The Resonance Ensemble | Double Arc | Not Two Records

The work of composing rehearsing, and performing Double Arc took place in November, 2013. Now, more than a year and a half later, I am writing the liner notes to complete the last aspect of the project. The extended distance in time between the recording and mixing/mastering of the musi gave me a different perspective toward the material than I have for most albums. Working on now — 19 months after the performance was documented at the Manggha Culture Center in Krakow — what strikes me most is that this piece seems to be my Pierrot le Fou. No insult intende toward Jean-Luc Godard by comparing his work to mine but, as that film can be seen as a such motion of ideas and filmic strategies that he had developed up until that point, Double Arc can be heard as taking similar place within my own creative development. — Ken Vandermark Continue reading

Kaze | Uminari | Libra Records

Recorded at Studio Sequenza, Montreuil – France, on December 9 – 2014 by Thomas Vingtrnier, assistant Thomas Rasoanaivo. Mixed by Peter Orins in January 2015. CD master by Mike Marciano at Systems Two, New York. Cover photo by Julie Merckling. Band photo by Nodoka Ishida. Cover design and layout by Peter Orins. Produced by Circum-Disc and Libra Records. Continue reading

Satoko Fujii Tobira | Yamiyo Ni Karasu | Libra Records

The Satoko Fujii New Trio (Fujii-Nicholson-Itani) released its debut CD, “Spring Storm” in 2013. Since then, we have performed throughout Japan, Europe and North America. Sometimes Natsuki Tamura joined the trio as a guest artist. He brought energy and humor, so the band had more color. So I decided to change the band name from “New Trio” to “Tobira.” “Tobira” means door in Japanese. I wanted to open the door to bring some fresh air to the music and keep it from becoming closed. I wrote the music on paper and this band made it sound so alive. They know which spices to use. I am so lucky to always can get such great collaborators. I really like our music which is full of energy and hope you also enjoy it. — Satoko Fujii Continue reading

Satoko Fujii Orchestra Berlin | Ichigo Ichie | Libra Records

Orchestra Berlin In January 2014, we had an unusually warm winter in Berlin. The exception was the three days that we had the concert and recording for this project. We could see the diamond dust that night and it showed how cold it was. Fujii, who’s been living in Berlin since 2011, started the orchestra project there after founding orchestras in four other cities: New York, Tokyo, Nagoya and Kobe. Fujii had written “Ichigo Ichie” to perform at the Chicago Jazz Festival and wanted to record it in Berlin with the musicians she’d met there. — Natsuki Tamura Continue reading

Reciprocal Uncles with Ove Volquartz | Glance and Many Avenues | Amirani Records

Reciprocal Uncles started in 2009 is already a brand for Amirani Records and delighted audiences in Europe and Usa. Started by the sparklin collaboration between Gianni Lenoci and Gianni Mimmo, the duo has performed in Italy, Germany, Uk, Belgium and in USA in two different tours. Their first album is sold out and has been widely recognized by reviewers all over the planet. Continue reading

Dario Palermo | Difference Engines | Amirani Records

The way Dario Palermo deals with formal structures and different expressive grounds, complexity and a peculiar taste for a refined primitive touch is really remarkable. All three compositions here have been conceived as a multi-perspective field of artistic investigation: Dario Palermo RO-Premiére danse de la Lune, featuring a superb interpretation by percussionist Milo Tamez, is an astounding journey through the hybridization process of single percussive voices with electroacoustic treatments, emphasized frequencies, polyrhythmic mazes, generating a sonic organism in which ancestral and future sounds dance a beautiful interaction. Performed by the world-wide prized Arditti String Quartet and by brilliant mezzo-soprano Catherine Carter, the composition Difference Engine delivers a single movement in which several areas fluidly melt in a complex process of metamorphosis. Tasty subtleness, extremely accurate attention to detail, together with a skilled overall compositional vision, build up a macro-object that clearly reveal Palermo’s attitude to complexity and generative compositional method. A great piece. In TRANCE, biological and physical vocal characteristics, and pure singing vocal aspects, are subject-objects (material) of the work, paired in a constant fluctuant correspondence, which structure the shape and form of the work . The central role is played here by vocalist Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg whose journey in phonemes, polysyllables and physical vocal flexibilities find a perfect partner in real time electronic treatment. Continue reading