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Vardah

Lukas Mantel Sextet

Vardah

Price: € 14.95
Format: CD
Label: Double Moon Records
UPC: 0608917136227
Catnr: DMCHR 71362
Release date: 04 October 2019
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Label
Double Moon Records
UPC
0608917136227
Catalogue number
DMCHR 71362
Release date
04 October 2019

"This is one bomb of energy, beautifully channeled and designed in 8 compositions by the ever-propelling drummer. Beautiful, high-quality and compelling."

JazzMo', 28-2-2020
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Artist(s)
Composer(s)
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About the album

What does music sound like inspired by a destructive cyclone that generates waves up to seven meters high, swirls trees like matches through the air, and makes thousands of people homeless? In December 2016, the monster had the Urdu name “Vardah”, although the translation “Rose” bears almost absurd, graceful and aesthetic features. Lukas Mantel 's experienced it in Chennai on his own, was fascinated and shocked at the same time. Now he has bundled his impressions in an album, the force of which always remains wild and unpredictable, although more controlled and not as unrestrained as a tropical cyclone hits you.

“Above all, I wanted to transfer the social dynamics that prevailed in the city after the destruction by 'Vardah` in a compositional form to the band and its type of interaction and interpretation,” the Swiss drummer described the motives for his new work. It is a question for him of moving forms, unforeseeable processes, changing group formations as well as rapid interaction and cooperation of the individual musicians as a prerequisite for the further development of a piece. “The theme of the absorption and transformation of culture is essential for me to renew music, jazz, society and culture,” Mantel explained. “This upheaval is very nicely represented by the relationship to the rose in the word Vardah.”

In addition, the 37-year-old band leader living in Zurich gathered a hand-picked ensemble with proven virtuosos. Tenor saxophonist/clarinetist Rafael Schilt, trumpeter Matthias Spillmann, guitarist Travis Reuter, Max Petersen on the Fender Rhodes and bassist Lukas Traxel all put themselves at the service of Mantel's compositions, in that on the one hand they revitalize the music and on the other hand they always keep the big picture in sight in solos and improvisations. “All six are incessant researchers and developers of their personal, individual language. There is strong complicity within the group,” the primus inter pares praised. “We want to take the individual musicians along with their strengths and weaknesses in this development. The goal is a common pursuit of authenticity and truth of the moment.”

In alternating, small and larger instrument groups, the Lukas Mantle Sextet consequently creates a harmonic-melodic fabric similar to a climbing plant that can develop organically. The music spans a wide range between rhythmic complexity and seemingly folkloric melodies. Mantel refers to the composed passages in the eight pieces from his pen as “very flexible”. Sometimes he writes down very accurately how something should be played. “But when and who actually plays it and how, I leave that to a collective decision.” Written-down notes serve as a common thread for him, at the end of which the macrostructure of the project lies.

Lukas Mantel has not proven for the first time that a drummer can handle the intricate production work from the drums on this breathtaking soundtrack about the destructive force of a cyclone. No, he's not at all a helmsman. Only an equal member within a highly creative sextet, in which the ideas float in abundance through the room. Whether in “Chorizo Logic”, “Leakin”, “Schleichtiere”, “The Spanish Moment” or the title song, rooms open up in each of the colorful Mantel pieces: pulse room, sound room/Texture, and tonal room. Since the start and end point for the six have long been clear, it is only a question of the way. That is the real goal.

The uniqueness of “Vardah” lies in its archaic freedom and development of a complex structure. That is the reason why this cyclone music leaves a lasting impression and deeply affects you.
Wie klingt eigentlich Musik, die von einem zerstörerischen Zyklon inspiriert wird, der bis zu sieben Meter hohe Wellen erzeugt, Bäume wie Streichhölzer durch die Luft wirbelt und Tausende von Menschen obdachlos werden lässt? Im Dezember 2016 hatte das Monster den Urdu-Namen „Vardah“, wobei die Übersetzung „Rose“ fast absurde, anmutig-ästhetische Züge trägt. Lukas Mantel erlebte es in Chennai am eigenen Leib, war fasziniert und schockiert zugleich. Nun bündelt er seine Eindrücke in einem Album, dessen Wucht zwar kontrollierter und nicht so ungebremst wie ein tropischer Wirbelsturm auf einen herniedergeht, aber allemal wild und unberechenbar bleibt.

„Ich wollte vor allem die soziale Dynamik, welche in der Stadt nach der Zerstörung durch ´Vardah` herrschte, in einer kompositorischen Form auf die Band und ihre Art von Interaktion und Interpretation übertragen“, beschreibt der Schweizer Schlagzeuger die Motive für sein neues Werk. Dabei geht es ihm um bewegliche Formen, unvorhersehbare Abläufe, wechselnde Gruppenbildungen sowie schnelle Interaktion und Kooperation der einzelnen Musiker als zwingende Bedingung zur weiteren Entwicklung eines Stückes. „Das Thema der Absorption und Transformation von Kultur ist für mich essenziell zur Erneuerung von Musik, Jazz, Gesellschaft und Kultur“, erklärt Mantel. „Und im Wort Vardah findet sich dieser Umbruch durch die Verwandtschaft zur Rose sehr schön repräsentiert.“

Dazu scharte der 37-jährige, in Zürich wohnende Bandleader ein handverlesenes Ensemble mit ausgewiesenen Virtuosen um sich. Der Tenorsaxofonist/Klarinettist Rafael Schilt, der Trompeter Matthias Spillmann, der Gitarrist Travis Reuter, Max Petersen am Fender Rhodes und Bassist Lukas Traxel stellen sich ganz und gar in den Dienst der Kompositionen Mantels, indem sei einerseits den Notentext beleben, zum anderen bei Soli und Improvisationen stets die große Form im Visier behalten. „Alle sechs sind unablässige Erforscher und Entwickler ihrer persönlichen, individuellen Sprache. Es gibt eine starke Komplizenschaft innerhalb der Gruppe“, lobt der Primus inter pares. „Wir wollen den Einzelnen mit seinen Stärken und Schwächen in dieser Entwicklung mitnehmen. Das Ziel ist ein gemeinsames Streben nach Echtheit und Wahrheit im Moment.“

In alternierenden, kleinen und größeren Instrumentengruppen kreiert das Lukas-Mantel-Sextet auf diese Weise ein schlingpflanzenartiges, harmonisch-melodisches Gewebe, das sich organisch weiterentwickeln kann. Dabei spannt die Musik einen weiten Bogen zwischen rhythmischer Vielschichtigkeit und folkloristisch anmutenden Melodien. Mantel bezeichnet die komponierten Passagen in den acht Stücken aus seiner Feder als „sehr beweglich“. Manchmal notiere er teilweise sehr genau, wie etwas gespielt sein solle. „Wann und wer es dann aber tatsächlich wie spielt, das überlasse ich der kollektiven Entscheidung.“ Notiertes Material dient für ihn als roter Faden, an dessen Ende die Makrostruktur des Projektes steht.

Dass ein Drummer durchaus in der Lage sein kann, die aufwändige Regiearbeit bei diesem atemberaubenden Soundtrack über das zerstörerische Werk eines Zyklons vom Schlagzeug aus zu leisten, beweist Lukas Mantel nicht zum ersten Mal. Nein, ein Steuermann, das sei er keineswegs. Nur ein gleichberechtigtes Mitglied innerhalb eines hochkreativen Sextetts, bei dem die Ideen im Überfluss durch den Raum purzeln. Ob in „Chorizo Logic“, „Leakinʼ“, „Schleichtiere“, „The Spanish Moment“ oder dem Titelsong – in jeder der farbenreichen Mantel-Stücke öffnen sich Räume: Pulsraum, Klangraum/Textur, Tonaler Raum. Da Start und Endpunkt für die sechs längst klar sind, geht es einzig um den Weg. Er ist das eigentliche Ziel.

Die Einzigartigkeit von „Vardah“ liegt in seiner archaischen Freiheit und der Entwicklung einer komplexen Struktur. Deshalb wirkt diese Zyklon-Musik noch lange nach und geht einem nah.

Artist(s)

Lukas Mantel (drums)

Lukas Mantel (b. 1982) is a drummer and composer from Zurich. Since studying under Pierre Favre, Norbert Pfammatter and Fabian Kuratli at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, he has been exploring classical South Indian music in depth and delving into numerous ethnic music traditions. Today, due to his wide-ranging experience in various musical genres, he is seen as one of the most innovative and independent voices among Swiss drummers. He has been leading his own sextet since 2017 and also works as an arranger and composer for other groups. With great sensitivity and capacity for interaction, he incorporates energy and groove into the music, while texture and timbre are always an important element of his play. Concerts...
more
Lukas Mantel (b. 1982) is a drummer and composer from Zurich. Since studying under Pierre Favre, Norbert Pfammatter and Fabian Kuratli at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, he has been exploring classical South Indian music in depth and delving into numerous ethnic music traditions. Today, due to his wide-ranging experience in various musical genres, he is seen as one of the most innovative and independent voices among Swiss drummers. He has been leading his own sextet since 2017 and also works as an arranger and composer for other groups. With great sensitivity and capacity for interaction, he incorporates energy and groove into the music, while texture and timbre are always an important element of his play. Concerts with the following artists have taken him to Europe, South America, Asia and the Arab region: Pierre Favre & The Drummers, Yves Theiler Trio, Christy Doran's Sound Fountain, Karoliina Kantelinen, tré, Ghost Town, Lucerne Jazz Orchestra, Nat Su, Vincent Membrez, Christoph Stiefel, and Michael Bucher.

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Matthias Spillmann (trumpet)

Spillmann studied at the Swiss Jazz School Bern and New School in New York City; He had lessons. a. with Bert Joris, Reggie Workman and Richie Beirach. His first recordings were made in 1997 when he performed with the Swiss Jazz School Big Band at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 1999 he founded the formation MATS-UP, with which he played his own compositions and recorded six albums. MATS-UP was u. a. nominated for the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the 'BMW World Jazz Award' and won the 'Moods Blues & Jazz Award'. He also works with the bands Grünes Blatt, Lauer Large and the Lucerne Jazz Orchestra, as well as Gianluigi Trovesi, the Ensemble for New Music Zurich and Steamboat...
more
Spillmann studied at the Swiss Jazz School Bern and New School in New York City; He had lessons. a. with Bert Joris, Reggie Workman and Richie Beirach. His first recordings were made in 1997 when he performed with the Swiss Jazz School Big Band at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 1999 he founded the formation MATS-UP, with which he played his own compositions and recorded six albums. MATS-UP was u. a. nominated for the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the "BMW World Jazz Award" and won the "Moods Blues & Jazz Award". He also works with the bands Grünes Blatt, Lauer Large and the Lucerne Jazz Orchestra, as well as Gianluigi Trovesi, the Ensemble for New Music Zurich and Steamboat Switzerland. In addition, he worked on recordings by Jochen Baldes, Brigitte Dietrich / Joe Haider, Beat Keller, Johannes Lauer and Frantz Loriot / Manuel Perovic. In the field of jazz, he was, according to Tom Lord, involved in 29 recording sessions between 1996 and 2015. Spillmann teaches at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and was awarded the 2006 work year by the City of Zurich.
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Rafael Schilt (tenor saxophone)

Max Petersen (piano)

Travis Reuter (guitar)

Lukas Traxel (double bass)

Composer(s)

Lukas Mantel (drums)

Lukas Mantel (b. 1982) is a drummer and composer from Zurich. Since studying under Pierre Favre, Norbert Pfammatter and Fabian Kuratli at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, he has been exploring classical South Indian music in depth and delving into numerous ethnic music traditions. Today, due to his wide-ranging experience in various musical genres, he is seen as one of the most innovative and independent voices among Swiss drummers. He has been leading his own sextet since 2017 and also works as an arranger and composer for other groups. With great sensitivity and capacity for interaction, he incorporates energy and groove into the music, while texture and timbre are always an important element of his play. Concerts...
more
Lukas Mantel (b. 1982) is a drummer and composer from Zurich. Since studying under Pierre Favre, Norbert Pfammatter and Fabian Kuratli at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, he has been exploring classical South Indian music in depth and delving into numerous ethnic music traditions. Today, due to his wide-ranging experience in various musical genres, he is seen as one of the most innovative and independent voices among Swiss drummers. He has been leading his own sextet since 2017 and also works as an arranger and composer for other groups. With great sensitivity and capacity for interaction, he incorporates energy and groove into the music, while texture and timbre are always an important element of his play. Concerts with the following artists have taken him to Europe, South America, Asia and the Arab region: Pierre Favre & The Drummers, Yves Theiler Trio, Christy Doran's Sound Fountain, Karoliina Kantelinen, tré, Ghost Town, Lucerne Jazz Orchestra, Nat Su, Vincent Membrez, Christoph Stiefel, and Michael Bucher.

less

Press

This is one bomb of energy, beautifully channeled and designed in 8 compositions by the ever-propelling drummer. Beautiful, high-quality and compelling.
JazzMo', 28-2-2020

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