The Squid's Ear Magazine


Levin, Daniel / Mat Maneri: Transcendent Function (Clean Feed)

Two string masters--Mat Maneri on viola and Daniel Levin on cello--recording at The Village in Copenhagen, Denmark in an album titled for psychologist and philosopher Carl Jung, reflecting the balance between intuitive spontaneity and pre-established conditions.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Mat Maneri-viola

Daniel Levin-cello


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UPC: 5609063003512

Label: Clean Feed
Catalog ID: CF351
Squidco Product Code: 21378

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2015
Country: Portugal
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at The Village, Copenhagen, Denmark, on February 21st, 2015 by Thomas Vang.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"By adopting psychologist and philosopher Carl Jung's phrase for the title of their first duo recording, Daniel Levin and Mat Maneri hav acknowledged the necessity of a balance between intuitive spontaneity (the unconscious) and pre-established conditions (the conscious) i their improvisatory format. Both of them have proven to be probing, provocative improvisers in a wide range of settings in the past, but this collaboration offers special qualities unique to the circumstances at hand.

The exposed nature of the strings colors the music - congested notes bristle or blur, bow pressure growls or sighs, and microtones ad bittersweet tonalities. Often their improvisations expand and contract; interwoven melodic contours blend together until one disentangles fro the other with small explosions of pizzicato or aggressive double-stops. Episodes of close-knit counterpoint allow the viola and cello to bounc off one another, jostle, and re-align contrasting details with lightning-quick responses. Two explicit points of view become a third, creative entity."-Art Lange, liner notes


Artist Biographies

"Mat Maneri was born in 1969, and started studying violin at age five. He studied privately with Julliard String Quartet founder Robert Koff, and with bass virutuoso Miroslav Vitous. Mat received a full scholarship as the principal violinist at Walnut Hill High School, but left school to pursue a professional career in music. By 1990, Mat founded the critically acclaimed Joe Maneri Quartet with Randy Peterson. Mat started releasing records as a leader in 1996, and has developed four working ensembles. Pianists Paul Bley, Cecil Taylor, Matthew Shipp, and Borah Bergman have called upon Matt to perform with them in such venues as the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Library of Congress, and concert stages across Europe. Mat also enjoys a strong relationship with bassists Ed Schuller, Mark Dresser, William Parker, Michael Formanek, Barre Phillips, and John Lockwood. Never to be boxed in, Mat has also worked with Joe Morris, John Medeski, Tim Berne, Cecil McBee, T.K. Ramakrishnan, Franz Kogelman, Roy Campbell, Spring Heel Jack, Draze Hoops, and appears on an Illy B Eats remix CD. Mat presently teaches privately and through the New School / NYC, and performs and records worldwide."

-Aum Fidelity (http://www.aumfidelity.com/maneri.html)
3/13/2024

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

"Daniel Levin is "one of the outstanding cellists working in the vanguard arena" (All About Jazz), "ridiculously fluent, virtually overflowing with ideas" (New York City Jazz Record) and "very much the man to watch." (Penguin Guide to Jazz). No matter what setting he plays in, cellist Daniel Levin occupies a musical space bordered by many kinds of music, but fully defined by none of them.

"Demonstrating an impressive breadth of texture and contrast, the cellist Daniel Levin comes well prepared for a career in jazz's contemporary avant-garde." (Nate Chinen, The New York Times).

Elements of European classical music, American jazz, microtonal and new music, and European free improvisation all figure prominently in his unique sound. As critic John Sharpe observes in The New York City Jazz Record, "he invokes all manner of musics with prodigious skill: jazz, classical, improv, noise, vocal chorus. His technique is unquestioned and he revels in the physicality of the instrument. Those with an adventurous streak or interest in the outer reaches of the cello universe will find much to savor."

Born in Burlington, Vermont, he began playing the cello at the age of six. In 2001, he graduated with a degree in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory of Music, and arrived on New York City jazz scene shortly therafter. Since then, Daniel has developed his own unique voice as a cellist, improviser, and composer. Ed Hazell noted upon release of Levin's first record as a leader, "Cellist Daniel Levin is a major new voice on his instrument and in improvised music." He has performed and/or recorded with Billy Bang, Borah Bergman, Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Gerald Cleaver, Andrew Cyrille, Mark Dresser, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Tony Malaby, Mat Maneri, Joe Morris, William Parker, Ivo Perelman, Warren Smith, Ken Vandermark, and many others. Daniel is the recipient of a 2010 Jerome Foundation award."

-Daniel Levin Website (http://daniel-levin.com/about)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Contemporary Improvisation 15:06

2. Soul 6:59

3. Flight 4:03

4. Coelacanth 8:34

5. Rhizome 7:28

6. Sad Song 6:05

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Stringed Instruments
Duo Recordings
Clean Feed

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