BALONI Joachim Badenhorst, Frantz Loriot & Pascal Niggenkemper baloni, soit Joachim Badenhorst le belge souffleur (clarinettes, saxophone ténor), Frantz Loriot l'altiste (violon-alto) français et Pascal Niggenkemper le contrebassiste franco-allemand se sont rencontrés à Brooklyn, New York en 2008. Une triple entente fondée sur l’écoute de l’autre, la possibilité d’étendre pour chacun son champ d’investigation. Résultat : ces trois funambules osent le saut vers l’inconnu, le vertige de l’instant présent. À les suivre dans les chemins escarpés, ces courbes jonchées de mélodies aussi fugaces que tenaces, on ne sait ce qui tient de l’improvisation et de l’écrit. Peu importe le flacon, pourvu que l’ivresse soit au bout de cette traversée poétique. baloni a tissé un lien complice avec le label portugais clean feed depuis 2011 et trois enregistrements ont vu le jour sur le label : "Fremdenzimmer" en novembre 2011, puis "belleke" en juillet 2014, et enfin "Ripples", en format vinyle, sorti en mars 2015. JOACHIM BADENHORST - clarinets & saxophone (Belgium). Joachim Badenhorst (1981 Antwerpen) is one of the biggest talents of the Belgian jazz scene. Joachim was chosen 'rising star Clarinet of 2013' in the renown Annual Downbeat Critic's Poll (U.S.A.) .Joachim Badenhorst was chosen ‘Clarinet player of 2011` by a group of international jazz critics in the‘4th Annual Intruso Critics Poll’. Joachim is featured on more than 30 recordings. On Belgian labels (De Werf, Igloo, Home Records, Rat- Records, Spocus, El negocito records) and international labels (Songlines-Canada, ILK-Denmark, Fresh Sound New Talent-Spanje, Cleanfeed-Portugal, Nobusiness-Lithuania, Red Toucan-Canada). In 2013 Joachim founded his own record label 'Klein' which has released two critically acclaimed cd's: 'Nachtigall' with the renowed British musicians John Butcher and Paul Lytton, and 'Sparrow Mountain' with Joachim's ensemble Carate Urio Orchestra. Joachim Badenhorst plays in several groups led by world renowned musicians. He is a member of the Han Bennink Trio, Tony Malaby`s Novela, Thomas Heberer`s Clarino trio and the new quartet of guitarist Joe Morris. Besides these Joachim co/leads his own projects Mogil, Red Rocket, Os Meus Shorts, Rawfishboys, Equillibrium, International Trio, JB China Trio, Baloni and is currently also working as a soloist. His solo debut 'The Jungle he told me' was released in 2012 by the Smeraldina-Rima label. Joachim performed and recorded with a.o. : Dave Douglas, John Butcher, Ernst Reijseger, Fred Van Hove, Simon Nabatov, Peter Evans, Gerald Cleaver, Anthony Coleman, Noël Akchoté, Fred Lonberg Holm, John Hollenbeck, C. Spencer Yeh, Ellery Eskelin, Ralph Alessi, Kris Davis, Steve Swell, Terry Ex, Shahzad Ismaily, Hilmar Jensson, Audrey Chen, Andrew D'Angelo, Jean Yves Evrard, Edward Perraud, Matt Penman, Theo Bleckmann, Michael Brecker, Phil Woods, Chris Speed, Mark Turner, Ted Poor, Tom Rainey etc. More about Joachim Badenhorst on www.joachimbadenhorst.com FRANTZ LORIOT - viola (France). French-Japanese violist Frantz Loriot performs solo as well as in various ensembles by way of improvisation and electronics, crossroads of different musical genres: improvised music, experimental, rock, contemporary music and electronics. He has contributed to multidisciplinary projects related to dance, image and poetry. Frantz Loriot leads two large ensembles, the European Notebook Large Ensemble, a 10 piece ensemble with Swiss, Japanese, Belgian and Italian musicians with which he will release "Urban Furrow" on the Portuguese label Clean Feed in May 2015 and the NYC based 12 piece Systematic Distorsion Orchestra in which Frantz reunites some of the finest NYC based improvisers. Beside these projects, Frantz released his debut solo recording "Reflections on an Introspective Path" on the NYC based label Neither/Nor. Active in a number of international collective ensembles, his other personal projects include: baloni, ViolaTwoViola, Natura Morta, a duo with Jeremiah Cymerman, a duo with Lionel Garcin, the trio Ganjin, the ensemble 22 strings & a piece of wood and the new trio ELW. He appears as a sideman in Pascal Niggenkemper's Vision7 and Joachim Badenhorst's Carate Urio Orchestra, and Tobias Meier's Im Wald. In addition to his own projects he has also worked alongside many musicians such as (a.o.), Barre Phillips, Joëlle Léandre, David S.Ware, Anthony Braxton & Walter Thompson Orchestra, Michael Formanek, Jakob Bro, Andrea Parkins, Theresa Wong, Ernesto Rodrigues, Hilmar Jensson, Simon Nabatov, Steve Swell, Yasumune Morishige and many others. While living in NYC, he created and curated Ze Couch Series in Brooklyn, NY, from 2009 to 2012. FL appears on CDs released on international labels such as Clean Feed, Creative Sources Recordings, Intakt Records, Peira, FMR, Sickcore, Impressus Records, Prom Night Records, Basses Fréquences, Quiet Design, Edible Onion, ,0, Neither/Nor etc. He was initiated to soundmassage by its creator, Thierry Madiot. After living in Paris and New York City, FL relocated in Zürich (Switzerland). More about Frantz Loriot on: www.frantzloriot.com PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER - contrabass (Germany/France). German-French bassist Pascal NIGGENKEMPER is currently living in Brooklyn, New York. It is in NY that Pascal met Robin Verheyen and Tyshawn Sorey and formed the PNTrio. The trio recorded the CD "pasàpas" (Konnex 2008) and “urban creatures” (JazzHausMusik 2010). The PNTrio toured extensively in Europe. With guitar player Scott DuBois and drummer Jeff Davis, Pascal formed the group pascal’s newfield. The group toured in 2009 in Europe. In cooperation with the festival Jazzdor Strasbourg-Berlin, Pascal formed this year the french- german septet vision7 that performed at Jazzdor Strasbourg-Berlin and Vive le Jazz in Cologne among others. With Simon Nabatov and Gerald Cleaver, Pascal released in September 2011 the CD/LP "Upcoming Hurricane" on NoBusiness Records which is listed among "ALBUMS OF THE YEAR" 2011 in the 'The New York City Jazz Record'. Pascal is also co-leading the groups baloni (CD "fremdenzimmer", Clean Feed, Nov 2011), a duo for two prepared basses with Sean Ali called PascAli (CD "Suspicious Activity", Creative Sources, August 2012) and Speaking Tube with Emilie Lesbros and Frantz Loriot. With friends, he curates in NY the house concert series ze couch, where every month artists meet to present their work. He is a member of Thomas Heberer’s Clarino (CD "Klippe", Clean Feed, Sept 2011 & "cookbook", Red Toucan, 2012), Joe Hertenstein’s HNH (CD "HNH" on Clean Feed, 2010) and Polylemma (CD "Polylemma" on Red Toucan, 2011), Joe Morris Quartet, Carlo Costa’s Minerva (CD "Saturnismo", Between the lines, 2011), Gerald Cleaver’s Black Host and Jean Carla Rodea’s Azares. Festival presence includes: Vision Festival New York, Umbrella Festival Chicago, Strade del Cinema Aosta, Jazzcologne, NewAdits Klagenfurt, Font New York, Jazzdor Strasbourg-Berlin etc... More about Pascal Niggenkemper on www.pascalniggenkemper.com Press reviews: About fremdenzimmer Jazzques, October 20th, 2012: (…) Ce jazz très libre, fait appel à tous les sens et Baloni ne nous laisse jamais tranquille, il nous oblige à rester en éveil, à rester attentif. (…) Il ne faut rien manquer. Le trio démontre ainsi qu’il est possible de rendre toujours accessible une musique «dite difficile» dans laquelle l’improvisation n’apparaît pas toujours aussi abstraite qu’on l’imagine… Il suffit simplement de bien vouloir l’entendre. Si le voyage avec Fremdenzimmer n’est pas de tout repos, il est cependant FA-SCI-NANT d’un bout à l’autre. Daniele Chicca, October 1st, 2012: (…) Il viaggiatore siamo noi. Alle prese con una tempesta. Una lotta verso l’accettazione in un mondo estraneo. Alla ricerca non di una verità che ci accomuni, ma di una verità tutta nostra. Viaggi così intensi come questi si vorrebbe durassero di più, perché ci possano aiutare anche a rivelarci chi siamo. Come tutte le esperienze inaspettate, che ne scatenano un milione di altre. Ogni nuovo ascolto non sarà mai uguale, non vi comunicherà le stesse cose. Rassegnatevi, è tutto frutto della vostra immaginazione (ma andate a vederli in tour). Con una sola certezza: il significato di questo CD è da cercare dentro di noi. E’ dato dai collegamenti che facciamo nella nostra testa, dalle sensazioni che restano. David Cristol, ImproJazz magazine, June 2012: (…) Mais cette musique ne pourrait exister et convaincre sans un sens aigu - et responsable - de la respiration, de la suspension et de l'organisation. Toutes choses subtilement et intelligemment abordées et perfectionnées ici. Beau disque. Jeroen Revalk, Cobra.be, May 2012: (…) Het slingert de luisteraar heen en weer tussen verwarring en bewondering. Maar wie de moeite neemt om echt te luisteren, wordt beloond met drie kwartier verrassende klanken en muzikale delicatessen. Steff Gjissels, Freejazz blogspot, February 29th, 2012: (…) The journey goes deep into the realm of lyricism and sonic beauty, a journey of strange harmonic encounters, timbral greetings, shared distances, differences of perspectives adding to the overall texture. As with these encounters, possibly hiking, on foot, the pace is slow, vulnerability a prerequisite for openness, openness the prerequisite for suprise, suprise the prerequisite for new ideas and the aha-erlebnis of new possibilities. (…) Just beautiful. So real! (****1/2) Stephan Moore, JazzWrap, February 22nd, 2012: (…) At a time when music needs to move forward, Baloni is one of those rare groups that can show us the way. Fremdenzimmer is an album of unexpected exchanges, harmonies and patterns that fans of challenging and introspective sounds must give a priority listen. Franck Bergerot, Jazz Magazine / Jazzman, January 30th 2012: CHOC - (…) La cohérence du propos et la constance de sa teneur finissent pas vous faire douter. Cette musique a l'élan de l'improvisée et la densité de l'écrit. (…) Ils ne se refusent aucun type d'événements (…), nous embarquant avec une palette de timbres qui fait oublier qu'ils ne sont que trois, avec une diversité de propos et une précision de geste qui les tiennent à l'écart des systèmes et des approximations dont ont pu souffrir le free et sa descendance.