Barry Guy and Friends: Kraków 2018 [5CD]

Avant Jazz / Free Improvisation / Avant-Garde
premiera polska: 2022-12-06
kontynent: Europa
opis:
kjj-festiwal.pl:
Barry Guy wystąpił na Krakowskiej Jesieni Jazzowej wiele razy, jednak jego rezydencja w 2018 roku – nawet jak na standardy Krakowskiej Jesieni Jazzowej – imponowała swoim rozbudowanym składem.
Sam artysta tak pisał o projekcie: „To nietypowe dla moich kompozycji, ale poświęciliśmy bardzo mało czasu na próby For To End Yet Again, więc partytura została skonstruowana tak, aby to odzwierciedlać, ale także aby rzucić wyzwanie wszystkim, abyśmy słuchali i pracowali razem”.
Guy zadedykował projekt węgierskiemu kompozytorowi György Kurtágowi, i dyrektorowi artystycznemu KJJ Markowi Winiarskiemu.
Enigmatyczna nazwa For To End Yet Again pochodzi od jednego z ośmiu tekstów autorstwa Samuela Becketta, wydanych wspólnie pod nazwą Fizzles (1977). W 1993 roku Guy, zainspirowany prozą Becketta, nagrał album o tym samym tytule.
Dodajmy do fascynacji Beckettem inspirację ośmioma miniaturami węgierskiego kompozytora György Kurtága, i mamy receptę na iście porywające muzyczne przeżycia, podaną przez jedenastu światowej klasy muzyków pod przywództwem Barry’ego Guya. A jeśli coś może się równać z muzyczną pomysłowością Guya, to tylko jego talent do otaczania się równie wybitnymi muzykami.
W dwunastoosobowej supergrupie zagrają kolejni stali bywalcy krakowskich scen, Ken Vandermark i Mats Gustafsson.
Vandermark jest znany jako jeden z najwybitniejszych saksofonistów ostatnich dekad, ale także jako animator kultury, kurator festiwali i organizator warsztatów. Od 1993 roku podpisał się pod ponad sześćdziesięcioma wydawnictwami. Jego szwedzki kolega po fachu, Mats Gustafsson, jest znany z projektów takich jak The Nu Ensemble, Fire! Czy The Thing, ale także ze współpracy ze zróżnicowaną gamą światowych artystów, m.in..… Sonic Youth, Peter Brötzmann, Merzbow, BNNT, Jim O´Rourke czy Neneh Cherry. Jego encyklopedyczna wiedza muzyczna (inspiruje się jazzem, bluesem, muzyką folkową i współczesną) i zaangażowanie w każdy nowy projekt czyni go jednym z najbardziej cenionych saksofonistów w muzyce improwizowanej. Kolejnym znanym krakowskiej publiczności muzykiem jest rozchwytywany kataloński pianista Agustí Fernández – stały współpracownik Guya w Blue Shroud Band i Barry Guy New Orchestra, wykładowca na Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya w Barcelonie, współautor ponad osiemdziesięciu wydawnictw.
W tym doborowym towarzystwie usłyszymy także takich fachowców jak fascynat jazzu, flamenco i muzyki hinduskiej Ramón López; multiinstrumentalista i kompozytor Percy Pursglove (Blue Shroud Band, Amy Winehouse); Torben Snekkestad, norweski saksofonista mający wśród swoich muzycznych współpracowników takie nazwiska jak Raymond Strid, Peter Evans i Paal Nilssen-Love; szwajcarska skrzypaczka i współzałożycielka Maya Recordings, Maya Homburger (Blue Shroud Band, Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique, The Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra); norweska saksofonistka Mette Rasmussen (Alan Silva, Chris Corsano, Ståle Liavik Solberg, Trio Riot); angielski perkusista Paul Lytton, stały współpracownik Guya, Gustafssona i Vandermarka, ale także m.in..… Evana Parkera; inspirujący się taoizmem kontrabasista Rafał Mazur (Polish Improvisers Orchestra, Keir Neuringer/Rafał Mazur Duo, Ensemble 56), oraz klasycznie wykształcony, ale zaprawiony w międzynarodowych kolaboracjach „ambasador Litewskiego jazzu” Liudas Mockūnas.
Barry Guy to urodzony w 1947 roku w Londynie kontrabasista i kompozytor. Współpracował m.in..… Z Tonym Oxleyem, Evanem Parkerem, Mike’em Westbrookiem, Peterem Kowaldem, Trevorem Wattsem, ale także z BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Monteverdi Orchestra i Jane Manning. Jest założycielem i dyrektorem artystycznym London Jazz Composers Orchestra. Wspólnie z żoną, Mayą Homburger, prowadzi wytwórnię Maya Recordings.

Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond *****:
Barry Guy is the most prominent post-avantgarde musician of the XXIst century, period. Stop, zurück, backwards. Barry Guy is one of the most prominent musicians of the XXIst century, period. Indeed, the two wonderful boxes with Barry's music, released by Marek Winiarski and Not Two in 2022 prove it again perfectly. The rest one is "Barry Guy with Friends", a chronicle of the residence in Cracow in Autumn 2018. A very special aspect of this set is that Barry meets here musicians, with whom he did played before, but who are not among the "standard members" of the jet set of LJCO or BGNO, such as Ken Vandermark, Mette Rasmussen, Rafaª Mazur or Liudas Mock unas. The box has similar structure as many of Marek's productions: the rst four disc include "small ensembles" material, recorded in Alchemia Club, including duos, trios, quartets and a quintet. CD#5 contains a premiere recording of the new orchestral piece "For To End Yet Again".

CD#1 starts with the two track by the trio López/Mazur/Pursglove. Percy is a phenomenal trumpet player with incredibly spatial sound and in nitely giant load of lyricism. In this sense, his style remind me a little of the approach of Peter Evans and Nate Wooley. On the other hand, Percy sound typically like a more traditional improviser, vary rarely using "fake" all alternative sounds it this sense he reminds me more the late Bill Dixon. Yet, apparences might be misleading: there are short, but amazingly intensive parts, when Percy uses very expressive e ects, overtones etc. The section of Ramón and Rafal is a marvel, what one can say? The trio starts with the highlight: a 29 minutes long improvisation, which is like journey though all kinds and places of improvised music. The set is completed with the 7 minutes long piece, more lyrical and poetic. The next is Agustí's Aurora trio, which starts with one of its beautiful ballads with Mallorcan spirit, followed by anamazingly powerful quarter, in which Aurora Trio is joined by Mette, imitating a volcano eruption. Over 10 minutes of nirvana!

CD#2 begins with two duos with Ken Vandermark. The rst one, played on tenor, is a free improvisation with a swing, sounding like a post-bop track. The second is for clarinet and is more abstract, but still they both sound very "melodic", when compared to the main 23 minutes long quartet track by Pursglove, Vandermark, Guy and Lytton. Percy gives here a true show of his abilities to create alternative sounds. The consonances and dissonances with Ken are breathtaking, while the section add to them an incredible climate of suspense. It is an extremely energetic track, full of emotional contrast and surprises. Ken's saxophone playing is more than a masterpiece. The short, less than 6 minutes long free-improballad track by the quartet ends this disc very di fferent from the rst one, but equally stunning.

The highlight of CD#3 is in my opinion the opening 33 and a half minute long trio of Snekkestad/Fernández/Guy, where Agustí gives a show of his prepared piano and inside piano mastery. Torben proves once more that he is one of the most creative reeds player of the contemporary times, while Barry sets it all in the frame of amazing beauty and magni cent grace. Reminding part of the disc is taken by three moderately short tracks by the double bass trio: Guy/López/Mazur. Two masters, one playing a 5 strings double bass, and another on fretless electric bass confront here their ideas, concepts, emotions and feelings. Ramón adds necessary salt and pepper to it and maybe even all spice.

CD#4 starts with the World Free Saxophone trio of Vandermark, Rasmussen, Shekkestadt, who three 4-6 minutes long pieces with absolutely wonderful cnversations and triologues, The highligh, however, is the 24 and a had minute long saxophone trio with Mette, Barry and Paul, a kind of reminiscence of the "classic" Evan Parker trio. Mette achieves the same artistic Parnassus, but in a di erent way, in her way. The last track is also a highlight it is a quintet, in which the trio of Mette is joined by Agustí and Percy. A true explosion of emotions, like a XXIs century reincarnation of the New York Contemporary Five or something like that.

It a great introduction to the CD#5, since it contains composed parts, free improvised parts, and most probably the conducted improvised parts.
The major opus of the whole box is of course "To The End Yet Again", a new monumental a nd majestic composition of Barry Guy. The work had three inspirations. The rest was architecture of the Manggha Centre of Japanese Art and Technology in Cracow, the beautiful building visualized and realised by Arato Izosaki and two Cracovian architects, Krzysztof Ingarden and Jacek Ewý from the JET Atelier. The second inspiration (as well as the title) comes from the texts of Barry's favorite writer, Samuel Beckett. In fact the title stems from the collection of Beckett's "concise, atavistic texts from "To The End Yet Again and Other Fizzles". Finally, the musical inspirations come from the music of György Kurtág, with whom Barry ad Maya had developed recently very close relations. They spent several weeks in Hungary with György and Marta Kurtág, studying Kurtág's music, and his miniatures in particular.
The piece start in the Kurtág's mood, with a violin cadenza by Maya. She is soon joined delicately by the orchestra led by Agustí. The mood augmonts, when saxophones and drummer start to play more intensely. The music attain a form of a ascending hymn, but in the ninth minute becomes more peaceful. The reeds and brass continue the conversations and gradually cease to play, leaving the stage to Maya and Kurtág once more.
Maya is gradually replaced by the saxophone of T orben, and later Liudas (?) and Agustí, and mood augments again, leading to volcanic eruption by the quintet with Barry's double bass and two drummers. This eruption ends with an amazing drums duo. It continues with the short Barry's boing statements, after which the slow orchestral them is played by the winds, giving background to Percy's solo. The next in the row is Mats on baritone, in dialogue probably with Liudas (?). The section and Agustí make miraculous support of this. The peace returns again, and Maya is back with another Kurtág -like miniature, supported discretely by Barry.
Barry continues as a soloist, and then in duet with Agustí inside piano. Maya comes back yet another time with another miniature. After Maya's cadenza, Agustí plays duo with one of the saxophonists, and is then joined by the two drummers. The mood and emotions grows again. to cease once more for another miniature of Maya. Apparently, the work employs inspirations by the eight gates of the Manggha Hall, eight Fizzles, and eight miniatures of Kurtág. György Kurtág's miniatures as they appear within "For To End Yet Again": "Elegie", "Calmo Sognando", "Hommage à J.S.B.", "Doloroso", "In Memoriam László Mensáros", "... Féerie D'Automne", "Hommage à John Cage". In addition Barry uses "Perpetuum Mobil e". The nal part of the composition is in fact dominated by the Kurtág's music, entangled with poetic duo of Agustí with Percy, which in fact develops later into another free jazz eruption, with strong drumming parts. Maya is then back with Barry for another Kurtág interruption, after which the nal orchestral explosion and collective improvisation in the style of "Ascension" of XXIst century. A Masterpiece of post-avantgarde and of contemporary music in general!!!
by Maciej Lewenstein

muzycy:
Agustí Fernández (ES): piano
Barry Guy (GB): double bass
Ramón López (ES): drums
Ken Vandermark (US): saxes, clarinet
Mats Gustafsson (SE): saxes
Percy Pursglove (GB): trumpet
Torben Snekkestad (NO): soprano & tenor saxes
Maya Homburger (CH): violin
Mette Rasmussen (DK): saxes
Rafał Mazur (PL): acoustic bass guitar
Paul Lytton (GB): drums
Liudas Mockunas (LT): tenor & soprano saxes

utwory:
CD1 - Alchemia Club
1. Improv 1 28:52
(Lopez , dr// Mazur, el-b // Pursglove, tp)

2. Improv 2 07:01
(Lopez , dr// Mazur, el-b // Pursglove, tp)

3. Improv 3 07:52
(Aurora Trio: Fernández, p  //  Guy, db  //  López,perc, cym)

4. Improv 4 10:18
(Aurora Trio // Rasmussen, sax)

CD2 - Alchemia Club
1. Improv 1 05:00
(Vandermark, sax // Guy, db)

2. Improv 2 04:01
(Vandermark, sax // Guy, db)

3. Improv 3 22:39
(Pursglove, tp // Vandermark, sax // Guy, db // Lytton, perc, cym)

4. Improv 4 05:42
(Pursglove, tp // Vandermark, sax // Guy, db // Lytton, perc, cym)

CD3 - Alchemia Club
1. Improv 1 33:27
(Snekkestad, sax, tp // Fernández, p // Guy, db)

2. Improv 2 08:23
(Guy, db // López, dr // Mazur, el-b)

3. Improv 3 08:04
Guy // López // Mazur

4. Improv 4 04:15
Guy // López // Mazur

CD4 - Alchemia Club
1. Improv 1 04:09
(Vandermark, sax // Rasmussen, sax // Snekkestad, sax, tp)

2. Improv 2 06:14
(Vandermark, sax // Rasmussen, sax // Snekkestad, sax, tp)

3. Improv 3 06:16
(Vandermark, sax // Rasmussen, sax // Snekkestad, sax, tp)

4. Improv 4 24:31
(Rasmussen, sax// Guy, db // Lytton, perc cym)

5. Improv 5 16:06
(Rasmussen, sax// Guy, db // Lytton, perc cym)  // Fernández, p // Pursglove, tp)

CD5 - Radio Kraków
1. For To End Yet Again (composed by Barry Guy, world premiere performance) 57:32
(Barry Guy - bass / director / composer
Maya Homburger - baroque violin
Agustí Fernández - piano
Percy Pursglove - trumpet
Mette Rasmussen - saxophone
Torben Snekkestad - saxophone and reed trumpet
Mats Gustafsson - saxophone
Liudas Mockūnas - saxophone
Rafał Mazur - electric bass
Paul Lytton - percussion
Ramón López - percussion)

wydano: 2022
nagrano: October 11–12, 2018 at the Alchemia Club, Kraków 
October 13, 2018 at Radio Kraków

more info: www.nottwo.com