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Jan Garbarek / The Hilliard Ensemble: New York, November 12, 2010
by Warren Allen
Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard EnsembleChurch of St. Ignatius LoyolaNew York, NYNovember 12, 2010 Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek and the ancient music quartet known as The Hilliard Ensemble first came together through the machinations of ECM records owner and maestro Manfred Eicher. Their auspicious debut collaboration was Officium (ECM 1994), a serene mix of Medieval chants blended with Garbarek's ethereal saxophone. Belonging to neither the classical nor jazz bins, yet with clear roots to ...
Continue ReadingJan Garbarek – The Hilliard Ensemble: Officium Novum
by AAJ Italy Staff
Terzo capitolo della saga Garbarek/Hilliard Ensemble (dopo Officium del '94 e Mnemosyne del '99), questo Officum Novum rinverdisce l'eccellenza in particolare dell'episodio germinale di un sodalizio fra i più originali, e in fondo sorprendenti, del jazz (?) contemporaneo, sodalizio rinfocolato da esibizioni live che hanno saputo regolarmente riproporre la magia che un incrocio tanto desueto - complici, di regola, i luoghi, in genere di culto - non manca di evocare. Garbarek, che nello specifico privilegia massicciamente (quanto opportunamente) il soprano, ...
Continue ReadingJan Garbarek / The Hilliard Ensemble: Officium Novum
by C. Michael Bailey
At first blush, there is really no reason the eutection of early a capella music and modern saxophone should work. It is antithetical, it makes no sense. However, wizards like Manfred Eicher, saxophonist and ECM stalwart Jan Garbarek, and early music mavens The Hilliard Ensemble not only defy the odds, they redefine them with a bit of creative musical alchemy. An adjective that meets at the intersection of ECM, Garbarek, and the Hilliards is atmospheric. Witness the reception of Officium ...
Continue ReadingJan Garbarek / The Hilliard Ensemble: Officium Novum
by John Kelman
With the unexpected massive success of Officium (ECM, 1994), Jan Garbarek's first collaboration with The Hilliard Ensemble, it would be all too easy for the Norwegian saxophonist and British vocal ensemble to rest on their not inconsiderable laurels, and simply repeat the formula. But while Officium featured a repertoire of structured early music--from Gregorian chant to early polyphony, over which Garbarek soared improvisationally--the double-disc follow-up, Menemosyne (ECM, 1999), expanded the quintet's purview by introducing music of a more contemporary nature, ...
Continue ReadingJan Garbarek Group: Dresden - In Concert
by AAJ Italy Staff
Dopo Egberto Gismonti, un altro degli artisti di punta ECM interrompe un lungo silenzio discografico: Dresden, il nuovo CD di Jan Garbarek, arriva sei anni dopo In Praise of Dreams, ma ne sono passati ben undici dal precedente lavoro col gruppo, il doppio Rites. In questi anni Garbarek ha comunque continuato l'attività concertistica in modo abbastanza intenso e continuativo, pur senza apportare novità di rilievo alla sua musica. Questo doppio CD, il primo dal vivo per il sassofonista, documenta un ...
Continue ReadingJan Garbarek Group: Dresden
by Dan McClenaghan
For those new to the explorations of jazz, Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek could be a new name. Never a prolific artist, Dresden is his first release in five years, following In Praise of Dreams (ECM Records, 2004). It was another five years between that disc and its predecessor, Mnemosyne (ECM Records, 1999).But for fans who have been in it for the long haul--and for those open to the European jazz listening experience--Dresden is further proof of Garbarek's ongoing ...
Continue ReadingJan Garbarek Group: Dresden
by John Kelman
Though less active on the recording front in recent years--In Praise of Dreams (ECM, 2004) was his first since Mnemosyne (ECM, 1999), following up his immensely popular pairing with the Hilliard Ensemble, Officium (ECM, 1994)-- Jan Garbarek has toured virtually every year, playing dates in Europe and further abroad. His 2008 Mai Jazz performance, in Stavanger, Norway, proved that, despite unfounded accusations of leaving jazz behind, the iconic Norwegian saxophonist is still capable of turning up the heat and blowing ...
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