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Jazz Articles about Jon Durant

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Album Review

Fractal Sextet: Fractal Sextet

Read "Fractal Sextet" reviewed by Mike Jacobs


In the over two-decade-old “movement" that's come to be known as Swiss Minimalism, guitarist Stephan Thelen has pushed himself to the fore, both with his group SONAR and in solo projects. In recent years, he's been astonishingly prolific (releasing five albums from 2021-2022 alone). With recent group work in Sonar being expanded to include guitarist David Torn, his Fractal Guitar album series (Moonjune, 2019, 2021, 2022) garnering critical acclaim, live albums, Bill Laswell remixes, and his World Dialogue (Rare Noise, ...

2
Liner Notes

Stephan Thelen: Fractal Sextet

Read "Stephan Thelen: Fractal Sextet" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Swiss composer/guitarist Stephan Thelen's two Fractal Guitar albums were largely multi-tracked affairs, involving considerable file sharing. The idea of organizing a band to perform the music live may have been inevitable. The resulting Fractal Sextet is an international project consisting of guitarist Jon Durant (USA), keyboard player and composer Fabio Anile (Italy), bassist Colin Edwin (UK), drummer Yogev Gabay (Israel), percussionist Andi Pupato (Switzerland), and Thelen on guitar and programming.The original plan was to get at least the ...

12
Album Review

Stephan Thelen: Fractal Guitar 3

Read "Fractal Guitar 3" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Guitarist/composer Stephan Thelen presents the third installment of his Fractal Guitar series. Like the previous albums, the emphasis is on multiple guitars, layered in kaleidoscopic arrangements based on his compositions and guitar playing, but significantly colored by the contributions of his collaborators. This edition was also influenced by the other albums that he was working on simultaneously: Transneptunian Planets with J. Peter Schwalm, Eivind Aarset, Tim Harries and Manuel Pasquinelli (RareNoiseRecords, 2022); Fractal Sextet with Jon Durant, Fabio Anile, Colin ...

8
Album Review

Stephan Thelen: Fractal Guitar 2 - Remixes

Read "Fractal Guitar 2 - Remixes" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Guitarist & composer Stephan Thelen's experimental guitar-fest Fractal Guitar (MoonJune Records, 2019) was followed by Fractal Guitar Remixes And Extra Tracks (MoonJune Records, 2019), a substantially fresh look at the material, as well as an expansion. For the sequel Fractal Guitar 2 (Moonjune Records, 2021) Thelen produced an even more radical approach to contemporary guitar-driven music. The remixes are also a step beyond. To start with, the album could just as well have been titled “Point Of Inflection ...

8
Album Review

Burnt Belief: Mutual Isolation

Read "Mutual Isolation" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Mutual Isolation is the fourth album from Burnt Belief, the collaborative project of guitarist Jon Durant and bassist Colin Edwin. Edwin is known for playing in Porcupine Tree, his duet Twinscapes with bassist Lorenzo Feliciati, and O.R.k. with King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto, among other projects. Durant has made a series of solo soundscape albums and recently worked with composer & guitarist Stephan Thelen on their duet album Crossings (Alchemy Records, 2021) as well as Thelen's Fractal Guitar (MoonJune Records, ...

11
Album Review

Jon Durant & Stephan Thelen: Crossings

Read "Crossings" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


These two guitarist/composers first came together when Stephan Thelen asked Jon Durant to contribute to a track on Fractal Guitar (MoonJune Records, 2019). Durant's role was greatly expanded on Fractal Guitar 2 (MoonJune Records, 2021): he played on all six tracks, his fretless guitar playing especially distinctive. Thelen had the idea of doing a duet with Durant when asked to provide a track for a MoonJune Records sampler album. That track was a new version of the title ...

6
Album Review

Stephan Thelen: Fractal Guitar 2

Read "Fractal Guitar 2" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Guitarist and composer Stephan Thelen's Fractal Guitar (MoonJune Records, 2018) found him stepping outside of his role in the band Sonar in a big way. An absolute feast of multiple guitars with electronic effects, live looping and soundscaping, it also featured a star-studded group of guest guitarists (not to mention a grooving rhythm section). The good news is that almost all of them are back for the second installment, along with some new friends. The original album was largely created ...


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