The Squid's Ear Magazine


Leipold, Samuel / Jurg Bucher / Luca Lo Bianco: Ostro (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Exploring the trio format of clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre and his groundbreaking drumless trio, clarinetist & saxophonist Jürg Bucher and guitarist Samuel Leipold, both members of the Swiss Jazz Orchestra, joined with double bassist Luca Lo Bianco to perform this set of Leipold compositions, alongside Giuffre's "Afternoon" and "Three Clarinet Pieces I" by Stravinsky.
 

Price: $18.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 2.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Samuel Leipold-guitar

Jurg Bucher-clarinet

Luca Lo Bianco-double bass


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




UPC: 752156104223

Label: ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd
Catalog ID: ezz-thetics 1042
Squidco Product Code: 32829

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2023
Country: Switzerland
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Zoo Studio, in Bern, Switzerland, in March, and November, 2021, by Felix Wolf.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Analysing the consequences of break-time conversations of big bands for jazz history would be a worthwhile field of research. Individualists would meet to discuss projects next to the large ensembles and, ideally, also arrange to meet and try out new things. What if? Why don't we ...? We should ... And so it was with the Swiss Jazz Orchestra where Jürg Bucher plays the saxophone and sometimes the clarinet, and Samuel Leipold is the guitarist. They got talking about the music of the American Jimmy Giuffre, who played a major role in creating the Four Brothers sound with the tenor saxophonists Herbie Steward, Zoot Sims and Stan Getz in Woody Herman's band.

But it was as a clarinetist in a trio without drums where Giuffre wrote music history. The reason he gave for reducing the band to the essentials was that a stomping rhythm would make it impossible to hear the real sound of wind instruments or to concentrate on solo lines. In his trio he created an absolute equality of instruments, weaving together improvisation and composition. With this jazz chamber music, he built bridges between America and Europe, between cool jazz from the West Coast and contemporary European music, between solo and collaborative communication. It is due to Jimmy Giuffre 3's great skill that these new and more intellectual sounds beyond Black Power did not come off as cerebral and academically dry, but were so vital, spontaneous and ingenious that they found their audience. There was a lot going on in the jazz of the sixties, which without the new timbres of this swing-free and so non-ecstatic trio might have been conceivable, but would have been definitely poorer.

Sixty years have passed since then. Samuel Leipold and Jürg Bucher knew that you couldn't simply copy these historical opposites of a frenzied, explosive style of playing. But the idea of a trio consisting of clarinet, bass and guitar took shape, because they happened to find the ideal third member in the Lucerne-based Luca Lo Bianco from Sicily. He has many interests, plays everything from free music to world music to conducted improvisations with his orchestra, and has also worked with Gunther Schuller, among others.

Then, during the Corona months, there was the initiative by Tom Gsteiger and Wolfgang Zwiauer to organise small studio sessions instead of concerts in Bern. This was the initial spark. It soon became clear to the three musicians that they had found the ideal formation for Samuel Leipold's very melodic, sometimes mesmerising song-like compositions, which focus on listening to each other and interacting without resorting to clichéd phrases. What slides easily at first begins to blossom in its language full of details as you listen more closely, a language that isn't obtrusive, but has fine nuances and spontaneous developments instead. Out of the complex harmonic basic material they build a melancholy-grounded transparency that develops into an bewitchingly fragile beauty with ever new twists and turns that lead into realms beyond pure jazz improvisation.

This music thrives on the intuitive understanding of the three musicians, so that the question of what was composed and what was created in the moment soon becomes superfluous. "I don't tell anyone what they have to do, and it's not necessary with these two. We develop together how we want to play the pieces", Samuel Leipold explains. Named Ostro after the wind, this music has nothing to do with ego trips or the competitive one-upmanship of soloists. Here, it is all about the collectively created flow that is always balanced, full of finesse in the given context, and never embellished with spectacular ideas. It is about a lucid statement of emancipation from American role models. What distinguishes the European musicians from the heroes of the genres? What can they add to a history whose roots are elsewhere? Where is the space for experiences gained in their own cultural environment? Does it make sense to merely imitate the music of one's role models, though the Lucerne background is completely different? The answer lies in the question. "I grew up with classical music", Samuel Leipold says, "and with a different concept of music." Tapping into this is the key of achieving plausibility and relevance.

This balanced trio music is a sensual document of the artistic adaption and integration of these elements of one's own roots. The three musicians do not simply hook into the great narratives of jazz. They strive to distil from their experiences elements they deem viable enough to be worth pursuing. Their music is a new kind of chamber music which does not shout out its dissonances, but is calmer in a subtle way and still full of ever different breaks with conventions. Time und rhythm have to be renegotiated over and over again, so that this honesty can emerge from it.

What is new about this new generation of highly trained improvising musicians is that their worlds of experience are much more fragmented. Individual truths grow from an abundance of details. These in turn are in danger of being buried in the general information overload. How do you avoid this with your individual artistic aspiration? Craft can be learned and taught, statements cannot. Therefore it has to be about finding and asserting this "I" in the general chatter. It would be too easy to adopt preconceived opinions. But where is my place?

This CD is an impressive document of such a search for meaning and artistic legitimacy. It doesn't want to add something even louder to the supposedly spectacular. On the contrary: Here, it is about the subtle intimacy and emotionality of human relationships, about breathing as one. It is about being interested in each other beyond ever new superlatives. This is where the unobtrusive authenticity of this music comes from, what makes it special and thoughtful. You can sense that this is not a reproduction of the feelings and experiences of others, but that one's own pleasurable shared groove - with which an omnipresent state of excitement can be dimmed - is meant as seriously as it is carried out in a relaxed and playful way. It is no easy task to achieve a flexible balance between the musicians, to find an honest discourse beyond mere phrases, to discover and rotate around cores without falling into clichés. Here, one talks because one has something to say. Everything is based on the seismographic power of art, which can produce credible and convincing alternatives by reacting intuitively. It is about absolutely personal contributions, which are zoomed in on as if with a magnifying glass in order to let them develop their radiant power."-Ulrich Steinmetzger (translated by Friederike Kulcsar)



This album has been reviewed on our magazine:

The Squid
The Squid's Ear!

Artist Biographies

"Samuel Leipold (1988) grew up in Näfels (Gl) in a musical family. Since his studies at the Lucerne University of Music with Roberto Bossard, Frank Möbus, Nils Wogram and others, Leipold has continuously developed into a differentiated, independent voice of Swiss jazz. In his music, the focus is on dealing with one's own artistic identity and the search for personal expression. Documented on the critically acclaimed solo CD "Viscosity" (QFTF 2021) and his current release "Ostro" (HatHut 2023), Leipold develops "a language full of details that is not obtrusive, but has all the more fine nuances and spontaneous developments." (U. Steinmetzger)

In addition, Leipold is a versatile and active sideman: He is a member of the Swiss Jazz Orchestra, on whose two latest CDs he can be heard, plays freely improvised music with Ruedi Häusermann and Marco Käppeli, among others, is part of Martin Perret's band L'Anderer and deals with the standard repertoire of jazz in regular club concerts."

-Samuel Leipold Website (Translated by Google) (https://www.samuelleipold.com/)
3/13/2024

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

Jürg Bucher Jürg Bucher is a Swiss saxophonist and clarinetist born in 1967. He studied at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern with Andy Scherrer. He has played with such musicians as Daniel Schläppi, Colin Vallon, Dominic Egli and Domenic Landolf. He is known for the groups Andy Scherrer Special Sextet, Marius Bürgisser Quintet, Martin Streule Jazz Orchestra, Oli Kuster Kombo, and Swiss Jazz Orchestra.

-Discogs (https://www.discogs.com/artist/353605-J%C3%BCrg-Bucher)
3/13/2024

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

"Born in Palermo (Sicily, Italy), from always a crossroads of cultures in the heart of the Mediterranean sea, Luca Lo Bianco is an eclectic bassists as well as a composer and bandleader with a personal sound and aesthetic.

He started his journey into music studying electric bass and classic double bass and he graduated with the maximum grade in double bass in 1999 at the State Music Conservatory 'V. Bellini' of Palermo. Later he obtained the Master degree in Jazz Music Magna Cum Laude with a thesis entitled 'Musical syncretism in contemporary Jazz'.

Luca's strong rhythmic approach and the lyricism combined with a personal sound define his playing and writing. His constant search for sounds in which dance, unpredictability, risk and curiosity coexist is deeply linked with his musical and human experiences.

The music he plays speaks many languages ​​and goes beyond genre boundaries. These concepts are well represented in some of the bands he founded or collaborated with such as Orchestra In-stabile DIS/accordo [O.I.D.], ranked second in the category Best Italian Orchestra in the 'JazzIT Award', the string quartet String Sharper, the contemporary jazz trio WON 3, the world music quintet Tammorra, the avant-garde surf trio Italian Surf Academy, or the music of the label he founded, Fitzcarraldo Records.

In these years Luca has been established himself as an educator, teaching bass in various State Music Conservatory in Italy (Palermo, Messina, Pesaro), as well as a performer playingin numerous festivals and clubs all over the world (Japan, China, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Portugal, USA, Malaysia, Spain, Holland, France, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, Turkey).

He recorded more than 40 CDs playing in studio and live, with Bill Russo, Gunther Schuller, Mauro Pagani, Gregory Hutchinson, Paul Jeffrey, Adam Rudolph, Ferenc Nemeth, Jimmy Weinstein, Salvatore Bonafede, Fabrizio Bosso, Ettore Fioravanti, Dusko Gojkovich, Javier Girotto, Amy Denio, Alfio Antico, Stefano D'Anna, Riccardo Fassi, Michael Rosen and many more."

-Luca Lo Bianco Website (https://www.lucalobianco.net/bio)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Zoncolan 05:30

2. Harmonium 06:08

3. Brandluft 05:41

4. Afternoon 03:50

5. Thanatos 06:57

6. Ondulation 04:31

7. Soma 03:44

8. Another Try 02:44

9. Three Clarinet Pieces I 02:21

Related Categories of Interest:

Hat Art

Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Chamber Jazz
Melodic and Lyrical Jazz
Trio Recordings
New in Improvised Music
Recent Releases and Best Sellers
Hat Hut Masters Sale

Search for other titles on the label:
ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Other Recommended Releases:
Koglmann, Franz
Near Blue - A Taste of Melancholy
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Presented in two versions--a stereo mix and a binaural mix for headphones--flugelhorn improviser and composer Franz Koglmann leads his septet of exceptional players through 10 original Koglmann compositions, sophisticated works that show influences from Ellington to Franz Joseph Haydn or Johann Strauss, in pieces influenced by or tipping the hat to modern artists, musicians and writers.
von Orelli, Marco / Sheldon Suter
Draw From The Source
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
A series of extraordinary sound painting from the Swiss duo of trumpeter Marco von Orelli and percussionist Sheldon Suter, von Orelli also performing on cornet, prepared slidetrumpet & little bells while Suter works with drums, cymbals, prepared zithers, gong & singing bowls, creating detailed aural environments that evoke bewitching twilight spaces.
Lucaciu, Simon Trio
STRG + X
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Referencing their influences as Punkt.Vrt.Plastik or the Kris Davis Trio, the uniquely voiced young piano trio of Simon Lucaciu on piano, Florian Muller on double bass and Lukas Heckers on drums formed in 2016 to compose and perform original work, inspired by Christopher Dell's possibilities of differentiation and unusual forms, receiving the Central German Jazz Prize in 2022.
Eichenberger, Markus / Christoph Gallio
Unison Polyphony
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
A seeming contradiction in terms, the unison voices and divergent polyphony that emerges best describes the subtle interactions between these two Swiss reed players--Markus Eichenberger on clarinet and Christoph Gallio (Day & Taxi) on soprano and C-Melody saxophones--their "harmony of coherence" strategies guiding their melodic interlacing and fragmentation.
Houle, Francois / Marco von Orelli
Make That Flight
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Canadian improvising clarinetist François Houle and Swiss trumpeter Marco von Orelli are heard live at the Bird's Eye Jazz Club, in Basel, Switzerland, 2020 for eleven dialogs reminiscent of the work of John Carter and Bobby Bradford, though uniquely in their own modern language of chamber-oriented jazz through original compositions from both artists.
Fraser, Nick Quartet
If There Were No Opposites
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
First recording in 2012 as a trio with saxophonist Tony Malaby as a guest, 9 years later Toronto drummer Nick Fraser's quartet with Malaby as a permanent member, Rob Clutton on double bass and Andrew Downing on cello show their long collaboration's strength in a set of improvisations plus compositions for Decidedly Jazz Danceworks and the DJD production, Juliet & Romeo.
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.
Koch, Hans / Paul Lovens
Nephlokokkygia 1992
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
1992 live performances demonstrating masterful freedom in improvisation, recorded while on their first tour as a duo after working together in larger ensembles, from Hans Koch on clarinet, bass clarinet and tenor & soprano saxophones, and Paul Lovens on drums, cymbals, gongs & musical saw, in four live improvisations from Bulgaria presented in the order recorded.
Schmid, Silvan
Augmented Space
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Swiss trumpeter Silvan Schmid (Silvan Schmid Quintett, London Improvisers Orchestra, Floor Poodle, &c) in a solo album of remarkable technique, pacing and intention, using traditional brass elements like rips, smears, half-valved notes and portamento, along with murmurs, pops & percussive evocations of indescribable origination, at times augmented via amplification.
Kaplan, Noah Quartet
Out Of The Hole
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
West Coast composer and saxophonist Noah Kaplan, associated with Anthony Coleman, David Tronzo, Peter Erskine, Rinde Eckert, Joe Morris, Mat Maneri, Joe Maneri, &c., here in his 3rd album with his Noah Kaplan Quartet, in a set of original compositions and one standard performed with Joe Morris (guitar), Giacomo Merega (electric bass) & Jason Nazary (drums, electronics).
Kimmig-Studer-Zimmerlin and George Lewis
S/T
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The innovative string trio of Daniel Studer on double bass, Harald Kimmig on violin, and Alfred Zimmerlin on cello, develop focused environments of timbre, texture, dynamic and space, seemingly abstract yet incredibly concentrative and virtuosic interaction, here joined by Chicago trombonist and electronics artist George Lewis adding a 4th profound layer to their incredible conversation.
Shipp, Matthew
Invisible Light, Live Sao Paulo
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Captured live at the 2016 Jazz at the Factory Festival in Sao Paulo, this addition to New York pianist Matthew Shipp's catalog finds the masterful player presenting his own compositions like "Symbol Systems", "Gamma Ray" or "Invisible" light alongside unique takes on "Angel Eyes", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Yesterdays" and "Summertime".
Studer, Daniel (w/ Kimmig / Loriot / Zimmerlin / Zoubek)
Extended: For Strings & Piano
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
A live album at Kunstraum Walcheturm from Swiss double bassist Daniel Studer's quintet of strings and piano, with Harald Kimmig on violin, Frantz Loriot on viola, Alfred Zimmerlin on violoncello, and Philip Zoubek on piano, performing an inventive set of Studer compositions extending string improvisation to extremes through unorthodox structures and techniques.
Koglmann, Franz Septet (w / Clark / Arcari / D'Agaro / Turkovic / Pasztor / Herbert)
Fruits Of Solitude
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
With a superb septet of improvisers also versed in contemporary music, trumpeter Franz Koglmann presents sophisticated compositions that interject the concept of "solitude" in the three-part title track, alongside Koglmann compositions and Jimmy Giuffre's "Finger Snapper", using striking orchestration of trumpet, sax, clarinet, bassoon, oboe, french horn, cello and double bass.
Kleeb, Hildegard / Roland Dahinden / Alexandre Babel
Lines
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The long-running duo since 1987 of spouses, pianist Hildegard Kleeb and trombonist Roland Dahinden, are joined by Swiss-born/ Berlin-based percussionist & vibraphonist Alexandre Babel for an album of interweaving and contrasting instrumental lines, blurring the boundaries between contemporary music and improvisation through exceptional mastery and dialog.
Hendriksen, Alex / Fabian Gisler
The Song Is You
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Drawing on material from Billy Strayhorn, Thelonious Monk, Michel Legrand, Harry Warren, and Victor Young, the lyrical duo of saxophonist Alex Hendriksen (Swiss Jazz Orchestra) and double bassist Fabian Gisler (Jurg Wickihalder European Quartet) cite the art form of storytelling as central to their music as they reflect thoughtfully on the American Songbook.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Rothenberg, Ned (w / Courvoisier / Halvorson / Fujiwara)
Crossings Four
(Clean Feed)
Crossing styles, generations and approaches to improvisations, multi-reedist and composer Ned Rothenberg's quartet of Rothenberg on clarinets & alto sax, Sylvie Courvoisier on piano, Mary Halvorson on guitar & effects and Tomas Fujiwara on drums perform five Rothenberg compositions and one by Rothenberg & Courvoisier, of spectacular timbral, rhythmic and melodic intersections.
Charbin / Prevost
The Cry of a Dove Announcing Rain (Two Afternoon Concerts at Cafe OTO)
(Matchless)
Two unfolding, extended sets from a 2022 concert at Cafe OTO by AMM legendary percussionist Eddie Prévost and French pianist based in London, Marjolain Charbin, the pianist playing inside and out her of instrument augmented by objects, Prévost creating sonic environments through cymbal bowing and scraping, as the duo evolve into high motion and withdraw into suspenseful beauty.
Butcher / Prevost
High Laver Levitations Vol 1: Unearthed
(Matchless)
Long-time collaborators and iconoclastic improvisers, drummer Eddie Prévost and saxophonist John Butcher, met at All Hallows Church, in High Laver, Essex in 2023, using the natural ambience of the space to capture these three improvisations, Prévost playing primarily on a drum kit and both in a more jazz-oriented sax and drum duo, extended by both players' exceptional technique.
Stoffner, Florian / John Butcher / Chris Corsano
Braids
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
With incredible skill and nuance, using extended and stunning technique, and through intent listening of nearly telepathic communication, the trio of Florian Stoffner on guitar, John Butcher on tenor & soprano saxophones and Chris Corsano on drums & half clarinet, perform seven subtle and detailed improvisations live at Le Singe, in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland in 2022.
Melford's, Myra Fire And Water Quintet
Hear The Light Singing
(RogueArt)
Drawing inspiration from the same set of Cy Twombly drawings as her previous release, For The Love Of Fire And Water, and with nearly the same ensemble — Myra Melford on piano, Mary Halvorson on guitar, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor saxophones, Tomeka Reid on cello and here Lesley Mok on drums — Melford presents five brightly original and sophisticated compositions.
Lytton, Paul / Erhard Hirt
Borne on a Whim: Duets, 1981
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
The first release from Corbett vs. Dempsey drawing on the Paul Lytton Archives, this recording of electronic & acoustic improvisation from UK percussionist Paul Lytton and German guitarist Erhard Hirt was recorded in Belgium in 1981 for the German Po Torch label, founded in 1976 by Paul Lovens & Paul Lytton to release forward-looking forms of free improvisation.
Ackerley / Uesaka / Hinton
Petting Zoo
(Waveform Alphabet)
The NY trio of Jessica Ackerley (SSWAN) on electric guitar, Yuma Uesaka on saxophone & reeds and Colin Hinton on drums & percussion, associated with improvisers including Tyshawn Sorey, Patrick Shiroshi, Ingrid Laubrock, &c., in a collective trio of exceptionally attuned and implicitly melodic dialog promoting energetic interplay balanced with periods of explorative reflection.
CALATO / John Cage
Variations + Four6
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Calato, the quartet of Javier Areal Vélez, Jorge Espinal, Agustín Genoud and Pablo Verón based in Buenos Aires, formed in 2010 as an improvisation and experimental composition group exploring music notation and graphic scores in convergence with free improvisation, performing on prepared electric guitars, drums, sampler and amplified voice, here taking on two works by John Cage: Variations I-III, and Four6.
Dixon, Bill w/ Archie Shepp, 7-Tette and Orchestra
Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Reissuing three essential album from trumpeter Bill Dixon's work in the 60's, first his 1962 album with saxophonist Archie Shepp in configurations of trio & quartet; then Dixon's septet album from 1964 in two compositions; and his orchestra album from 1967, showing the evolution of the trumpeter's work, approach to soloing, and his unique sense of orchestration.
Kimura, Izumi / Gerry Hemingway
Kairos
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
After their trio album Illuminated Silence with bassist Barry Guy, Japanese-born, Irish-based pianist Izumi Kimura and US drummer/percussionist Gerry Hemingway living in Switzerland distill their improvisations into these deeply personal, highly concentrative and masterful dialogs, in five spontaneous compositions, one work from each performer, and a traditional work.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC