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Tim Berne's Snakeoil: The Fantastic Mrs. 10
by Mark Corroto
Imagine Tim Berne as the lead in the 1980's' American television series The A-Team, declaring: “I love it when a plan comes together!" He must return to that catchphrase every time his ensemble Snakeoil finishes a recording. After four outings on Manfred Eicher's ECM Records, the previous being Incidentals (2017), he moves his A-Team to Intakt Records. The Fantastic Mrs. 10 confirms this ensemble is on par with the saxophonist's other great band, Bloodcount, with Chris Speed, Jim Black, Michael ...
Continue ReadingMichael Formanek's Very Practical Trio ai Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa di Palermo
by Maurizio Zerbo
Michael Formanek's Very Practical Trio Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa Nomos Jazz Festival Palermo 18.1.2019 Cosa succede quando tre grandi musicisti si incontrano nel segno della comune empatia, lontana anni luce dalle agguerrite ed egocentriche competizioni jazzistiche a cui spesso assistiamo? Ne consegue una sublime polifonia a tre voci da parte di tre spiriti superiori, che regalano al pubblico momenti di concentrata poesia. Con un magnifico concerto il Very Practical Trio di Michael ...
Continue ReadingTim Berne: Incidentals
by Mike Jurkovic
Through three previous releases on ECM, (including the widely hailed 2015 release You've Been Watching Me alto saxophonist Tim Berne's sonic amalgamation Snakeoil has proven itself an often knotty and dissonant band of free creators, making them the perfect vehicle for Berne's often knotty and dissonant musical ideas.But it's mind boggling on many levels how these guys--clarinetist Oscar Noriega, relative newcomer guitarist Ryan Ferreira, pianist and electronicist Matt Mitchell, drummer/percussionist Ches Smith, and producer/guitarist David Torn--sustain the creative, ...
Continue ReadingTim Berne's Snakeoil: Incidentals
by Mark Sullivan
Tim Berne's Snakeoil band makes its fourth ECM appearance on Incidentals. The core group of saxophonist Berne, clarinetist Oscar Noriega, pianist Matt Mitchell and percussionist Ches Smith was augmented by guitarist Ryan Ferreira, as it had been on the previous album You've Been Watching Me (ECM, 2015). Producer David Torn also made two brief appearances on guitar. The integration of composition and improvisation typical of Berne's work is especially pronounced in this program. “Hora Feliz" opens the ...
Continue ReadingTim Berne's Snakeoil: Incidentals
by Karl Ackermann
Of the formal Tim Berne groups dating back to his 1990s Caos Totale, only his Bloodcount formation has a larger output than Snakeoil. From its 2012 self-titled ECM debut, four of its five releases have been on the ECM label, with only the limited edition Spare (2015) appearing on Berne's Screwgun imprint. Incidentals continues Berne's experimentation in expanding aural soundscapes, bringing the alto saxophonist/composer to a wider audience without compromising his unique approach. The group functioned as a ...
Continue ReadingBrilliant Corners 2016
by Ian Patterson
Brilliant Corners 2016 Various venues Belfast, N. Ireland March 5-12, 2016 Another Brilliant Corners, a few more brilliant corners. Belfast's fledgling international jazz festival may only be in its fourth year but already it feels like an established part of the city's vibrant cultural landscape, a date in the calendar to look forward to, rather than an event that takes people by surprise. The original three-day festival has grown steadily ...
Continue ReadingTim Berne's Snakeoil: You've Been Watching Me
by Vincenzo Roggero
Snakeoil di Tim Berne è sicuramente formazione che farebbe fare l'en plein in un “Blindfold test," procedura ideata dal critico musicale Leonard Feather attraverso la quale il musicista in questione viene sottoposto all'ascolto di un disco, con lo scopo di individuarne il titolare ed esprimere una valutazione. Troppo riconoscibile l'impianto sonoro, troppo solide le coordinate stilistiche sorrette da geometrico senso della forma, troppo caratteristiche le singole voci strumentali-seppur messe creativamente al servizio del gruppo -troppo consolidata la scrittura del leader, ...
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