Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mark Alban Lotz: Solo Flutes

8

Mark Alban Lotz: Solo Flutes

By

Sign in to view read count
Mark Alban Lotz: Solo Flutes
The eclectic, even eccentric musical tastes of German, Netherlands- based flute master Mark Lotz may be attributed to his personal history. He grew up in Thailand, Germany, and Uganda, while studying jazz, contemporary music, and Indian bansuri flute playing in Amsterdam, New York, and Los Angeles. This globe-trotting biography is reflected in his flute solo performances of contemporary composed music and associative improvisations, all recorded in one go with no overdubs or sound processing.

Lotz is a musician who sees and plays the flute beyond its conventional instrumental characteristics. After all, the flute, any kind of flute, made of metal, wood, bamboo or PVC, is a pipe that transforms breaths and air through lip plates, blow holes, and keys. The inventive approach of Lotz with his wide array of extended techniques—whisper tones, multiphonics, tongue slaps and stops, circular breathing, voice, and lip pizzicato harmonics—turn these concise pieces into highly vivid, cinematic pieces.

Lotz meditates on distinct world music, jazz, contemporary music schools, and genres. The spare, Bedouin- tinged tones and overtones of "Aş Şaḩrā' ash Sharqīyah (Eastern Desert)" and later "Inside," using the bass flute, sound as paying tribute to flautist Paul Horn's sonic explorations of the acoustics of the Taj Mahal, and inside the Great Pyramid of Giza. Lotz, on these pieces, enjoys the kinetic qualities of the flute's sound within the acoustics of studio space. The PVC contrabass flute is employed on "PVC Mantra" to create a hypnotic, quiet drone. The charming "Piccolo for Makeba" sounds like a Lotz tribute to the Malagasy wood flute, sodina, and "Whisper Alap" and is a peaceful abstraction of the opening, meditative theme of an imagined Indian raga.

"Whole Steps" is a clever reflection on Eric Dolphy's flute playing, and in turn reflects John Coltrane's fast chord changes. "For Rahsaan" is a soulful homage to Rahsaan Roland Kirk's colorful, free spirit while "Major Circles" is a beautiful, contemporary composition. "Major Circles" and "A Fine Winter" are beautiful, nuanced contemporary compositions. The weakest pieces are the short explorations of the sonic spectrum of the bass flute's, "sound excesses" as Lotz calls them.

An arresting tour in the hidden worlds of flutes.

Track Listing

Mark Alban Lotz - Solo Flutes (LopLop, 2014) Albert Speaks (bass flute sequenza 1); Aş Şaḩrā' ash Sharqīyah (Eastern Desert); Whole steps; Hungry III (bass flute sequenza 2); PVC Mantra; Dear moth; Why Not Take all?; Picolo for Makeba; Adam and Eve (bass flute sequenza 3); whisper alap; Do Not Swalloow! (bass flute sequenza 4); Major Circles; The fish on the Dry (bass sequenza 5); For Rhhsaan; Kazoo track; Inside (bass flute sequenza 6); A fine winter.

Personnel

Mark Lotz
flute

Mark Alban Lotz: concert flute, alto flute, bass flute, pvc contrabass flute, prepared flute, voice.

Album information

Title: Solo Flutes | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Lop Lop Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of 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 create 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.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

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