2 nights with The Thing at Pardon To Tu (04-05.05)

Let us start this time with where rather than who. Pardon To Tu has established itself in the recent

years as the busiest free jazz stage in Poland. Few years back such statement could be made Krakow's Alchemia, now I've came to envy the jazz fans in or Capitol. I believe it's perfectly natural that such places come to live and go, but I what I've witnessed in Pardon To Tu gives reasonable hopes that this particular places will live and love the music for a longer while.

The place, cosy and warm, makes the musicians feel at home, the audience is there, filling the house and listening enthusiastically. The musicians are there in the audience as well, to listen to each other, to learn and to enjoy themselves. Warsaw's free jazz scene is flourishing and Pardon To Tu has become it's hang out space. There's creative impetus around the place and its probably the most important manifestation is how the club tries to participate actively in forming its artistic enviroment, an example of which is the residence series of the "2 nights with" and improvised sets featuring the internationally acknowledged guests playing with polish musicians.

Jazz Alchemist Radio archives - 02.04.12 Easter Playlist

Given the period we're in, I decided to re-post a particular radio playlist, originally posted on 02.04.2012, focused on music with particular message and goal. 

Three of the albums featured I'd like to give a special attention are:
Undivided - Passion
Piotr Baron Quartet ft. Wadada Leo Smith - Salve Regina
Dennis Gonzalez & Ingebrigt Haker Flaten - The Hymn Project



the playlist is :

1. Marilyn Crispell Trio - Dear Lord (Marilyn Crispell's birthday on 30.03)
2. Dennis Gonzalez & Ingebrigt Haker Flaten - Jeg Rade Vil Alle I Ungdommens
3. Piotr Baron Quartet ft. Wadada Leo Smith - Krzyzu Swiety (O Holly Cross)
4.Hera - Monreale (from "Hera")
5. Ingebrigt Haker Flaten & Hakon Kornstad - Ak, Mon Jeg Staar I Naade
6. Dennis Gonzalez & Ingebrigt Haker Flaten- Eg Veit I Himmerik Ei Borg
7. Peter Gabriel - A Different Drum
8. Undivided - Droga Krzyzowa , Ukrzyzowanie, Smierc (Crossroad, Crucifixion, Death)
9. Ingebrigt Haker Flaten & Hakon Kornstad  - For Himmerigs Land Maa Man Kje
10. The Light - J20, 19-23
11. Piotr Baron Quartet ft. Wadada Leo Smith - Ja Jestem Zmartwychwstanie (I am Resurrection)
12. Undivided - Zmartwychwstanie (Resurrection)
13. Joachim Mencel Trio - Ezechiel

Jazz Alchemist radio 02.04.2012 Easter Playlist by Jazzowy Alchemik on Mixcloud

The Thing at Alchemia (Krakow Autumn Jazz 2012. 28.10)

There are few bands in the business that can match the energy level presented on stage by The Thing. The band made a splash this year with the "The Cherry Thing" collaboration with Neneh Cherry but if you think they've been tamed and made ready to sail off to the mainstream market you couldn't have been more mistaken.

The Thing rocks the house with the first violent hit on the drums and the simultanous sharp note of the tenor while the bass strings are being pulled away. And so they storm forward and keep rock'n'rolling through dynamite gritty riffs. Paal ongoingly destroing the drumset with the precise hits, Ingebright plucking the bass strings mightily as if it were a flamenco guitar and Mats balancing his notes on his feet like the heavy weight box champion (on tenor exclusively this time, slightly less power but there's soulfull quickness to make it up).

In the midst of this punk'n'jazz rock'n'roll madness they can surprise you with anything from the hypnotic feedback-mike distortions to a heartwarming soulfull ballad (a wothy dedication to Joe McPhee). All that could very well happen in the very same piece as it occured during the first encore of the evening when I half-expected Ingebright to take the bass and tomahawk-smash the amp with it. 'Nough written.

So here's a mad-dog* round to The Thing. For their continous tour in the search of "meat, barbecue sauce, adventures, vinyls, boots and booze".

Here's to The Thing. Knocking socks off your feet with their music since 2ooo.

mad dog - a shot with a vodka, raspberry juice and tabasco. 

The Thing:
Mats Gustafsson - tenor sax
Ingebright Haker-Flaten - double bass
Paal Nilssen-Love - drums

Alchemia. Krakow. 28.10.2012

Dennis Gonzalez & Ingebrigt Haker Flaten - The Hymn Project [Daagnim]

Dennis Gonzalez - c trumpet, gongs, sleigh bells, pao de chuva, kalimba, Indian cowbells, voice
Ingebrigt Haker Flaten - contrabass
Henna Chou - cello
Aaron Gonzalez - contrabass
Stefan Gonzalez - drums

Daagnim Records 2011

I hope most of you are familiar with Ingebrigt's duo cd with Hakon Kornstad  "Elise". Rooted in the tradition of religious folk music. When Ingebrigt met Dennis at Dallas the theme of church music came up and it was close to both of them, that's how "The Hymn Project" was born.

The Rempis Percussion Quartet - Montreal Parade [482 Music]

The Rempis Percussion Quartet
Dave Rempis - alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax
Ingebrigt Haker Flaten - double bass
Tim Daisy - drums
Frank Rosaly - drums

482 Music 2011

I love bands with some sort of expanded rhythm section (two bass players or, like in this case, two drummers) - it makes the music so rhythmically dense and textured. Percussion Quartet led by Dave Rempis is a good example of that as it proved clearly enough on their previous recordings. Obviously the sound of the group is in large part based on the interaction between the two drummers, the second point of departure is that, even as a long time working group, this band does only play improvised music, no compositions whatsoever. After a long and fruitfull run Dave Rempis decided to shake the things up a little bit and changed the lineup of the band with Ingebrigt Haker Flaten taking on the bass spot (after Anton Hatwitch).