After working for years in the Crusaders, then honing his production skills with excellent work for Fantasy and Mercury, Wayne Henderson put out this album of his own, which drew on a lot of the work he'd been doing during the mid 70s. The album's a showcase for his At Home productions team, and it features work by Bobby Lyle, Roland Bautista, Ronnie Laws, and others. Henderson plays trombone, but he also gets in the way a bit with some hipster vocalizing that doesn't quite work.
Master of the “wah wah” pedal, Melvin Ragin aka guitarist Wah Wah Watson served in the Motown house band throughout the 70’s and has played on albums by Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, Michael Jackson, The Temptations, Bobby Womack, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Bohannon, Bobbi Humphrey and more. Elementary is Watson’s solo debut and includes, not surprisingly, some of the best session musicians in the game including Louis Johnson, Joe Sample, Ray Parker Jr., and others.
Anyone familiar with Herbie Hancock’s ‘Secrets’ LP from 1976 on Columbia – and in particular the jazz-funk monster that is ‘Doin’ It’ – will be aware of Wah Wah Watson’s formidable prowess as a guitarist. With his wah-wah pedal, echoplex, early guitar synth and voice bag, he’s able to conjure an array of otherworldly sounds and spacey effects that bring a cosmic dimension to a funk groove. Detroit-born Watson – whose real name is Melvin Ragin – was also billed as an associate producer of that album and perhaps due to his crucial input on the LP and Hancock’s influence, he inked a deal with Columbia the same year. What transpired was this album, ‘Elementary’ – its title and cover a pun on Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick Dr. Watson. But despite good reviews the album didn’t sell particularly well and sadly, Watson’s solo career came to an abrupt end. Though briefly available on CD in Europe and Japan several years ago, ‘Elementary’ is now given its first domestic US reissue via Get On Down and proves to be an enthralling melange of funk, soul, and pop.
The opener, ‘Goo Goo Wah Wah,’ is a classic slice of Watson-infused funk: a mesh of syncopated wah-wah lines and soulful ‘talkbox’ licks riding on a heavy groove that’s a close cousin of Hancock’s ‘Doin’ It.’ The rest of the album isn’t nearly as funky but was aimed to demonstrate that Watson was more than a one-trick pony: ‘Love My Blues Away’ is a soaring ballad with vocals and sax fills; likewise, the tender and mellow ‘My Love For You Comes And Goes,’ is a gentle mid-tempo track featuring lead vocals from Watson, with James Jamerson on bass and sanctified harmonies from the Waters family. By contrast, ‘Cry Baby’ is a great piece of bluesy funk. Tenor sax man Ernie Watts appears on the driving, disco-fuelled ‘Together’ while ‘Sunset Boulevard’ is a quirky cabaret-style track. More stylistic variation manifests itself in the shape of ‘Love Ain’t Somethin’ (That You Get For Free),’ a soulful track where Watson’s vocals are supported by excellent background harmonies from the Waters family. Herbie Hancock fans will recognise ‘Bubbles,’ Watson’s short revamp of a track he co-penned with Hancock for the keyboardist’s 1975 album, ‘Man-Child’ (Hancock, in fact, makes a cameo appearance on the track).
This is an album that deserves more recognition and a wider audience and with any luck, Get On Down – who’ve done sterling work in resuscitating cult albums – will achieve that. Wah Wah Watson along with the likes of Eric Gale, Norman Harris, Bobby Eli and Dennis Coffey, is undoubtedly one of the most important guitarists in R&B history.
A funky fusion classic from guitarist Wah Wah Watson – his only album as a leader, despite countless appearances as a sideman on 70s soul, jazz, and pop sessions! The album's got a really wonderful sort of west coast groove – one that takes bits of spacey fusion, bassy funk, and mellower soul – and wraps them up with a fresh and imaginative approach, not to mention plenty of wah wah work on guitar! Players on the set are a superstar array of the best talents in Watson's field
This record is a tip for those who dig their Dexter Wansel and Roy Ayers albums from the same era. Solar Funk from 1979 is still rooted in the Soul/Funk codes of '76-'78. About half of the tracks can be also found on this earlier record from '76, Challenge. Perhaps that was a commercial disadvantage in '79, when the music business was about to make a major change. But from the perspective of the new millennium, this is a negligible aspect. For what counts in this segment of music (instrumental Disco-Funk) is whether the grooves are funky and arrangements consistent and tasteful. The Disco beats have aged, some synths sounds are dated, and the prominent use of the solo violin is an acquired taste. On the other hand, there are some good grooves and some nice jazzy solos, and the album does have a few nice genre pieces: Autumn Jewel; After The Storm. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the Alice Coltrane cinspired Tibetian Serenity, complete with harp arrangement.
Very cool electric funk album with a nice, spacey, jazzy vibe from composer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist Travis Biggs! Travis really crafts an intricately-layered, though easygoing mood here – recalling the crat of heroes like Norman Connors, Roy Ayers and others at the time, though with his own unique style. Biggs plays electric harp (and we don't mean harmonica!), similarly spacey electrified violin, keys, clavinet and violin– and the sound is as summer breeze cool as it as funky. The whole thing's got an amazing sound, especially on the standout "Tibetan Serenity"
Original release from 1976. No catalogue number on cover, spine or labels. "TBC 1001" is etched into the runout groove, though.
To think that this album wasn’t going to be released at all, this guy, who is a serious multi-instrumentalist, wanted to just compile a kind of musical CV showcasing his talents. Luckily a friend of his talked him into releasing this musical CV as an actual album, and thus a very limited run was released on his own self funded TB&C label. Double luckily, Soul Jazz Records have re-released this album on the back of their excellent New Thing! compilation and made it available to us all.
Hats off to Soul Jazz for reissuing this lost gem, as this is one of the finest disco influenced jazz-funk albums I’ve ever heard. Occasionally when disco rhythms were used to make artists/albums more commercial in the mid-late ‘70s, the results could be shockingly bad, but this guy has got it absolutely spot on. Also, one of this guy’s main instruments is the violin, or various forms of it, and his slightly psyched-out playing really adds darker and spacier textures to the whole feel of the album. Every second of this album is totally listenable, but there’s one moment that really stands out for me, and worthy of a mention, and that’s his truly fantastic version of Steve Miller’s “Fly Like An Eagle”. I would never have believed it possible to improve on Steve Miller’s version of this tune, but this guy’s take is just so spacey, plus with a kind of down-home Cajun (ish) fiddle style to it that really adds an interesting twist to it.
Musically I really can’t fault this album anywhere, except maybe for some cheesy vocals on one track, but as Soul Jazz has made this available again for total peanuts (I’ve seen originals going for anything between $100 and $400) then it really is worth checking out if jazz-funk is your bag.
Cool stuff -- and one of the strangest funk records you'll ever hear! Travis Biggs is a keyboardist and violinist -- and he's best known for his one album Solar Funk on the Source label -- but this is an earlier release that predates that one, issued on a small Detroit label, and with a rawer sound overall! The groove is sort of spacey jazz funk fusion -- with vocals on a few cuts, but mostly a focus on the instrumental side of the album -- served up by Travis on Fender Rhodes, synth, organ, harp, mandolin, and electric violin. Some numbers are laidback and mellow, b,ut many others are upbeat and very grooving -- with almost a boogie funk sort of groove! Includes original versions of the tracks "Solar Funk" and "Tibetan Serenity", the latter of which is an excellent instrumental with a very famous sample,
It's almost impossible to keep a straight face while listening to this album, but then, you really shouldn't have to try. It's a document of one of pop music's most simultaneously embarrassing and glorious periods -- the High Disco Era -- when all pretense of lyrical sophistication was abandoned in favor of occasional interjections of "Hey! Get down! Get off your seats and jam!" (a direct quote from this album), every guitar had a wah-wah pedal, and prestige was measured in the size of your horn and string sections. Now this stuff is called "rare groove," and it's at least as much fun now as it was then, maybe more so. Tommy Stewart, king of the legendary Abraxas label, recorded this album back when this candy-covered funk was the happening thing; and it includes, among other classics of the genre, the deathless "Bump and Hustle Music," along with the sexy-kitschy "Fulton County Line," and the charming "Practice What You Preach." The unison voices-and-strings on "Make Happy Music" were a bad, bad idea, but "Riding High" makes up for it by sounding like an airline advertisement circa 1976. A party classic.
Funky genius from the Hotlanta scene of the 70s – the one and only album recorded by Tommy Stewart, a huge force in some of the greatest club tracks of the south, including the massive Spirit Of Atlanta album! The record's a stone winner all the way through – filled with upbeat, uptempo tracks that really bring some funk into the dancefloor. The rhythms are tremendous – all very catchy and snapping, with a groove that goes way past the usual disco record, and which has made the album as much of a favorite amongst funk fans as it has for fans of classic club.
06. Good Evening Mr. & Mrs. America & All The Ships At Sea 4:42
07. Backfence Cattin' 4:04
08. Mondo 8:31
09. Refried 4:11
Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [Electric] – Robben Ford
Bass – Max Bennett
Drums, Percussion – John Guerin
Electric Piano, Organ, Synthesizer [Arp] – Larry Nash
Saxophone, Woodwind, Synthesizer [Moog], Percussion, Lyricon – Tom Scott
Despite the absence of Joe Sample and Larry Carlton, Tom Scott's L.A. Express remains very Crusaders-influenced on Tom Cat -- a highly accessible jazz-funk-R&B date that, as commercial as it is, leaves room for inspired blowing courtesy of both the leader and sidemen like electric guitarist Robben Ford and keyboardist Larry Nash. Sweaty, hard-hitting jazz-funk is the rule on such down-home grooves as "Good Evening Mr. & Mrs. America & All the Ships" and "Day Way," which allow the players to let loose, blow, and say what needs to be said. "Love Poem" is a pleasant, likable piece of delicate mood music (but not "Muzak"!) that features wordless vocals by pop-folk singer Joni Mitchell and has a slightly Flora Purim-ish appeal. Unfortunately, a CD as good as Tom Cat serves as a reminder of how dreadfully unimaginative most of Scott's GRP albums are.
Jazz-funk in a very similar vein to another Los Angeles based group, The Crusaders. Not surprising, considering the fact that Joe Sample and Larry Carlton both appeared on the L.A. Express debut album, Tom Scott and the L.A. Express. Great, accessible, groovy stuff. Probably the only jazz-funk group complete with their own fursonas. Speaking of which, Larry Nash looks positively eldritch on the the cover (leftmost cat, behind the rest).
Most of Tom Scott's GRP albums of the '80s and '90s have been shallow, formulaic releases offering little evidence of the saxman's improvisatory skills. But most of his earlier recordings of the '70s were appealing jazz/funk/R&B efforts that, although commercial and highly accessible, demonstrated his capabilities as a soloist. If the version of Scott's L.A. Express band heard on this album (reissued on CD in 1996) brings to mind the Crusaders, it's because two of its members, keyboardist Joe Sample and guitarist Larry Carlton, were also Crusaders members. Although the Express was never in a class with that band, it was a likable unit defined by its cohesiveness, warmth, and spontaneity. As slick as the Express was, it took risks. It's hard to imagine Scott providing a funk-drenched version of John Coltrane's "Dahomey's Dance" as he does here -- or incorporating Middle Eastern influences as he does on "King Cobra" -- on his calculated GRP recordings of the '90s. Solid jazz-funk like "L.A. Expression" and "Nunya" is well worth hearing. And "Spindrift," though congenial and mellow, is far more substantial than the Muzak with which he would later inundate us.
This album features a young reed player abounding in talent and energy. There's old school Jazz-Rock fusion, there's a more funky side reminding of Tower Of Power and the Crusaders. There's Quiet Storm before the term had been coined as a Radio format, there's also the experimental touch. The music is interesting and accessible at the same time. And most importantly, it all sounds fresh and unconsumed. Tom Scott gets plenty of opportunities to 'strut his stuff' as a player without overpowering the flow of the music.
Nothing mystifying here – as the album grabs us right from the get-go – with wonderful Fender Rhodes lines from leader Tom Grant, and plenty of soulful tenor from the great Joe Henderson! The album's an overlooked gem from Joe's late 70s years – and the the player is right at home next to Grant's keys – which are sometimes acoustic, and sometimes accompanied by a wordless, humming sort of vocal – which really gives the album some strongly soulful currents! The rest of the quartet features Rick Laird on bass and Ron Steen on drums – and the electric tunes are especially wonderful, and are almost an extension of the vibe of some of Joe's late Milestone albums.
Like Roy Ayers, Patrice Rushen, George Benson, and George Duke, Tom Browne is a perfect example of a jazz musician who switched to R&B and was lambasted by jazz snobs for it. As jazz's hardcore saw it, the trumpeter was a sellout -- a gifted Clifford Brown disciple who was shamelessly wasting his chops playing commercial music. But commercial music isn't necessarily inferior to jazz, and the fact is that much of Browne's soul/funk output was excellent. While jazz snobs dismissed Browne's third album, Magic, because it contains very little jazz, the Dave Grusin/Larry Rosen-produced LP has a lot going for it from a soul/funk standpoint. The only cuts on Magic that have anything to do with jazz are the sensuous quiet storm instrumental "Night Wind" and a lush Grusin arrangement of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child." This is an R&B album first and foremost, and those who admired Browne for his 1980 hit "Funkin' for Jamaica" also admired such Magic cuts as the funky "Let's Dance," the Earth, Wind & Fire-ish "I Know," and the addictive funk hit "Thighs High (Grip Your Hips and Move)," all of which feature vocalist Toni Smith -- a passionate, Chaka Khan-influenced belter who had been featured on "Funkin' for Jamaica." While jazz snobs would be better off passing on Magic, R&B fans will find a lot to admire about Browne's third album.
A key bit of jazz funk from trumpeter Tom Browne – still grooving strong here, with a sublime mix of modern soul, funky jazz, and some of the 80s groove touches that showed up on the best GRP titles from the time! The album's got a smooth compressed groove – kind of post-Donald Byrd, with Tom taking solos over the top of most tracks, and occasional vocals , wither from a backing group, or an assortment of different lead singers
52-5 Friar / I Love You When You're Modest / Lullo's Page / Celsius 8:34
52-6 Kit 5:06
52-7 Befana 3:37
52-8 Guest Room / Luftlucht 5:46
ICP 049 – ICP Orchestra
53-1 Niet Zus, Maar Zo 2:26
53-2 Wakeup Call 4:36
53-3 Sumptious 8:47
53-4 Hamami 2:59
53-5 Busy Beaver 5:43
53-6 Mitrab 4:19
53-7 The Lepaerd 5:27
53-8 Het Zoemen 4:36
53-9 Erma 2:17
53-10 No Idea 7:00
53-11 Sonnet In Search Of A Moor 4:59
ICP 050 – ICP – !ICP! 50
54-1 Where Is The Police 3:39
54-2 Arc-Eo 9:37
54-3 Happy Go Lucky / Local 6:52
54-4 Moeder Alle Oorlogen 4:42
54-5 Barbaric 5:01
54-6 'Round About Midnight 7:12
Accordion – Arjen Gorter (tracks: 1-3 to 1-6), Leo Borgart (tracks: 8-2)
Alto Saxophone – Ab van der Molen (tracks: 9-7), Baldo Maestri (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Dudu Pukwana (tracks: 25-1 to 25-3), Eugenio Colombo (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Gianluigi Trovesi (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Gilius V. Bergeiyk* (tracks: 24-1 to 24-11), John Tchicai (tracks: 3-1 to 3-4, 6-1 to 6-10, 9-4, 24-1 to 24-11), Keshavan Maslak (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12), Michael Moore (4) (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12, 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-13, 46-1 to 46-18, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 50-1 to 50-9, 53-1 to 53-11), Paul Termos (tracks: 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-7), Peter Bennink (tracks: 7-1, 7-2, 8-1 to 8-3, 9-7, 10-1 to 10-9, 24-1 to 24-11), Peter Brötzmann (tracks: 7-1, 7-2, 24-1 to 24-11, 28-1 to 28-12), Sean Bergin (tracks: 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-7), Willem Breuker (tracks: 2-1 to 2-6, 9-7)
Arranged By – Ab Baars (tracks: 47-1, 53-5, 53-11), Michael Moore (4) (tracks: 48-3, 53-10, 54-5), Misha Mengelberg (tracks: 28-12, 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-13, 32-2 to 32-7, 48-6, 50.1, 50.9, 54-3, 54-6)
Baritone Saxophone – Peter Brötzmann (tracks: 7-1, 7-2, 24-1 to 24-11, 28-1 to 28-12)
Barrel Organ [Miniature] – Willem Breuker (tracks: 9-6)
Bass Clarinet – Gianluigi Trovesi (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Han Bennink (tracks: 24-1 to 24-11), Theo Loevendie (tracks: 1-1, 1-2), Willem Breuker (tracks: 1-1 to 1-6, 2-1 to 2-6, 8-2, 8-5, 9-1, 9-4, 9-5, 9-7)
Cello – Ernst Reijseger (tracks: 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-13, 32-1 to 32-13, 33-1 to 33-7, 33-9 to 33-18, 46-1 to 46-18), Tristan Honsinger (tracks: 24-1 to 24-11, 33-8, 37-1 to 37-7, 38-1 to 38-11, 40-1 to 40-8, 43-1 to 43-13, 44-1 to 44-13, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 49.2, 49-3, 49-5, 49-7 to 49-9, 50-1 to 50-9, 52-1 to 52-8, 53-1 to 53-11, 54-1 to 54-6)
Clarinet – Ab Baars (tracks: 30-8 to 30-13, 44-1 to 44-13, 46-1 to 46-18, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 49-2 to 49-5, 49-7, 49-9, 50-1 to 50-9), Ab van der Molen (tracks: 9-7), Eric Dolphy (tracks: 17-1), Han Bennink (tracks: 19-1, 20-1, 21-1 to 21-4, 22-1 to 22-3, 25-1 to 25-3), Michael Moore (4) (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12, 29-1 to 29-8, 30-8 to 30-13, 44-1 to 44-13, 46-1 to 46-18, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 50-1 to 50-9, 53-1 to 53-11), Tobias Delius (tracks: 43-1 to 43-13, 47-1 to 47-8, 50-1 to 50-9)
Clarinet [B-Flat] – Willem Breuker (tracks: 8-5)
Clarinet [Eb] – Willem Breuker (tracks: 1-1, 1-2, 2-1 to 2-6, 8-1, 8-3, 10-1 to 10-9)
Conch [Conch Trumpet] – Han Bennink (tracks: 5-1 to 5-7)
Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton (tracks: 9-5)
Double Bass – Alan Silva (tracks: 24-1 to 24-11), Antonio Borghini (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6), Arjen Gorter (tracks: 1-3 to 1-5, 9-1), Ernst Glerum (tracks: 32-1 to 32-7, 44-1 to 44-13, 46-1 to 46-18, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 50-1 to 50-9, 53-1 to 53-11, 54-1 to 54-6), Jacques Scholz* (tracks: 17-1), Joe Williamson (tracks: 37-1 to 37-7, 38-1 to 38-11, 43-1 to 43-13, 52-1 to 52-8), Maarten van Regteren Altena* (tracks: 1-1 to 1-6, 9-3, 10-1 to 10-9, 13-1 to 13-8, 18-1 to 18-5, 23-1 to 23-13), Roberto Bonati (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6), Rozemarie Heggen (tracks: 51-1 to 51-11)
Drums – Han Bennink (tracks: 1-1 to 1-6, 2-1 to 2-6, 3-1 to 3-4, 6-1 to 6-10, 8-1 to 8-3, 8-5, 11-1, 11-2, 12 1 to 12-14, 14-1 to 14-6, 15-1 to 15-6, 16-1 to 16-3, 24-1 to 24-11, 18-1 to 18-5, 19-1, 20-1, 21-1 to 21-4, 22-1 to 22-3, 25-1 to 25-3, 27-1 to 27-6, 28-1 to 28-12, 30-1 to 30-13, 31-1, 35-1, 35-2, 37-1 to 37-7, 38-1 to 38-11, 41-1 to 41-4, 43-1 to 43-13, 44-1 to 44-13, 45-1, 45-2, 46-1 to 46-18, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 49-1 to 49-3, 49-5, 49-9, 50-1 to 50-9, 52-1 to 52-8, 53-1 to 53-11, 54-1 to 54-6)
Electronics – Steve Beresford (tracks: 41-1 to 41-4)
Electronics [Crackle Box] – Michel Waisvisz (tracks: 24-1 to 24-11)
Ensemble – Asko Ensemble (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6), ICP Tentet (tracks: 24-1 to 24-11)
Flute – Ab Baars (tracks: 49-2 to 49-5, 49-7, 49-9), Eugenio Colombo (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Rien de Reede (tracks: 9-3), Willem Breuker (tracks: 9-6)
Glockenspiel – Rob du Bois (tracks: 8-1)
Guitar – Derek Bailey (tracks: 5-1 to 5-7, 6-1 to 6-10, 7-1, 7-2), Wim Overgaauw (tracks: 9-3)
Instruments [Toy] – Misha Mengelberg (tracks: 1-3 to 1-6)
Khene – Han Bennink (tracks: 11-1, 11-2, 12-1 to 12-14)
Mandolin – Tonny Pels-Waarlé* (tracks: 8-2)
Oboe – Gilius van Bergeijk (tracks: 1-1, 1-2, 24-1 to 24-11), Han Bennink (tracks: 5-1 to 5-7)
Percussion – Han Bennink (tracks: 9-1 to 9-3, 9-6, 12 1 to 12-14, 26-1 to 26-7, 27-1 to 27-6, 29-1 to 29-8, 31-1, 32-1 to 32-8, 32-11, 32-13, 33-1, 33-4, 33-5, 33-7, 33-8, 33-10 to 33-18), Peter Bennink (tracks: 9-6), Steve McCall (tracks: 9-5)
Percussion [Bass Drum, Small & Large Tom Toms, Street Parade Drum, Snare Drum, Tabla, Banya, Vibrapan, Homemade Rattles, Cow & Temple Bells, Chinese 7inch Giant Cymbals, Scraper, Chinese Temple Blocks, Hi-hat, Iron And Wooden Sticks] – Han Bennink (tracks: 2-1 to 2-6)
Percussion [Homemade Junk, Vibra Pan, Rolmo, Bird Calls + Decoys] – Han Bennink (tracks: 18-1 to 18-5)
Percussion [Logs] – Han Bennink (tracks: 16-1 to 16-3)
Percussion [Wailophone + Hanrinet(te)] – Han Bennink (tracks: 18-2)
Bassoon] – Remko Edelaar (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Cello] – Örs Köszeghy (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Clarinet, Saxophone] – David Kweksiber* (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Double-Bass] – Peter Rikkers (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Flute, Piccolo, Ocarina] – Jeannette Landré (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Hanrinet(te), Birds Decoys, Vibrapan] – Han Bennink (tracks: 16-1 to 16-3)
Oboe] – Marieke Schut (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Percussion] – Niels Meliefste (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Piano] – Gerard Bouwhuis (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Trombone] – Toon van Ulsen (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Trumpet] – Hendrik Jan Lindhout (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Viola] – Martina Forni (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Violin] – Heleen Hulst (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6), Jan Erik van Regteren Altena (tracks: 48-1 to 48-6)
Piano – Misha Mengelberg (tracks: 1-1, 1-2, 3-1 to 3-4, 6-1 to 6-10, 7-1, 7-2, 8-2, 11-1, 11-2, 14-1 to 14-6, 15-1 to 15-6, 16-1 to 16-3, 17-1, 17-2, 19-1, 20-1, 21-1 to 21-4, 22-1 to 22-3, 24-1 to 24-11, 25-1 to 25-3, 26-1 to 26-7, 27-1 to 27-6, 28-1 to 28-12, 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-13, 32-1 to 32-5, 32-7, 32-8, 32-10, 32-11, 32-13, 33-5, 33-7, 33-8, 33-11 to 33-18, 34-1, 34-2, 35-1, 35-2, 44-1 to 44-13, 46-1 to 46-18, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 49-2, 49-6, 49-8, 49-9, 50-1 to 50-9, 53-1 to 53-11, 54-1 to 54-6), Rob du Bois (tracks: 8-3, 8-5, 9-1 to 9-3, 9-6, 9-7), Steve Beresford (tracks: 41-1 to 41-4)
Piano [Kaffir Piano] – Han Bennink (tracks: 11-1, 11-2)
Piccolo Flute – Ank Sillem (tracks: 8-2)
Reeds – Ab Baars (tracks: 32-1 to 32-7, 32-9 to 32-11, 32-13, 33-1 to 33-18, 54-1 to 54-6), Michael Moore (4) (tracks: 32-1 to 32-13, 33-1 to 33-18, 54-1 to 54-6), Tobias Delius (tracks: 54-1 to 54-6)
Saw – Han Bennink (tracks: 16-1 to 16-3)
Soprano Saxophone – Ab Baars (tracks: 30-8 to 30-13), Baldo Maestri (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Gianluigi Trovesi (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Han Bennink (tracks: 27-1 to 27-6, 31-1), Peter Bennink (tracks: 10-1 to 10-9), Renato Geremia (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Steve Lacy (tracks: 18-1 to 18-5, 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-7), Theo Loevendie (tracks: 1-1, 1-2)
Steel Drums – Henry Ronde (tracks: 1-3 to 1-6)
Synthesizer – Michel Waisvisz (tracks: 18-1 to 18-5), Thomas Lehn (tracks: 45-1, 45-2)
Tenor Saxophone – Ab Baars (tracks: 30-81 to 30-13, 44-1 to 44-13, 46-1 to 46-18, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 49-2 to 49-5, 49-7, 49-9, 50-1 to 50-9, 53-1 to 53-11), Evan Parker (tracks: 7-1, 7-2), Keshavan Maslak (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12), Peter Bennink (tracks: 8-1, 8-2), Peter Brötzmann (tracks: 7-1, 7-2, 24-1 to 24-11, 28-1 to 28-12), Renato Geremia (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Sean Bergin (tracks: 29-1 to 29-8), Tobias Delius (tracks: 37-1 to 37-7, 38-1 to 38-1, 43-1 to 43-13, 46-1 to 46-18, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 50-1 to 50-9, 52-1 to 52-8, 53-1 to 53-11), Willem Breuker (tracks: 2-1 to 2-6, 9-1, 10-1 to 10-9)
Toy [Toys] – Steve Beresford (tracks: 41-1 to 41-4)
Trombone – Bert Koppelaar (tracks: 8-2, 24-1 to 24-11), Garret List* (tracks: 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-7), George Lewis (tracks: 30-5 to 30-6, 32-8, 32-11, 32-13), Giancarlo Schiaffini (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Han Bennink (tracks: 25-1 to 25-3, 27-1 to 27-6), Joep Maessen (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12), Paul Rutherford (2) (tracks: 7-1, 7-2), Willem van Manen (tracks: 8-1, 8-3, 8-5, 8-6, 9-2, 9-7, 10-1 to 10-9), Wolter Wierbos (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12, 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-13, 32-1 to 32-7, 32-9 to 32-11, 32-13, 33-1 to 33-18, 36-1 to 36-3, 44-1 to 44-13, 46-1 to 46-18, 48-1 to 48-6, 50-1 to 50-9, 53-1 to 53-11, 54-1 to 54-6)
Trombone [Prepared], Kazoo, Tape [Recording Of Brazilian Jungle], Performer [Dhung, Rkangling, Oe-oe, A Fiddle-like Instrument, Mokugyo, Rolmo, Silnyen, Etc.] – Han Bennink (tracks: 12 1 to 12-14)
Trumpet – Enrico Rava (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7), Evert Hekkema (tracks: 32-2 to 32-7, 33-1, 33-3 to 33-5, 33-15, 33-16), Gerard van der Vlist (tracks: 8-1, 8-3, 9-2), Han Bennink (tracks: 14-1 to 14-6, 15-1 to 15-6), Manfred Schoof (tracks: 1-6), Thomas Heberer (tracks: 44-1 to 44-13, 46-1 to 46-18, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 50-1 to 50-9, 53-1 to 53-11, 54-1 to 54-6), Toon de Gouw (tracks: 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-7), Toshinori Kondo (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12)
Trumpet [Soft Trumpet] – Han Bennink (tracks: 12 1 to 12-14, 16-1 to 16-3)
Tuba – Larry Fishkind (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7, 28-1 to 28-12, 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-7)
Vibraphone – Gunter Hampel (tracks: 9-5)
Viola – Hasso van der Westen (tracks: 1-3 to 1-6), Lodewijk de Boer (tracks: 1-3 to 1-6), Mary Oliver (tracks: 42-1 to 42-11, 44-1 to 44-13, 45-1, 45-2, 46-1 to 46-18, 48-1 to 48-6, 50-1 to 50-9, 51-1 to 51-11, 53-1 to 53-11, 54-1 to 54-6), Maurice Horsthuis (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12, 29-1 to 29-8, 30-1 to 30-13, 32-8 to 32-13)
Violin – Ab van der Molen (tracks: 9-3), Maartje ten Hoorn (tracks: 32-3, 32-6, 32-7, 33-8 to 33-15, 33-17), Mary Oliver (tracks: 42-1 to 42-11, 44-1 to 44-13, 45-1, 45-2, 46-1 to 46-18, 47-1 to 47-8, 48-1 to 48-6, 50-1 to 50-9, 51-1 to 51-11, 53-1 to 53-11, 54-1 to 54-6), Renato Geremia (tracks: 26-1 to 26-7)
Vocals – Jeanne Lee (tracks: 9-5), Misha Mengelberg (tracks: 19-1, 20-1, 21-1 to 21-4, 22-1 to 22-3, 28-1 to 28-12, 49-2, 49-6, 49-8, 49-9)
Voice – Alessandra Patrucco (tracks: 49-1 to 49-9), Han Bennink (tracks: 2-1 to 2-6, 11-1, 11-2, 12 1 to 12-14, 14-1 to 14-6, 15-1 to 15-6, 16-1 to 16-3, 19-1, 20-1, 21-1 to 21-4, 22-1 to 22- 3), Keshavan Maslak (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12), Peter Brötzmann (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12), Toshinori Kondo (tracks: 28-1 to 28-12), Tristan Honsinger (tracks: 40-1 to 40-8, 49-2, 49-3, 49-5, 49-7 to 49-9)
Whistle – Dudu Pukwana (tracks: 25-1 to 25-3)
Wind [Gachi] – Han Bennink (tracks: 5-1 to 5-7, 8-6)
Limited Edition of 1000 numbered copies.
Comes with thick book, fold-out insert with credits and poster.
Hand-numbered and painted by Han Bennink 2012.
Recording Dates:
ICP 000: Tracks 1 and 2 June 19th, 1967 at VARA Studio 5 in Hilversum, Tracks 3, 4 and 5 July 19th, 1967 at VARA Studio in Hilversum and TRack 6 August 25th, 1967 at VARA Studio, Hilversum.
ICP 001: November 19th and December 10th, 1967 in Felix Meritis, Amsterdam.
ICP 002: May 13th and May 14th, 1968 in Schoonoord, Zeist
ICP 003: March 26th, 1969 at Dam Square, Amsterdam.
ICP 004: July 30th, 1969 at Studio André van de Water in Nederhorst den Berg.
ICP 005: March 3rd, 1970 at De Lanteern (Lanteren) in Rotterdam.
ICP 006: May 14th 1970.
ICP 007: Track 1 & 3 October 28th, 1969 at Studio André van de Water in Nederhorst den Berg.
ICP 007: Track 2 January 14th, 1969 at The Radio Wereld Omroep in Hilversum.
ICP 007: Track 4 May 23rd, 1970 at Studio André van de Water in Nederhorst den Berg.
ICP 007: Track 5 August 28th, 1969 at Studio Cinecentrum in Hilversum.
ICP 007: Track 6 March 26th, 1969 at Studio André van de Water in Nederhorst den Berg.
ICP 008: Track 1 November 22nd, 1969 in Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
ICP 008: Track 2 October 27th, 1969 at Studio André van de Water in Nederhorst den Berg.
ICP 008: Track 3 February 7th, 1970 at Studio André van de Water in Nederhorst den Berg.
ICP 008: Track 4 March 4th, 1970 in Studio Cinetone, Duivendrecht.
ICP 008: Track 5 July 6th, 1970 at Studio André van de Water in Nederhorst den Berg.
ICP 008: Track 6 Hanuary 8th, 1970 at Studio André van de Water in Nederhorst den Berg.
ICP 008: Track 7 March 26th, 1969 at Studio André van de Water in Nederhorst den Berg.
ICP 009: January 23rd, 1971 in the Mickery Theater, Loenersloot.
ICP 010: March 23rd, 1971 at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
ICP 011: 1971 and 1972 in Han Bennink's stable at the Mijndertsedijk in Loenen aan de Vecht.
ICP 012: June and July 1973 in Amsterdam.
ICP 013: March 16th, 1973 in de Trapkes, Breda.
ICP 014: May 12th, 1974 in Quartier Latin, Berlin.
ICP 015: Track 1 June 1st, 1964 in New Sound Club, Port van Cleef in Eindhoven.
ICP 015: Track 2 June 6th, 1972 in Amsterdam.
ICP 016: September 23rd, 24th and 29th 1974.
ICP 017; February 1st, 1975 in Enschede, February 18th, 1975 and May 30th in Zoetermeer.
ICP 018: December 27th, 1973 in De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam, February 28th 1975 in Stadskanaal, March 26th, 1975 in Brugge, and May 30th, 1975 in Theater Frascati, Amsterdam.
ICP 019: May 2nd, 1875 in Theater Frascati, Amsterdam.
ICP 020: September 14th - 17th, 1977 in Open Jongeren Centrum Shiva in Uithoorn, Amsterdam & Utrecht.
ICP 021: September 2nd to 5th, 1978 in Uithoorn.
ICP 022: September 1st, 1979 in Castello Di Soncino, Italy.
ICP 023: July 3rd, 1979 in De Kroeg in Amsterdam, November 2th, 1979, June 13th, 1990 and March 28th, 1981 in BIMHuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 024: May 11th, 1982 in Shima-no-uchi Church, Osaka and May 17th, 1982 in Sankei Hall, Tokyo.
ICP 025: May 11th, 1984 in Mephisto, Rotterdam, Track 4 on May 12th, 1984 in Vredenburg, Utrecht.
ICP 026: Track 1 to 3 October 27th, 1986 in Vredenburg, Utrecht.
ICP 026: Track 4 Ocotober 22th, 1986 in Wilhelmina, Eindhoven.
ICP 026: Track 5 & 6 November 20th, 1986 in Florence, Italy
ICP 026: Track 7 December 10th, 1986 in Schlemmer, The Hague.
ICP 026: Track 8 to 11 & 13 May 11th, 1984 in Mephisto, Rotterdam
ICP 026: Track 12 May 12th, 1984 in Vredenburg, Utrecht.
ICP 027: May 4th, 1990 in the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
ICP 028: Track 1 November 12th, 1990 at Bimhuis, Amsterdam
ICP 028: Track 2 & 5 November 16th, 1990 at Thelonious, Rotterdam.
ICP 028: Track 3 & 6 November 22nd, 1990 at Bimhuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 028: Track 4 November 13th, 1990 at Bimhuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 028: Track 7 February 22nd, 1991 at Schauspielhaus, Wuppertal, Germany.
ICP 028: Tracks 8 to 13 November 29th, 1986 in Florence , Italy.
ICP 029: Tracks 1 to 7 November 14th, 1990 in the Bimhuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 029: Track 8 November 10th, 1991 in Bussum.
ICP 029: Tracks 9, 11, 16 to 18 November 21st, 1990 at BIMhuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 029: Tracks 10 and 15 February 22nd, 1991 at Schauspielhaus, Wuppertal, Germany.
ICP 029: Tracks 12 to 14 November 30th,1990 at IJsbreker, Amsterdam.
ICP 030: Track 1 April 10th, 1994 at Theater Frascati, Amsterdam.
ICP 030: Track 2 May 28th, 1994 at the Royal Conservatory, The Hague.
ICP 031: Track 1 January 31st, 1997 in the Bimhuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 031: Track 2 May 1st, 1992 in Theater Romein, Leeuwarden.
ICP 032: October 13th, 1993 in Groningen and December 1St, 1995 in Tourcoing, France
ICP 033: June 7th, 1997 in Polanen Theater, Amsterdam
ICP 034: September 6th, 1999 in the Bimhuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 035: Produced in 1999.
ICP 036: December 2nd and 21st, 1999 at Plantage Doklaan, Amsterdam.
ICP 037: Tracks 1 & 4 February 24th, 2000 in Mahogany Hall, Edam
ICP 037: Tracks 2 & 3 February 17Th, 2000 at the Bimhuis, Amsterdam
ICP 038: July 2000 at Plantage Doklaan, Amsterdam
ICP 039: April 25th to 27th, 2001 in Nigglmühle, Allgäu.
ICP 040: June 19th and 20th, 2001 in De IJsbreker, Amsterdam.
ICP 041: June 5th, 2003 at the Bimhuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 042: November 26th and 27th, and December 13th, 2003 at the Bimuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 043: June 25th, 2005 in Plus-Etage, Baarle Nassau
ICP 044A: May 9th, 2007 at Teatro Duse, Bologna at the Angelica Festival.
ICP 045: February 3, 2007 in the Bimhuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 046: May 8th, 2008 in the Bimhuis, Amsterdam
ICP 047: November 12th, 2007 and March 11th, 2008 in Amsterdam.
ICP 048: April 16th, 2009 in the Bimhuis, Amsterdam
ICP 049: Tracks 1, 5, 10, 11 September 2nd and 3rd, 2009 in the Bimhuis, Amsterdam.
ICP 049: Tracks 2, 4, 7, 8: September 4th, 2009 in the Bimhuis, Amsterdam
ICP 049: Tracks 3, 6, 9 June 13th, 2009 at Cultureel Centrum Maasmechelen, Belgium.
ICP 050: Tracks 1, 3 & 4 September 2th to 4th, 2009 at the Bimhuis, Amsterdam
ICP 050: Tracks 2, 5 & 6 June 13th, 2009 at Cultureel Centrum Maasmechelen, Belgium.
29-7 listed as "2300 skidoo" on slipcover.
29-8 listed as "Terpsichore" on slipcover.
29-1,2,3,8 are duplicated on disk 30 (but disk 29 seems to come from a poor cassette source).
30-12 is an edited version of 29-4 (omitting piano solo).
30-13 is an edited version of 29-5 (omitting trombone solo).
The group was founded by pianist Misha Mengelberg (who’s sitting out this tour) and drummer Han Bennink in 1974, and it’s existed ever since with a goodly amount of turnover (past members have included John Tchicai, Peter Brötzmann, Alan Silva, Enrico Rava, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Steve Lacy, and George Lewis, among numerous others), though the current lineup has remained more or less the same for a decade and a half. Yet before this particular ensemble started, Mengelberg and Bennink had a very long history together dating back to 1961: in 1967 they formed Instant Composers Pool with reedist Willem Breuker as a musical cooperative. Among its efforts was launching a record label to chronicle some of its activityThing
In 1958, guitarist Jim Hall, in liner notes to a Jimmy Giuffre album, used the term “instant composition” to describe improvising. A few years later, Misha Mengelberg, knowing nothing of this, re-coined the term, and it stuck. A quiet manifesto, those two English words countered notions that improvising was either a lesser order of music-making than composing, or an art without a memory, existing only in the moment, unmindful of form. Misha's formulation posited improvisation as formal composition's equal (if not its superior, being faster).
Yes but: Misha says he was thinking of “instant coffee,” stuff any serious java drinker recognized as a sham substitute. He deflates his lofty idea even as he raises it. In the mid-1960s Mengelberg became involved with the Fluxus art movement, which he found inviting because it stood for nothing, had no ideals to defend. What bound together Fluxus's conceptualists, shock artists, early minimalists, musical comics et cetera was a need for a performance format that could accommodate them all. (Hence that symbol of '60s kookiness, the multimedia Happening.) Eventually he formed a band with that kind of flexibility: the modern ICP Orchestra.
ICP co-founders Mengelberg and drummer Han Bennink have played together since 1961; before long they’d played on Eric Dolphy’s 1964 Last Date and in a successful Dutch quartet, until they brought in the anarchistic young reed player Willem Breuker, whose disruptive presence tore the group apart. That was OK; Han and Misha liked musical confrontations. Mengelberg had studied composition at the Hague conservatory (alongside his friend Louis Andriessen); in his ’60s game piece “Hello Windyboys,” two wind quintets variously engage in call and response, communicate in musical code, interrupt or block each other, or seduce their rivals into cooperating. They did formally what ICP’s musicians now do informally.
Bennink, Breuker and Mengelberg founded the ICP co-op in 1967. In 1974 the saxophonist left to form the Willem Breuker Kollektief, longtime flagship of Dutch improvised music. Mengelberg (and Bennink) founded the raggedy ICP Tentet (including German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, and sometimes cellist Tristan Honsinger). That band matured into something very like the present-day ICP Orchestra in the 1980s, with the addition of younger players, some of whom have been there ever since: trombonist Wolter Wierbos, saxophonists/clarinetists Michael Moore and Ab Baars, and bassist Ernst Glerum. When they were new to the orchestra, Misha rehearsed the players in various performance strategies—such as the uses of his “viruses,” self-contained packets of notated material a player could cue into any composition to infect or disable it. The musicians learned how to deal with fellow players’ quirks of timing or intonation, how to confound their colleagues before their colleagues could confound them, how to bend or subvert the music in performance, and run little subroutines within a piece.
Another, jazzier part of their education was a series of repertory projects, devoted to Mengelberg’s pianistic and compositional heroes Herbie Nichols, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Those projects served as object lessons in the value of pretty melodies and voicings (Ellington), the construction and subversion of chords (Monk) and how to devise chord progressions that move in unusual ways (Nichols). Pieces by each of those composers still turn up on ICP set lists (along with a few by Hoagy Carmichael), and those lessons still pay off.
In time, the players came to understand that any of the possibilities Misha had raised was available for use at any time, on any piece. Members could also make up new wrinkles on the spot, confident everyone else would pick right up on it. That also proved true with the players who joined ICP later: German trumpeter (and now New Yorker) Thomas Heberer; new music violinist/violist Mary Oliver, and saxophonist/clarinetist Tobias Delius. Cellist Honsinger rejoined in the 90s as well. (All also lead their own ensembles or occasional projects.)
So the mature ICP is a mixed ensemble: part jazz band, part chamber orchestra. On stage, the space between Misha’s piano and Han’s drums is occupied by a thorny string trio: viola, cello and doublebass. Across from them is a five-piece horn section, three reeds and two brass. As in Ellington’s band, distinctive, individual players can merge beautifully on the written material.
Indeed, given their individuality, the blending is remarkable. Sleek-sounding Mary Oliver brings the conceptual rigor of new composed music to the strings; Tristan Honsinger is the anarchist, testing limits; Ernst Glerum with his deep woody bass tone anchors the string and rhythm sections. (And he gets a beautiful tone when he bows the strings.) Thomas Heberer has solid bebop chops, and a quarter-tone trumpet to let him get into the cracks in the 12-note scale. The blustery, slippery Wolter Wierbos can imitate any trombone sound he ever heard, without losing his own voice. Ab Baars favors extreme clarinet high notes, and a loud but nakedly vulnerable tenor saxophone sound. On clarinet or alto Michael Moore can be sweetly lyrical or sarcastically sour. Tobias Delius’s big, furry tenor tone harks back to the swing era, but his ear is decidedly modern.
Meanwhile, drummer Bennink amplifies and gooses soloists’ rhythms, and sets optimal tempos for limber swing. He’s loud but always listening, and has excellent instincts for pulling the plug when a particular episode or gambit has run its course. And Misha colors and subtly influences the action from the keyboard. As pianist he took from Monk the idea that effective comping may be more obstinate than sympathetic—and that sometimes, silence is the best option.
To keep things fresh, Mengelberg would write out and distribute set lists moments before the players hit the stage. Those lists typically include several compositions separated by spontaneous improvised sub-groups, allowing the players the option of improvising their way out of and into the written themes. There might also be an “instant composition”—the players taking their cues from one of their fellows, who conducts their improvising using informal pantomime gestures.
The band’s big enough to shout but compact enough to hold the road on sharp turns. In performance, its tone and frames of reference keep shifting. The action is fluid, as in a dream: surreal music for real. An ICP set contains new and old tunes, jazz business and maybe a little funny business, full-force raveups and improvised breakdowns.
Nowadays, all the players take turns writing those set lists—Bennink most frequently. And the players bring their own pieces, and new arrangements of older Mengelberg tunes. The music’s full of surprises, unexpected turns, limber grace and strange eruptions. Nothing else and no one else sounds quite like them, and no two gigs are ever alike.
Kevin Whitehead
THE MUSICIANS
Misha Mengelberg (1935-2017) was a co-founder of the Instant Composers Pool with Han Bennink and Willem Breuker in 1967. He performed in duo with Han Bennink for more than 40 years and led the ICP Orchestra for more than 30. His other credits include performing and recording with Eric Dolphy, John Tchicai, Derek Bailey, Steve Lacy, Peter Brötzmann, Dave Douglas, and many others. For more information, see the European Free Improvisation pages or All Music Guide.
Han Bennink (drums) is a co-founder of the ICP, long-time associate of Misha Mengelberg, and one of the most in-demand drummers in Europe. He has performed and recorded with jazz musicians such as Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins, as well as European improvisers such as Peter Brötzmann, Derek Bailey, and Willem Breuker. He trained as a graphic artist and has exhibited work in several media, including sculptures from found objects that can include broken drum heads and drumsticks; he also designs many of his own LP and CD sleeves. www.hanbennink.com.
In addition to playing solo concerts and performing with his own trio, Ab Baars (clarinet, tenorsax) can be regularly heard with The Ex, Luc Ex’s Assemblee and the Kaja Draksler Octet. Since 1990, his main focus has been on the Ab Baars Trio, which led to tours with Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd and Ken Vandermark. He has a regular duo with violist Ig Henneman and co-leads the trio Fish-scale Sunrise and Perch Hen Brock & Rain. A collaboration with the Nieuw Ensemble, shakuhachi player Iwamoto and conductor Butch Morris at the festival Improvisations. Baars resume also mentions the names of François Houle, John Carter, Roger Turner, Sunny Murray, George Lewis, Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, and Gerry Hemingway among others. www.stichtingwig.com.
Tobias Delius (clarinet, tenorsax) began playing the tenor saxophone in the Ruhrgebiet, Germany. It was in Mexico City and especially in Amsterdam that he developed his very personal style. He now lives in Berlin. Next to leading his highly acclaimed 4tet with Han Bennink, Joe Williamson & Tristan Honsinger, which has been going for more than 20 years and 4 CDs on the ICP label, as well as the trio Booklet (with Joe Williamson and drummer Steve Heather) His improvisations can be heard in a very wide variety of contexts with musicians from all over the globe. www.doek.org.
Ernst Glerum studied classical double-bass at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. During his studies he joined contemporary music ensembles (ASKO ensemble) as well as improvised music groups (Curtis Clark, Hans Dulfer, JC Tans, Theo Loevendie). He frequently performed with such artists as Steve Lacy, Lee Konitz, Uri Caine, Teddy Edwards, Benny Maupin, Jimmy Knepper, Jamaladeen Tacuma, John Zorn, Bud Shank, Art Hodes, Don Byron and many others. Besides being a member of the ICP and the Benjamin Herman Quartet, he performs in the Guus Janssen Trio, Van Kemenade/Anderson/Glerum/Bennink and Quartet NL. He sometimes doubles on piano in his own trio Glerum Omnibus, which currently features pianist Timothy Banchet and drummer Jamie Peet.
Thomas Heberer (cornet, trumpet) joined ICP in 1993. Born in Germany in 1965, he studied at the Cologne University of Music. Thomas has performed on 6 continents and can be heard on approximately 100 recordings. He was awarded the SWR Jazz Award and the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. His leader credits include recordings for the CIMP, Clean Feed, JazzHausMusik, NoBusiness, and Red Toucan labels. Thomas has been a resident of New York City since 2008, where he lives with his wife Robin. Recent collaborations include recordings and concert tours with among others: Peter Brötzmann, his own band Clarino, Ken Filiano, HNH, Achim Kaufmann, Butch Morris, Pascal Niggenkemper, The Nu Band and Aki Takase. Past highlights include writing music for choreographer Pina Bausch and the Tanztheater Wuppertal, his critically acclaimed duet with bassist Dieter Manderscheid, and his membership in Alexander von Schlippenbach's Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. www.thomasheberer.com.
Born in New England, the cellist Tristan Honsinger studied at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. By the '70s, the Trans-American had moved to Amsterdam. Since a memorable set of concerts in Berlin in 1988, released on the much sought-after FMP box set, Honsinger has been a fairly regular member of Cecil Taylor's groups, including the European Quartet with Harri Sjöström and Paul Lovens, including an unusual combination that performed at the Total Music Meeting in November 1999: the Cecil Taylor Ensemble with Franky Douglas, Tristan Honsinger and Andrew Cyrille. From his current domicile, Berlin, he leads the groups In the Sea and House of Wasps.
he music of Guus Janssen (piano, organ) is difficult to categorize. It can be a composed improvisation (Brake for piano solo) or an improvised composition (parts from his Violin Concerto or his opera Noach). Music is like life itself, sometimes it asks for fast decisions and sometimes it needs to be thought over a lot. As a pianist and harpsichordist, he performed in various groupings with musicians from John Zorn to Gidon Kremer. Since the early 1980’s he has led his own ensembles, ranging from piano trios to 11-piece band and opera orchestra. Janssen’s achievements in the field of jazz and improvised music have been widely acclaimed. His compositions have been widely played by, amongst others, the Asko Schönberg Ensemble, the Ebony Band and the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest. He received several prizes including the Johan Wagenaar Prijs 2012 for his whole oeuvre. Janssen teaches composition at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. www.guusjanssen.com.
Michael Moore (clarinet, alto sax) was born in Arcata, California, where he played in clubs and attended school before moving to Boston to study at the New England Conservatory of Music. There he worked with Joseph Allard, Jaki Byard, Joe Maneri, Gunther Schuller, George Russell and others. After spending two years in NYC he moved to Amsterdam, where he has lived since 1984. He (co)-led Available Jelly and Jewels & Binoculars and worked with Franky Douglas, Achim Kaufmann, Dave Douglas, Fred Hersch, Benoit Delbecq, Paul Berner and others. Current projects include his own Michael Moore Fragile Quartet, the Eric Boeren 4tet and singer Jodi Gilbert’s The Voice is the Matter. http://www.ramboyrecordings.com.
Mary Oliver (violin, viola) is a performer whose virtuosity spans the worlds of scored and improvised music. Oliver (b. La Jolla, California) completed her studies at the University of California, San Diego where she received her Ph.D. for her research in the theory and practice of improvised music. Her doctoral thesis, “Constellations in Play,” identified a new kind of creative discipline, which Oliver has pursued with colleagues locally and around the world. As a soloist, Oliver has performed in numerous international festivals and premiered works by John Cage, Chaya Czernowin, Brian Ferneyhough, Lou Harrison, George E. Lewis, Liza Lim, Misha Mengelberg, Iannis Xenakis and others. She has worked alongside improvising musicians and dancers such as Mark Dresser, Katie Duck, Joëlle Léandre, Myra Melford, Alexander von Schlippenbach and Michael Schumacher. In addition to her position in the ICP Orchestra she is a member of the trio Picatrix (with Nora Mulder and Greetje Bijma). She teaches at the faculty of Arts, Media and Technologie at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, and at the Dutch Improv Academy.
Wolter Wierbos (trombone) can be heard on more than 100 CDs and LPs. Like many Dutch brass players Wierbos started out in a ‘fanfare’ (brass band), switching from trumpet to trombone when he was 17. Since 1979 he has performed with Henry Threadgill, The Ex, The Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra (led by Alexander von Schlippenbach), the European Big Band (led by Cecil Taylor), Sonic Youth, the John Carter Project, Mingus Big Band (Epitaph, directed by Gunther Schuller) and many others. He was a regular member of the Gerry Hemingway Quintet, Franky Douglas’ Sunchild, Bik Bent Braam, Albrecht Maurer Trio Works, NoCanDo, Available Jelly and Sean Bergin’s MOB and currently performs with Carl Ludwig Hübsch’s Longrun Development of the Universe, Frank Gratkowski Quartet and Theo Loevendie’s Wellingtonians. He teaches at the ArtEZ Conservatory in Arnhem. www.wolterwierbos.nl.
Formed by drummer Han Bennink and pianist Misha Mengelberg in 1967, just a few months after Brötzmann released his epochal debut For Adolphe Sax, and three years before the first release on Evan Parker and Derek Bailey's Incus label, the Instant Composers Pool is one of the unassailable keystones of European improv. Though it sprang from the same Fluxus-inspired urge to rip up the rule book, right from the start, the Dutch collective was characterised by a mischievous twinkle largely missing in its peers – a sensibility that runs through this enormous 52-disc box-set of the label's entire back catalogue. While in UK improv, playing a blues would have been unthinkable, for Bennink and co it was just another strategy: take a listen to Extension, an album recorded by the 12-piece ICP Orchestra in 1984, which presents an entire programme of jumping bop by the overlooked pianist Herbie Nichols. A sense of the absurd is never far away, as on Misha Mengelberg's 1972 duet with his pet parrot, Eeko – taken from the album ICP015, which also features an archival 1964 recording of Bennink and Mengelberg swinging hard with Eric Dolphy. In fact, cast your eye over that list of contributors above – including John Tchicai, Steve Lacy, Enrico Rava and Toshinori Kondo – and you'll have some idea of the global network of artists that, at one time or another, worked under the ICP umbrella. Have no doubt; this incredible compendium is a historical artefact that will resonate for many years to come.
If interested in purchasing the music of ICP, please find your way to their bandcamp page
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