The Squid's Ear Magazine


Gjerstad, Frode / Sabir Mateen: Good Question (FMR)

After his duo release with John Stevens, Norwegian saxophonist continues his series of partnerships by joining with saxophonist Sabir Matten for an album recorded in New York City, 10 improvisation that show how their complementary style propel each into unique territory of intertwining, propulsive, and creative playing.
 

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Frode Gjerstad-alto saxophone

Sabir Mateen-saxophone


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UPC: 649849982391

Label: FMR
Catalog ID: FMRCD175
Squidco Product Code: 25035

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2005
Country: UK
Packaging: Jewel Case
Recorded in New York City on April 1st 2004, by Jeffrey Hayden Shurdut.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Following on from the excellent duo release with the legendary John Stevens, comes this dynamite duo recording with fellow saxophone guru Sabir Mateen recorded in New York City. Featuring ten improvisations which ably convey both players unique styles, skilfully interweaving, blending and playing off of each other in ways only the most competent saxophonists can. This is a must for all serious saxophone enthusiasts, and a wonderful document of two of the worlds most able players in the ever interesting duo setting and a continuation of Frode Gjerstads brilliant Duo Series."


Artist Biographies

"Frode Gjerstad was born in Stavanger, Norway, 24-03-1948. He started trying to play improvised music as a trumpeter in 1968. When he moved to Lund in Sweden (1971 to 1975) he got a chance to meet, talk and play with musicians interested in this music. He had at that time started playing tenor saxophone (1969).

After he came back to Stavanger in 1975 he started collaborating with keyboardist Eivin One Pedersen. Together, they explored many different aspects of improvised music, as a duo or with others, but it was not until 1981, when they first played with John Stevens, that he had a real chance to feel what a dedicated musicians can do to the music-making.

At the early stage of his career, he choose mainly to play with international musicians because there was no tradition in Norway for the free music. However, after the club Blå opened in Oslo in 1996, a good number of younger musicians are now picking up on the music.

His relationship with British drummer, John Stevens which started in -81 and lasted up until his death in -94, was of great importance both musically as well as on a personal level. Through Stevens, he was introduced to some of the finest British improvisers and got to know their way of playing. Together, they led the trio "Detail" starting with Johnny Dyani on bass. And after Johnny died in -86, with Kent Carter.

He has also been active, running a larger group of mostly Norwegian musicians, the Circulasione Totale Orchestra. He started the group using electric instruments and modern rock-oriented rhythms. He has used the band to present his own compositions as well as a workshop and a place for young people to get to know free music. The band presented a commissioned work at the Molde Festival in -89 with a 13 man band combining free improvisations, compositions as well as rapping and scratching.(Three horns, three bassists, three drummers, accordeon, guitar a rapper and a DJ). The Circulasione Totale Orchestra is a powerful ever-changing band.

But it´s not easy to keep such a big group together. In 1998 he decided to keep the core of the band which at that time was Paal Nilssen-Love on drums and Øyvind Storesund on bass and try to develop that sound. It became Frode Gjerstad Trio. So far the trio has toured Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Polen, Italy, Austria, Portugal, England, Canada and the United States.

He has received several grants from various foundations and has been very active in the Norwegian Jazzmusicians Federation as well as in the committee for the Norwegian Contemporary Music Federation. Voted Jazz Musician of the Year in Norway, 1997. Part of the price was a concert where he could freely choose which musicians to use. This was the first meeting with Hamid Drake and William Parker. The concert became a tour of Scandinavia in -97 and the US in 2000.

US Pianist Borah Bergman has also been important to Frode. They first met in -94 and have played as a duo and also as trio with Evan Parker and later Peter Brøtzmann. Borah has been a great inspiration and a challenge over the years!

English bassist Nicholas Stephens first played with Frode in 1984. He played electric bass at the time, but it was not until after John Stevens died in 1994 that they started working together as "Calling Signals". First with a tour of England in 1995 with Paul Rutherford and Terje Isungset. And in 1996 with Louis Moholo and Danish guitarist, Hasse Poulsen. The latest version of the group has been with accordionist Eivin One Pederesen and Paal Nilssen-Love or Tony Marsh on drums. Frode also met and worked with US percussionist Kevin Norton in 2004 and they have found a common ground. They have a trio with Nicholas Stephens: Instinctual Eye.

Electronic music started to make an impact when he met Lasse Marhaug. They have played some concerts together and made some recordings. Lasses sounds have opened up a whole new territory of possibilities and came at a time when Frode started playing clarinets. A very fruitful combination!

Another side of the electronic thing was the group Ultralyd which was Frodes idea: to bring in a loud powerful electric bass with drums, guitar and reeds. After about a year, he left the band because the sound level was unbearable for the old man.! And he left it to the youngsters to decide how loud the band should be. Still, he has continued playing with Morten, Anders and Kjetil in other projects."

-Frode Gjerstad Website (http://frodegjerstad.com/?page_id=162)
3/13/2024

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

"Sabir Mateen (born April 16, 1951) is a musician and composer from Philadelphia who plays primarily in the avant-garde jazz idiom. He plays tenor and alto saxophone, B♭ and alto clarinet, and flute.

As a young man, Mateen was originally a percussionist, and he started playing flute as a teenager. From there he moved to alto and then tenor saxophone. He started out playing rhythm and blues in the early 1970s which led him to the tenor saxophone chair of the Horace Tapscott Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra. He has performed or recorded with Cecil Taylor, Sunny Murray, William Parker, Alan Silva, Butch and Wilber Morris, Raphe Malik, Steve Swell, Roy Campbell, Jr., Matthew Shipp, Marc Edwards, Jemeel Moondoc, William Hooker, Henry Grimes, Rashid Bakr, Hamid Drake among others. He also is a member of the band TEST, with Daniel Carter."

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

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


Track Listing:



1. Good Question 4:46

2. What Question 3:53

3. No Question 5:47

4. Bad Question 4:25

5. Silly Question 3:02

6. Any Question 6:43

7. Naughty Question 4:27

8. False Question 5:54

9. Correct Question 5:21

10. Colorful Question 3:33

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
European Improv, Free Jazz & Related
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
Duo Recordings
Instant Rewards

Search for other titles on the label:
FMR.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Other Recommended Releases:
Mateen, Sabir / Christopher Dell / Christian Ramond / Klaus Kugel
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Mateen, Sabir / Patrick Holmes / Federico Ughi
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Having played together in a variety of settings, but never as a trio, saxophonist Sabir Mateen, clarinetist Patrick Holmes and drummer Federico Ughi met in a recording studio in Tuscany, Italy to record this album of wide-ranging free improvisation, Mateen's Farfisa playing and vocal declamations bringing a Sun Ra element to the vehement and profound dialog.
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