Veryan Weston & Luc Ex - Amsterdam 2009

Here's a beautiful concert by Veryan Weston and Luc Ex. Weston can be heard in duo with Trevor Watts here, as well as in a 2003 solo set from Bern. I don't think I've had anything by The Ex or related up here so far - love their collaboration with Getatchew Mekuria!

This here's a very different concert though... Ex says about it: "SOL (...) has an unusual instrumentation and is leaning towards chamber music but then it is often driven by a ‘punky’ energy which is not afraid of being lyrical either.
Sol will combine composed and tightly rehearsed pieces and songs with free improvisation and interpretation.
The repertoire is completely new and contains Ex-Weston-pieces as well songs of Erik Satie, Charles Ives, Burt Bacharach and Berthold Brecht. Every piece is played with intensity, pleasure and an occasional smile."

This should give you quite an accorate idea what the music will sound, let me just add that it's music of great beauty!
And of course, having Ingrid Laubrock in won't do any harm!



Veryan Weston & Luc Ex - Sol6
Amsterdam (NL), Bimhuis
April 9, 2009

Ingrid Laubrock - tenor & soprano sax, voice
Veryan Weston - piano
Mandy Drummond - viola, voice
Hannah Marshall - cello, voice
Luc Ex - electric bass, voice
Tony Buck - drums

CD1/Set1/44:16
1. ’s Nachts ging de zon op (Luc Ex/Veryan Weston) 8:51
2. The Cage (Charles Ives) 9:53
3. Chanson Hollandaise (Erik Satie/George Russell) 2:44
4. Nood (Luc Ex) 10:30
5. B-flat (Luc Ex) 8:40
6. Anyone Who Had a Heart (Burt Bacharach) 3:33

CD2/Set2/46:02
1. Sick Eagle (Charles Ives) + Autistic African Samba (Luc Ex/Veryan Weston) 8:40
2. Promises (Burt Bacharach) 2:01
3. Seeräuber Jenny (Kurt Weill) 10:01
4. Hurtles (Steve Lacy) 11:54
5. Close to You (Burt Bacharach) 3:36
6. Insecurity (Luc Ex/Veryan Weston) 6:14
7. Le Chapelier (Erik Satie) 3:33

TT: 90:18 - complete!

Sound: A
Source: NL Radio6 > DVB-S (48 khz/256kbps) > EDIROL-R09 > Audacity > flac

Sean Bergin & Friends - Amsterdam 2001 (feat. Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink, Louis Moholo, Ernst Reijseger a.m.o.)

Here's the next in the lose series of South African (and related) posts. Saxophonist Sean Bergin was born in Durban in 1948 and has found his musical home in Amsterdam. He's been active since the mid seventies, and has led and founded various bands and projects, including M.O.B. (My Own Band), which includes among others, Han Bennink, Tobias Delius, Eric Boeren, Wolter Wierbos, Tristan Honsinger, and Mary Oliver. M.O.B. is informed both by the infectuous grooves of Cape jazz as well as by Dutch improvised music.

In addition to M.O.B., you get to hear the Engelbewaarder Kwartet, a band that plays a weekly Sunday afternoon jam-session at café De Engelbewaarder (Kloveniersburgwal 59) in Amsterdam, whenever Bergin's in town.

Opening the party are a pair of duets with cellist Ernst Reijseger (ain't that a treat, having him AND Honsinger both in one package?).

In between, there is the JC Tans Orchestra feat. Boeren and Breuker alumnus Boy Raaymakers on trumpets, Wierbos, as well as Jan Cees Tans and Daniele d'Agaron on tenor sax.
Bergin takes a break here, but he's back with Louis Moholo's quartet, with Claude Deppa on trumpet, and George Wolfaardt on bass. (Moholo was featured here before in various settings, do a search!)
Then, we're treated to three duets by the great Misha Mengelberg and Han Bennink!

And finally, the curtain opens for M.O.B., Bergin's terrific band! Just look at that line-up, can't be half-bad, can it?



VPRO Boy Edgar Prijs
Sean Bergin & Guests

with Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink, my own band, Ernst Reijseger,
Engelbewaarder Kwartet, JC Tans Orchestra, Louis Moholo Kwartet

Amsterdam (NL), Bimhuis - January 23, 2001


CD1/72:24

Bergin/Reijseger Duo (11:18)
Sean Bergin (ts), Ernst Reijseger (vc)
1. unknown (6:15)
2. Ann > unknown (5:02)

Engelbewaarder Kwartet (24:05)
Paul Stocker (sax), Sean Bergin (sax), Jacko Schoonderwoerd (b), Victor de Boo (d)

3. (7:39)
4. (7:30)
5. (5:05)
6. (3:48)

JC Tans Orchestra (20:25)
Eric Boeren (t), Boy Raaymakers (t), Wolter Wierbos (tb), Jan Cees Tans (ts), Daniele D'Agaro (ts), Alex Maguire (p), Victor de Boo (d)

7. (1:47)
8. (4:12)
9. (6:14)
10. (5:39)
11. (2:33)

Louis Moholo Kwartet
Claude Deppa (t), Sean Bergin (sax), George Wolfaardt (b), Louis Moholo (d)

12. (16:36)


CD2/79:58

Bennink/Mengelberg Duo (28:50)
Misha Mengelberg (p), Han Bennink (d)

1. (2:49)
2. (15:24)
3. (10:35)

Sean Bergin's M.O.B. (My Own Band) (51:08)
Eric Boeren (cor), Wolter Wierbos (tb), Sean Bergin (ts), Daniele D'Agaro (ts), Jan Willem van der Ham (as,bsn), Mary Oliver (v), Tristan Honsinger (vc), Alex Maguire (p), Franky Douglas (g), Jacko Schoonderwoerd (b), Victor de Boo (d)

4. Tenbi's Visit (6:43)
5. (10:34)
6. (5:50)
7. (12:44)
8. (4:28) [encore 1]
9. (10:28) [encore 2]

TT: 152:22

Source: live broadcast
Lineage: RECORDED WITH SONY MD AND TRANSFERRED TO HD OF PC TO FLAC
THIS IS MY MASTER [ubu: not quite sure anymore who actually recorded & shared this, but thanks a ton! Great show!]

Elliott Sharp - SyndaKit - Zurich 2003

Here's another one from those dime-party shows, this time be Elliott Sharp and a very interesting mix of musicians (I'll not be so ignorant like the guy on BBC's "Jazz on 3" and just talk of "some fine Swiss musicians" when they broadcast last year's Willisau set by John Zorn, Bruno Amstad, Koch-Schütz-Studer & guests).
Koch-Schütz-Studer happen to have been incorporated into Sharp's band here. They're a great trio on their own, check out some of their or Koch's own releases on Intakt!
Then, there's Hans Hassler, who usually plays folksier sounds (though by no means in a conservative or retrospective/nostalgic manner). He has a recent disc out on Intakt as well (bagatellen review).
Then there's another local on piano, Claudia Ulla Binder, and Charlotte Hug is on viola - she also appears in duo settings with Sharp.
Trumpet player Thomas Heberer and saxophonist Tobias Delius have both been playing with the ICP Orchestra (Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink and others). Trombone player Curtis Fowlkes is a member of the Jazz Passengers, a group he co-founded with fellow ex-Lounge Lizard Roy Nathanson. Fowlkes has also appeared with Bill Frisell, John Zorn, Marc Ribot, and many others (including Sheryl Crow).
Bassist Dave Hofstra and drummer Sim Caine are from the US. About Caine (or is it Cain?) I don't know much, Hofstra I've first heard on a great disc by Philip Johnston. Here's an interview with Cain (as it's spelled there).

The music that's subject of this post comes from a concert from the great Taktlos festival. I didn't attend it, alas, but the radio broadcast included, as far as I know, some of the first part - a loose series of improvisations in variyng line-ups - and all of the second part, the actual piece of work "Syndakit" (I'm not sure the band is called "Syndakit", too, but this is how I have it in my files).
This is some challenging though highly enjoyable music!



Here are Elliott Sharp's notes on this concert (read more here):

May 10 - Taktlos Festival: Rotefabrik - Zurich
I've performed many times at the Rotefabrik over the years and it feels quite comfortable especially with many old friends in attendance. We're asked to make the evening more lengthy than Basel - a questionable strategy. In addition to the musician-chosen small-groups, I also conduct unisons. This set does not feel as taut with energy as Basel though there are some beautiful things - it's unfortunate to have an external time frame on improvisation. We're free of this for the second set of SyndaKit and the group takes off, performing a rocking version with exciting textural changes, layers, and unisons. The audience is wildly enthusiastic as are we! A fine end to the performance aspect of this tour.
In the morning I return to Firenze for a recording project with the percussionist-composer Alessio Riccio and return to NYC on the 13th. While always happy to come home, I dread facing the stifling and depressing atmosphere of the US under Bush. Because of the war and fears of anti-Americanism, we found there to be many less Americans in Europe, with sizeable numbers to be found only in Firenze. It's embarrassing to be seen as a representative of the heinous policies of the junta - it's fortunate that as performers, we have the possibility of explaining that there is resistance in the US, albeit well-hidden.

Elliott Sharp "SyndaKit"
Taktlos 2003
Rote Fabrik, Zürich (CH)
May 10, 2003

Elliott Sharp - guitar, electronics
Hans Koch - saxophones, bass clarinet
Tobias Delius - saxophones
Curtis Fowlkes - trombone
Thomas Heberer - trumpet
Claudia Ulla Binder - piano
Hans Hassler - accordion
Charlotte Hug - viola
Martin Schütz - violoncello
David Hofstra - bass, electric bass, tuba
Sim Caine - drums
Fredy Studer - drums

1. Syndakit (Sharp) > band intros ES (51:28)
2. Improvisation (27:01) [inc]
3. FM Talk (1:06)

TT: 79:39

Sound: A
Source: DRS 2 broadcast ("Neue Musik im Konzert") / 2003
Lineage: FM > minidisc > analogue to HD > GoldWave > FLAC (8)(asb)
Additional (2009): EAC (secure) > Cool Edit Pro (centred files) > FLAC (8,asb,verify)

Notes:
#1 was performed as part 2 of the concert.
#2 is only a part of the first, 80+ minute half of the concert, performed without interruptions, musicians walking on and off stage and combining in various line-ups.
#3 was #2 originally, I moved it not to disturb the flow of the music.

ICP Orchestra - Willisau 2001

Next of the dime series - thanks to dimer hugotruyens for help with the setlist.

I think this was the very first ICP and Mengelberg I've heard. Saw them live once in a glorious concert, but alas my recording device failed that night. It was one of the most enriching concerts I've seen, with wonderful contributions by the amazing Michael Moore (whom I caught with Jewels & Binoculars a few days later, that night my recording went ok for one set at least...), and Tobias Delius and Bennink. The brass did great on the Ellington tunes that night (some such in this show, too), and there was some hilarious stuff from the strings (Honsinger surely is a crazy old man - in the very best sense!). Anyway, this is a bit older and a bit more restrained compared to the concert I witnessed, but it's fine nevertheless!

: . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . : . :

ICP Orchestra
Jazzfestival Willisau
Willisau (Switzerland)
September 2, 2001 (afternoon)

Thomas Heberer - trumpet
Wolter Wierbos - trombone
Michael Moore - alto sax, clarinet
Ab Baars - tenor sax, clarinet
Misha Mengelberg - piano
Mary Oliver - viola
Tristan Honsinger - violoncello
Ernst Glerum - bass
Han Bennink - drums

1. Ktoel (Kchair) (Misha Mengelberg) 10:54
2. Happy Go Lucky Local Mix (Duke Ellington) 9:44
3. improvisation (4:54)
4. Crocodile Tear (Misha Mengelberg) 6:05 [p/b/d only]
5. Country Band March (Charles Ives) 3:56
6. Caravan (Tizol-Ellington) 11:44
7. Rollo II (Misha Mengelberg) 7:01

TT: 54:22

Sound: A
Source: Swiss Radio Broadcast "Jazz Live" (DRS 2)
Lineage: fm > (tape? >) minidisc > analogue transfer to HD (GoldWave) > cdr
Additional: EAC (secure) > Cool Edit Pro (centred all tracks) > FLAC (8,asb,verify)
Recorded (2001 or 2002), tranferred (2005?) & shared by ubu on dimeadozen (January 2009)

Note: there are no live broadcasts of the Willisau Sunday afternoon concerts, the evening broadcast contained two ICP titles as filler I think. This is taken from the re-broadcast in DRS 2's weekly "Jazz Live" show.