The Squid's Ear Magazine


Wolfarth, Christian: Souvenirs [VINYL] (Hiddenbell Records)

Two extended solo percussion works by Swiss improviser Christian Wolfarth, focusing on two components of the standard drum set--a tom or simple drum, and a cymbal--the first side a "Souvenir From a Drum" using brushes and sticks to disrupt then mesmerize the listener; the second side a "Souvenir from a Cymbal", a shifting roll and pattern that evokes a myriad of tonalities.
 

Price: $19.95


Quantity:

Out of Stock.

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 24.00 units


EU & UK Customers:
Discogs.com can handle your VAT payments
So please order through Discogs

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Christian Wolfarth-percusion


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




Label: Hiddenbell Records
Catalog ID: 012
Squidco Product Code: 29520

Format: LP
Condition: New
Released: 2020
Country: Switzerland
Packaging: LP
Recorded at Kunstraum Walcheturm, in Zurich, Switzerland, in July, 2019, by Philipp Schaufelberger.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Magnifying the Ordinary

A typical modern drum set consists of a bass drum, a snare drum, hi-hats, a few toms, and a couple of cymbals. When played as a drum set, the characteristics of each sound combine to create what many people recognize as a single instrument. Yet each of the pieces within that instrument has particular qualities that are often different from each other, especially between drums and cymbals.

From a player's standpoint, shifting focus from the sonic options available with a drum set to a seemingly more limited range of a single piece of the set brings challenges. However, with Souvenirs, Christian Wolfarth shows us the sonic possibilities that exist, even within such limitations. Although each side of the record focuses on two individual pieces from a standard drum set (drum and cymbal), it's clear that only the instrument quantity is limited.

Throughout Side A, 'Souvenir from a drum' features woven rhythms that unfold over time, surprisingly captured in a single take with no overdubs. Here, the possibilities of reduction are pushed beyond expectations, revealing a world that's both percussive and tonal, sounding at times as if many drums, and even electronics, were at play (they aren't). Culling such expansiveness from an instrument is Wolfarth's life's work, and indeed it's an interesting souvenir he's brought us.

On Side B, we get a similar treatment in 'Souvenir from a cymbal', expanded with the addition of a range of metallic frequencies. Over time, these frequencies start to resemble other familiar tones, like the full-ringing of church bells. When Wolfarth was a child, he recognized these bells' ability to "clear the air." On this record, the sounds offer a different kind of clarity, allowing the listener to build their own story within it.

The duration, stamina, and technique to this approach, while necessary for making something interesting from limited material, aren't something all percussionists are capable of doing. This kind of focus takes practice and patience; something Wolfarth has developed over time.

For the past three years, Wolfarth has been performing with single percussion pieces, like the small children's marching drum and cymbal heard on this record. After so many performances with an instrument, an understanding and relationship forms between it and the player. Familiarity with how to play it, how to work with it to produce certain repeatable sounds, and developing a comfort-level starts to emerge with practice. However, being open to new sonic and technique discoveries with an instrument, no matter how much one knows, is essential. Wolfarth describes this focused playing as "a kind of freedom that creates new room for development."

Although this record came out of a three-year focus on these particular instruments, Wolfarth's interest in magnifying the detail of the objects he works with comes from a more deep-rooted history. He explains:

"When I was a child, I always wanted to become a musician. The instrument was not important. Then, when I was sixteen, a guy came to our house to buy my sister's guitar. He talked about wanting to form a band and that he was looking for a drummer. I quickly volunteered. I then had to buy a drum set, but I had never hit a drum before in my life. That was a strange experience. After I set the drums up, I thought that it would sound like the drums I had heard on records. Instead, it sounded awful. There were many overtones and strange interferences. I really didn't like it, but now we had a band, and eventually, the more we played, everything was fine. Later, I studied jazz and so on, but I still always felt that sense of dissatisfaction with the sound. So, very early on, I started to assemble different kinds of drum sets. And more and more, I got rid of the instruments whose sound I didn't like.

In Bern at this time, there was a great concert organization called 'Jazz Now Bern' that introduced me to a lot of new music. I got to hear people from the AACM, the New York downtown scene, the East German, the British, and many other musicians from the Free Jazz scene, which opened my ears and helped me to go my own way."

For thirty-five years, Wolfarth has been pursuing this path, which he describes as "to focus, concentrate, and find clarity in my life by getting to the point of things." He's eschewed the use of electronics in his work, focusing purely on the acoustic properties of his instruments in hopes of discovering more new sounds inherent within them.

Overall, Souvenirs, and Wolfarth's work, in general, are a testimony to the world of detail that exists when one focuses on a particular instrument, and even pieces of that instrument. And in that detail, we discover that very little is ordinary."-Jon Mueller, March 2020


Artist Biographies

"Biography

Born 1960 in Zürich/Switzerland.

1982-1986 studies with Bob Cunningham and Billy Brooks at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern.

1992-1996 studies with Pierre Favre at the Conservatorium in Luzern.

1995 studies in Composition with Siegfried Kutterer in Basel.

Workshops with George Lewis, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Jojo Mayer, Han Bennink and others.

Since the middle of the 80th's he's involved in many projects between Jazz, improvised and written New Music.

Since 1991 he played many solo concerts in all over Europe and Russia.

Regular works with dancers above all with Nina F. Schneider and her dance company. (1994-2002)

He works for theatre, film and video.Collaborations and concerts with

Al Maslakh Ensemble, Claus van Bebber, Burkhard Beins, Christian Buck, John Butcher, Gene Coleman, Bertrand Denzler, Jacques Demierre, Michel Doneda, Axel Dörner, John Edwards, Donat Fisch, Christoph Gallio, Mich Gerber, Malcolm Goldstein, Eugen Gomringer, Barry Guy, Charlotte Hug, Jason Kahn, Hans Koch, Jonas Kocher, Tomas Korber, Annette Krebs, Fine Kwiatkowski, Joke Lanz, Urs Leimgruber, London, Improvisers Orchestra, Paul Lovens, Werner Lüdi, Michael Lytle, Paul Lytton, Enrico Malatesta, Albert Mangelsdorff, Michael Moser, Norbert Möslang, Günter Müller, Lauren Newton, Andrea Neumann, Lucas Niggli, Evan Parker, Simon Picard, Lê Quan Ninh, Ignaz Schick, Alex von Schlippenbach, Irène Schweizer, Christine Sehnaoui, Günther Sommer, Jürg Solothurnmann, Michael Thieke, Michael Vorfeld, Phil Wachsman, Christian Weber, Michel Wintsch, Michael Zerang, Ingar Zach, Alfred Zimmerlin and many others.Labels

His work is released on labels like: for4ears, formed, HatOLOGY, Leo, Klangbad, Presto!?, Rossbin, mikroton, Monotype, Quakebasket, hiddenbell, Creative Sources, Origin, Percaso, Wandelweiser, Unit and others.Festivals

Christian Wolfarth has played at some festivals such as:Festival Total Meeting (F), Festival Densités (F), Les Arts à Gahard (F), Wien Modern (A), Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon (A), Festival Pulsi (I), LEM Festival (ES), Störung Festival (ES), At Harbour (CR), Percussion Festival (RU), Skanu Mezs (LET), Musica Genera (PL), Festival Blaue Fabrik (D), ZAM Labor (D), Klangbad Festival (D), Humanoise Congress (D), Festival Rue du Nord (CH), Festival de la Cité (CH), Festival Akouphène (CH), Festival Archipel, (CH), Onze Plus (CH), Jazzfestival Willisau (CH), Festival ZweiTageZeit (CH), Unerhört (CH), Maiers Ohr (CH), Stanser Musiktage (CH), Festival SehnsOhr (CH), Knoten Festival (CH), TonArt (CH), Taktlos Festival (CH)"

-Christian Wolfarth Website (http://christianwolfarth.ch/en/biography/?_wb=en/biography/&lang=EN)
10/2/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



SIDE A



1. Souvenir From A Drum 17:28

SIDE B



1. Souvenir From A Cymbal 18:08

Related Categories of Interest:


Vinyl Recordings
Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Percussion & Drums
Solo Artist Recordings
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Friends of Squid
Last Copy of Items that will not be restocked...

Search for other titles on the label:
Hiddenbell Records.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Haubensak, Edu / Tomas Korber
Works For Guitar & Percussion by Buck-Wolfarth
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Active since 2010, the German/Swiss duo of classical guitarist Christian Buck and improviser Christian Wolfarth occupies a space between music and sound art, as they perform two works each by Ed Haubensak and Tomas Korber, pieces that make use of time, microharmonies, multiphonics, unusual tuning systems, interference patterns, and other conceptual approaches to music.
Kahn, Jason / Franzt Loriot / Christian Wolfarth
Koln
(Editions)
Recalling the For4Ears era of electroacoustic improvisation, the ea-improv trio of Jason Kahn on electronics, Frantz Loriot on viola and Christian Wolfarth on percussion are heard in this extended improvisation recorded in concert at Plattform nicht dokumentierbarer Ereignisse in Atelier Dürrenfeld/Geitel, Köln, Germany, as part of the trio's 2022 European tour.
Weber, Christian
3 Suits and A Violin
(Hatology)
Muller / Kahn / Wolfarth
Drumming
(Creative Sources)
Other Recommended Releases:
Wolfarth, Christian
39 / Part IV - VI
(Hiddenbell Records)
An engaging album of solo percussion that start like a vortex of clocks ticking, and then draws the listener into an amazing journey of unique percussive expression, timbre, rhythm and subtle transitions, the second album in Swiss percussionist Christian Wolfarth's 39 series, presenting Parts IV - VI of his works exploring the relationships between 3, 9 & 39.
Wolfarth, Christian
39 / Part I - III
(Hiddenbell Records)
39 tracks make up this compelling 3-part solo percussion work from Swiss improviser and composer Christian Wolfarth, using a game approach where some sequences are determined by the roll of a dice for note values, rest and tempo, Wolfarth performing on dead wood, a drum or 39 pine cones, augmented with recordings of stones, water, footsteps, church bells, &c.
Clark, Scott
This Darkness [VINYL w/ DOWNLOAD]
(Out Of Your Head Records)
Leveraging the rhythms of his Native American ancestry through deep tom drums, along with percussion focusing around clarion bells, Richmond, VA drummer/percussionist Scott Clark (Scott Clark 4tet, SCUO) brings his listener on a darkly diverse journey through six superb solo drum improvisations, laid out with resolute patience in an epic rhythmic journey.
Weston, Matt
Sparky 1 [CASSETTE]
(7272music)
Matt Weston (Arthur Brooks Ensemble V, Arc Pair) initiates a series of limited cassette releases with this solo album, seven works of percussion using traditional and idiosyncratic percussive sources with a pensive pace and somewhat irascible attitude, each piece fully notated and executed live in the studio, using a similar aesthetic to link each work.
Kahn, Jason / Christian Wolfarth
Spirits [VINYL]
(Editions)
The 2nd release from Jason Kahn, here on voice and resonator guitar, with Christian Wolfarth on Chinese Cymbal, an antique marching snare and objects, recorded after a series of concerts across Europe in the fall of 2019, Kahn applying a percussionist's perspective to his guitar by playing it as a lap slide, as the two invoke an unusual incantatory spirit from their improvisations.
Haubensak, Edu / Tomas Korber
Works For Guitar & Percussion by Buck-Wolfarth
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Active since 2010, the German/Swiss duo of classical guitarist Christian Buck and improviser Christian Wolfarth occupies a space between music and sound art, as they perform two works each by Ed Haubensak and Tomas Korber, pieces that make use of time, microharmonies, multiphonics, unusual tuning systems, interference patterns, and other conceptual approaches to music.
Loriot, Frantz / Christian Wolfarth
The Call [VINYL]
(Shhpuma)
Two unconventional and experimenting improvisers--French-Japanese violist Frantz Loriot and Swiss percussionist Christian Wolfarth--in a deceptive album of acoustic improvisation that elusively takes on electric qualities in the hands of these two innovators, seducing the listener through unusual twists and turns of perfectly paced interactions.
Der Verboten (Loriot / Chessex / Piromalli / Wolfarth)
Der Verboten
(Clean Feed)
Originally called Treffpunkt, or "meeting point", the partnership of violist Frantz Loriot and pianist Cedric Piromalli has evolved as they added collaborators to their idiosyncratic approach to improv, here with guests Antoine Chessex on tenor sax and Christian Wolfarth on percussion and cymbals for an extended, upbeat and wonderfully creative performance.
Wolfarth, Christian / Jason Kahn
Percussion / Voice
(Confront)
An absorbing album of percussion and voice from the working duo of Christian Wolfarth on drums and percussion, and Jason Kahn on voice, for two extended improvisations of cathartic vocal expression and assertive rhythmic and reflective percussive accompaniment, balancing eccentric and mesmerizing sound in gripping and compelling ways.
Wolfarth, Christian
Spuren [VINYL]
(Hiddenbell Records)
The two parts of "Spuren" from Swiss percussionist Christian Wolfarth cover each side in an album of concentrative timbre and strategy, evoking continuous sounds that are diverted into unexpected avenues, drawing the listener into trance-like states with rich resonance, tone, and malleable rhythms, then surprising with unforseen audio twists.
IKB
Dracaena Draco [2 CDs]
(Creative Sources)
Two CDs representing two extended improvisations of the IKB Ensemble with slightly different personnel, with each ensemble slowly unfolding an amazingly textured work of acoustics and electronics with strong intent and incredible technique, balanced by close listening and attention to detail; an excellent 21st century improvisation orchestra captured live.
Wintsch / Weber / Wolfarth
Willisau
(Hatology)
The improvisational and untraditional piano trio of Michel Wintsch (piano, synthesizers), Christian Weber (bass), and Christian Wolfart (drums) in a fantastic, live performance from Willisau.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Guthrie, Will
People Pleaser 2 [VINYL]
(Kythibong)
Impressive experimental approaches to organized recordings of rhythmic and melodic percussion, a mix of quirky and curious samples & loops, spoken word, field recordings and inexplicable origins, captivating the listener in concise and diverse expositions and dynamic pacing, a journey in "pleasingly" upbeat passages and moments of awe and contemplation.
McPhee, Joe / Jen Clare Paulson / Brian Labycz
The Mystery J [VINYL]
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Taking its title from the rum-running yacht on which McPhee's father sailed from Nassau to Miami, this free electroaoustic improvised concert with Joe McPhee on pocket cornet & alto saxophone, Jen Clare Paulson on viola and Brian Labycz on electronics was captured live in 2014 at the Sugar Maple in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during Okka Fest 6, released as CvsD's first vinyl LP.
Johansen, Per Oddvar / Seijiro Murayama
Dented Time
(Ftarri)
Bringing together two masterful percussionists -- Norwegian drummer Per Oddvar Johansen and Paris-based Japanese drummer Seijiro Murayama -- for a distinctive drum duo, each musician using a minimal set that combines a snare drum with small objects and cymbals, for an album of six improvisations and two composed pieces, all showing restraint in rhythmic interaction.
Frasch, Heather / Ryoko Akama
Linking
(Ftarri / Meenna)
US sound artists Heather Frasch and UK Ryoko Akama, who together run the mumei journal exploring the relationship between text and sound, in works commissioned by Bruno Duplant based on written texts, each interpreted, recorded and edited by the other using objects, field recordings, electronics, cello & voice, with one piece from Frasch and two versions from Akama.
Morris, Joe
Instantiation: Locale
(Glacial Erratic)
The 3rd release of improvising guitarist Joe Morris' "Instantiation" series, where each part is unique, composed with specific notated and operational components such that it impossible to perform any of them the same way twice; performed with Ben Hall on tympani & percussion, Andria Nicodemou on vibraphone, Dan O'Brien on tenor & baritone sax,and , Allison Burik on alto sax.
Moller, Andre O. / Christoph Nicolaus / Rasha Ragab
Music For Stone Harps [2 CDs]
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
Christoph Nicolaus began working with the stone harp around 2007, a block of granite with a slanted top that is deeply notched to create fins that resemble a loaf of bread, played by "bowing" the sides with wet hands causing each to vibrate in unique and beautiful tones; this album collects 13 compositions & improvisations performed between 2008 and 2018, in rich and uniquely evocative sound.
Sugimoto, Taku
Guitars
(Meenna)
Three concisely plain compositions for guitar, two solo and one trio, are played only with open strings or natural harmonics, where all the tunings are respectively irregular, written by Tokyo-based guitarist and composer Taku Sugimoto and performed and recorded in St. Petersburg, Russia by guitarists Andrey Popovsky, Denis Sorokin and Alexander Markvart.
Kahn, Jason
Voice and Sky [BOOK + CD]
(Editions)
Sound experimenter and electroacoustic organizer Jason Kahn revisits previous works and expands on them with the book and CD release, with an essay on his approach towards public space interventions and text / sound installations, a track listing, photographs from the locations of his field recordings, and texts and prose poems to accompany the listener.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC