The Squid's Ear Magazine
The Squid's Ear Magazine
Overstock & Inventory Sale - 20% Off October 14-16!



Vasseur, Christian / Steve Gibbs / Nicolo Vivi : FWWU+ Duos Trios [2 CDs] (4DaRecord)

Expanding the Fire Walk With Us project from duo to trio, guitarists Christian Vasseur, Steve Gibbs and Nicolo Vivi explore extended-range classical guitars, quarter-tone tuning and a custom four-way piezo system that brings otherwise inaudible fretboard, contact and string-fragment sounds into the acoustic field, creating finely detailed duos and spatialized trio improvisations across two discs.
 

Price: $17.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 3.00 units


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

Sample The Album:





Product Information:

Personnel:



Christian Vasseur-11 string alto guitar, tuned in quarter tones, 8 string classical guitar

Steve Gibbs-8 string classical guitar

Nicolo Vivi-8 string guitar, 4 way piezo system

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



UPC: 199800637438

Label: 4DaRecord
Catalog ID: 4DRCD020
Squidco Product Code: 37891

Format: 2 CDs
Condition: New
Released: 2025
Country: Portugal
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
CD 1 was recorded at Steve Gibbs� home in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, in February and May 2024.

CD 2 was recorded in June 2025, by Christian Vasseur.
Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

Artist Biographies

"Christian Vasseur began classical guitar as an autodidact before taking classes with Pascal Boëls and Jean-Philippe Gruneissen at the Lille Conservatory. He learned the lute with Eugène Ferré at the Toulouse Conservatory and with Yasunori Imamura and Paul O'Dette during master classes. For 15 years he led musical theatre and free improvisation workshops for different audiences: children and adults, adolescents in detention, adults and disabled children. Meeting vulnerable or destitute people has had a profound influence on the way he works today.

He has composed numerous pieces of music for various instruments and ensembles. Christian Vasseur's music owes as much to classical tradition as to popular expression. It is protean and free of any dogma. Improvisation plays a large part in it. Over the years, beyond the forms it takes, it develops an imaginary folklore that seems to come from familiar lands. Yet a little nothing, something ineffable says that we are elsewhere.

Classical compositions, tinkering, sound collages, cinema without images and iconoclastic chaos are all side roads towards spaces with depth of field, superpositions of shots and panoramic views. In works with voices, interjections are the traces of a language of origins, the sound fossils of a great primitive sensual poem. Words, syllables become abstract objects, bricks of poetic and musical constructions. In the theater, his music is a counterpoint to the text, another voice, melodic, dissonant or noisy according to the dramaturgical needs. Acoustic sounds are often combined with electronics.

He has long been passionate about multi-string instruments such as the eleven-string alto guitar, the archlute, the mohan veena, the weissenborn-harp and the ten-string lapsteel electric guitar. These instruments allow him to explore new sound universes."

-Christian Vasseur Website (Translated by Google) (https://christianvasseur.weebly.com/)
10/6/2026

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

"Born in Chicago in 1959 and settled in Belgium since the beginning of the 1990's, Steve Gibbs has developed a unique world of expression through his 8 string classical guitar, a wonderfully deep-sounding instrument with its own spacious voice, quite different from that of the more familiar 6 string instrument. Working with master luthiers, Steve has developed a radically personalized tool which, in addition to its velvety, cello-like expanded bass register, also expands the spectrum of available sound types. A quadruple contact captor embedded it the instrument's headstock opens up the exploration of zones of the instrument that normally go unheard, enabling him to move seamlessly through historical contrapuntal works, contemporary classical creation, contact noise and experimental string fractions, all within a single instrument. Over a half century of activity, Steve has shared his music with listeners in Asia, Europe and the USA. His professional training includes Western music, Carnatic and Buddhist chant and Korean shamanist percussion. At present, Steve's work is focused on a vast cycle of solo works in collaboration with composer Alain Féron, introduced on the " programme " page."

-Steve Gibbs Website (https://musiqueclassiquecontemporaine.wordpress.com/)
10/6/2026

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

Italian guitarist Nicolò Vivi (b. 1999) works across contemporary music, free improvisation, chamber music, folk and experimental performance, developing a practice centered on the guitar's extended acoustic and electroacoustic possibilities. A graduate of the Vecchi-Tonelli Conservatory in Modena, he has performed as a soloist and with ensembles including Baratie Guitar Duo, Duo Connasi and Duo Rovi, and has collaborated with musicians including Christian Vasseur and Steve Gibbs. His work has included performances in Italy and Belgium, including at BOZAR in Brussels, and projects employing eight-string classical guitar and multi-point piezo amplification to expand the instrument's timbral and spatial range.

-Squidco 10/6/2026

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


Track Listing:
Related Categories of Interest:

September 2026
Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Guitarists, &c.
Trio Recordings
New in Improvised Music
Recent Releases and Best Sellers

Search for other titles on the label:
4DaRecord.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Van Schouwburg, Jean-Michel / Pascal Marzan / Bill Young / Noel Taylor / Rodrigo Brandao / Joao Madeira
Hands & Tongues (3 Meta-Dialogues)
(4DaRecord)
Three cross-cultural improvised dialogues pair voice with instrument: Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg with Pascal Marzan's 10-string microtonal guitar, Bill Young with Noel Taylor's clarinet, and Rodrigo Brandão with João Madeira's double bass, preserving speech and environmental sounds to expose the intimate, spontaneous exchanges behind each performance.
Le Vice Anglais
allons-y
(4DaRecord)
Portuguese duo Ricardo Guerra Pires (electric guitar) and Bruno Parrinha (alto saxophone) follow their debut vas-y with thirteen intense free improvisations using live electronic processing and loops to transform their instruments into dense layers of industrial noise, fractured free jazz, glissandi, distortion and resonant detail, balancing abrasive sonic force with remarkably controlled interaction.
Madeira, Joao / Miguel Mira
21 07 12 - 02 05 24
(4DaRecord)
Portuguese string improvisers João Madeira on double bass and Miguel Mira on cello move from extended solo statements into a long-form duo and encore, using bowed drones, elastic pizzicato, harmonics, friction, percussive attacks and resonant textures to shape a patient, highly controlled exchange of shifting lyrical forms, contrasts, irregular cadences and finely detailed acoustic interaction.
Zingaro, Carlos / Joao Madeira
Arcada Pendular
(4DaRecord)
An inspired meeting between Portuguese double bassist João Madeira and pioneering violinist Carlos Zingaro, recorded in 2023 in Barreiro, Portugal, their duo exploring a vast sonic terrain of lyrical interplay, textural bow work, and spontaneous counterpoint, moving from delicate introspection to angular abstraction with an intuitive rapport that bridges risk and curiosity.
Zingaro, Carlos / Bruno Parrinha / Fred Lonberg-Holm / Joao Madeira
Enleio
(4DaRecord)
Reuniting violinist Carlos Zingaro and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm with bassist João Madeira and bass clarinetist Bruno Parrinha, Enleio captures a dynamic Lisbon session of free improvisation rich in textural interplay, pointillist gestures, and evolving sonic dialogues, blending expressive restraint with bursts of manic energy across four nuanced and immersive pieces.
Zingaro, Carlos / Flo Stoffner / Fred Lonberg-Holm / Joao Madeira
Na Parede
(4DaRecord)
A 1st-time meeting of master improvisers Carlos Zingaro, Florian Stoffner, Fred Lonberg-Holm, and João Madeira, recorded live in Portugal and released for RSD 2025, weaving intricate and dynamic string textures in fourexploratory pieces, as the quartet spans generations and geographies in a focused set of multidimensional improvisation filled with subtle tension and layered interplay.
Le Vice Anglais (Pires / Parrinha)
vas-y
(4DaRecord)
A fiercely expressive debut from Portuguese duo Ricardo Guerra Pires and Bruno Parrinha, blending electric guitar, alto saxophone, subtle electronics, and noise-infused improvisation into a raw yet controlled exploration of sonic extremes, channeling the spirit of free jazz, punk energy, and avant-garde texture into six powerful and provocative pieces.
Mira Trio (Furioso / Mira / Gibson)
Machinerie
(4DaRecord)
Blending cellist Miguel Mira's structural premeditation with the spontaneity of free improvisation, the trio of Mira, saxophonist Yedo Gibson, and drummer Felice Furioso crafts a richly textural and architectonically inspired session, recorded in Lisbon, where extended techniques and expressive interplay shape a dynamic sonic vision of figurative expressionism in sound.
Loisel, Fred / Philippe Lenglet / Christian Vasseur
Priced And Cheap (Two Graphic Scores)
(Creative Sources)
Interpreting Cornelius Cardew's elaborate 193-page Treatise and Earle Brown's minimalist Cheap Imitation, Fred Loisel (gong, electronics), Philippe Lenglet (prepared guitar), and Christian Vasseur (prepared ten-string Weissenborn) assign specific musical parameters to each graphic symbol, creating open compositions that balance individual expression with collective coherence.
Madeira, Joao / Margarida Mestre
Voz Debaixo
(4DaRecord)
Exploring the fluid boundaries between singing, recitation, and speech, bassist João Madeira and vocalist Margarida Mestre present an intricate dialogue of sound and expression, recorded in Lisbon, with Mestre's voice shifting between phonetic poetry, storytelling, and abstract improvisation, while Madeira's double bass, guitar, and field recordings weave around and underpin her vocalizations.
Zingaro, Carlos / Joao Madeira / Sofia Borges
Trizmaris
(4DaRecord)
Recorded live at BOTA in Lisbon, the trio of pioneering violinist Carlos 'Zíngaro', bassist João Madeira, and drummer/percussionist Sofia Borges engage in a dynamic and expressive real-time composition, balancing intensity and restraint through intricate musical dialogues, evoking the raw energy of free jazz while embracing contemporary improvisational textures.
Vasseur / Serries
Floating Similarities
(Creative Sources)
French guitarist Christian Vasseur, known for his explorative approach and use of unique instruments like the archlute and electric 10-string lap-steel guitar, joins Dirk Serries (A New Wave of Jazz, Vidna Obmana), who employs an archtop guitar with bow and objects in this live-recorded album at Kapel Oude Klooster in Belgium, featuring seven chamber-like duets that weave resonant, tension-filled acoustic textures with surreal and exotic elements.
Mimosa, Eric / Christian Vasseur
Les Sans-Ombre
(Creative Sources)
Duo guitar improvisations performed on archtop acoustic guitars from French guitarists Christian Vasseur and Eric Mimosa, nine improvisations recorded in the studio in Mons en Baroeul, France using impressive technique in a well-matched duo of virtuosic playing and wildly creative ideas that run the gamut from extremely energetic discussion to spacious observation.
Various Artists (curated by Nick Vander)
Walk My Way, Volume Three
(Orbit577)
The third of a five volume compilation series curated by Nick Vander, a testament to the incredible musical range of the guitar and the imaginative possibility of guitarists around the world, with tracks from Sergio Sorrentino, Christian Vasseur, CharbelHaber, Misha Marks, Henry Kaiser, Nick Ashwood, Emil Palme & Taus Bregnhøj-Olesen, Sharif Sehnaoui, Colin Robinson, Martin Huba



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Pavone, Jessica (Pavone / Frith / Lally)
...Is In the Air
(Relative Pitch)
Jessica Pavone expands her long-running solo viola practice with effects and guest contributions from Fred Frith on guitar and Joe Lally on bass, using open-string resonances, electronic texture, and remotely developed collaborative material to create a set of compositions that balance solitude, resonance, and carefully structured interaction.
Nebbia's, Camila The Hanged One
Limbo
(Relative Pitch)
Argentine tenor saxophonist Camila Nebbia leads The Hanged One with Julia Bi at on cello, Arne Braun on guitar, Andres Marino on electronics, Vinicius Cajado on double bass and Lukas Akintaya on drums, navigating nine tightly composed yet volatile works where angular ensemble writing, free improvisation, electronics and rock-weighted rhythms continually fracture, regroup and transform.
Ehrlich, Marty
OPEN AIR: The Complete Saxophone Quartet Compositions of Julius Hemphill [2 CDs]
(Out Of Your Head Records)
Marty Ehrlich directs a rotating cast of leading reed players through the forty known saxophone quartet compositions of Julius Hemphill, combining works written for the World Saxophone Quartet with previously unrecorded pieces recovered through Ehrlich's archival research, revealing Hemphill's singular language of layered counterpoint, blues-rooted melody, rhythmic invention, and chamber precision.
Ikeda, Ken / Roger Turner
An Asura In Spring
(Ftarri)
Ken Ikeda on synthesizer and Roger Turner on a reduced kit of snare, floor tom, hi-hat, and cymbals reunite for two extended live improvisations in Tokyo, developing a finely balanced electroacoustic dialogue of hovering electronic tones, metallic resonance, sparse percussion, and sudden dynamic shifts shaped through close, responsive listening.
FEN (Yoshihide / Hankil / Wai / Jun)
4 4
(Meenna)
On their sixth album, FEN — Otomo Yoshihide, Ryu Hankil, Yuen Chee Wai, and Yan Jun — present four 15-minute works originally devised for the 2018 Gwangju Biennale, combining guitar, electronics, Max/MSP, and field recordings through a blind process of cutting, rearranging, and chance-based assembly that turns separation, chance, and juxtaposition into the music's organizing principles.
Eubanks, Bryan / Gert-Jan Prins / Tetuzi Akiyama / Toshimaru Nakamura
Spring
(Meenna)
Four major electroacoustic improvisers — Bryan Eubanks on soprano saxophone, electronics and modular synthesizer, Gert-Jan Prins on electronics and percussion, Tetuzi Akiyama on guitar, and Toshimaru Nakamura on no-input mixing board — each recorded separate solo performances, assembled by Prins, Eubanks and Nakamura into four distinct collective works of shifting textures and sonic interplay.
Ayler, Albert Quartet
Reference: Goin' Home 1964
(ALAY)
A strikingly restrained side of Albert Ayler emerges on this 1964 session of spirituals and devotional songs, with his tenor and soprano saxophones joined by Call Cobbs Jr. on piano, Henry Grimes on double bass and Sunny Murray on drums, emphasizing melody, blues-inflected tone and deep vibrato while revealing the gospel and New Orleans roots underlying his more radical later language.
Radigue, Eliane
Triptych [VINYL 2 LPs]
(Important)
French electronic music pioneer Eliane Radigue performs her three-part composition Triptych, recorded in her Paris studio and inspired by Tibetan Buddhism and the elemental forces of water, air, fire, and earth, presenting a patient, immersive work of sustained electronic tones and subtle transformation, here issued as a double LP with the complete pieces preserved without editing or cuts.
Schlippenbach, Alexander Von
Main Lines/1967
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
A remarkable 1967 Radio Bremen session uniting leading figures of emerging European free improvisation, with Alexander von Schlippenbach, Irène Schweizer and Fred van Hove on piano; Peter Brötzmann and Gerd Dudek on saxophones; Manfred Schoof and Manfred Miller on brass; three bassists; and Sven-Åke Johansson, Jaki Liebezeit and Mani Neumeier on drums and percussion.
Melford's, Myra Fire and Water Quintet
Sure Grand Out
(RogueArt)
Pianist Myra Melford's Fire and Water Quintet with Mary Halvorson on guitar, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor and soprano saxophones, Tomeka Reid on cello, and Lesley Mok on drums, continuing Melford's Cy Twombly-inspired balance of cellular composition, collective improvisation, lyricism, counterpoint, and rhythmic momentum in a richly interactive studio recording.
Orchestre National De Jazz
With Carla [2 CDs]
(ONJ Records)
Launching Sylvaine Helary's tenure as artistic director of the Orchestre National de Jazz, this expansive 17-piece ensemble revisits twelve Carla Bley compositions through Remi Sciuto's inventive arrangements, blending brass, reeds, strings, rhythm section and improvising soloists in a vivid orchestral tribute that preserves Bley's wit, formal daring and stylistic breadth through new contemporary perspectives.
Rollins, Sonny
The Early Years [4 CDs]
(Enlightenment)
A four-CD survey of Sonny Rollins' formative Prestige years, collecting eight albums recorded from 1951-1956, with Rollins' tenor saxophone joined by Miles Davis on piano, Clifford Brown and Kenny Dorham on trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor, Thelonious Monk, Red Garland and Tommy Flanagan on piano, and rhythm sections featuring Max Roach, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones and others, tracing Rollins' rapid emergence as one of modern jazz's defining improvisers.




The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC