BEST OF 2017 BEST OF 2017 BEST OF 2017 BEST OF 2017 BEST OF 2017 BEST OF 2017 THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD BEST OF 2017 BEST OF 2017 BEST OF 2017 BEST OF 2017 BEST OF 2017 BEST OF 2017 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR CONCERTS OF THE YEAR MISCELLANEOUS CATEGORIES OF THE YEAR ANTHONY BRAXTON—Solo (Victoriaville) 2017 (Victo) BILL CHARLAP WITH CAROL SLOANE DARCY JAMES ARGUE’S SECRET SOCIETY PHILIPP GERSCHLAUER/DAVID FIUCZYNSKI— January 11th, Jazz Standard Dave Pietro, Rob Wilkerson, Chris Speed, John Ellis, UNEARTHED GEMS BOXED SETS TRIBUTES Mikrojazz: Neue Expressionistische Musik (RareNoise) Carl Maraghi, Seneca Black, Jonathan Powell, Matt Holman, ELLA FITZGERALD—Ella at Zardi’s (Verve) WILLEM BREUKER KOLLEKTIEF— TONY ALLEN—A Tribute to Art Blakey REGGIE NICHOLSON BRASS CONCEPT Nadje Noordhuis, Ingrid Jensen, Mike Fahie, Ryan Keberle, Out of the Box (BVHaast) and The Jazz Messengers (Blue Note) CHARLES LLOYD NEW QUARTET— Vincent Chancey, Nabate Isles, Jose Davila, Stafford Hunter Jacob Garchik, George Flynn, Sebastian Noelle, TUBBY HAYES QUINTET—Modes and Blues Passin’ Thru (Blue Note) February 4th, Sistas’ Place Carmen Staaf, Matt Clohesy, Jon Wikan (8th February 1964): Live at Ronnie Scott’s (Gearbox) ORNETTE COLEMAN—Celebrate Ornette (Song X) KIRK KNUFFKE—Cherryco (SteepleChase) THE NECKS—Unfold (Ideological Organ) January 6th, Winter Jazzfest, SubCulture STEVE LACY—Free For A Minute (Emanem) WILD BILL DAVISON— WADADA LEO SMITH— SAM NEWSOME/JEAN-MICHEL PILC— ED NEUMEISTER SOLO MIN XIAO-FEN/SATOSHI TAKEISHI THELONIOUS MONK— The Danish Sessions: 1973-1978 (Storyville) Solo: Refections and Meditations on Monk (TUM) Magic Circle (Some New Music) February 7th, Zürcher Gallery February 4th, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960 (Sam/Saga) ELLA FITZGERALD— VARIOUS ARTISTS—Sky Music: A Tribute to Terje Rypdal Sings the George & Ira Gershwin Songbooks (Verve) (Rune Grammofon) ARUáN ORTIZ—Cub(an)ism (Intakt) SPANISH FLY INSPIRED—CELEBRATING JIM HALL TON-KLAMI (MIDORI TAKADA/KANG TAE HWAN/ WADADA LEO SMITH— Steven Bernstein, Marcus Rojas, David Tronzo John Abercrombie, Peter Bernstein, Lage Lund, Rale Micic MASAHIKO SATOH)—Prophecy of Nue (NoBusiness) SVEN-ÅKE JOHANSSON—Blue for a Moment MARS WILLIAMS—An Ayler Xmas (Soul What) Solo: Refections and Meditations on Monk (TUM) March 31st, The Stone May 22nd, Blue Note (Ni-Vu-Ni-Connu) GüNTER “BABY” SOMMER— BRIAN MARSELLA TRIO Le Piccole Cose (Live at Theater Gütersloh) (Intuition) NATE WOOLEY/KEN VANDERMARK Trevor Dunn, Kenny Wollesen LATIN RELEASES DEBUTS May 16th, Issue Project Room June 5th, The Stone MICHEL CAMILO—Live in London (Redondo Music) LARGE ENSEMBLE RELEASES JAIMIE BRANCH—Fly or Die (International Anthem) TYSHAWN SOREY—Verisimilitude (Pi) ANGLES 9—Disappeared behind the sun (Clean Feed) BENNY GOLSON AND JIMMY HEATH CURTIS BROTHERS QUARTET— KATE GENTILE—Mannequins (Skirl) GEBHARD ULLMANN/OLIVER POTRATZ/ RAOUL BJöRKENHEIM/JOE FONDA/GERALD CLEAVER Syzygy (Truth Revolution) HARRIS EISENSTADT—Recent Developments (Songlines) ERIC SCHAEFER—Das Kondensat (WhyPlayJazz) June 5th, Zürcher Gallery Jeremy Pelt, Bill Charlap, David Wong, Kenny Washington MARíA GRAND & DIATRIBE—Tetrawind (s/r) July 19th, 92nd Street Y’s Jazz in July ARTURO O’FARRILL/CHUCHO VALDES— SATOKO FUJII ORCHESTRA TOKYO—Peace (Libra) JAZZMEIA HORN—A Social Call (Prestige) -Laurence Donohue-Greene BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE SEXMOB WITH GUESTS JOHN MEDESKI, NELS CLINE Familia (Tribute to Bebo + Chico) (Motéma Music) JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA— MATTHEW WHITAKER—Outta The Box Marc Cary, Brandee Younger, Sameer Gupta, Jay Gandhi, Steven Bernstein, Briggan Krauss, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen CHARLIE SEPULVEDA & THE TURNAROUND— Handful of Keys (Blue Engine) (Jazz Foundation of America) JAIMIE BRANCH—Fly or Die (International Anthem) Neel Murgai, Arun Ramamurthy, Trina Basu, Pawan Benjamin, August 9th, City Winery Mr. EP: A Tribute to Eddie Palmieri (HighNote) ROSCOE MITCHELL—Bells for the South Side (ECM) Amali Premawardhana, Michael Gam and guest Nicholas Payton DAVID VIRELLES—Gnosis (ECM) JOANA GAMA/LUíS FERNANDES/ June 23rd, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, HUDSON RICARDO JACINTO—Harmonies (Clean Feed) Prospect Park Bandshell John Scofeld, John Medeski, Larry Grenadier, Jack DeJohnette REISSUES October 7th, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater ORIGINAL ALBUM ARTWORK MADE TO BREAK—Trébuchet (Trost) VOCAL RELEASES RüDIGER CARL INC.— MATT MITCHELL—førage (Screwgun) THE EARREGULARS FEATURING BRIANNA THOMAS JOHN MCLAUGHLIN AND JIMMY HERRING MICHAEL BLAKE—Red Hook Soul (Ropeadope) King Alcohol (FMP-Corbett vs. Dempsey) Jon-Erik Kellso, John Allred, Matt Munisteri, Sean Cronin Gary Husband, Jason Crosby, Matt Slocum, DOMINIQUE EADE & RAN BLAKE— JAIMIE BRANCH—Fly or Die (International Anthem) SONNY CLARK TRIO—The 1960 Time Sessions REFLECTIONS IN COSMO—Eponymous (RareNoise) September 23rd, New York Hot Jazz Festival, McKittrick Hotel Town and Country (Sunnyside) Etienne M’Bappe, Kevin Scott, Jeff Sipe, Ranjit Barot THE HELIOSONIC TONE-TETTE— (Time-Tompkins Square Park) TOMMY SMITH—Embodying the Light (Spartacus) November 3rd, Town Hall JAZZMEIA HORN—A Social Call (Prestige) CHICO FREEMAN PLUS+TET Heliosonic Toneways, Vol. 1 (ScienSonic) FLIP PHILLIPS—Your Place or Mine? (Jump-Delmark) GEBHARD ULLMANN/OLIVER POTRATZ/ TODD CAPP CLARINET CHOIR LILLY (FEAT. GILAD HEKSELMAN)— ERIC SCHAEFER—Das Kondensat (WhyPlayJazz) Anthony Wonsey, Gust Tsilis, Kenny Davis, Billy Hart KASPER TRANBERG/PETER DANSTRUP/ SUN RA AND HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA— October 19th, Village Vanguard Sylvain Kassap, Guillermo Gregorio, Tenderly (Gateway Music) MARILYN MAZUR—Damaztra: Flag of Time (ILK Music) The Magic City (Saturn-Cosmic Myth) PAUL VAN GYSEGEM/CHRIS JORIS/ Patrick Holmes, Michael Lytle CéCILE McLORIN SALVANT— PATRICK DE GROOTE—Boundless (El Negocito) November 19th, Downtown Music Gallery TRIO KONTRASZT—From Dyonisian Sound Sparks NORMA WINSTONE—Well Kept Secret SCOTT ROBINSON HELIOTONES Dreams and Daggers (Mack Avenue) To The Silence Of Passing (BMC) (Enodoc-Sunnyside) VARIOUS ARTISTS—Sky Music: A Tribute to Terje Rypdal Philip Harper, Frank Lacy, Gary Versace, Pat O’Leary, DANILO PéREZ PANAMONK ERIC MINGUS/DAVID AMRAM/ (Rune Grammofon) Matt Wilson and guest Frank Kimbrough Ben Street, Terri Lyne Carrington LARRY SIMON/GROOVE BACTERIA— MARS WILLIAMS—An Ayler Xmas (Soul What) October 31st, Jazz Standard November 30th, Jazz Standard Langston Hughes: The Dream Keeper (Mode Avant) SOLO RECORDINGS JAZZ BOOKS -Andrey Henkin —Laurence Donohue-Greene —Andrey Henkin ANTHONY BRAXTON—Solo (Victoriaville) 2017 (Victo) 50 Years at the Village Vanguard: Thad Jones, Mel Lewis MATT MITCHELL—førage (Screwgun) and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra— LIVE ALBUMS Dave Lisik and Eric Allen (Skydeck Music) SAM NEWSOME—Sopranoville (s/r) ANTHONY BRAXTON—Solo (Victoriaville) 2017 (Victo) Good Things Go Slowly: A Life In and Out of Jazz— JOHN McLAUGHLIN & THE 4TH DIMENSION— ARUáN ORTIZ—Cub(an)ism (Intakt) Fred Hersch (Crown Archetype) Live at Ronnie Scott’s (Abstract Logix) WADADA LEO SMITH— Loft Jazz Improvising in the 1970s— MUSICIANS OF THE YEAR VENUES OF THE YEAR LABELS OF THE YEAR EVE RISSER/BENJAMIN DUBOC/ Solo: Refections and Meditations on Monk (TUM) Michael C. Heller (University of California Press) JOHN McLAUGHLIN (guitar) ISSUE PROJECT ROOM (Downtown Brooklyn) BLUE NOTE (bluenote.net) EDWARD PERRAUD—En Corps Generation (Dark Tree) Queen of Bebop: The Musical Lives of Sarah Vaughan— MATT MITCHELL (piano) JAZZ STANDARD (Gramercy) CLEAN FEED (cleanfeed-records.com) MARTIAL SOLAL/DAVE LIEBMAN— Elaine M. Hayes (Harper Collins) ROSCOE MITCHELL (reeds) THE STONE AT THE NEW SCHOOL (West Village) ECM (ecmrecords.com) Masters in Bordeaux (Sunnyside) Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson— THELONIOUS MONK (piano) VILLAGE VANGUARD (West Village) INTAKT (intaktrec.ch) GüNTER “BABY” SOMMER— with Jim Merod (Temple University Press) TYSHAWN SOREY (drums) ZüRCHER GALLERY (East Village) PI (pirecordings.com) Le Piccole Cose (Live at Theater Gütersloh) (Intuition)
HONORABLE MENTIONS—NEW RELEASES alt.timers—CRISPR (s/r) • Barry Altschul & The 3Dom Factor—Live in Krakow (Not Two) • Amok Amor—We Know Not What We Do (Intakt) • Anyaa Arts Quartet—Harmattan (Voxlox) • Bambostic—DJ’s Nightmare (JazzHausMusik) • Han Bennink Trio—Adelante (ICP) • Tim Berne’s Snakeoil—Incidentals (ECM) Raoul Björkenheim Triad—Beyond (Eclipse Music) • Bobby Bradford/Hafez Modirzadeh—Live at the Magic Triangle (NoBusiness) • Brooklyn Raga Massive—Coltrane Raga Tribute (s/r) • Buffalo Jazz Octet—PausaLive (Cadence Jazz) • Chicago Edge Ensemble—Decaying Orbit (Varanid Music) Chicago/London Underground—A Night Walking Through Mirrors (Cuneiform) • Cortex—Avant-Garde Party Music (Clean Feed) • Tim Daisy/Ken Vandermark/Michael Thieke—Triptych (Relay) • Ted Daniel—Zulu’s Ball (Plays The Music of King Oliver) (s/r) • Jakob Davidsen—Silence Trio 1 (ILK Music) Ernest Dawkins New Horizons Ensemble (featuring Vijay Iyer)—Transient Takes (s/r) • Massimo De Mattia/Bruno Cesselli—Teatro Arrignoi (Artesuono) • DEK Trio—Construct 2: Artacts (Audiographic) • Robert Dick—Our Cells Know (Tzadik) • Chano Dominguez—Over the Rainbow (Sunnyside) Dave Douglas—Little Giant Still Life (Greenleaf Music) • Hamid Drake/Sylvain Kassap—Heads or Tails (Rogue Art) • Scott Dubois—Autumn Wind (ACT Music) • Paul Dunmall Brass Project—Maha Samadhi (SLAM) • Paul Dunmall/Liam Noble/John Edwards/Mark Sanders—Chords of Connections (FMR) Agustí Fernández/Artur Majewski/Rafał Mazur—Spontaneous Soundscapes (Not Two) • The Firebirds—Aladdin’s Dream (ILK Music) • Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan—Small Town (ECM) • Fred Frith—Storytelling (Intuition) • Satoko Fujii—Invisible Hand (Cortez Sound) • Giacomo Gates—What Time Is It? (Savant) Gato Libre—Neko (Libra) • Paul Giallorenzo Trio—Flow (Delmark) • Muriel Grossman—Momentum (Dreamland) • Hashima—The Haywain (Metropolis) • Louis Hayes—Serenade for Horace (Blue Note) • Steve Heather/Joe Williamson/Tobias Delius—Booklet: The 100% Rabbit (Jedso) The Heliosonic Tone-Tette—Heliosonic Toneways, Vol. 1 (ScienSonic) • Arve Henriksen—Towards Language (Rune Grammofon) • Benjamin Herman/Peter Beets/Han Bennink/Ruud Jacobs—Quartet N-L (ICP/VPRO) • Fred Hersch—{open book} (Palmetto) • Gary Husband—A Meeting of the Spirits (Edition) Vijay Iyer Sextet—Far From Over (ECM) • Jazz Passengers—Still Life with Trouble (Thirsty Ear) • Bobby Kapp—Risky Business (s/r) • Briggan Krauss—The Art of the Saxophone (Live at the Saalfelden Jazz Festival 2017) (Needle Blunts the Sun Music) • LABtrio—Nature City (Out Note) Led Bib—Umbrella Weather (RareNoise) • Gregory Lewis Organ Monk—The Breathe Suite (s/r) • Miklós Lukács/Larry Grenadier/Eric Harland—Cimbalom Unlimited (BMC Records) • Rudresh Mahanthappa Indo-Pak Coalition—Agrima (s/r) • Delfeayo Marsalis—Kalamazoo (Troubador Jass) Brian Marsella Trio—Buer (Book of Angels, Volume 31) (Tzadik) • Lisa Mezzacappa—avantNOIR (Clean Feed) • Billy Mintz—Ugly Beautiful (Thirteenth Note) • Matt Mitchell—A Pouting Grimace (Pi) • Roscoe Mitchell (with Yuganaut) —Four Ways (Nessa) • Charnett Moffett—Music From Our Soul (Motéma Music) Ikue Mori—Obelisk (Tzadik) • Michael Musillami/Rich Syracuse—Bird Calls (Playscape) • Quinsin Nachoff—Ethereal Trio (Whirlwind) • Neuköllner Modelle—Sektion 3-7 (Umlaut) • William Parker—Meditation/Resurrection (AUM Fidelity) • Jonah Parzen-Johnson—I Try To Remember Where I Come From (Clean Feed) Mario Pavone Dialect Trio—Chrome (Playscape) • Gregory Porter—Nat “King” Cole & Me (Blue Note) • Noah Preminger—Meditations on Freedom (Dry Bridge) • Rempis Percussion Quartet—Cochonnerie (Aerophonic) • Dave Rempis—Lattice (Aerophonic) • Eric Revis—Sing Me Some Cry (Clean Feed) Marcus Roberts—Trio Crescent: Celebrating Coltrane (J-Master) • Adam Rogers—Dice (ADRAJ) • Roots Magic—Last Kind Words (Clean Feed) • Ned Rothenberg/Hamid Drake—Full Circle (Fundacja Słuchaj/Listen Foundation) • Georg Ruby—Windmills (JazzHausMusik) Timuçin Sahin’s Flow State—Nothing Bad Can Happen (Between The Lines) • Eric Schaefer—Kyoto mon Amour (ACT Music) • Irène Schweizer/Joey Baron—Live! (Intakt) • Jim Self/John Chiodini—Floating in Winter (Basset Hound) Sexmob—Cultural Capital (Rex) • Elliott Sharp (with Mary Halvorson and Marc Ribot)—Err Guitar (Intakt) • Matthew Shipp—Invisible Touch (At Taktlos Zürich) (hatOLOGY) • Matthew Shipp Trio—Piano Song (Thirsty Ear) • Jen Shyu—Song of Silver Geese (Pi) Alister Spence Trio—Not everything but enough (Alister Spence Music) • Spinifex—Amphibian Ardour (Trytone) • Tomasz Stanko New York Quartet—December Avenue (ECM) • Colin Stetson—All This I Do For Glory (Kartel Music Group) • Craig Taborn—Daylight Ghosts (ECM) Camille Thurman—Inside the Moment (Chesky) • Kasper Tranberg/Peter Danstrup/Marilyn Mazur—Damaztra: Flag of Time (ILK Music) • Trespass Trio—The Spirit of Pitesti (Clean Feed) • Trio 3—Visiting Texture (Intakt) • Fred Van Hove/Roger Turner—The Corner (Relative Pitch) Miroslav Vitous—Ziljabu Nights (Live at Theater Gütersloh) (Intuition) • Jürg Wickihalder/Barry Guy/Lucas Niggli—Beyond (Intakt) • Min Xiao-Fen—Mao, Monk and Me (Blue Pipa) • Michael Zerang/Piotr Mełech/Ksawery Wójciński—261034115 (Multikulti Project)
15 questions | Interview | Philipp Gerschlauer | Complex Simplicity 04.03.18, 14:21
INTERVIEWS /ABOUT
Fifteen Questions Interview with Philipp Gerschlauer Complex Simplicity
Part 1 Name: Philipp Gerschlauer Nationality: German Occupation: Saxophonist, composer, improviser Current Release: Mikrojazz on RareNoise Records Recommendations: “The Count Of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas. It is the most outstanding book I have read in a long time. The plot and narrative is so powerful, well thought and witty. I am waiting for the day it will become a Netflix series. It would be just perfect for it.
Website / Contact: If you enjoyed this interview with Philipp Gerschlauer, his informative website is a great point of departure.
When did you start playing your instrument, and what or who were your early passions or influences? What what is about music and/or sound that drew you to it? "Expanding the fingerings from 48 to over I started to play saxophone at the age of seven. The teacher was my neighbour in my hometown, who'd learned to play the 128 notes per octave took me about a saxophone being a prisonor of war near Chicago after World year. But that was just an assignment. War II. He came over every week to give me lessons and took me to the local marching band to play waltzes, polkas and marches. Much more interesting was the musical This was my first encounter with orchestral music and could be application of the new harmonic and considered my first influence. I can recall my parents listening to classical music, especially Mozart and Beethoven from my early melodic language which resulted from childhood on. My older brother used to play me classical that development." recordings which I enjoyed a lot. Alfred Brendel's recording of the “Waldstein-Sonata” is still very close to my heart. When listening to this recording today I miss the sound a tape recorder produces. So, having collected these early influences I wanted to play the saxophone from the age of four or five. I begged my parents for a long time and finally, at the age of seven, they bought me one. I got in touch with the saxophone through the Muppett show and their saxophonist. I think I was attracted by the strange form of Content the instrument and its weird shape. From the moment I got lessons everything went by itself. I don't recall my parents having Part 1 to urge me to practice. I just played and played and played. Part 2 For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learninglearning and,and, often,often, emulatingemulating others.others. WhatWhat waswas thisthis likelike Part 3 for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and the transition towards your own voice? Video What is the the relationship between copying, learning and your own creativity? Studying the tradition of music in general and jazz in particular was essential for my development and finding my voice. It's
https://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-interview-philipp-gerschlauer/page-1/ Seite 1 von 3 15 questions | Interview | Philipp Gerschlauer | Complex Simplicity 04.03.18, 14:21
really like Parker said: “At first you have to learn your instrument, then the music and then forget everything and just play”. This Mikrojazz: "Für Mary Wigman" (Dance) Comp… describes the way I learned to play. This process took about twenty years. I wanted to learn to play the saxophone as well as possible. That is why I studied classical saxophone as a youthful student at the music university in Frankfurt. It was also a great way for me to explore a field of music which I probably wouldn't have had the chance to get to know to that extent in a later period of my career.
Emulating others belongs to a different field of studies to me. Emulating doesn't necessarily have anything to do with learning the technique. Learning the technique needs to come first, otherwise one is not able to emulate and to copy others. There are some saxophonists whom I emulated over the years until I almost “became” them. I copied them so much that I had to force myself to stop listening because I feared this would start to show on stage. But just for practising purposes emulating others is a great tool for developing one's own musical language. However, this is very hard to separate because when playing, one doesn't think about what has been practised but the muscle memory kicks in. Mikrojazz: "November" composed by Philipp … The first saxophonist I imitated was Richard Ludwig, the saxophonist sitting next to me in my hometown's marching band. He was famous for embellishing the melodies he played. Whatever was written out in his part – he embellished it. That was my first encounter with improvisation! I was eight. So I went home and tried to embellish the melodies myself and also played in this style at the orchestra. The others disliked that but I played it anyway. Which other outlet was there back then to explore music in the countryside in Germany? When my mother married for a second time she married Adolf Klapproth, a New Orleans Jazz musician who played clarinet and trombone. I was thirteen at that time. He introduced me to Captn. John Handy who was a New Orleans saxophonist, recorded in the revival era. His recordings with the December Band from 1963 or recordings with his own band were the biggest influence of my childhood. His playing was virtuosic and expressive, shouting out his lines and really singing through his horn. Again varying the melody of the tunes he played, using riffs Mr. P - Philipp Gerschlauer w/Besaxung and lines that I was able to understand and copy.
Shortly thereafter I had my first encounter with Paul Desmond and Charlie Parker. Both almost at the same time. I still remember vividly how listening to this music felt. Desmond with Brubeck sounded slightly out of tune to me at first. I wasn't used to jazz chords back then. And Charlie Parker was full of energy and lines that clearly sounded out of tune.
I copied Paul Desmond's sound and tried to play lines like Parker. At first I didn't know anything about the rules in BeBop but then I came into possession of the “Charlie Parker Omnibook”. I played through all of the songs constantly. I practiced the lines, not knowing in which harmonic context they were placed. So these lines developed and transformed into other lines and textures which I would use to improvise. I played solo saxophone a lot at that time because there was no jazz band available in my early teens. Modern jazz music was just not a thing going on around my hometown. But through my step father I got to play New Orleans jazz a lot. So I somehow used Charlie Parker's lines in a New Orleans context. That was also due to the fact that in New Orleans jazz a player doesn't get many choruses in his solo. Being the young kid in the band I felt tempted be virtuosic and show off my technique in my playing. But deep in my heart I felt that this may not be the thing I really wanted to express. After Desmond and Parker I checked out Coltrane. His music guides me still but more in a spiritual sense. Of course I studied his lines and harmony, but applying his methods to find my own melodic language – also in microtonality – is still the best method to define one's harmonic language. Coltrane's sound and they way he sings through his horn is so unique. He sounds like a preacher and that is also how I aim to sound when playing. Finding my own voice was more a process of letting go. Of allowing the instrument to play itself. It's a process of asking
https://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-interview-philipp-gerschlauer/page-1/ Seite 2 von 3 15 questions | Interview | Philipp Gerschlauer | Complex Simplicity 04.03.18, 14:21
questions without expecting answers, of stepping back and not getting in the way. I just told myself at one point: “It's ok how I The Music Of Philipp Gerschlauer (Sampler) play, it is my personality. And if I follow that path I will find my own voice”. And that's what I did, I think. What were some of your main artistic challenges when starting out as an artist and in which way have they changed over the years? One big artistic challenge was and still is that I am clearly labelled as being a microtonal saxophonist. I feel like people assume I am detached from the rest of the world just dealing with weird concepts and writing my music, but this is not the whole truth. I would consider myself being conservative. Conservative in a sense as not associating myself with the sound and style of the so called avantgarde. I like melodies, I like harmonies but I am bored of the harmonies existing in today's jazz. To me it sounds like everything has been done with 12 notes and I feel like we are back in 1750 when Baroque music had explored counterpoint to such an extent that classical musicians wanted to go back to simple structures and more emphatic melody and harmony. This is also how I feel. Today's music, be it jazz or contemporary, is so complex that I don't see the appeal in making it even more complex. This is why my music might sound more harmonious and singable to the listener. The theory and research behind it is complex but I don't want the listener to realize this. However I need this theoretical background in order for my music to sound the way it does. Otherwise it wouldn't work. So it's in between the zone of complexity and simplicity. One could call it “complex simplicity”. Finding musicians willing and able to commit to this music was not easy. That was a challenge for sure. Luckily I found people and there are more and more of them becoming interested in microtonality. A different artistic challenge was playing the saxophone in a microtonal way, using fingerings. I learned this almost automatically whilst practising my own compositions. By playing the melodies over and over I was able to develop my own lines, my own melodies and also an emotional relationship to all of these lines. Expanding the fingerings from 48 to over 128 notes per octave took me about a year and required intense praticing. But that was just an assignment I gave myself. Much more interesting was the musical application of the new harmonic and melodic language which resulted from that development. In order to play and to expand the harmonic possibilities I needed to develop a microtonal keyboard which I started doing in 2012. Labelling each key on the keyboard was not easy back then, keeping in mind that I am not a computer specialist. I just tried to find people to help me and luckily I was able to have it working within just less than a year.
1 / 3 Next page: Part 2
Disclaimer
https://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-interview-philipp-gerschlauer/page-1/ Seite 3 von 3 15 questions | Interview | Philipp Gerschlauer | Complex Simplicity 04.03.18, 14:22
INTERVIEWS /ABOUT
Fifteen Questions Interview with Philipp Gerschlauer Complex Simplicity
Part 2 Tell me about your instrument, please. How would you describe the relationship with it? What are its most importantimportant qualitiesqualities andand howhow dodo theythey influenceinfluence thethe musicalmusical results – and possibly even your own performance? I play a Selmer Super Balanced Action from 1951 with no technical adjustments. So all the microtones are just produced by fingerings. I have played my instrument for almost ten years now. I like it, but I also know there are much better instruments around. I could see myself switching to a different saxophone, while of course keeping the old one. Selmer made great saxophones back then, but since they are handmade the quality varies. So I think I have one of the not so great horns, but I don't want to complain. An instrument is just a tool. It is replaceable. But replacing one needs practice and it also influences the outcome of my playing. Basically it just needs to “work”. It is great though if it has some character, some edges, like the old saxophones do (newer models tend to sound the same, they are "Blowing into my saxophone is a sacred more precise but lack “character”). It is hard to describe, one must experience it, I think. process for me. I don't want to waste any note." Derek Bailey defined improvising as the search for material which is endlessly transformable. Regardless of whether or not you agree with his perspective, what kind of materials have turned to be particularly transformable and stimulating for you? I think Derek Bailey has a point here. But any material can be endlessly transformable or be the starting point for something endlessly transformable. Just because many mathematical possibilities exist it doesn't mean that they are emotionally Content connected to the musician. This is what counts in the end. There are so many things that can be played and concepts that can be Part 1 found. During my studies I was presented with so many concepts that after a while one doesn't know what to do with them. This Part 2 was great, don't get me wrong but sometimes this can be distracting because one is not given time to reflect. I also think Part 3 that it is impossible to set up a jazz department which serves the needs of all students. Video The material that turned out to be transformable and stimulating is microtonality of course. There are just endless possibilities of scales, harmonies and sounds, so I have never used a tone system twice so far. There are just so many that I don't see myself applying techniques of the 12 tone system to them. I don't pratise permutations in microtonality. I try to get rid of all the things I don't like, and to just play what I like. I want to be 100% in sync with everything I play. I want people to believe every single note I play. This is a constant process.
https://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-interview-philipp-gerschlauer/page-2/ Seite 1 von 3 15 questions | Interview | Philipp Gerschlauer | Complex Simplicity 04.03.18, 14:22
I recall a jam session with amateur musicians I played in New York. We were all sitting in a circle, playing the blues for several Mikrojazz: "Für Mary Wigman" (Dance) Comp… hours. Mostly blacks, some white people. We had such a great time. Sitting next to me was an old lady in a wheelchair. She did percussion with some shakers and singing along. She was not formally trained and really felt the blues. When it was my turn to take a solo in that split second I felt that everything I seemed to know about the blues would just be silly to play. I couldn't get away with the things that would be accepted at other jam sessions. Every tone I produced had such a deep meaning to them and everyone was listening attentively. I did not do badly, they called me again to sit in for another session but it made me rethink my whole perspective on music. This session is the benchmark for everything I have played since.
So all in all I can say, that the most important thing for me is not the search of endless transformability but more about the endless quest of reflecting oneself and defining one's own language. How is playing live in front of an audience and in the studio connected? What do you achieve and draw from Mikrojazz: "November" composed by Philipp … each experience personally? How do you see the relationship between improvisation and composition in this regard? For me there is not a great difference between playing in the studio and playing live. There are more possibilities to edit in the studio if necessary but my goal is to make everything sound great right away, even when practising. Blowing into my saxophone is a sacred process for me. I don't want to waste any note. This means that I play much less than I did in previous years. When playing in front of an audience the music is different. The band interacts with the audience and of course you try out more things, especially with smaller club gigs. My approach to playing is always the same. Composition and improvisation are the same for me. They are two sides of the same coin. I believe the saying that improvisation is composition in real time and composition is improvisation in slow time is true. Whenever I play, I try to keep the overall structure in mind. The shape of the solo, of the song Mr. P - Philipp Gerschlauer w/Besaxung and of the concert. Structure and shape are the most essential part of composition to me. So these two thing really go hand in hand. Could you take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work? Do you have a fixed schedule? How do music and other aspects of your life feed back into each other - do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly? I get up in the morning and take care of my baby daughter first while my girlfriend is away studying Alexander Technique. Then I go into my practice room and play. I do some office work before my first student comes. After I am done teaching I play with my daughter. In the evening I have time for myself. Usually the time between 9pm and 2am is when I am able to work most efficiently. The good thing is that I don't need much sleep. Days are too short of course but I am able to keep up with my work. I am a workaholic and I have learnt that when I am on my own I don't have a stop mechanism. I have realised that when I conserve my strength I am more efficient in the long run. What can I say? My girlfriend and my daughter keep me in good shape! Music and life go hand in hand. The piano is in use a lot, my girlfriend is a singer. We sing a lot, play and listen to music. Music is like a room mate living with us.
Could you take me through the process of improvisation on the basis of one of your performances that's particularly dear to you, please? Where did the ideas come from, how were they transformed in your mind, what did you start with and how do you refine these beginnings into the finished work of art? Since I have to individually detune each key of the keyboard when playing, they may not produce the expected notes. So the first step for guiding a pianist into improvisation is
https://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-interview-philipp-gerschlauer/page-2/ Seite 2 von 3 15 questions | Interview | Philipp Gerschlauer | Complex Simplicity 04.03.18, 14:22
communicating certain chords and melodies which I find interesting and appealing on the microtonal scale. This initiates The Music Of Philipp Gerschlauer (Sampler) an improvisation which reveals new chords and sounds. But the centre of gravity remains within the borders of the scales and chords I have chosen. The way the other instruments deal with them and the overall shape of music and performance then inevitably leads to the finished work of art.
Previous page: 2 / 3 Next page: Part 1 Part 3
Disclaimer
https://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-interview-philipp-gerschlauer/page-2/ Seite 3 von 3 15 questions | Interview | Philipp Gerschlauer | Complex Simplicity 04.03.18, 14:22
INTERVIEWS /ABOUT
Fifteen Questions Interview with Philipp Gerschlauer Complex Simplicity
Part 3 There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? What supports this idealideal statestate ofof mindmind andand whatwhat areare distractions?distractions? AreAre therethere strategies to enter into this state more easily? Music is always there already. First, I try not to be in it's way. On stage I dismiss all thoughts like “oh, what will the audience think of the performance” etc, but I try to hold on to the musical string which is present in the room at all times. This string is like fog. If one tries to grab it, it is gone. One has to gently guide it and shape it in the desired direction. Of course, there is always the little monkey in your head talking and talking and talking. But that's ok. That's just what the little monkey in our heads is doing. It can be a great companion and the source of inspiration but on stage it can be disturbing. So I have a simple trick; I keep the monkey busy by feeding it. Since it is impossible to think of two things at the same time I think of "I am not using any tools contemporary what's most present in my playing anyway: The melody! When I do that, I dismiss all bad thoughts and reach a state of flow composers use. I aim for my music to be which lasts throughout the concert in the best way. heard, felt and executed in the same At home while composing I keep the process as playful as manner of originality and humbleness." possible. Finding the scales is a technical process which takes a great deal of preparation, almost as long as the process of composition itself. This is very technical and inspiration is only a minor part. But once I start composing I don't think about the theoretical background, I just think of form and listen to myself play at the microtonal keyboard. Distractions are also present then, but my time is very precious, so this helps me focus.
How do you make use of technology? In terms of the feedback mechanism between technology and creativity, Content what do humans excel at, what do machines excel at? Part 1 I make use of electronics because I have to. Not because I want Part 2 to. It is a necessity in order to produce the microtonal harmonies. But I consider my music to be acoustic. For Mikrojazz (released Part 3 on RareNoise Records, co-led with David Fiuczynski) and for my prior projects, I wanted them to sound this way. So the electronics I am using are just a side thing. The musician Video shouldn't be aware of them or get disturbed by them. When electronics are more evolved and complex I feel like they become a separate instrument which needs to be mastered. This takes years of practice and I've often noticed that electronics can be in the way between the musician and the audience. But I think using electronics is a great thing happening in today's music because all these possibilities exist, so it is understandable to make use of them. So electronics can enable creativity once they are truly mastered and can be played like an instrument.
https://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-interview-philipp-gerschlauer/page-3/ Seite 1 von 3 15 questions | Interview | Philipp Gerschlauer | Complex Simplicity 04.03.18, 14:22
It is important for me that electronic instruments sound natural. Mikrojazz: "Für Mary Wigman" (Dance) Comp… The software I am using now (Pianoteq) sounds very natural, especially the electronic instruments such as Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer but also vibes. I am not sure if I would recognize them as being artificial in a blind fold test. Production tools, from instruments to complex software environments, contribute to the compositional process. How does this manifest itself in your work? Can you describe the co-authorship between yourself and your tools? There is no such thing as co-authorship between my tools and myself. The way I compose is very traditional. I play on the piano and sometimes the saxophone and find my melodies there. I am not using any tools contemporary composers use. I aim for my music to be heard, felt and executed in the same manner of originality and humbleness. How do you see the relationship between sound, space and performance and what are some of your strategies Mikrojazz: "November" composed by Philipp … and approaches of working with them? I would like to define music as “sound in relation to time”. I want sound to develop itself in the room. This requires time and enough space. Microtonal harmony is in close relation with rhythm and the speed of the music. These harmonies ring in the room in a defined speed. This is also an approach to composition.
Our sense of hearing shares intriguing connections to other senses. From your experience, what are some of the most inspiring overlaps between different senses - and what do they tell us about the way our senses work? What happens to sound at its outermost borders? I am not synaesthetic so I cannot tell about any connection to other senses. But it is reported that people often see pictures when listening to my music. And indeed, I find the similarity of composing music and composing a painting quite prominent. So I am composing Mr. P - Philipp Gerschlauer w/Besaxung musical pictures. Art can be a purpose in its own right, but it can also directly feed back into everyday life, take on a social and political role and lead to more engagement. Can you describe your approach to art and being an artist? I am an open minded and responsible person taking part in society. I reflect on the world and express it by my music. Art is always in a dialogue within society. History has proven often enough how an individual is able to influence and change the world. The way I see the world and how I want it to be in the future is best expressed through my microtonal music. I am very happy now that people all over the world are able to listen to it. I feel very humbled by their response that for some it has changed the way they view the world. By showing them a new world of sound it has changed the way they perceive everything else. I am happy to be one of the many artistic voices who are helping to make this world a more harmonic one for everyone. ItIt isis remarkable,remarkable, inin aa way,way, thatthat wewe havehave arrivedarrived inin thethe 21st21st century with the basic concept of music still intact. Do you have a vision of music, an idea of what music could be beyond its current form? The Internet caused society to change and adjust at an astronomical speed. We are getting a boost of technology like never before in the history of humankind. It has changed the world we live in. Music naturally corresponds to that. Look at all the music genres founded in the 20th century! And existing today! Music is as alive as its musicians which are spread all over the globe and connected almost in real time. This is truly a glimpse of the musical Utopia happening right now. So microtonal jazz music does seem to be just a logic consequence in the end, doesn't it? Music will continue to change and develop in all directions at the same time. There will be mainstream
https://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-interview-philipp-gerschlauer/page-3/ Seite 2 von 3 15 questions | Interview | Philipp Gerschlauer | Complex Simplicity 04.03.18, 14:22
music. Always. Beyond that, listeners have already found a universe of people and sound! And microtonality is opening up The Music Of Philipp Gerschlauer (Sampler) these possibilities to an undiscovered extent.
Previous page: 3 / 3 Part 2
Disclaimer
https://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-interview-philipp-gerschlauer/page-3/ Seite 3 von 3 Interview with Philipp Gerschlauer and Dave Fiuczynski, creators of "MikroJazz!" 24.02.18, 21:01
Main About Social Login A chat with Philipp Gerschlauer and Dave Fiuczynski about their "MikroJazz!" project
Young German jazz saxophonist Philipp Gerschlauer recently teamed up with veteran guitarist and Berklee professor Dave Fiuczynski on an exciting new release that is throwing down the gauntlet and raising the bar for the possibilities of jazz. In their innovative 2017 release on RareNoise records, along for the adventure are legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette, bassist Matthew Garrison, and keyboardist Giorgi Mikadze. We're so please that Philipp and Dave took some time to chat with UnTwelve to detail the creative and collaborate process that led to their hallmark recording. -Aaron Krister Johnson
UnTwelve: We are excited to have the opportunity to discuss your recent collaboration on MikroJazz! Can you tell us how the project came to be?
DF: I was always looking for players who are into microtonality AND wanted to do this in a jazz/groove context AND already had experience doing this. There are very few players and composers that fit this bill and when I heard about Philipp I reached out to see if he wanted to come to Berklee where I direct the Planet MicroJam Institute. Right away there was synergy and Philipp said he wanted to do a record and we talked and started collaborating and I was able to get my label RareNoise Records and players Jack DeJohnette, Matt Garrison and an amazing microtonal keyboard player from the republic of Georgia - Giorgi Mikadze, interested in the project.
Then since Philipp and I both have German background and I was always into (mostly German) Expressionism, there was also this visual inspiration that on a very personal level has an intuitive connection to microtonality.
http://untwelve.org/interviews/mikrojazz Seite 1 von 6 Interview with Philipp Gerschlauer and Dave Fiuczynski, creators of "MikroJazz!" 24.02.18, 21:01
PG: I started to play microtones about 10 years ago, dividing the octave into 24 notes which means quarter tones. Having used thus system for a while I wanted my chords and melodies to be based on the overtone structure. So I needed more divisions than 24. Chords that emerge from the overtone series have specific sound characteristics other chords don't have. They seem to shine brighter and present an unheard sound which is fresh to the ear. So overtones were the starting point leading to all different types of tuning systems.
In order to be able to do so I needed to turn a regular keyboard into a microtonal keyboard by reprogramming it. Each key is labeled an individual pitch so that overtone chords, as well as other chords, can be played.
This naturally led to a need of being able to play every possible pitch on the saxophone as well. So I had to find individual fingerings for each pitch. Meeting Johnny Reinhard (microtonal bassoon player from New York) led to a division of 128 notes per octave. Through Giorgi Mikadze, David and I finally got in touch. I went to Berklee, we decided to make this record. And that's where we're at right now.
UnTwelve: One of the first things I noticed was the quality of the musicians collaborating, including Jack DeJohnette, who is a legendary drummer. When did you meet Jack, and how did you come to work together?
DF: What can I say? Jack DeJohnette is the coolest. I remember meeting him at a gig of mine in the mid 1990s at a shitty bar on a shitty night. My band, Screaming Headless Torsos, were playing and JoJo Mayer was playing drums on the house kit (according to JoJo "the second shittiest drums" he ever played...wow, wonder what the shittiest were!?!?). So, yeah, all around a shit gig (sorry for the cuss words), but the point I want to make is that Jack showed up, didnt care about the sound, but really listened to and enjoyed the music. Years later, I played Don Byron's wedding and Jack was there as a guest and I played a microtonal Middle Eastern tinged intro to a tune and Jack loved it and asked me to join his band!! Amazing! For a few years I played in his group and also on a project where we played a live improvised sound track to the Jack Johnson documentary (first black heavyweight boxer). That was also amazing, especially watching him improvise live to fight sequences on the screen - wow! And I know Jack is always looking for new ideas, so I had a pretty good feeling he would be down for this recording.
Another legend in his own right is Matthew Garrison. We asked him to play because he was already playing with Jack extensively, so I knew there would be a great rapport already built in and we're really lucky to have them both on the record. Matt of course sounds great in his own right
http://untwelve.org/interviews/mikrojazz Seite 2 von 6 Interview with Philipp Gerschlauer and Dave Fiuczynski, creators of "MikroJazz!" 24.02.18, 21:01 and is a really great bridge between traditional jazz (both musically and generationally - his father was Jimmy Garrison from John Coltrane's famous 4tet) and electric playing, electronica, and other modern ideas.
A legend in the making is Giorgi Mikadze on microtonal keyboards. He was a student of mine and took part in many events (including one with Jack DeJohnette) at the Planet MicroJam Institute I direct at Berklee College of Music. He's an amazing piano and keyboardist who according to Jack has a very "big" sound and Giorgi incorporates influences from microtonal choral music from his native republic of Georgia. So all around a band you basically can't go wrong with!!
PG: Meeting Jack DeJohnette for a recording session was just an unbelievable experience. He was very kind, humble and so full of energy. He shaped the sound of the music and colored the microtones with his cymbals and drumming. David got in touch with him, Jack checked some of my music and immediately agreed to join.
UnTwelve: Micro Steps is obviously a nod to John Coltrane's famous Giant Steps. What was the process for writing this tune? Were you mapping out relationships that existed in that song and stretching/shrinking them? Or was it a looser 'mapping'?
PG: Micro Steps was the last song I wrote for the record. I wanted to compose a song which is a bit more up. The found the idea appealing to connect microtonality with giant steps. My composition jumps in and out between the micro world and the regular tone system (although there is no 12 ET used. I use pitches that are similar to 12 ET). From a harmonic and melodic point of view it is partially related to giant steps but I added a B section in which the A section resolves. So this composition is about the contrast of dense microtonal changes and modal sound structures. It's these two parameters that set up the mood for what "Mikrojazz" is about as the other compositions jump in between these two worlds.
UnTwelve: So happy you mentioned Georgian music, due to Giorgi Mikadze being Georgian; it's such a rich and beautiful microtonal tradition, and one of the oldest. Tell us something about the tunings/pitch gamut involved in these creations. Philipp, you mentioned 128 notes per octave (the system of using overtones 128-256). There is a track that references LaMonte Young, so I assume that's both a stylistic and a tuning-system nod to him? To what degree did the other players help determine the creative path of this? E.G., did Giorgi Mikadze provide any 'Georgian spice'?
PG: Yes, that is correct. LaMonte's Gamelan Jam is meant to be a tribute to LaMonte Young. I wanted to compose a song with his tuning. After having played in is tuning a lot at home this just felt natural. Having his tuning programmed in the keyboard there was no chance for Giorgi to change it. So he needed to stick with the pitches given. But this opened up space for David and myself to work with alternative tunings and layer different pitches on top of LaMonte's tuning. It
http://untwelve.org/interviews/mikrojazz Seite 3 von 6 Interview with Philipp Gerschlauer and Dave Fiuczynski, creators of "MikroJazz!" 24.02.18, 21:01 was David's idea to shape this song into a "somewhat Gamelan/Eastern vibe" style. That was the first impression he got when listening to the pre-prepared tracks I made. For the future I totally see the other musicians providing their tuning input but what is needed is a strong fundament[sic] on which the other pitches can be build. LaMonte provides such a fundament[sic] since it's 3- and 7- limit tuning. All kinds of colors and pitches can be built on top, also Georgian influences. This will be a thing to work on in the future for sure!!!
DF: I isolated a few pentatonic modes using the tuning he specified and added east Asian inflections on guitar with a delay that at times imitates a gamelan sound or a Chinese guzheng (zither), because I'm fascinated with how microtones "pop" when colored-in with Middle Eastern, Indian or East Asian melodic devices. I don't know if Giorgi specifically used Georgian influences on this piece, but I'm sure he intuitively uses his background when it comes to comping and soloing. He's one of the most advanced microtonal keyboard players I've ever worked with. I don't put a lot of stock into perfect pitch, because it's totally overrated; I've played with plenty of players with perfect pitch who made plenty of bad musical decisions and I have years of experience dealing with western music students with perfect pitch who suffer when they engage with microtonal music, but I'll make an exception with Giorgi. He has microtonal perfect pitch with a Georgian slant and you can hear it on this track.
UnTwelve: What are your individual philosophies/thoughts on the teaching of "untwelve" tuning systems?
DF: I might be the outsider here, because I don't teach "untwelve" systems at Berklee yet. At the school level microtones are still so alien, it's a cold shower for many students to even consider any kind of microtonal playing, because while they have a full work load they also need to figure how to play an instrument almost from scratch like going fretless or learning new fingerings for horn players or adapting to different types of keyboard set ups. Even if you use a pre-programmed tuning on a regular keyboard you still have to alter your perception of consonance versus dissonance, how this will affect other instruments you're playing with and understand how these new tuning systems act in a chord/scale context. I unfortunately only have a one semester class and its easier for a student to wrap their minds around a system based on a divisible of 12. Also, I would caution any judgement against 24, 36, 48, 72 notes per octave etc., because wonderful art works have been written in these systems. I love some of the 24 and 36 tone compositions written by Haba, Carrillo, and Wyschnagradsky. I would also caution against some of the attitudes I've seen among microtonalists to get rid of 12ET, because last time I checked (some of my favorites like) Beethoven, Messiaen, Stravinsky, Bach, Wagner, Berg etc. are not too bad ;-)!!! My philosophy is not so much "CHANGE" but "ADD" and let students make decisions for themselves. Although, with that said, I'm psyched about adding new "non-twelve" tuning systems that I'm learning from the Mikrojazz record as well as from Georgian microtonal choir music. I'm also
http://untwelve.org/interviews/mikrojazz Seite 4 von 6 Interview with Philipp Gerschlauer and Dave Fiuczynski, creators of "MikroJazz!" 24.02.18, 21:01 thrilled to announce that Berklee is close to adding a microtonal minor under my direction where students will be able to study MicroJamz (groove oriented micro- jazz, funk, etc.) with me, but also Julia Wentz's 72ET composition and ear training class and will have access to courses and ensembles in Arabic, Turkish, Greek music. Berklee has also merged with Boston Conservatory and students will have access to Jim Dalton's tuning system class and Sharan Leventhal from the Kepler Quartet. So, microtonal studies at Berklee will become more and more "untwelve" in the future.
PG: Firstly, I have to say that I would like to be able to teach more students microtonal music. Sadly, there is no university in Germany offering such classes or ensembles. However, I do have students studying with me. They play various instruments or they are composers who want to find out more about microtonal music. One could tell so much about the theory behind it but I recommend to read the wonderful books of Helmholtz, Vogel or Daniélou or Partch of course. It's all in there! Besides that I think it is best to just play microtonal music and learning through playing, jamming and composing. There is so many things that can be done in microtonal music and every musician can develop an own musical language through it. So I want to encourage students to follow their path.
UnTwelve: Does the group have any future projects planned now that you have completed this project?
DF: Nothing at the moment, but I would be surprised if we didn't do anything in some configuration in the near future. The main thing now is to get on the road with MikroJazz!
PG: Sure! We want to play and develop this music. I have new compositions waiting to be played and we are hoping to be able to hit the road this year!
http://untwelve.org/interviews/mikrojazz Seite 5 von 6 Interview with Philipp Gerschlauer and Dave Fiuczynski, creators of "MikroJazz!" 24.02.18, 21:01
http://untwelve.org/interviews/mikrojazz Seite 6 von 6
Philipp Gerschlauer, David Fiuczynski, Jack DeJohnette, Matt Garrison, Giorgi Mikadze: Mikrojazz! Neue Expressionistische Musik By Raul da Gama - Oct 2, 2017
Photograph copyright Nikki Birch and Andreas Hofweber
The title of this recording Mikrojazz! Neue Expressionistische Musik does more than simply create a new kind of expressionism, but – much more – in the wavelike phrases fluttering out of the bell of the alto saxophone of Philipp Gerschlauer and the undulations of David Fiuczynski’s airy guitar a kind of living, breathing new music takes flight. This is music that is redolent of often ecstatic earthy celebration; a coming together of the natural and the supernatural worlds. It is thrillingly sensuous music of bright acoustic (electric and electronic) colours and resonant fades.
If the ghosts of Gérard Grisey and Olivier Messiaen are sometimes conjured here, so also is that of ‘Trane and Xenakis, Boulez and Stockhausen. The musicians performing on MikroJazz are obviously inspired and so the dots, diagrams and fieldmaps leap off the page to come alive. Detailed work is employed on note duration, attack and intensities and the electronics are minimal and subtly employed. Consider, as proof, “MiCrOY Tyner”, which – despite its whimsical title – proceeds to paint, with sound, a sort of portrait of the ‘colour of time’.
Here also – with special splendour on the overflowing, blinding and nearunlimited joy of “LaMonte’s Gamelan Jam” – is a sense of cosmic abundance and energy, communicated by guitar, saxophone, bass, drums and ‘microtonal’ keyboards, the sense that many more players and instruments are involved. This is as a sense that a myriad musicians are creating spontaneous, dazzling pulsating movements with a cumulative power that is overwhelming. It is in this and oher songs that we become seduced by the kind of dance of unbounded joy, which is rare of our time, as well as for a RareNoiseRecords record where music is uniformly beautiful, always affectingly present, yet sometimes feels laden with overhanging foreboding.
Track list – 1: MikroSteps; 2: Für Mary Wigman; 3: Lullaby Nightmare; 4: MiCrOY Tyner; 5: Umarmung; 6: Last Chance; 7: November; 8: Hangover; 9: LaMonte’s Gamelan Jam; 10: Walking Not Flying; 11: Sofia Im Türkischen Café; 12: Zirkus Macabre.
Personnel – Philipp Gerschlauer: alto saxophone; David Fiuczynski: fretted and fretless guitars; Jack DeJohnette: drums; Matt Garrison: fretless bass; Giorgi Mikadze: microtonal keyboards.
Released – 2017 Label – RareNoiseRecords Runtime – 1:04:00
Raul da Gama Based in Canada, Raul is a musician and an accomplished writer whose profound analysis is reinforced by his deep understanding of music, technically as well as historically. Home » Articles » CD/LP/Track Review ADVERTISE WITH US