Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Euphorium_freakestra: Grande Casino

9

Euphorium_freakestra: Grande Casino

By

View read count
Euphorium_freakestra: Grande Casino
It may be fitting that the very first translation of James Joyce's Ulysses was from English into German. What, you ask, does this have to do with the three- disc release Grande Casino by Euphorium_freakestra? It's not a suggestion to read (or attempt to read) Ulysses, a book so dense in its 730 pages that it is almost impenetrable. Its modernist, stream-of-consciousness writing is full of puns and parodies, formulated into 18 episodes, each written in a different style and voice, covering just one day in the life of its protagonist Leopold Bloom.

Consider this recording, with its more than two hours of music and ten musicians, to be the equivalent of one day in the life of Oliver Schwerdt, the pianist and organizer of this recording who also runs the adventurous label Euphorium Records. The equivalent of Joyce's multiple voices are the various sounds and improvisations represented by the musicians. The mostly German ensemble invited Swiss tenor saxophonist Bertrand Denzler, French alto saxophonist Pierre-Antoine Badaroux and British bassist Barry Guy to perform with the legendary free jazz drummer Gunter Baby Sommer.

The music is the equivalent of Company Week, the concerts that guitarist Derek Bailey organized in London from the late '70s until the mid- '90s. Like Bailey's affairs, anything can happen under the rubric of Euphorium_freakestra. Lineups change constantly, as does approach. For instance, Free Electric Supergroup (Euphorium Records, 2007) was an audacious take on the electric music of Miles Davis. Here, that pretense is shed for a mostly minimalist ploy and unobtrusive, almost imperceptible, interactions. There is plenty of meat on these bones, even if the musicians focus mainly on the marrow. This is free improvisation at its finest.

Much like Ulysses, trying to explain the plot is problematic. The players are content to dole out sound in bits and pieces, for the most part without regard to soloing. With Barry Guy in the house, obvious references to his band Iskra 1903/1912 arise, such as the same laser-like, concentrated improvisations reeled off in an insouciant manner. Like Ulysses, there are deep answers to questions not yet formulated somewhere within this unyielding recording. Sometimes it is well worth wading in and getting lost.

Track Listing

CD1: Phore I: The Cream Of The Heaviest Invite; Maik Muezzin & Euklid im Westparka (Was sind das für Geschöpfe, die da beten?); Interflug/Intershop; Zwei von dort (Telegraphenamt II) 2g; Das Gruselschloß II: Geh da nicht lang!, ich hab’s Dir doch gesagt... ‒ Disembowelment III (Flesh Aksch) 06; Phore II: Sieben: Schieben oder Ziehen (Fanfare Werogilongur); Syrdillischer Octus; Elion am lidurnesischen Schrein; Epilog: Daniel, Bertrand, Burkhard und die anderen, Pt. 1; CD2: Serielle Schwanenattacke; Fraktale Tracht; Oma Eierschecke (Bei der Feuerwehr wird der Kaffee kalt); Geschäfte in Übersee (Das vergessene Scheckheft für Gulde-B’fur); Fabel über Sechseck; Wandertag in Leipzig (Die Flugschanze); Epilog: Daniel, Bertrand, Burkhard und die anderen, Pt. 2 & 3; CD3: soujhmar #5; Beinwell-Krk; Anlauf auf’s Holz, Abstieg mit Salz; Ein kleines Marsmännchen macht Sauerkraut nach Rezept, dann Jazz für einen Kalender ; Return Of The Sun Of Sharif Scheckheft ‒ Hallo, wer ist da gerade? (Telegraphenamt IV); End Of Gannomiloctu Bleed, Bed & Shower (Naked In The Tower Rain); Marc Rothko Goes To Bath (Remembering Das Schild).

Personnel

Pierre-Antoine Badaroux: alto saxophone; Bertrand Denzler: tenor saxophone; Patrick Schanze: trumpet; Oliver Schwerdt: grand piano, percussion, little instruments; Daniel Beilschmidt: electric organ; Friedrich Kettlitz: electric guitar, little instruments; John Eckhardt: double bass; Barry Guy: double bass; Burkhard Beins: percussion; Günter Baby Sommer: drums, percussion, cymbals.

Album information

Title: Grande Casino | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Euphorium Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.