Jazz Alchemist Radio 25.02.13 with VEIN, Ivo Perelman, Peter Brotzmann and Fred Katz

For this week radio playlist I propose to you something old and something new, on both side of the jazz stream. The tracklist represent:

 - VEIN "Porgy & Bess" as well as "Live - Lemuria" with Dave Liebman (I invite you also to check the interview with trio's piano player Michael Arbenz).

 - trio cds by Ivo Perelman, Joe Morris, Gerald Cleaver "Family Ties" and "Living Jelly"

- shorter, yet intense excerpts from the monster performance by Peter Brotzmann with Masahiko Sato and Takeo Moriyama released on the cd "Yatagarasu"

I also reinstated the "calendar" section and today's hero is Fred Katz, a premier jazz cello player. Fred Katz was born on 25.02.1919, you can enjoy an original piece of him with Chico Hamilton Quintet as well as fragments of a tribute cd recorded by Fred Lonberg-Holm.

Enjoy and stay tuned.

Ivo Perlman. 

VEIN - Summertime
VEIN - It Ain't Necessarily So
VEIN - There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' S
VEIN ft. David Liebman - Evolution
Ivo Perelman - Mystery in Sao Christovao
Ivo Perelman - The Sloth
Ivo Perelman - Living Jelly
Fred Katz with Chico Hamilton Quintet - Pluck It
Fred Lonberg-Holm Valeninte Trio - The Squimp
Fred Lonberg-Holm Valeninte Trio - The Vidiot
Fred Lonberg-Holm Valeninte Trio - I Know II (short version)
Peter Brotzmann, Masihoko Sato, Takeo Moriyama - Autumn Drizzle
Peter Brotzmann, Masihoko Sato, Takeo Moriyama - Frozen Whistle

Emist radio 25.02.13 with VEIN, Fred Katz, Ivo Perelman and Peter Brotzmann by Jazzowy Alchemik on Mixcloud

interview with Michael Arbenz (VEIN trio)

I've put already on the blog some impressions of the VEIN trio's music. The evening before the trio's two concerts in Krakow I had a little chat with trio's piano player Michael Arbenz. Here are some fragmets of the conversation:

1. About how ”Porgy & Bess” trio recording fits into two great traditions – that of Gershwin music and that of a piano trio.

I'd like to add another tradition which Gershwin's music brings together. That's jazz music and the classical. We all three studied classical music. We asked ourselves how can we bring together our backrounds - jazz, european, classical, how could we make the all meet in the american tradition and Gershwin was kind of a perfect match. He's one of the most popular composers but what was important for us is just that he wrote great tunes. So many interpretions of Gershwin. „Summertime” is the most recorded jazz tune of all time.

There's also the tradition of playing „Porgy & Bess”, take Louis and Ella recording, Miles Davis with Gil Evans and many more, it was another one that we wanted to refer to.

As for the piano trio it's always a great challenge, there were so many of them. Great trios, so many great interpretions of Gershwin also. „Summertime” is the most recorded jazz tune of all time.

This all being said, we wanted to modify the tunes, make them a bit different. Gerswhin's tunes are so strong that you can't change them too much so you don't recognize them. We were searching the line, the way it would remain the same tune but translated today world, language of today jazz.

2. About the beginnings of jazz and music fascination.

Me and my twin brother,Florian, we actually started listening to jazz very early. Our parents had a record collection, they're both classical musicians but loved jazz very much. We started to listen to this music very early, quite by chance. Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, Benny Goodman we loved it all a lot, also old piano players like Fats Waller, Art Tatum. We jost gut sucked into it.

Later on, it would seem strange nowadays, we loved Miles Davis, John Coltrane, we didn't care much about pop music. Of course we liked in htese years guys like Mike Stern, Brecker Brothers, fusion stuff. Maybe more than today.

We had listened to the jazz history, starting with the old stuff and it developed from here. I think it can be heard in our music that we are referring to the old styles, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, all those influences are natural to us and I can't really explain it.

VEIN trio ("Porgy & Bess" / "Live - Lemuria" and at PiecART) + interview

VEIN

Michael Arbenz - piano

Thomas Lahms - bass

Florian Arbenz  - drums

"Porgy & Bess" Unit Records 2011

VEIN +

David Liebman - tenor and soprano sax

"Live - Lemuria" Unit Records 2012

VEIN trio are twin brothers Michael Arbenz (piano), Florian Arbenz (drums) and Thomas Lahms (bass). You can hear them on their own on the „Porgy & Bess” (Unit Records 2011) as well as „Live – Lemuria” with Dave Liebman (Unit Records 2012).

The first cd puts an original spin on some of the tunes from the Gershwin's famous opera. „I got plenty o' nuttin'” strides nicely on the fast piano bass-lines. „I loves you Porgy” is lush and delicate as it's supposed to.