The Squid's Ear Magazine


Oberg, Uwe / Rudi Mahall / Michael Griener: Lacy Pool 2 (Leo Records)

The second "Lacy Pool" directed by pianist Uwe Oberg and with drummer Michael Griener the common element, invites Rudi Mahall on clarinets as they interpret, or as Oberg describes it, "unlock" the music of Steve Lacy, in 9 compositions including "Trickles", "Cliches", "Ladies", &c., plus two Oberg compositions that fit into his pool of Lacy interpretations.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Uwe Oberg-piano

Rudi Mahall-clarinets

Michael Griener-drums


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Includes liner notes from Uwe Oberg.

UPC: 5024792079223

Label: Leo Records
Catalog ID: LEOR792.2
Squidco Product Code: 27755

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2017
Country: UK
Packaging: Jewel Case
Recorded at Klangraum, in Mainz, Germany, on March 17th, 2016, by Matthias Kruger.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Lacy Pool is a small group of musicians whom Uwe Oberg picks to unlock Steve Lacy's compositions. Why no bass? Uwe Oberg: "That never was a question. I wanted the band to function unlike a jazz quartet and it should not have a soprano sax. Now Lacy's pieces were mine and ours, and it got easier and easier, everything fell into place. The clarity, the repeating motifs, the collage approach, the deconstruction, the flow. What fun!"-Uwe Oberg, from the liner notes



"Pianist Uwe Oberg didn't follow a straight and narrow path when putting together this formidable European trio. There is no bassist, and Rudi Mahall performs solely on clarinets, as most listeners would expect a soprano saxophone to be the mainstay of any band that pays homage to the late, modern-era jazz pioneer Steve Lacy. More importantly, the band, including drummer Michael Griener, mold Lacy's works into their signature group-focused voice, yet duly adhere to his core rhythmic and melodic fundamentals, used as vehicles for expansion amid the ever-present improvisational metrics.

The instrumentalists effectively reimagine these works that span a multitude of emotive implications, framed on Thelonious Monk's strong influence on Lacy's compositional pen and so on. These pieces abide by the trio's freedom of communications mantra, yet they also enact a delicate balance that pays off. Whether the band is generating quaint or daintily renditions of the material or partaking in some serious rebel-rousing, each piece stands on its own.

Teeming with counterpoint, reverse-engineering processes and coyly articulated diversions, Mahall and Oberg can mirror a typical Lacy phrase but largely inject their own musical nomenclature into the big picture. So, they veer off, reinvent, then circle back around to execute the primary themes with tight-knit unison phrasings, intense soloing jaunts and even dish out a walking blues motif on "Blues for Aida." The artists spin "Ladies" with razor-sharp unison choruses, amped by Uwe's harmonics, segueing into "Jazz ab 40" where the artists mix it up, accentuated by Griener's broadly textured cymbals hits and the pianist's massive block chords. Hence, the primary focus is hot n' heavy improv.

The final track "Troubles" offers yet another compelling perspective, as the band merges a blithe unison groove with linear movements and nods to old-timey jazz, topped off by Mahall's wily solo spot. Overall, the musicians exercise an often difficult to attain balance as serious chops, pungent arrangements and sonorous melodic content produce an irrefutable fun-factor, instilled with all the necessary ingredients."-Glenn Astarita


Includes liner notes from Uwe Oberg.

Get additional information at All About Jazz

Artist Biographies

"Uwe Oberg *1962 Offenbach / Germany, lives in Wiesbaden nearby Frankfurt.

He started playing piano at the age of seven, moved in the early 80s from popular music to Jazz and joined in 1986 the KOOPERATIVE NEW JAZZ / ARTist Wiesbaden, an association of improvising musicians. Improvisation is the keyword for his work. Impressed by Free Jazz and New Music, he developed exceptional piano techniques; influences are Thelonious Monk, Paul Bley, Cecil Taylor, Don Pullen, Ran Blake, Andrew Hill, the music of Anthony Braxton, the early piano compositions of John Cage as well as european free improvisation. He is also a composer and a highly individual interpret of Jazz-compositions.

He works in various musical contexts: as a soloist he bends the bow from inside piano to the music of Monk. With LACY POOL he dives into the music of Steve Lacy, the duo with SILKE EBERHARD plays originals as well as music by Carla Bley, Annette Peacock a.o. ROPE is an improvising quartet with european line-up. Whatever Oberg plays, he transforms each material in his very personal, twinkling sound without musical borders.

Beside fixed projects he enjoys the improvised encounter with musicians from different styles and cultures. He often played in combination with other artforms, theatre / dance / lyrics, currently mainly with silent films, as a soloist and with ensembles. Cooperation with: ALFRED HARTH, PETER KOWALD, XU FENGXIA, MATTHIAS SCHUBERT, PHILIPPE MICOL, JÜRGEN WUCHNER, ULI PHILLIPP, TONY OXLEY, SVEN-AKE JOHANSSON, RUDI MAHALL, HR JAZZENSEMBLE, HEINZ SAUER, URS LEIMGRUBER, SAADET TÜRKÖZ, SUBROTO ROY CHAUDHURI, PAUL LOVENS, AXEL DÖRNER, FRANK GRATKOWSKI, EVAN PARKER a.m.o.

In December 2007 Oberg got the award HESSISCHER JAZZPREIS. Laudatio by Dr. Wolfram Knauer (in German Language)"

-Uwe Oberg Website (http://www.uweoberg.de/e.html)
3/13/2024

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

"Rudi Mahall (born 1966 in Nürnberg, Germany) is a contemporary jazz bass clarinetist.

While studying classical clarinet, Mahall shifted towards contemporary music, improvisation and jazz. He is, or was a member of following bands: Avantgardeband Die Hartmann 8, Der Rote Bereich (initially comprehending Frank Möbus, Marty Cook, Jim Black und Henning Sievert), the Trio Tiefe töne für Augen und Ohren (with Sievert and Bill Elgart), Carlos Bicas Azul and Die Enttäuschung (amongst others with Axel Dörner, Jan Roder). He carried out several projects and published CDs with Aki Takase, about the work of Eric Dolphy and others. Mahall participated to Alexander von Schlippenbach's recording of the complete works of Thelonious Monk, published by a prestigious Swiss label, and he is a member of the Globe Unity Orchestra. Moreover, he performed with Conny Bauer, Lee Konitz, Barry Guy, Karl Berger, Paul Lovens, Sven-Åke Johansson, Radu Malfatti, Ed Schuller, Ray Anderson, Kenny Wheeler, Hannes Bauer and many others.

Mahall performed at the Free Music Festival Jazz à Mulhouse in 2008, at the Moers Festival, the JazzFest Berlin, the Leverkusener Jazztage and jazz festivals in New York City, Amsterdam, München, Würzburg, Nürnberg, and he toured in Portugal, southern and eastern Africa."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudi_Mahall)
3/13/2024

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

"Michael Griener, born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1968, began playing drums in 1982, lives in Berlin since 1994.

Under the influence of the HOHE-UFER-concerts initiated by Günter Christmann he became involved early on in the various forms of Jazztradition, Free Improvisation and New Music, which led to a longer collaboration with Christmann in his Vario-projects (a.o. C.I.M.-Festival Den Haag 1990, Moers-Festival 1992, Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik1993).

He has worked frequently with dancers, actors and poets (most recently in a project on Paul Celan with German writer Oskar Ansull). His duo KIMMO ELOMAA with electronic wizard jayrope received a grant by the city of Berlin in 2002 Received the 1. price as "most creative soloist" at the "New German Jazz Award" in 2006 His current projects include a.o.:

Uli Gumpert Quartet, TGW (Thieke-Griener-Weber), a Duo with Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, Lacy Pool, Squakk and Carl-Ludwig Hübsch' Primordial Soup Michael Griener teaches jazz drumming at the University for Music "Carl Maria v. Weber" in Dresden and jazz-history and rhythm at the Jazzschule Berlin."

-Michael Griener Website (http://www.michaelgriener.de/bio/bio.html)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Deadline 4:29

2. Cliches 4:27

3. Trickles 7:11

4. Field (Spring) 4:08

5. Blues For Aida 4:58

6. Ladies 7:49

7. Jazz Ab 40 4:41

8. Dreams 5:55

9. Troubles 4:36

Related Categories of Interest:


Leo Records
Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
European Improvisation and Experimental Forms
Trio Recordings
Lacy, Steve

Search for other titles on the label:
Leo Records.


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