene. The tone is brilliant and fantastically high energy. The production (by Evan Parker!) is pristine and the playing is shockingly original (to my American ears, anyway). Keith Tippett creates clouds of piano tone colour that I’ve never heard anything like before. Highly unique and therefore highly recommended.” – Dave Cross, Popwatch, #10

“Mujician’s music works because the group’s four very forceful musical personalities don’t get in each other’s way. For all their differences, their strengths seem complementary Keith Tippett's massive, lumpish piano chords; Paul Dunmall's brutal, rough-hewn sax lines; the gravity of Paul Rogers’ bass playing; and the stony clarity of Tony Levin’s percussion. The album begins and ends with Dunmall on Bagpipes, two powerful performances which underline just how distinctive this group sounds. Elsewhere the music picks up where 1996’s excellent Birdman left off, exemplifying the uncompromising charms of the tradition which it extends.” - Will Montgomery, The Wire, #173, Aug. 1998

BIRDMAN 1996 Cuneiform [Rune 82] “Third Cuneiform release for this all-star British quartete…and like the others it’s a doozie. Sensitive interaction, but volcanic all the same, it’s organic free-jazz played just right, and the three long cuts leave the listener breathless. 4 stars” – John Corbett, Down Beat, Sept. 1996

“A disc that offers more with each listen, Birdman ...is a rare recording. It is a ferocious energy music that is capable of equally subtle effect, a soundscape that fills up the room with oxygen. ...a collective performance that is startling... In this sort of free playing that is about expressive composition in the moment, Mujician is a quartet that are deeply committed to experiment. Just three compositions here but a lot going on, Birdman provides a groundswell of energy.” – Steve Vickery, Coda, #273, May/June 1997

“Complete spontaneity is what the free improvising quartet Mujician is about...The members of the group are virtuosos, not just as players but as listeners, responding to the other players instantaneously. Phrases move around, the music ebbs and flows like an organism, which in a sense it is, a new being created for the moment by the interaction of the musicians. Serious music, and very free, but with its own deeply abiding logic and unity.” – Stuart Kremsky, IAJRD Journal, v. 29, #4, Fall 1996

“…an awesome foursome. …there is plenty of back-and-forth musical dialogue within the group, and instrumental sounds are used to provide tonal coloration as much as to make solo statements.” – John Eyles, Rubberneck, 1998

“…On “Birdman” this accomplished British free-jazz band continue their brilliant assault on modern jazz concepts and skillful execution. …Again, Mujician performs though-provoking pieces that stimulate the mind’s eye. Another exemplary effort from this fine band. The intensity level and sense of movement is vigourous while these fellows also exceed at chronicling wethnic topics, utiliyzing their encylcopedic knowledge of modern jazz genres. “Birdmanb” is surely a “5 Star” effort and should be deemed essential listening for jazz modernists.” – Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz, Feb. 1999, www.allabout.com

“Birdman...is a measured and powerful piece of music, mining a rich free jazz vein. Tippett, in contrast to his mammoth solo performances, is relatively clipped and pointed. Dunmall is imprssive on both alto and tenor, along with Chinese shenai, on which his work resembles the gutsiness of Peter Brötsman on tarogato. Levin and Rogers make a stupendous Rolls Royce noise in the engine room. Rogers is massive and muscular, an irrespessable energy, and Levin is endlessly sbtle and flexible. The music covers broad expanses of feeling, and easily switches mood and colour.” –Will Montgomery, The Wire, #153, Nov. 1996

“…From moment t moment the group’s long, spontaneous compositions shift from post-bop to free jazz to modal vamps to fol-ethnic echoes with marvelous empathy. Birdman (Cuneiform, 3 1/2 stars) shows how their open-ended procedures are…a rough-and-tumble realism that builds upon the innovations of John Coltrane’s classic quartet and later, freer groups with bursts of energy and a rolling rhytmic momentum. …they proceed down long avenues of discovery…because of the organic immediacy of their undertaking. When saxist Paul Dunmall’s sharpe, jagged expressive cries are balanced by pianist Keith Tippett’s ardent lyricism, the result can be exhilarating.” – Art Lange, Pulse!, Sept. 1996

“… As they evolve, all three tracks evince the sort of breadth and depth of approach which can embrace really roiling and cooking swing; if the spirit of Ayler is often to the fore, there are also moments which recall the reflective, modal Gabarek of Afric Pepperbird…, moments which contrast well with some explosive passages which take us into the Evan Parker stratosphere (Hands). …If, as I do, you like your free intensity leavened with plenty of moements of swing and duynamic contrast, the (at times Mingus-like) energy and variety of Birdman could well set you to flying.” – Michael Tucker, Jazz Journal International, May 1997, v. 50, #5

POEM ABOUT THE HERO 1994 Cuneiform [Rune 62] “Poem About the Hero is more than brilliant. It’s a long haiku full of collective improvisational genius.”– Tom Sekowski, Exclaim!, Sept, 1995

“...this release is a wonderful window on how improv begins, ends, and interconnects. Of utmost importance...is the timbrel range invoked and plumbed throughout. Whether Tippett is tonally matching Dunmall’s double-tined soprano (sounding just a bit Evan Parkerish) or Paul Rogers is bowing bass ever so quietly while Levin shimmers on his cymbals, Mujician is clearly aiming to explore each timbre made possible by this rather standard format ensemble...highly recommended.” – Andy Bartlett, Cadence, v.20, #10, Oct 1994

“Setting forth a sound and stately quality, the image “Poem About the Hero” really does come to mind. In the Eurojazz format, piano/sax/bass/drums, these individuals go beyond swing and lunge with driven force into the foreground.” –LS, The Improvisor, v. XI, 1996

“…if you like to hear how music develops in real time, through feedback among talented musicians, then this will be your cup of tea… Poem About the Hero should appeal to those into Ornette Coleman’s free jazz style and the above-mentioned New York scene; because of Dunmall’s style, it may also appeal to those into John Coltrane.” – Mike Taylor, Gibraltar, v.4, #49, Dec. 18. 1994

“…Unlike the graduates of the Zorn school, this British quartet doesn’t permit cacophony to rule the day; like the leaping of flames to the sky, they cackle spasmodically before reaching their apex, then having done so, they cause that same sky to alight with sustained rage. What is also forthright about Mujician is that they temper the dischordia around them that speaks the language of rock, but make no mistake – this isn’t ‘fusion’ by any stretch but the sort of contemporary style that grants equal time to bass and piano as well as sax and percussion, begrudging the players’ full dislocation of the instruments’ limitations and range. Albert Ayler meets Henry Cow? Mujician realistically open the possibilities of such a summit meeting on the improvisatory agenda.” – Darren Bergstein, i/e, Summer 1994

“... a refreshing addition to the archives of improvised music...these improvisations, recorded live in the studio, are as unpretentious as they are discordant, and as uncompromising as they are enjoyable...Mujician assaults the listener with a barrage of sound, so dense and complex, it is hard to believe that it was improvised... One of my favorites this year, Mujician proves that experienced musicians don’t have to sound like they are over the hill. Recommended to jazz-heads, fans of improvisation, or anyone looking for something different.” – Mike Borella, Exposé, #6, Jan-March 1995

“All four players are vastly experienced improvisors. Their collective interplay often makes it difficult to separate out who is doing what....[Dunmall’s] energy and invention are awesome. Yet to single him out seems wrong, as the same is true of the other three players. This is a collective triumph.” –John Eyles, Rubberneck, #17, Dec. 1994

“...the players use spontaneous inspiration to guide them through five pieces (called “verses”) varying in length from almost two minutes to just longer than a half-hour. Solos and the interplay between instruments usually pulsate with tension but sometimes quieter moods are defined...There’s a purposeful design and structure to Mujician’s challenging music.” – Frank-John Hadley, Jazziz, Oct. 1994

“By now, everyone is aware of the liabilities of unlimited freedom – self-indulgent noodling, lots of heat but little light, etc. However, Mujician shows how it can and should be done.... Group members take some fine solos throughout, but the real quality of the performance is in the interplay, whether in various duos, trios or in full quartet. A real test of collective improvisation is the willingness and ability of a group to sustain a full range

of dynamics, instead of slipping quickly into the full-tilt collective freakout mode. If you want to know where free jazz is at these days, check this one out.” – Bill Tilland, Option, #58, Sept/Oct 1994

“Recorded live in England in a single evening...[Mujician] explore the gamut of emotional expression inherent in Hero mythology in five “verses,” two of which journey forth for more than twenty and thirty minutes! These quests involve the struggle and the rapture, the honor and the braggadocio; and most of all, there is fervor in the searching and an embrace of the discoveries make along the way. The mood is sometimes ominous, haunted... at other times, it’s simply resounding as the instrumentalists communicate volumes in an emphatic exchange of harmony and rhythm so lucid it’s a textbook example of collective improvisation.” – Sam Prestianni, American Music Press, v. III, #4

“...free jazz has developed a tradition and a language which Poem About the Hero unashamedly refers to. It may not be that radical anymore, but Tippett’s ensemble music can still surprise you with the ease of which it can slip in and out of different formal confines – from the rich and balladic, through the microtonal and finespun, to the strident and muscular....[Tippett] is nothing but his own man, and this particular grouping (with saxophonist Paul Dunmall, bassist Paul Rogers and drummer Tony Levin) matches him with players equally adept at forging great technique with the strictly personal.” – David Ilic, The Wire, #127, Sept. 1994

Exposé Writer’s Choices, Best of ’94Mike Borella New releases: #6, Mujician – Poem About the Hero– Exposé, #6, Jan/March 1995

The Journey 1992 Cuneiform [Rune 42] “Improvised music, like amateur theater, has suffered at the hands of hacks who aspire to greatness but lack the stuff to make it happen. Saxophone players...breathlessly blowing gibberish and the mediocre diddlings of a hundred rock guitarist have convinced most listeners that improvised music is really just a sleeping pill in disguise. This album wipes that slate clean... Anyone well-versed in contemporary composition will swear these guys are actually playing from an incredibly intricate and well-done score, that’s how flawless this is... If you can devote an hour of your life to simply sitting still and listening to this you’ll be amply rewarded.” – C.W. Vrtacek, Fairfield County Advocate, Oct. 8, 1992

“In the course of this “spontaneous composition,” this working Brit quartet breathes as a unit, taking the music in quick succession through myriad contrasting episodes, ranging from the quiet and spare to the furious, while leaving each player room to dominate for a while...Each player has a strong voice...They’re individuals, but years together have made them some other kind of animal: a mujician, singular. 4 stars” – Kevin Whitehead, Down Beat, June 1993

“The band name Mujician comes from the titles of three Keith Tippett solo albums, a combination “musician” and “magician.” This is an appropriate hybrid, as the work here is truly inspired. The Journey is a 55-minute free-form jazz concert by four of England’s finest masters of improvisation...Levin and Rogers create bass rumbles and percussion jungles that have the ability to stand out as compositions on their own. When you listen to this recordings, don’t just concentrate on Dunmall and Tippett. This is a journey, and a journey is a sum of all its footsteps.” –Michael C. Mahan, Alternative Press, #55, Feb. 1993

“One of the remarkable things about the band...is the extent to which four very forceful improvisors have submerged their personalities in the group. Mujician play unselfconscious, almost egoless music...It’s a delicate philosophical and musical line they tread, but they’ve always done it without compromise....Like saxophonist Paul Dunmall’s woodcuts on the cover, it’s music that exploits very simple black-and-white materials to create a dramatic illusion of space, of bulk, of three-dimensionality, without ever resorting to literalism or thematic parallelism....The Journey is...a major statement by a very fine band.” – Brian Morton, The Wire, #109, March 1993

“Aptly entitled The Journey, Mujician’s first recording is an unbroken instrumental epic, which leads the listener down the convoluted, topsy-turvy inroads of the musicians’ integrated dynamic. ...all four musicians demonstrate their remarkable creativity and facility by continually developing and reshaping the music throughout the progression of the piece....As one continuous piece, this live spontaneous composition cannot justly be reduced to the sum of its component parts. Its force stems from the dynamic created by the swimming together of four musical currents.” –Chris Wyrod, The Michigan Daily, Feb. 19, 1993

“This detailed sketch (or massive mural, depending on how you view it) goes to some length in explaining why these fellows are near the top of the heap. “The Journey” is crammed with all kinds of shifts and development, transforming from quiet, almost serene passages to more frenzied moments, to music of a definite, if subtle, lyricism to parts with a more abstract yet visceral attack. It’s an exhausting chunk of free improv that revels in an acute sense of intuition and interaction....it’s sturdy, mesmerizing stuff, rich, deep, and plentiful in character and information. It’s a very worthwhile offering from lesser knowns who shouldn’t be in such a spot...” – Peter Margasak, Butt Rag, #8, May 1993

“With Mujician’s The Journey...we have a small miracle, a spontaneously improvised large-scale canvas with form, textural variation and forward momentum. ...the trek is marked by masterful musicianship, and ESP-like cognitive collectivism, and a concatenation of ever-shifting yet related musical “events.”...Truly bracing!” – Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times, Jan/Feb 1993

“The interplay among the four musicians is incredible – this is a listening band. The music may be unfettered and spontaneous, but the players are disciplined and sympathetic to the musical moment....This is a Journey worth taking again and again.”–Michael P. Dawson, Goldmine, 10/2/1992

“During the one 57-minute piece, the players go through a variety of moods and styles, beginning slow and lyrical with clarinet and bowed bass, continuing into a section of plucked bass and contemplative piano backed by Eastern-sounding drumming, and progressing eventually into all kinds of squaking and bopping. These guys are good at what they do..” – Scott Lewis, Option, #48, Jan/Feb. 1993

“All four of these guys...are first rate musicians, and on “The Journey”, they are basically playing free-form jazz, a one-hour improv that climbs to

some fervent peaks and also glides through some quieter valleys – a very colorful music full of rhythms and counter-rhythms all played effortlessly in a very free and open jazz style...all four of these guys smoke the entire hour, there isn’t a dull moment to be found anywhere – it truly is a journey. For fans of free jazz and other adventurous music, Mujician is a must.” – Peter Thelen, Exposé, #2, Feb/March 1993

“The Journey is... intense, but achieves its emotional impact by mainly lyrical means. A single 55-minute live improvisation, it sets out without a map or compass, feeling its way towards an unknown destination and never loosing its sense of purpose.” –Chris Blackford, Jazz Magazine, 1993

“… There was no formal mapped out course for this journey, no pre-performance decisions were taken by the band members as to routes or modes of transport, it simply happened as it happened. In my opinion it should be given awards in heaven. …“The Journey” is well titled because, from its commencement with Paul Dunmall’s exquisite clarinet, to its closing thunder and silence, the piece is being constantly conceived. The mental “fix” that needs to occur in order to shape something as expansive as this music, with its building dynamic, is nothing short of amazing.... This is a richly rewarding work, so densely packed with beauty that I return to it over and over again.” –Steve Day, Avant, #2, Summer 1997

“The Journey is in the fine tradition of the Art Ensemble, Roland Kirk or Mingus at his most out: solid, intuitive, organic improvisation with all concerned lending their ears. ...This album is dedicated, inter alia, to Chris McGregor, whose is an excellent reference point. A- “ – Andrew Jones, Montreal Mirror, Oct. 22-29, 1992

“Mujician...have been together long enough to avoid recycling the same routines. .. Once...Tippett has space to colour the background, the piece again slips closer to that evanescent world of mystery wherein lies its greatest appeal.” – John Fordham, , April 9, 1993 ““… this marvelous, totally improvised piece is at times angry, pensive, regal and dissonant....Mujician’s free-form spirit is as rooted in Coltrane as in the currently fashionable downtown New York Scene.” Darren Bergstein, i/e, Winter 1994

“Mujician plays with such invention, assuredness and empathy, it is easy to forget that “The Journey” unfolds completely spontaneously. It has the architecture, weight and power to move the listener of a scripted classical work and is such a fine performance that it fully merits this digital capturing for posterity.” – Steve Rowland [England]