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Dark With Excessive Bright

Klaus Koenig Seven Things

Dark With Excessive Bright

Price: € 19.95
Format: CD
Label: TCB The Montreux Jazz Label
UPC: 0725095376020
Catnr: TCB 37602
Release date: 12 May 2023
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Label
TCB The Montreux Jazz Label
UPC
0725095376020
Catalogue number
TCB 37602
Release date
12 May 2023

"... The latest quintet production testifies to the wealth of experience of the leader and composer, who stands firmly in the jazz tradition, but always makes it sound new and refreshing..."

Jazz'n More, 01-7-2023
Album
Artist(s)
Composer(s)
Press
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About the album

When the foundation „Pro Helvetia“ sent our group Magog to the Ljubljana Festival as the Swiss representative in 1975, we had the pleasure of meeting Art Blakey and His Jazz Messengers there, as well as pianist Cecil Taylor. One can hardly imagine anything more dissimilar than the playing styles of these two jazz greats. On one hand perhaps the leading representative of hard bop at the time, and on the other, probably the most important protagonist of free jazz, if not to say its originator. But these two artists had one thing in common: the structure of their groups.Both included two wind instruments and a trio of piano, bass and drums. Apparently, the two-wind quintet is insensitive to stylistic differences, being robust enough to convey very different musical content. No wonder then that even today, decades after our little excursion, this formation continues to exist as strong as ever – it has become “classic”.
Als die Stiftung "Pro Helvetia" 1975 unsere Gruppe Magog als Schweizer Vertreter an das Festival von Ljubljana schickte, hatten wir das Vergnügen, dort Art Blakey and His Jazz Messengers sowie den Pianisten Cecil Taylor zu treffen. Man kann sich kaum etwas Unterschiedlicheres vorstellen als die Spielweisen dieser beiden Jazzgrössen. Auf der einen Seite der damals vielleicht führende Vertreter des Hard Bop, auf der anderen Seite der wohl wichtigste Protagonist des Free Jazz, um nicht zu sagen dessen Urheber. Eines hatten die beiden Künstler jedoch gemeinsam: die Struktur ihrer Gruppen, die aus zwei Bläsern und einem Trio aus Klavier, Bass und Schlagzeug bestand. Offenbar ist das Zweibläserquintett unempfindlich gegenüber stilistischen Unterschieden und robust genug, um sehr unterschiedliche musikalische Inhalte zu vermitteln. Kein Wunder also, dass diese Formation auch heute noch, Jahrzehnte nach unserem kleinen Ausflug, so stark ist wie eh und je - sie ist "klassisch" geworden.


Artist(s)

Klaus Koenig (piano)

KLAUS KOENIG, p, composition, studied at the Acoustic Institute of the University of Music in Detmold, which he left in 1962 with a degree in sound engineering (with a distinction). He worked as a recording manager for the Swiss radio station SFR in Zurich until 1997. Alongside this he developed several hundred shows for the jazz department. In 1964 the radio station made him responsible for accompanying guest soloist in the radio concert series 'Jazz Live'. His 'Jazz Live Trio', the most important players in which included Isla Eckinger, Peter Frei as a bassist, Peter Schmidlin and Pierre Favre as drummers - could be heard in more than 100 live broadcasts with soloists from around the world until 1982. The...
more
KLAUS KOENIG, p, composition, studied at the Acoustic Institute of the University of Music in Detmold, which he left in 1962 with a degree in sound engineering (with a distinction). He worked as a recording manager for the Swiss radio station SFR in Zurich until 1997. Alongside this he developed several hundred shows for the jazz department. In 1964 the radio station made him responsible for accompanying guest soloist in the radio concert series "Jazz Live". His "Jazz Live Trio", the most important players in which included Isla Eckinger, Peter Frei as a bassist, Peter Schmidlin and Pierre Favre as drummers - could be heard in more than 100 live broadcasts with soloists from around the world until 1982. The performers included many top American and European musicians such as Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Benny Bailey, Phil Woods, Cliff Jordan, Kenny Wheeler and Albert Mangelsdorff. A 13-CD series by TCB documents this series of concerts. Longer-term links were established with Johnny Griffin, Lee Konitz, Sal Nistico, Franco Ambrosetti, Gianni Basso, Roman Schwaller and others. The group "Magog", made up of Hans Kennel, Andy Scherrer, Paul Haag and the Jazz Live Trio, was formed on his initiative in 1973 and enjoyed a great degree of international success. The collaboration with the actor and reciter Gert Westphal in a "jazz and lyrics" programme spanned several decades. A "classics and jazz" programme developed over several years with the classical pianist Annette Weisbrod. Participation in around 25 commercial recordings. Work on musical theory (on the tempering of keyboard instruments in old music) and musical education (piano voicing). In 1998 he had to stop his musical activity due to an illness in both of his hands. After many years of therapy, the 2012/2013 season with the old/new "Jazz Live Trio" and the 2013/2014 season with the "Seven Things" quintet with Dani Schenker, Christoph Merki and the trio meant a return to the music scene.

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Patrick Sommer (bass)

PATRICK SOMMER, b, composition, born in 1976. Patrick studied contrabass and electric bass at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern and in Los Angeles. He lives in Zurich and works as a freelance musician. A solid feeling for timings, a broad stylistic and instrumental range, an unswerving taste and his ability to adapt make him one of the most in-demand bassists on the Swiss music scene. He holds regular concerts both in Switzerland and abroad and is involved in theatre and dance projects as a musician and composer. Selected discography: Tony Renold Quartet: Places (Unit Records 2011); Pius Baschnagel's Latin World: Son Song (Altrisuoni 2011); Martin Lechner: Gentlemen Are Hard To Find (BHM 2011); Bucher Sommer Friedli & Aeby: Expanding (Dryrecords...
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PATRICK SOMMER, b, composition, born in 1976. Patrick studied contrabass and electric bass at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern and in Los Angeles. He lives in Zurich and works as a freelance musician. A solid feeling for timings, a broad stylistic and instrumental range, an unswerving taste and his ability to adapt make him one of the most in-demand bassists on the Swiss music scene. He holds regular concerts both in Switzerland and abroad and is involved in theatre and dance projects as a musician and composer.
Selected discography: Tony Renold Quartet: Places (Unit Records 2011); Pius Baschnagel's Latin World: Son Song (Altrisuoni 2011); Martin Lechner: Gentlemen Are Hard To Find (BHM 2011); Bucher Sommer Friedli & Aeby: Expanding (Dryrecords 2011); Bucher 5: Here And There (Unit Records 2010); Limber Lumber - Rösli Sommer Sartorius: Diapassion (Unit Records 2010); Tim Kleinert Trio: Free Passage To Now (Covariance 2010); Peter Zihlmann & TOW Orchestra: Tales Of The Old World (Unit Records 2010); Roli Frei & The Soulful Desert: Strong (Sound Service 2010); Adrian Frey Trio: No Flags (Unit Records 2010); Julian Amacker Universe: A Tea And Me (FF Records 2009); Marianne Racine Quartet: Jazz (2009); Patrick Sommer: Speechless (Rock Archive 2009); Bucher Sommer Friedli: Farb (Dryrerecords 2008); The Moondog Show: Marfa (Fazerecords 2007); Tony Renold Quartet: Timeless Flow (Universal Records 2005); Lisette Spinnler Quartet: in Between (TCB Records 2004). He has been playing for the Jazz Live Trio since 2012.
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Andi Wettstein (drums)

ANDI WETTSTEIN, dr, born in 1978. Studied the drums at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles and at the Zurich University of the Arts. His active involvement in concerts has brought him together with, among many others, Franco Ambrosetti, Peter Madsen, Theo Kapiladis, Adrian Frey and Tobias Preisig. In addition to his artistic work, he also teaches at the Staufen School of Music. Future projects: The Murder Of Amus Ames, Mistura, Markus Bischof Trio, Ray Bourbon, Kabel, Jazz Live Trio. 
more
ANDI WETTSTEIN, dr, born in 1978. Studied the drums at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles and at the Zurich University of the Arts.
His active involvement in concerts has brought him together with, among many others, Franco Ambrosetti, Peter Madsen, Theo Kapiladis, Adrian Frey and Tobias Preisig.
In addition to his artistic work, he also teaches at the Staufen School of Music.
Future projects: The Murder Of Amus Ames, Mistura, Markus Bischof Trio, Ray Bourbon, Kabel, Jazz Live Trio.
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Christoph Merki (alto saxophone)

Daniel Schenker (trumpet)

Composer(s)

Klaus Koenig (piano)

KLAUS KOENIG, p, composition, studied at the Acoustic Institute of the University of Music in Detmold, which he left in 1962 with a degree in sound engineering (with a distinction). He worked as a recording manager for the Swiss radio station SFR in Zurich until 1997. Alongside this he developed several hundred shows for the jazz department. In 1964 the radio station made him responsible for accompanying guest soloist in the radio concert series 'Jazz Live'. His 'Jazz Live Trio', the most important players in which included Isla Eckinger, Peter Frei as a bassist, Peter Schmidlin and Pierre Favre as drummers - could be heard in more than 100 live broadcasts with soloists from around the world until 1982. The...
more
KLAUS KOENIG, p, composition, studied at the Acoustic Institute of the University of Music in Detmold, which he left in 1962 with a degree in sound engineering (with a distinction). He worked as a recording manager for the Swiss radio station SFR in Zurich until 1997. Alongside this he developed several hundred shows for the jazz department. In 1964 the radio station made him responsible for accompanying guest soloist in the radio concert series "Jazz Live". His "Jazz Live Trio", the most important players in which included Isla Eckinger, Peter Frei as a bassist, Peter Schmidlin and Pierre Favre as drummers - could be heard in more than 100 live broadcasts with soloists from around the world until 1982. The performers included many top American and European musicians such as Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Benny Bailey, Phil Woods, Cliff Jordan, Kenny Wheeler and Albert Mangelsdorff. A 13-CD series by TCB documents this series of concerts. Longer-term links were established with Johnny Griffin, Lee Konitz, Sal Nistico, Franco Ambrosetti, Gianni Basso, Roman Schwaller and others. The group "Magog", made up of Hans Kennel, Andy Scherrer, Paul Haag and the Jazz Live Trio, was formed on his initiative in 1973 and enjoyed a great degree of international success. The collaboration with the actor and reciter Gert Westphal in a "jazz and lyrics" programme spanned several decades. A "classics and jazz" programme developed over several years with the classical pianist Annette Weisbrod. Participation in around 25 commercial recordings. Work on musical theory (on the tempering of keyboard instruments in old music) and musical education (piano voicing). In 1998 he had to stop his musical activity due to an illness in both of his hands. After many years of therapy, the 2012/2013 season with the old/new "Jazz Live Trio" and the 2013/2014 season with the "Seven Things" quintet with Dani Schenker, Christoph Merki and the trio meant a return to the music scene.

less

Press

... The latest quintet production testifies to the wealth of experience of the leader and composer, who stands firmly in the jazz tradition, but always makes it sound new and refreshing...
Jazz'n More, 01-7-2023

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