Following an exploration of the double bass in his 2018 Confront release Basse Seul, Swiss-French composer and saxophonist Bertrand Denzler again jumps into the deep end again with a quartet of accomplished double basssists--Sebastien Beliah, Jon Heilbron, Mike Majkowski, Derek Shirley--for two extended works of encompassing low-register tones.
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Sample The Album:
Bertrand Denzler-composer
Sebastien Beliah-double bass
Jon Heilbron-double bass
Mike Majkowski-double bass
Derek Shirley-double bass
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Label: Confront
Catalog ID: core 29
Squidco Product Code: 33008
Format: CDR
Condition: New
Released: 2023
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardboard Sleeve in Plastic Sleeve
Recorded at Ausland, in Berlin, Germany, on March 24th, 2022, by Sebastien Beliah.
"Low Strings is the composition of Swiss-French composer-sax player Bertrand Denzler for a double bass quartet featuring French Sebastien Beliah, Australian Jon Heilbron and Mike Majkowski and Canadian Derek Shirley, recorded at Ausland in Berlin in Marc 2022. Denzler already explored the sonic range of the double bass in Basse Seule (confront, 2020), a series of etudes and pieces composed for French double bass player Felicie Bazelaire. Both compositions for the double basses are from 2016.
Low Strings offers two versions of this composition, number 4 and 3, and both are, obviously, dark and deep-toned drones focusing on a sense of almost statis, created by a patient and methodical sustained bowing of the double bass strings that in its turn creates harmonic dynamics. The minimalist and subtle variations of this composition, with their profound investigation of the dark and often dissonant timbral palettes, only intensify the hypnotic impact of the double basses' encompassing waves of slow resonating vibrations and suggests a sense of being out of time and lost - willingly - within the vibrations of the low strings."-Eyal Hareuveni, The Free Jazz Collective
Get additional information at The Free Jazz Collective
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Bertrand Denzler ^ Hide Bio for Bertrand Denzler • Show Bio for Sebastien Beliah "Sébastien Beliah is a Paris-based double bass player and composer. His work is mainly focused on improvisation and oral composition (R.mutt), relationship between composed music and improvisation (Ensemble Hodos), and jazz (Umlaut big band, The Coquettes, Un poco loco). As a double bass player, Sébastien Beliah has performed solo pieces from Hans-Joachim Hespos, James Tenney or Kenneth Gaburo among others. He is also doing improvised solo performance. As a composer, his pieces has been performed by musicians like Félicie Bazelaire, Pierre Borel, Hannes Lingens or the large ensemble ONCEIM. Sébastien Beliah is also deeply involved in the field of education, and teach double bass, jazz and improvisation at the Conservatoire de Reims." ^ Hide Bio for Sebastien Beliah • Show Bio for Jon Heilbron "Jon Heilbron is an Australian Double Bass player, improviser and composer, working within the areas of contemporary classical, improvised and experimental music. Jon has performed both as a soloist and with various groups in Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Denmark, Israel, Russia, Norway, Austria and Singapore. As an interpreter of contemporary music, he has performed with Klangforum Wien (Austria), Apartment House (UK), Kammerensemble Neue Musik (Germany), An Assembly (UK), Ensemble Soundinitiative (France) Konzert Minimal (Germany) and Ensemble Schallfeld (Austria). He has presented music at festivals including the Darmstädter Ferienkürse (Germany), Archipel Geneva (Switzerland), Wien Modern (Austria), Manifeste Paris (France), the Impuls festival, Graz (Austria), The Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music (Australia), SpinaFest in St. Petersburg (Russia) and the Multiversal Festival in Copenhagen (Denmark). He is active within improvised and experimental music with his collaborative groups Ellipsis, Arches, DRUM and doubleFRAU, and is the founder of the Phonetic Orchestra, an ensemble made up of some of Melbourne's most innovative emerging Improvisers, composers and performers." ^ Hide Bio for Jon Heilbron • Show Bio for Mike Majkowski "Mike Majkowski is a double bassist / composer born in Sydney, Australia. Currently based in Berlin. Active in the fields of improvised, composed and exploratory music. Performs as a soloist + with a number of collaborative projects (some of which are featured in this site) mike is currently exploring the spectral qualities of double bass resonance, examining deliberate frequencies and circumstantial resonance. His music also explores the relationship between physicality and sonority, with the aim of creating a sense of stillness." ^ Hide Bio for Mike Majkowski • Show Bio for Derek Shirley "Derek Shirley, multi-instrumentalist (Kontrabass, cello, drums, electronics) based in Berlin. Active in the improvised/experimental music scene, focusing on low frequency minimalism in both improvised and composed realms. Performs actively with such groups as Monno, Vladislav Delay Quartet, HotelgŠste, MEK, obliq, coal oven, ruby3 and unununium. And in various collaborations with such musicians as: Sven Ake Johansson, Chris Abrahams, Steve Heather, Anat Cohavi, Tobias Delius, Antoine Chessex, Lucio Capece, Mika Vanio, Michael Thieke, Robin Hayward, Justin Haynes, Dave Bennett, Allesandro Bossetti, Tony Buck." ^ Hide Bio for Derek Shirley
5/1/2024
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5/1/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
5/1/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
5/1/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
5/1/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
Track Listing:
1. Low Strings 4 19:58
2. Low Strings 3 19:57
Compositional Forms
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Stringed Instruments
Quartet Recordings
New in Compositional Music
Search for other titles on the label:
Confront.
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