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Vossas 4, Eckard (Vossas / Fields / Henkel / Nabatov): Conference Of Analogies (Creative Sources)

A live concert of collective free improv recorded at Cologne's Loft from electronic artist Eckard Vossas leading his impressive quartet of Brad Henkel, Simon Nabatov and Scott Fields, Vossas performing on synth, electronics, Kyma Sound System, and Continuum Fingerboard, pianist Nabatov also on Crackle board, Henkel on trumpet, and Fields on electric guitar.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Scott Fields-electric guitar

Brad Henkel-trumpet

Simon Nabatov-piano. Crackle Box

Eckard Vossas-Synthesizer, Electronics, Kyma Sound System, Continuum Fingerboard


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UPC: 5609063404197

Label: Creative Sources
Catalog ID: cs419
Squidco Product Code: 24764

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2017
Country: Portugal
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded live at Loft, in Cologne, Germany, on April 4th, 2014, by Stefan Deistler.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

A live concert of collective free improv recorded at Cologne's Loft from electronic from Eckard Vossas leading his impressive quartet of Brad Henkel, Simon Nabatov and Scott Fields, Vossas performing on synth, electronics, Kyma Sound System, and Continuum Fingerboard, pianist Nabatov also on Crackle board, Henkel on trumpet, and Fields on electric guitar. The session is open minded an forward-thinking, with masterful technique and an unusual sound palette that creates unexpected moments of sonic interest with references to free jazz tradition, contemporary classical, abstract electroacoustic-improv, and inexplicable sound. All experienced players, the quartet avoids the slow build, instead providing insightful moments throughout the performance as they present 4 very distinct approaches to their dialog. First rate and engaging.



"Another recent Creative Sources release, this time without Rodrigues or his regular collaborators, is Conference of Analogies by the Eckard Vossas 4, recorded at The Loft (Köln) in April 2014. I was totally unfamiliar with Vossas, who plays a variety of synths & keyboard-like electronics, prior to this, but most of the quartet he has assembled is very well-known. I had heard trumpet player Brad Henkel only on a few Prom Night (out of Brooklyn) releases a few years ago, but both Scott Fields & Simon Nabatov have extensive discographies, including many as leaders. I've mostly heard Fields performing his own elaborate compositions, sometimes with large ensembles, and his sphinx-like approach does appear to be integral to the many bizarre sequences on Conference of Analogies. In the case of Nabatov, I've been awed by his ability to erupt with massive waves of improvised counterpoint, but also wondered how such technical prowess could be balanced against a varied ensemble. Here the answer is via electronics, and indeed the piano is able to move in & out of the texture within what is generally a rather strange combination - three chordal instruments & a trumpet. Conference of Analogies is a very long album, and it's only the second track (of four) that is said to be composed by Vossas; it features a kind of spacey synth & extensive (although frankly not very engaging) trumpet solos. The other tracks are more convoluted, with the opener alone lasting over thirty minutes, and incorporating a wide variety of references (which largely remain abstract) & interactions. The improvised tracks go in many directions, invoking many analogies one might say, and it would be difficult to characterize them as forming a coherent whole: A wealth of ideas is on display, though, from classical dodecaphony to fragmented rock guitar to various crackling & twittering & pitch bending. The idiosyncratic sense of movement & transition does continue to remind me of Fields elsewhere, though, and so I wonder if Vossas specifically studied with him. In any case, if this is a debut, & even if it isn't, Vossas seems to be full of ideas. I'm interested to hear more."-Todd McComb, Medieval.Org


Get additional information at Medieval.org

Artist Biographies

"Scott Fields (born September 30, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois) is a guitarist, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his attempts to blend music that is composed and music that is written and for his modular pieces (see 48 Motives, 96 Gestures and "OZZO"). He works primarily in avant-garde jazz, experimental music, and contemporary classical music.

Fields was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He started as a self-taught rock musician but soon was influenced by the musicians of the Association for the Advancement for Creative Musicians (AACM), which was active in the Hyde Park neighborhood in which he grew up. Later he studied classical guitar, jazz guitar, music composition, and music theory. In 1973 Fields co-founded the avant-garde jazz trio Life Rhythms. When the group disbanded two years later, he played sporadically but soon was institutionalized for an extended period. He almost quit music until 1989.

Since then he has performed and composed actively. His ensembles and partnerships have included such musicians as Marilyn Crispell, Hamid Drake, John Hollenbeck, Joseph Jarman, Myra Melford, Jeff Parker, and Elliott Sharp."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Fields)
3/27/2024

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

"Brad Henkel is an experimental trumpeter/composer/improviser living in Berlin."

-Brad Henkel Website (http://bradhenkel.blogspot.com/p/about.html)
3/27/2024

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

"Simon Nabatov's musical education began at the age of 3, his father, himself a musician, being the first teacher. The Central School of Music and Moscow Conservatory were the next steps. After the whole family emigrated and settled in New York in 1979, Nabatov continued his studies at the Juilliard School Of Music. By that time his interest and involvement in jazz and improvised music grew strong enough to make them his main activity.

Since then he performed and recorded with many fine musicians such as Paul Motian, Tony Scott, Sonny Fortune, Kenny Wheeler, Alan Skidmore, Herb Robertson, Louis Sclavis, Charles McPhearson, Billy Hart, David Murray, Paul Horn, Ricki Ford, Marty Ehrlich, Mark Dresser, Barry Guy, Gerry Hemingway, Jim Snidero, Herb Geller, Dave Pike, Attila Zoller, Matthias Schubert, Barry Altschul, Vladimir Tarasov, John Betsch, Ed Schuller, Arto Tuncboyaci, Adam Nussbaum, Paul Heller, Jay Clayton, Ron McClure, Mark Feldman, Drew Gress, Phil Minton, Michael Moore, Han Bennink, Misha Mengelberg, Wolter Wierbos, Paulo Alvares, Gareth Lubbe, Ben Davis and many others.

He enjoyed continuous work with Ray Anderson Quartet, Arthur Blythe Quartet, Perry Robinson Quartet, NDR Big Band (Hamburg,Germany), Steve Lacy - Simon Nabatov Duo, Nils Wogram Quartet, Nils Wogram - Simon Nabatov Duo, Matthias Schubert Quartet, Matthias Schubert - Simon Nabatov Duo and Klaus König Orchestra.

His own projects and activities included, since three decades, hundreds of solo recitals.In the early 90s Nabatov founded the trio with the bassist Mark Helias and the drummer Tom Rainey; the quartet "Nature Morte" with the British vocalist Phil Minton, multireed-player Frank Gratkowski and trombonist Nils Wogram (both from Germany); and the quintet including his trio plus the violinist Mark Feldman and the trumpet player Herb Robertson.In 2003 another trio was formed, with the cellist Ernst Reijseger and the drummers Michael Vatcher (and later Michael Sarin).

As co-leader Nabatov played and recorded in duos with Steve Lacy, with the German tenor sax player Matthias Schubert, American drummer Tom Rainey, Dutch drummer Han Bennink, German trombonist Nils Wogram, Dutch cellist Ernst Reijseger and the Dutch pianist Misha Mengelberg, just to mention a few. His current duo partners are the South-African born viola player and vocalist Gareth Lubbe, the Turkish clarinetist Oguz Buyukberber and the Brazilian pianist Paulo Alvares.

In the 1999-2000 season a large-scale radio production project (co - sponsored by WDR and Bayer AG) saw him write and record over 6 hours of music for solo piano, duo (with the American reed player Michael Moore), his trio, the quartet "Nature Morte" and the quintet. Beginning of 2000 the Swiss label HatHut Records brought out the first recording - the trio release "Sneak Preview". The next three recordings, quartet "Nature Morte", quintet "The Master and Margarita" and solo "Perpetuum Immobile" have been released by Leo Records.

Two more CD´s - " Chat Room" ( duo with Han Bennink ) and "Autumn Music" ( trio with Ernst Reijseger and Michael Vatcher ) were brought out by this independent English label.The next project produced by WDR in 2004 was a 90 - minute piece " A Few Incidents" based on the texts of Russian writer Daniil Charms. The octet included Phil Minton, Frank Gratkowski, Nils Wogram, Ernst Reijseger, Cor Fuhler, Matt Penman, Michael Sarin and Simon Nabatov. Leo Records released the recording of this composition in 2005. Together with "Nature Morte" and "Master and Margarita" it completed the "Russian Trilogy", 3 musical projects based on the Russian literature.

In 2009 Nabatov, sponsored by the Cologne culture institutions, completed a 5-day project called "Roundup" (involving M.Schubert, N.Wogram, E.Reijseger and T.Rainey), resulting in 3 CD's released on Leo Records: quintet "Roundup", a trio with E.Reijseger and M.Schubert - "Square Down" and another one with N.Wogram and T.Rainey - "Nawora".

Starting around 2000, parallel to his jazz activities, Simon Nabatov developed a deep interest for the culture and music of Brazil. This led him to study the Portuguese language, travel number of times throughout the country and learn a great deal about a number of different musical genres.

Some of the more structured activities in that field were a CD release "Around Brazil" on the ACT label (2006), and the two-months long Goethe-Institut "Artist-in-Residence" in Porto Alegre, which allowed Nabatov to learn more about the regional "musica gaucha". Since 2007 he often performs his solo program based on Brazilian music.

In the recent years Nabatov also delved into the field of electronic music, learning MAX/MSP programming environment; in April 2013 he premiered his new solo program for piano and computer, developed together with the German composer and electronic music specialist hans w. koch. In December 2016 excerpts from this program made up a half of the program of his most recent CD "MONK 'N' MORE".

Another musical adventure of the recent years was Nabatov's solo program dedicated to the music of the great jazz composer and pianist Herbie Nichols. Leo Records released a highly acclaimed CD of that program, and the PanRec label brought out a DVD.2015 saw Nabatov realize a four-part project "...still crazy after all these years" (celebrating 25 years in Cologne), which resulted in forming 4 new trios: with two young Cologne musicians Stefan Schoenegg and Dominik Mahnig, with Andre de Cayres and Rodrigo Villalon (dedicated to Brazilian music), with two giants of improvised music Barry Guy and Gerry Hemingway, and a trio with two string players, Gareth Lubbe (viola) and Ben Davis (cello). The first documentation of the project - Simon Nabatov Trio "Picking Order" was released August 2016 on Leo Records. Other 3 releases are planned for 2017.

Simon Nabatov performed and recorded numerous pieces of chamber music, some of them written specially for him: "Piano Concerto "Baba" by the American pianist/composer Kenny Werner, "Sonata for violin and piano" by the Irish bassist/composer Ronan Guilfoyle,"Trumpet Sonata", "Cello Sonata", "Trio for flute,cello and piano" by the Swiss reed-player/composer Daniel Schnyder. He also performed and recorded some of the more known "crossover" works, such as "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin (NDR Symphony Orchestra Hannover,1998) or "Concerto for Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra" by Rolf Liebermann (NDR Symphony Orchestra and Big Band, Hamburg,1996).

Nabatov was among the winners of the 3rd "International Great Jazz Pianist Competition" in Jacksonville, USA (2nd prize) in 1985, and of the "Martial Solal International Jazz Piano Competition" in Paris, France (3rd prize) in 1989. In 1987 he was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

Simon Nabatov made numerous radio productions for most of the major European broadcasting companies: WDR, NDR, HR, BR, SFR, Radio France, Radio Zürich, Radio Ireland etc.

He played on countless international jazz festivals including Paris, Antibes, Helsinki, Zagreb, Nevers, Berlin, Dublin, Cork, Vilshofen, Bergamo, Groeningen, Vilnus, Karlsbad, Genua, North Sea, Brugge, Voss, Bergen, Riga, Vilnius, Ulrichsberg a.m.o.

Simon Nabatov gave concerts and workshops in over 60 countries, he appears on ca. 70 recordings, and his own music and projects are documented on over 25 CD's and 3 DVD's (all DVD's on PanRec).

He has taught at the Folkwang Hochschule (Essen), Musichochschule Lucerne (Switzerland) and at the International Jazz and Rock Academy (Remscheid).2012 - 2014 he was the substitute professor of Jazz piano and Ensemble at the Conservatory of Hannover, Germany.

Since 1989 he resides predominantly in Cologne, Germany, but keeps an apartment and a part of his heart in New York."

-Simon Nabatov Website (http://www.nabatov.com/biography.htm)
3/27/2024

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

"The electronic musician Eckard Vossas lives in Bonn and has initiated this project to realize his musical ideas. He maintains an independent style of improvised electronic music in the search for organic sounds. The most varied synthetic sound material is sensitively modulated with the fingers and played as expressively and vividly as natural instruments with which these sound transformations often enter into a dynamic dialogue. He moves in a wide range of musical styles and styles (from contemporary music to free jazz to rock), but always with an emphasis on improvised music.

In addition to purely electronic solo appearances he plays in projects with Scott Fields, Matthias Schubert, Robert Landfermann, Simon Nabatov, Philip Zoubek, Wilbert de Joode, Etienne Nillesen, Dominik Mahnig, Brad Henkel, Christian Lillinger and Achim Tang."

-Klavierhaus Klavins (Translated by Google) (https://www.klavierhaus-klavins.de/veranstaltungen/Vergangenes_2016.htm#Exploding-tickets)
3/27/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Prelude To April 27:04

2. Conference Of Analogies 13:39

3. Ceci N'est Pas Un Piano (Version For Ensemble) 16:38

4. Konstellation 14.1 12:35

Related Categories of Interest:


Creative Sources
Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Electro-Acoustic
Electro-Acoustic Improv
European Improvisation and Experimental Forms
Quartet Recordings

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Creative Sources.


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