Just two more days to go for you to enjoy the free shipping when you pre-order our newest release : KODIAN PLUS – DISENGAGE.
After KODIAN TRIO’s tour in Germany in March 2022, the trio headed into the Sunny Side Inc. studio in Anderlecht (Belgium), with special guests MARTINA VERHOEVEN on grand piano and CHARLOTTE KEEFFE on flugelhorn and trumpet. These two unique musicians have excellent reputations in the field of free improvisation, especially for their distinctive approaches to their respective instruments. And it’s this distinctive approach that is the secret sauce that’s being added to working band KODIAN TRIO.
This beautifully recorded studio album, captured and mixed by the head engineer at Sunnyside Inc. is a unique free jazz release that triggers your listening experience, disrupts the obvious, and boosts the adrenaline.
PRE-ORDER your copy now and save on 100% shipping costs worldwide. Valid through this March 15th, 2023.
Despite his prolific ambient period in the eighties and nineties, with a huge back catalogue of music and several tours in Europe and the United States, Dirk Serries never played his solo ambient music live on UK soil. Until November last year when he played a solo ambient concert at his favorite place in London : Hundred Years Gallery.
Through his experience in the free improvisation Dirk transformed his solo ambient music, originally constructed melticulously by writing strict motives before performing, to being able to improvise 200% and still create his trademark ambient music for which he is recognized worldwide. Now released on HUNDRED YEARS GALLERY’s home label in a very limited run of 50 copies ! Available here
UK’s MUSIQUE MACHINE just reviewed our latest release DANDELION by Jackson/Serries/Vanderstraeten. Read the 3 out of 5 rated review here below. The cd is available from our bandcamp store.
“3 out of 5 rating. Dandelion is a five-track improv release that rewardingly shifts from the darting & playful, onto the lightly seared and moody, through to the manic & rather wacky. The release features the trio of Tom Jackson- Clarinet, Dirk Serries- acoustic guitar, and Kris Vanderstraeten- Percussion/ Drums. The release comes in the form of a CD release on Antwerpen’s A New Wave Of Jazz- who focuses on the more difficult, abstract, and noise-bound side of the improv/ modern composition genres. The CD comes presented in labels house style grey & white mini gatefold- which features on its outside grey boxes and white texts, and inside a write-up about the trio & the track presented here. This release is Ltd to just 200 copies. Of the trio I was already aware of Mr Serries- since the mid-’80s this Belgian’s career has shifted from the ambient/experimental stylings of his Vidna Obmana project, onto the more improv-focused work of his solo/ collaborative release. I also knew Londoner Tom Jackson, after hearing his intense duelling horn improv release The Other Lies( with saxophonist Collin Webster)- released on New Wave Of Jazz in 2022. I wasn’t familiar with Kris Vanderstraeten work, but after a search, I find out he’s been active in the Belgian free improv scene since the 1970s- with around twenty releases to his name. The five tracks featured here have runtimes between four and eleven minutes a piece. We open with “Carnation Pink” which goes from low-key warbles, creaks, and neck scrambles. Onto a more playful blend of rapid percussive dart ‘n’ fumble, jiving strums, and flighty flute ‘n’ wails. We have the wacky fiddling ‘n’ forking of “Violet Blue” which finds exuberant horn weaves, meeting guitar twangs ‘n’ scrubs, and generally shifting percussive playfulness. In the second half of the record, we have ”Dark Green” which shifts from low-key scrapes, whistles, and dragging hisses. Though to a more lively mix of mischievous honks, guitar pluck ‘n’ saw, and tip-top percussive shifts. Onto a more haunting, and almost ritual refrain. With the album been finished off with the manic slapstick feel of “Bright Yellow” which begins all detailed percussive darts, neck scrubs ‘n’ bays, and tightly constricted horn darts….though later on dips into slightly more forlorn waters, with stretched warbling honks, winding to tip-toping percussion runs, and choppy strums.
Dandelion is another mighty fine example of adventurous, at points manic & seared improv from the folks at A New Wave Of Jazz. With all three players really work wonderfully together to create a selection of unpredictable & searingly vibrant improv.” Musique Machine – UK
Andrzej Nowak’ SPONTANEOUS MUSIC TRIBUNE does it again. In his imaginative Polish native language he just reviewed DUNNING/TAYLOR/THOMPSON’s cassette release ‘THE TAPE’. Excellent. THE TAPE is still available from our store, limited to 60 copies so don’t wait too long.
W kategorii brytyjskich improwizatorów średniego pokolenia, The Tape to niemal spotkanie na szczycie! Świetnie nam znani mistrzowie minimalistycznej akustyki, Taylor i Thompson, spotykają tu Dunninga, mistrza nieoczywistych konfiguracji nieakustycznych. Krótkie zwarcie koncertowe mieni się tysiącami barw, ale też po raz kolejny udowadnia, iż prawdziwa nić porozumienia między dźwiękami syntetycznymi i akustycznymi nawiązuje się na poziomie wytłumionych, bliskich ciszy igraszek fonicznych. Początkowy strumień narracji formuje się ze szmerów i pojedynczych dźwięków strunowych oraz elektroakustycznej smugi dość już gęstych fonii. Altówka skupia się na drobnych, ale na ogół preparowanych frazach, gitara z kolei swój konceptualny minimalizm wtłacza w ramy zachowań repetytywnych. Po upływie kilku minut pierwsze, dość hałaśliwe fragmenty koncertu urokliwie przepoczwarzają się w subtelne frazowania, którym niezbyt daleko do ciszy. Duża w tym zasługa mistrza syntetyki, który tłuste zwoje szumów zamienia na drobne, usterkowe didaskalia, doposażone w ambientowe tło. Muzycy bez trudu łapią porozumienie i kreują coraz bardziej intrygujące sytuacje sceniczne. W połowie koncertu pojawiają się nowe elementy – struny zgrzytają, elektroakustyka rezonuje, a potem pulsuje. Altówka trwa przy frazach preparowanych, gitara tyka jak zegar ścienny. Z tego oceanu drobiazgów artyści formują narrację, która nie jest pozbawiona znamion rytmu. Akcja zaczyna tu gonić akcję! Altówka idzie w taniec, gitara, choć ma nieco wolniejszy metabolizm, także ochoczo podryguje, a post-elektronika dba o całą resztę. W okolicach 25 minuty flow gaśnie aż do poziomu ciszy. Nowe wątki są teraz wyjątkowo filigranowe, choć maszyneria Dunninga przypominać zaczyna swoje bardziej głośne oblicze, znane z początku koncertu. Zakończenie spektaklu przychodzi wyjątkowe nagle, jakby ktoś przez przypadek zgasił światło.” Spontaneous Music Tribune – Poland
Halfway next week KODIAN TRIO (Colin Webster, Andrew Lisle, Dirk Serries) will do four UK dates. Partially to promote the KODIAN PLUS release but also to write another chapter in their ongoing work as a free impro/free jazz trio. A trio that saw daylight when they played a quartet gig at Cafe Oto in 2015. Check out the places/venues and dates and come and say hello.
Welcome to Bandcamp Friday ! To celebrate this, we just launched the pre-order of a new release we’re very excited about: KODIAN PLUS – DISENGAGE on our new line of releases called AXIS.
After KODIAN TRIO’s tour in Germany in March 2022, the trio headed into the Sunny Side Inc. studio in Anderlecht (Belgium), with special guests MARTINA VERHOEVEN on grand piano and CHARLOTTE KEEFFE on flugelhorn and trumpet. These two unique musicians have excellent reputations in the field of free improvisation, especially for their distinctive approaches to their respective instruments. And it’s this distinctive approach that is the secret sauce that’s being added to working band KODIAN TRIO.
This beautifully recorded studio album, captured and mixed by the head engineer at Sunnyside Inc. is a unique free jazz release that triggers your listening experience, disrupts the obvious, and boosts the adrenaline.
PRE-ORDER your copy now and save on 100% shipping costs worldwide. Valid through March 15th, 2023.
Bob Rusche’s X-RAY (kindred to his excellent long-running X-RATED) featured an interesting choice from VIDNA OBMANA‘s vast discography. Going back to 1993 with VIDNA OBMANA’s acclaimed ENDING MIRAGE (originally released on ND, now reissued by Zoharum), a piece from his collaboration with organist WILLEM TANKE and a track from his semi-classic SOUNDTRACK FOR THE AQUARIUM. Listen here.
Here’s another fine review (by JAZZRADAR) of MARTINA VERHOEVEN QUINTET’s recent passage at jazzclub PARADOX in Tilburg, The Netherlands on Sunday February 12th, 2023. Text and photos are courtesy of Ella & Eddy Westveer. Thank you.
Explo impro van Martina Verhoeven in Paradox.
Ooit werd Martina Verhoeven geprezen om haar spel op de elektrische basgitaar waarna ze de overstap maakte naar de contrabas. Inmiddels legt ze zich muzikaal bijna volledig toe op haar pianospel. Met beide benen staat ze stevig in de avant-gardistische en vrije geïmproviseerde jazz. Ze speelde op zondagmiddag 12 februari met haar kwintet in het Tilburgse Paradox.
ROADBURN Tijdens de editie van het Roadburn Festival 2022 was gitarist,en echtgenoot van Martina Verhoeven, Dirk Serriesartist in residence en speelde dagelijks in Paradox. Daarvan twee keer met Martina Verhoeven in verschillende samenstellingen. De eerste keer met TONUS; als kwartet met de Franse drummer Tom Malmendier. Ze sloten af met het Martina Verhoeven Quintet. Van dat laatste concert werden onder de titel Driven onlangs de live-opnames uitgebracht op cd.
WOEST Dat laatste was eigenlijk aanleiding om die opname van een geslaagd concert nu nog eens te vieren. En met een nieuw concert de cd aan het publiek voor te stellen. Woest aantrekkelijk en innemend onstuimig bewoog de Vlaamse pianist Martina Verhoeven gedurende ruim drie kwartieren achter de piano. En soms ook half in de piano. Gitarist Dirk Serries had weinig aanmaakhoutjes nodig om de kachel aan te steken. Bassist Gonçalo Almeida sloot aan en de wind van Colin Webster en de pulserende bijdrage van Onno Govaert wakkerde het vuur in korte tijd aan.
VRIJ Geen doorsnee jazz. De muziek is uiterst vrij en het kan alle kanten opgaan. De muzikanten luisteren vooral goed naar elkaar en vervolgens bepalen ze ter plekke waar de muziek naar toe zal gaan. Het enige wat vastligt is de plek op het podium en wanneer de muziek begint. Er werd één set gespeeld met één stuk muziek. Ook wanneer en hoe het zou eindigen was een verrassing.
SLOT Na ruim vijfenveertig minuten van intensieve arbeid op het podium kwam er uiteindelijk een organische wending die leidde naar het slot. Een mooie ontlading die een tevreden gevoel opleverde bij bezoekers en muzikanten.
MARTINA VERHOEVEN QUINTET Martina Verhoeven – piano Gonçalo Almeida – contrabas Onno Govaert – drums Dirk Serries – gitaar Colin Webster – altsaxofoon
LOUD AS GIANTS is the ongoing exchange between longtime friends & comrades JUSTIN K BROADRICK and DIRK SERRIES. After the many guest appearances, remixes, and touring, LOUD AS GIANTS is the real duo. Their debut album EMPTY HOMES will be released on Consouling Sounds prior to our unique appearance on the 2023 edition of Dunk!festival.
HUGO COSTA & PHILIPP ERNSTING recorded a fine album, titled ‘THE ART OF CRASHING’, and was released last year on A NEW WAVE OF JAZZ. Here’s a fantastic review on the Portugese JAZZ.PT website. Check out here below their awesome concert we curated at PlusEtage last year. A beautiful album you can order here.
“4 out of 5 stars ! “The Art of Crashing”, com chancela da editora A New Wave of Jazz, junta em duo o saxofonista alto português Hugo Costa, há muito radicado nos Países Baixos, e o baterista alemão Philipp Ernsting, também companheiros de aventuras em formações como Albatre e Anticlan. A jazz.pt já o escutou.
O saxofonista alto Hugo Costa, radicado em Roterdão, Países Baixos, desde 2010, continua a explorar diversas configurações instrumentais e a desbravar novos territórios, fazendo uso das suas qualidades enquanto pensador e músico ágil. Faz parte da relevante cena local (com extensão a Amesterdão) do jazz mais aventuroso e da livre improvisação, e tem vindo a repartir a sua atividade por diversos projetos, avultando o power-trio Albatre – com o contrabaixista e baixista Gonçalo Almeida e o baterista alemão Philipp Ernsting, no trio Garuda, com o contrabaixista Hernâni Faustino e do baterista João Valinho, Anticlan (com o mesmo Ernsting e o guitarrista de origem mexicana Josué Amador), Real Mensch (ao lado de Assi Weitz e Robert Gradisen), ou o trio com dois neerlandeses (Raoul van der Weide e Onno Govaert) que em 2022 editou “Land Over Water”.
É precisamente com o baterista Philipp Ernsting que Costa agora se apresenta em duo, neste “The Art of Crashing”, com selo da A New Wave of Jazz, editora com curadoria de Dirk Serries, cujas atividades remontam a 2015. Ambos os músicos provam, se necessário fosse, que para além de soarem flamejantes, também são exímios na construção de detalhes e a aproximarem-se do universo do jazz com mestria e conhecimento de causa. Aqui demonstram de modo mais evidente essas dimensões, não apenas enquanto individualidades, mas sobretudo enquanto seres musicais dialogantes, que em seis improvisações livres nos apresentam material desafiante, que bebe na tradição, mas evitando emular padrões ou reaquecer fórmulas.
Este é um álbum com muita «exploração tímbrica de contrastes e intensidades diferentes», começar por dizer Hugo Costa à jazz.pt. Cada peça encerra um carácter único e revelador da forte interação entre dois músicos que se conhecem bem, jogos de ação e reação e impulsos mútuos. «Diria que este álbum enquadra-se no que tenho vindo a fazer mais recentemente com os grupos acústicos em que toco, ou seja, numa música sem estruturas pré-estabelecidas e criada no momento.» Neste álbum está mais uma vez patente o desejo de evolução e de trazer sempre novos elementos para a sua música. Isto decorre em especial do facto de este ser um álbum em duo, «o que cria uma dinâmica diferente e especial», sublinha o saxofonista.
“The Art of Crashing” começa com a concisa “Oase”, espécie de declaração de intenções do saxofonista, a partir de frases melódicas serpenteantes – que lembram formas musicais do leste europeu – com recurso a técnicas estendidas, explorando microtonalidades, multifónicos e harmónicos. “Twine Engined” é já propulsionada a dois motores, com a bateria meticulosa a juntar-se em plano de absoluta igualdade ao saxofone de Costa. Primeiro são as frases curtas e percussivas do saxofone, com recurso a slap tonguing, multifónicos e notas no registo altíssimo, devedoras de certo free jazz. A peça evolui então para uma narrativa mais melódica e meditativa, com o saxofone a alternar entre diferentes registos.
“Blind Spot” é introduzida por Ernsting, que abre caminho para a entrada do saxofone, encantatório, desenvolvendo um drone xamânico a espaços mais intenso. A bateria é inesgotável tanque de combustível, embora ambos se alimentem biunivocamente. A dado momento, o baterista propõe um padrão mais complexo e ambos os instrumentos aumentam a intensidade, culminando num clímax frenético. Parecendo constituir-se como o centro nevrálgico do álbum, “Nowhere Fast” é extensa ruminação, na qual Ernsting propõe um padrão em staccato, juntando-se-lhe o saxofone com frases angulosas; a música desenvolve-se sem pressas até que instala algo que se assemelha a um ritmo africano partido, ganhando depois outra densidade. Costa explora harmonias avançadas que desembocam num crescendo, com o saxofone explosivo no registo altíssimo.
“Spookstaad” (em português, “cidade fantasma”) é mais contida, espécie de dança íntima entre os dois instrumentos. O saxofone começa por uma passagem melódica, misteriosa, feita de notas longas; o baterista usa o tom tom, que quase soa a um tímpano. Na peça final, “Drink it Now”, a bateria estabelece uma espécie de semi-marcha e o saxofone insta-nos, primeiro mais ayleriano, gritado, depois relaxado, deixando assomar laivos melódicos. Ernsting utiliza todo o kit, mormente o aro para trazer cores diferentes. “The Art of Crashing” é mais uma peça no infinito puzzle da música que demanda novos territórios e um álbum marcante no interessantíssimo percurso do saxofonista português.” Jazz.pt – Portugal
dirkserries.com 