Joyfully assertive and somewhat twisted, the first of three improvisations on this live album at Wels Unlimited 2020 is the duo of Austrian pianist Elisabeth Harnik and drummer Didi Kern, starting at high speed then shifting to unusual approaches in a quirky dialog, made quirkier with Jaap Blonk adding wonderfully nonsensical vocalizations on the last two pieces.
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2022 Country: Austria Packaging: Digipack Recorded live at Schlachthof, in Wels, Austria, on November 8th, 2020, by Christina Bauer.
"This recording is a registration of a duo performance by Elisabeth Harnik on piano and Didi Kern on drums and percussion. Three pieces: one extended improvisation lasting almost half an hour and two shorter ones. In the last minute of part II and for the whole of part III, the duo is joined by Jaap Blonk. All three have made their mark in the global improvisation world. Harnik and Kern are mainstays in the Viennese (impro) music scene. Kern is also active in rock and electronic music. Jaap Blonk is a voice artist who also uses electronics.
The first five minutes sound like a steam engine trying to get its groove back. And when it does, block chords go up in accelerando until the engine stops. No steam is available, and there's a meditative tension (a contradiction in terminus, of course, but the relative stillness of the piano in full atonal mode is interjected with percussive tings and tangs, spellbinding rushes, shakes with a tambourine and sticks rubbed against the cymbal to create high-pitched tones. This interlude is mesmerizing and a stark contrast with the preceding six minutes. Harnik also attacks the bare strings inside the grand piano throughout the piece for added effect. Both musicians are conscious of what each is doing. At around the twelve-minute mark, the engine gets steamed up again with the help of a steady (well, almost steady) beat by Kern. At the end of the piece, it sounds like Harnik is bowing the strings inside the piano. Part II starts with a long drum roll. The piano adds agitated figures. A start-stop play begins. This agitation is kept throughout the piece. Jaap Blonk adds some more agitation to his voice.Part III starts with Blonk talking to himself and making various noises. Harnik joins with a disjointed bassline and adds vamped chords in the right hand. Blonk adds electronic blips, perhaps using his voice as the source. Later on, the three of them let the music and noise become quiet.
This performance (all 47 minutes) is a great way to get familiar with three musicians who have mastered their instruments and have a good time making music. The music is not totally out there (at least not to these ears) and has a really nice flow. Mind you, this isn't lounge music either."-MDS, Vital Weekly
"Elisabeth Harnik, an Austrian based pianist and composer has created a multi-faceted body of work by blurring genre boundaries through various collaborations in the field of improvised music, interdisciplinary projects and contemporary compositional works. She studied classical piano and later - with Beat Furrer - composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Graz. As an improviser she works within an electro-acoustic inspired sound-world, using specific preparations and extended techniques while pushing the limitations of the piano. Amongst others she has collaborated with Frank Gratkowski, Dave Rempis and Michael Zerang, Joelle Leandre and Ken Vandermark.
Didi Kern is an Austrian drummer who is best known for his work with Bul But, Fuckhead or Glutamat. He is equally at home in the rock scene and in the free improvisation scene. He has a duo with keyboarder Philip Quehenberger, plays drums with KGB and has performed with jazz greats like Peter Brotzmann, Mats Gustafson, Weasel Walter, Saadet Turkoz or Ken Vandermark.
Jaap Blonk is a Dutch avant-garde composer and performance artist. He is primarily self-taught both as a sound artist and as a visual/stage performer. He studied physics, mathematics, and musicology for a time, but did not complete his studies. One of his early influences was Kurt Schwitters, whose Ursonate he first heard in 1979; he memorized the entire work, and it became one of the cornerstones of his repertory.
For Wels Unlimited 2020, the trio got together for a live stream during one of the Covid lockdowns. This album is a recording of that show."-Klanggalerie