The Squid's Ear Magazine


Kunz, Christopher / Florian Fischer: Die Unwucht (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

The Die Unwucht (The Imbalance) duo of saxophonist Christopher Kunz and drummer Florian Fische was formed to explore jazz tradition while looking for ways to break down restrictive boundaries and create their own forms of expression, achieving a great balance and equality in Kunz' lyrical playing with a Getz/Desmond sound against Fische's active interactions.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Christopher Kunz-tenor saxophone

Florian Fischer-drums


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UPC: 752156103127

Label: ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd
Catalog ID: ezz-thetics 1031
Squidco Product Code: 30239

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2021
Country: Switzerland
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded in Langenzenn, Germany, on June 13th, 2020, by the artists.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"A Lot of No's for One Yes

In modern jazz, the reduced dialogue format of the sax and drums duo may not be common, but it's not unusual. Since it has gotten rid of everything but the bare essentials and doesn't split itself into front man and sideman, it has no choice but to rely on complete equality.

Otherwise there wouldn't be a basis for dialogue. If one of the musicians tries to take the lead over the other, it doesn't work. Important for this smallest possible chance of shifting from "me" to "we" are: finding suitable material or a starting point for musical conversation; keeping an open mind; creating meaningful musical statements; playing together with mutual respect. If we look back in history, worth noting are such exemplary jazz duos as John Coltrane and Rashied Ali or Archie Shepp and Max Roach, with such duos as Anthony Braxton and Andrew Cyrille, Ellery Eskelin and Han Bennink, or Tobias Delius and Christian Lillinger continuing the dialogue in ever new variation to this day.

The saxophonist Christopher Kunz and the drummer Florian Fischer know these exemplary recordings well. Both of them are highly trained musicians in their late twenties. Both are the leaders of their own bands and have already received prestigious awards. Both feel deeply rooted in the jazz tradition and are looking for ways to break down restrictive boundaries and create their own forms of expression through vital collaborations in the fields of new music, theatre, performance or visual arts. Three years ago they started the innovative duo Die Unwucht, but they are fully aware that the only way to keep it relevant is by introducing new facets, approaches, and perspectives to what is already out there, in short: by giving it their own style.

The name, Die Unwucht (Engl.: imbalance), which may at first glance seem odd, already tells us that the collaboration is not about a pre-produced something that runs smoothly and without glitches and has an aseptic, squeaky-clean feel to it. Rather, it is precisely the frictions, small disturbances, and "imbalances" in a perfectly constructed machine that add zest to their music. In their spontaneous recordings, which are first takes, Christopher Kunz and Florian Fischer do not rely on compositions and standard sequences. They just mike their instruments and start playing, whatever comes to mind and whatever comes their way, a thunderstorm, for example. Sometimes you might even think you can hear it on the CD.

This music created in puristic reduction is difficult to grasp at first, but gradually the beauty becomes more logical. Groove here means a delicate pulse carved with stunning clarity. This purely acoustic music has its centre with events meandering around it, an almost somnambulistic flow that is kept going by an intricately sculpted beat, which is as forceful as it is subtle and unpredictable despite all its logic. The tenor saxophone moves above and within this detailed drumming with an earthy, full, voluminous, completely laconic tone. Sometimes you might think you can hear Stan Getz from afar.

Neither musician has to be dominant to prove that he has something to say. Instead of trying to outdo each other, they develop a compelling, very soulful world of their own. In the history of jazz they are two more rhapsodists continuing the tradition, while changing the context of the stories and thus making them plausible. What is amazing is their calm maturity that does completely without the frills of electronics. Dense and compact but at the same time transparent and delicate the music progresses dramatically in alternating waves. No one wants to dominate the other when two individualists join forces. These recordings strike a different tone than we're used to in a world of constant clicking and zapping. This tone is of an impressive intensity which is always gentle and never bossy.

It may take "a lot of No's before you get a Yes", Christopher Kunz learned from his mentor Steffen Schorn. In this respect, the two musicians also know exactly what they don't want. With self-discipline, integrity and a high level of awareness they create together their acoustic images between undogmatic challenge and unexpected beauty."-Ulrich Steinmetzger (translation: Friederike Kulcsar)


Artist Biographies

"Christopher Kunz (*1992, Karlsruhe) studied jazz saxophone at the Nuremberg University of Music with Prof. Steffen Schorn, Prof. Klaus Graf, Hubert Winter, and Stefan Karl Schmid. In 2015 he founded with Isabel Rößler (b) and Maximilian Breu (dr) the trio Flut, which won the Bruno Rother Competition 2016, toured Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic, and was awarded the Stroboskop Prize of the Nuremberg radio station Radio Z in 2018. The trio Giger with Florian Müller (git) and Jan F. Brill (dr) won the Bruno Rother Competition in 2017.

With the Nuremberg ensemble fraktale Christopher Kunz is the winner of the Hugo Competition and since October 2017 he has been studying with Prof. Johannes Enders and Prof. Michael Wollny in the master's programme at the University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig. He was awarded the Deutschlandstipendium, is a winner of the D-Bü Competition of students of German music academies in 2018 with the Leipzig ensemble Soundtravelers and the Young Talent Jazz Prize of the city of Leipzig in 2020 with Perplexities on Mars."

-ezz-thetics by Hat Hut 3/13/2024

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

"Florian Fischer (*1993, Fürth) studied jazz drums with Prof. Hans Günter Brodmann, Matthias Rosenbauer, and Johannes Nied at the Nuremberg University of Music and since 2019 has been studying at the Berlin University of the Arts with Prof. Heinrich Köbberling.

He has played as a sideman and bandleader in different formations in Germany and abroad, has held workshop for several years and is regularly hired by German theatres. His music spans traditional jazz, theatre music, performance and free jazz. In 2017 he was awarded the Deutschlandstipendium and the Bruno Rother Jazz Prize. He has played concerts with Roger Hanschel, Steffen Schorn, Jürgen Neudert, Bernhard Pichl, Klaus Graf, and Thilo Wolf, among others. He also studied with Ted Poor, Knut Alefjaer, Sullivan Fortner, Oli Steidle, Jean Paul Höchstädter, and Billy Hart."

-ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd. 3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. First Intake 2:56

2. Pflock 6:34

3. Weber 5:25

4. Netting 6:19

5. From Another Time 6:40

6. Pedestrain Mode 7:08

7. Leuchten 5:17

Related Categories of Interest:


Hat Art
Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Saxophone & Drummer / Percussionist Duos
Duo Recordings
Hat Hut Masters Sale

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