Live at Kassiopeia [2CD]

Avant Jazz / Free Improvisation / Avant-Garde
premiera polska: 23.01.2012
opakowanie: plastikowe etui
opis:
Editor's info:
A never earlier released duo recording that was played back in 1987 at Kassiopeia, Wuppertal brings these two great musicians and composers together for this unique and unforgettable session.

freejazzblog.org - * * * *:
On the first disk of this double CD, we find Hemphill playing solo on three pieces, and German bassist Peter Kowald solo bass on one long track. On the second disk, both artists perform duets. The performance was recorded on January 8, 1987 at "The Kassiopeia" in Wüppertal, Germany.

It is pretty unique to hear Hemphill play solo, mainly on alto, and it is a real treat. His playing is playful, jazzy, rhythmic, using phrases from old jazz traditionals and from the blues, and with an incredible sense of focus, he keeps close to the path he embarked on when starting his improvisation, and as a result the three tracks clock around six or seven minutes. Kowald is something else : his approach is more open and shifting with the new ideas coming, moving into different directions and developing his improvisation over more than thirty minutes. We have heard Kowald play solo before, but again his great mastership on the bass is demonstrated here, pizzi and arco, as well as his incredible musical vision of what music can express and how it can be presented.

The second CD is the real treat, starting with bowed bass and screeching alto, and I must say that Hemphill sounds a little unsure of what to do until he starts playing more rhythmic phrases, immediately picked up by Kowald for a really strong interaction. The second improvisation is the pièce-de-resistance with both artists starting to feel really comfortable with the set-up and playing up a storm, full of intensity and sensitivity, with moments of high energy alternated with calmer passages, and especially the latter are excellent. The last track is exceptionally short, and starts with an arco and some crazy and wild ideas by Hemphill, playful, with all sorts of funny phrases interspersing his normal playing. I'm not sure whether this was an encore, but it sounds like it. In any case, the audience is happy, and so are we.
by Stef

muzycy:
Julius Hemphill: soprano and alto saxophones
Peter Kowald: bass

utwory:
CD 1
Solo I (Julius Hemphill) 6'58
Solo II (Julius Hemphill) 7'23
Solo III (Julius Hemphill) 7'40
Solo (Peter Kowald) 32'20

CD 2
Duo I (Julius Hemphill / Peter Kowald) 7'27
Duo II (Julius Hemphill / Peter Kowald) 36'31
Duo III (Julius Hemphill / Peter Kowald) 2'49

wydano: 2011
nagrano: Recorded 8th January, 1987 at Kassiopeia, Wuppertal
more info: www.nobusinessrecords.com