John Surman & Pierre Favre - Leipzig 2003

Here's another beautiful show by John Surman, this time in duo with Swiss drum magician Pierre Favre.

Surman recorded a beautiful ECM disc in duet with drummer Jack DeJohnette, but this setting here is much different. Pierre Favre has long been a mainstay of creative music in Switzerland - a longtime collaborator of pianist Irene Schweizer, occasional sideman on ECM and elsewhere, and occasional leader, as well, he has been performing as a solo musician for a long time.

He has done it all, recording with big bands (Giorgio Azzolini), all star groups (George Gruntz, Lars Gullin, Flavio Ambrosetti), with many of ECM's stalwarts (Surman, Barre Phillips, the Hilliard Ensemble, Dino Saluzzi), the crop of Europe's free music (Manfred Schoof, Barry Guy, Irene Schweizer, Albert Mangelsdorff), as well as with regular jazz formations (the Mal Waldron trio). Quite a discography has grown over the years!

So he's a perfect match for John Surman, as you can listen for yourselves now!



John Surman / Pierre Favre
Leipziger Jazztage 2003
Leipzig (DE), Oper
October 9, 2003

John Surman - soprano & baritone sax, bass clarinet, flute, electronics
Pierre Favre - drums, percussion

1. Improvisation 1 (9:09)
2. Improvisation 2 (7:00)
3. Improvisation 3 (8:25)
4. Improvisation 4 (20:34)
5. Improvisation 5 (9:00)
6. Improvisation 6 (11:42)
7. Improvisation 7 (9:36)
8. Improvisation 8 (3:40) [cuts in]

TT: 79:10

Sound: A/A-
Source: DLF ("Jazz Live") + more


:: ubu edits ::

fixed marks
deleted fm talk at beginning of #1
added fade-out at end of #5
deleted noise at beginning of #6
deleted fm talk and added fade-out at end of #7
added fade-out at end of #8

Additional lineage: FLAC > WAV > Cool Edit Pro > FLAC (8,asb,verify)


This also may have been broadcast on TV. So video may exist.

This should have been a Surman/Mangelsdorff concert. Favre jumped in since Mangelsdorff was (already too?) sick to play.