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Ned Rothenberg
Ned Rothenberg composes and performs on saxophones, clarinets, flute and shakuhachi (an end blown Japanese bamboo flute). He has been internationally acclaimed for his solo music which he has presented for the past 25 years in hundreds of concerts throughout North and South America, Europe and Japan. He has lead the ensembles Double Band, Power Lines and Sync (his most recent assemblage with Jerome Harris, acoustic guitar & acoustic bass guitar and Samir Chaterjee, tabla) and was a founding member of the cooperative group New Winds (now with Robert Dick, flutes and Herb Robertson, Trumpet). He has worked in other projects with Paul Dresher, Yuji Takahashi, Sainkho Namchylak, Masahiko Sato, Elliott Sharp, Samm Bennett, John Zorn, Katsuya Yokoyama, Evan Parker and Marc Ribot. He's lived and worked in New York City since 1978.
Rothenberg's musical interests are numerous and his work varies widely in its sonic, emotive and stylistic profiles. A strong underlying element of his instrumental voice is the extension of the woodwind language to incorporate polyphony and accurate microtonal organization through the manipulation of multiphonics, circular breathing, and overtone control, not only using his horns in their standard melodic role but also as rhythmic and harmonic engines in both solo and ensemble contexts. As a composer he can move from "Jazz-funk in cubist perspective, dizzying, yet visceral" (J. Pareles, NY Times re Double Band) to a solo music that is "intense, slightly melancholic, rhapsodic without being sentimental (E. Rothstein, NY times), while avoiding the use of mere effect- "crafting distinct, evocative compositions that boast shape as well as texture" N. Tesser, (Chicago Reader).
Rothenberg's frequent international travels have included a 6-month residency in Japan during which he performed his music and studied shakuhachi with two of the foremost masters of the instrument, Goro Yamaguchi and Katsuya Yokoyama. In the summer of '89 he toured the (then) Soviet Union with Tom Cora (cello), Peter Hollinger (drums) and Elliott Sharp (guitars). In October '92 he returned to Russia and the Baltics in duo with the Tuvan vocalist Sainkho Namchylak. In January 2002 he travelled to South Korea for the first time to work with saxophonist Kang Tae Hwan and percussionist Park Ji-Chun. These are just a few examples: international touring continues each year playing festivals, theatres and clubs as a leader or collaborator.
Rothenberg has recently formed ANIMUL RECORDS, its initial release was INTERVALS, A 2 cd set of solo music for alto saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet and shakuhachi. This was followed by the debut cd of R.U.B. with Percussionist/DJ/ Samm Bennett and guitarist Kazuhisa Uchihashi. Its entitled, strangely enough, Are You Be. Next came Sync's 2nd cd, Harbinger. ANIMUL's most recent release is The Fell Clutch, a jam band for big-eared listeners with Tony Buck, drums, Stomu Takeishi, fretless bass, Rothenberg and sometime special guest, Dave Tronzo, on electric slide guitar.
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Arkady Gotesman: Music For An Imaginary Ballet
by Ieva Pakalniskyte
Arkady Gotesman occupies a singular position in Lithuanian music scene, having performed across more than fifty international festivals and concerts as a percussionist, composer and interdisciplinary artist whose work spans jazz, contemporary classical repertoire, free improvisation, theatre, literature and film. Over four decades he has collaborated with an exceptional range of musicians--from Vyacheslav Ganelin, Petras Vysniauskas, Liudas Mockūnas, Anthony Coleman and Mats Gustafsson to Nate Wooley, Charles Gayle, Barry Guy and Dave Douglas, among many others--while also premiering works by Anatolijus Šenderovas, Osvaldas Balakauskas, ...
Continue ReadingNed Rothenberg: Solo Improvisation In Bizarre Times
by Lawrence Peryer
Today, The Tonearm's needle lands on composer and improviser Ned Rothenberg. Ned's first solo album in thirteen years, Looms & Legends (Pyroclastic Records), shows why he's been called America's most intimate composer and improviser. Ned's improvisations and compositions showcase his use of extended techniques such as circular breathing and multiphonics, while others tell stories through melody. He calls it music for an imaginary culture, sounds that feel indigenous to a place that doesn't exist yet. Ned ...
Continue ReadingNed Rothenberg: Looms & Legends
by Troy Dostert
Solo recordings, at least when they feature instruments other than piano or guitar, can be a challenge even for the most committed jazz listeners. The excitement generated by the dialogue of multiple instrumentalists is, of course, missing, and even the most talented artists can have trouble sustaining one's interest for an entire album. Such releases can be rather rewarding, however, when the musician in question has either astonishing technique or compelling emotional substance--or both, as is evident on multi-instrumentalist Ned ...
Continue ReadingSamo Salamon Ra Kalam Bob Moses Orchestra: Dream Suites vol. 1
by Alberto Bazzurro
Basta scorrere i nomi dei musicisti coinvolti nell'operazione per capire di quale rappresentatività per una data scena della più creativa e verace attualità jazzistica “unga" questo assolutamente notevole album cofirmato dal chitarrista sloveno Samo Salamon e dal batterista newyorchese Bob Moses. Lo compongono tre soli ampi brani (dai tredici minuti alla mezz'ora appena scarsa) incisi nel novembre 2023 e fondati sulla pratica della libera improvvisazione (non si parla neppure di conduction, in questo caso), raggiungendo una dimensione formale assolutamente invidiabile, ...
Continue ReadingSync! Ned Rothenberg, Samir Chatterjee, Jerome Harris
by Ludovico Granvassu
After more than two decades of activity Ned Rothenberg's Sync remains a reference band in its capacity to seamlessly integrate musical traditions and influences from various parts of the world in a unique line-up featuring the leader on reeds and shakuhachi, Samir Chatterjee on tabla and Jerome Harris on guitar and bass guitar. Happy listening! Ned Rothenberg's Sync “Dad Can Dig" Port of Entry (Intuition) 0:00 Ned Rothenberg's Sync “One-Oh-Nine" Harbinger (Animul) 6:26 Ned Rothenberg's ...
Continue ReadingNed Rothenberg all'Atelier Culturale di Brescia
by Giuseppe Segala
Ned Rothenberg Secret Concert Atelier Culturale Brescia 15.11.2019 I geografi del '500 tracciavano sulle carte il frutto delle loro esplorazioni, con tratto preciso e ricchezza di dettagli iconici, evocando il carattere di terre, popolazioni, animali, piante. Facendo diventare il loro lavoro fonte di conoscenza, ma pure di narrazione stimolante per chi lo percorreva con occhio curioso e sorpreso. Il solo di Ned Rothenberg, meticoloso e dettagliato nella formidabile produzione di ...
Continue ReadingNed Rothenberg, Hamid Drake: Full Circle – Live in Lodz
by Giuseppe Segala
Full Circle--Live in Lodz è parte di un notevole, ghiotto catalogo di documenti registrati dal vivo in Polonia dall'etichetta Fundacja Sluchaj, in cui figura un ampio ventaglio di musicisti che alloggiano nell'empireo del jazz improvvisato contemporaneo. Nel caso di questo CD siamo di fronte all'accoppiata formidabile di Ned Rothenberg e Hamid Drake. Quello che si può immaginare sulla carta di fronte a tale abbinamento è ampiamente mantenuto e superato nel disco. Fin dall'esordio del CD, affidato alla ...
Continue ReadingFirehouse 12 to Present Ned Rothenberg's Sync on October 3rd
Source:
Improvised Communications
Firehouse 12's 2008 Fall Jazz Series continues on Friday, October 3rd with a two set performance by multi-instrumentalist Ned Rothenberg's longstanding trio, Sync. The worldly group has been active for the past decade, performing a distinctive brand of improvised acoustic music defined by the combination of Rothenberg's original compositions and the group's unusual instrumentation, which each integrate a variety of musical traditions. Sync features Rothenberg on clarinets, alto saxophone and shakuhachi (a Japanese bamboo flute), Jerome Harris on acoustic guitar ...
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Ned Rothenberg's Sync with Strings Performing at New Art Center Newton Massachusetts Feb 11
Source:
All About Jazz
Ned Rothenberg (saxophone clarinet flute and shakuhachi) with special guests Mark Feldman(violin) and Erik Friedlander (cello) will be joined by fellow in sync members Jerome Harris ( acoustic bass guitar, acoustic steel guitar, lap steel) and Samir Chatterjee (tabla) to perform at the New Art Center in Newtonville MA Sunday February 11th 2007 at 7:00PM. A reception with the performers will follow.
Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door Concert and reception $35 MC ...
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Ned Rothenberg and Friends Featured March 5 at BRIC's"Possible Fireworks"
Source:
All About Jazz
A double bill: Ned Rothenberg (woodwinds and shakuhachi--a Japanese bamboo flute-- with Matt Maneri (violin/viola) & Tom Abbs (bass)AND Peter Apfelbaum (sax, piano and percussion) & vocalist Dean Bowman, will be featured at BRIC (Brooklyn Information and Culture) Studio's “Possible Fireworks" jam session on Friday, March 5 - 8pm (Adm: $10 / Students: $8). Call (718) 855-7882, ext. 53, or buy online at www.briconline.org. At “Possible Fireworks," audiences get to see sparks fly when a renowned musician takes the stage ...
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Samm Bennett's Return To New York With Marc Ribot And Ned Rothenberg
Source:
All About Jazz
A live performance at LOCATION ONE Friday, February 7, 2003 8 PM Admission: $15, Members Free No Reservations (Doors open at 7pm) Location One is located at 26 Greene Street NYC 10013, between Grand and Canal Streets. Subway: Canal Street (N, R, 6, A, C, E, J, M, Z) (212) 334-3347 www.location1.org
A mainstay of the “downtown" creative music scene in the '80s and early '90s, Samm Bennett ...
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Dance Above
From: Looms & LegendsBy Ned Rothenberg
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