INTAKT RECORDS – REVIEWS

ANGELIKA NIESCIER – ALEXANDER HAWKINS
SOUL IN PLAIN SIGHT

Intakt CD 369 / 2021

 

 

Rigobert Dittmann, Bad Alchemy Newsletter, August 2021 (DE)

 

Jean Buzelin, Culturejazz.fr, Aug 22 2021 (FR)

 

Mark Corroto, All About Jazz, Aug 24 2021 (EN)

 

Jan Granlie, salt-peanuts.eu, Aug 24 2021 (NL)

Jan Granlie, salt-peanuts.eu, Aug 24 2021 (NL)

 

Claude Loxhay, jazzhalo.be, Sept 2021 (FR)

 

Laurence Donohue-Greene's Recommended Releases, The New York City Jazz Record, Sept 2021 (EN)

 

Jan van Leersum, rootstime.be, Sept 2021 (NL)

Jan van Leersum, rootstime.be, Sept 2021(NL)

 

C’est au Festival de Jazz de Berlin que la saxophoniste polonaise (installée en Allemagne depuis quarante ans) et le pianiste anglais se sont découverts pour la première fois. Ce dernier se produisait en duo avec le trompettiste Wadada Leo Smith tandis que la pianiste présentait le trio de son dernier album chez Intakt avec le bassiste Christopher Tordini et le batteur Tyshawn Sorey (« The Berlin Concert »). Deux instrumentistes faits pour se rencontrer, tous les deux nourris de la tradition du jazz et de ses aventures free du côté d’Ornette Coleman ou Cecil Taylor. Tous deux aussi férus de rencontres en duo, la pianiste a, par exemple, joué avec Julia Hülsmann qu’on a vu récemment au Gaume Jazz.

Jean-Pierre Goffin, Jazz Mania, Sept 23 2021 (FR)

 

Germany based saxophonist Angelika Niescier and British pianist Alexander Hawkins share an intimate and explosive 52 minutes together on Soul in Plain Sight. The album, which was recorded after a series of concert dates last year in Europe was committed to tape (or hard-drive) at the somewhat legendary Loft in Cologne in September 2020. The music is a rich mix of improvisation and compositions.

Paul Acquaro, The Free Jazz Collective, Sept 20 2021 (EN)

 

Thomas Neuhauser, Jazz Podium Magazine, Oct 2021 (DE)

Thomas Neuhauser, Jazz Podium Magazine, Oct 2021 (DE)

 

Frugano negli spigoli, come da titolo, di un’anima pienamente visibile, Alexander Hawkins al piano e Angelika Niescier al sax alto, in un dialogo nitido e ispirato che riempie le stanze dell’ennesimo disco di ottimo livello pubblicato dalla zurighese Intakt. La musicista di Colonia ed il pianista inglese si sono incontrati anni fa al festival jazz di Berlino; se del quarantenne oxfordiano già si è parlato in abbondanza (sulle nostre pagine buon ultimo ne ha scritto Mario Gamba, a proposito del magnifico Togetherness Music, per largo ensemble), Niescier è invece ancora relativamente poco conosciuta, pur avendo già tre uscite in catalogo con gli svizzeri e collaborazioni con musicisti importanti come il batterista Tyshawn Sorey. Musica urgente e a fuoco, tra risse e battibecchi (l’incipit corrusco di Brawls And Squabbles) e frangenti densi e pensosi (As Hemispheres At Home). Pagando tributo a Muhal Richard Abrams (Arhythm Songy), fondatore dell’AACM, l’associazione per il progresso della musica creativa. Che fortunatamente non ha ancora terminato evoluzione e rivoluzione nel mare aperto del suono (Limnetic Zone) e trova in questo disco un altro luminoso capitolo.

Nazim Comunale, Il Manifesto, Oct 6 2021 (IT)

 

 

Martin Schuster, Concerto Magazine, Okt/Nov 2021 (DE)

Martin Schuster, Concerto Magazine, Okt/Nov 2021 (DE)

 

 

Achim Doppler, Concerto Magazine, Okt/Nov 2021 (DE)

Achim Doppler, Concerto Magazine, Okt/Nov 2021 (DE)

 

 

Having established herself playing with local musicians and Americans, Polish-born, Köln-based alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier is involved in this egalitarian duo with Oxford-based pianist Alexander Hawkins. An experienced duet partner with Evan Parker Louis Moholo-Moholo and others, he helps divide the 14 tracks among originals by both, improvisations and a cover of Muhal Richard Abrams’ “Arhythm Songy”.

Ken Waxman, Jazz Word, Oct 12 2021 (EN)

 

 

Pirmin Bossart, Jazz'n'More Magazine, Sept 2021 (DE)

Pirmin Bossart, Jazz'n'More Magazine, Sept 2021 (DE)

 

 

La experimentada saxofonista, compositora e improvisadora polaca Angelika Niescier y el destacado pianista y compositor británico Alexander Hawkins presentarán próximamente su primer álbum como dúo titulado Soul In Plain Sight.

El Intruso, July 15 2021 (ES)

 

 

Interesting and stimulating how differently Muhal Richard Abrams' 'Arhythm Songy' sounds in a new duo treatment by German alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier and English pianist Alexander Hawkins on their album Soul in Plain Sight coming up for release by Intakt on 20 August. The Abrams composition appeared on the 1978-released Black Saint album 1-OQA+19.

Marlbank, Aug 11 2021 (EN)

 

 

De eerste duo-uitgave van altsaxofoniste Angelika Niescier en pianist Alexander Hawkins, twee boegbeelden uit de improvisatie en avant-garde, opgenomen in de befaamde Löft (Keulen), een warm nest voor dergelijke samenwerkingen. Niescier en Hawkins ontmoetten elkaar enkele jaren geleden tijdens Jazzfest Berlin. Wederzijds respect en hun respectievelijke zin om te musiceren zonder keurslijf, leidden tot een aantal gezamenlijke concerten en uiteindelijk ook tot ‘Soul In Plain Sight’. Hun streefdoel vanaf de start: aftasten en zoeken hoe ver ze konden gaan met de combinatie altsaxofoon en piano. Heel ver blijkt en dit aan de hand van pure improvisatie, ‘composities’ en een enkele cover, het veelzeggende ‘Arhythm Songy’ van Muhal Richard Abrams.

Jazzenzo, Aug 24 2021 (DE)

 

 

Una liaison inedita, che ha attivamente segnato il corrente anno e tuttora espressa anche da svariate esibizioni live, quella tra la alto-sassofonista Angelika Niescier ed il pianista Alexander Hawkins.

di Aldo Del Noce, Sound Contest, Nov 08 2021 (IT)

 

 

THIS duo partnership of Oxford-born pianist Alexander Hawkins and Poland-born alto saxophonist Angelika Nescier is a true mutual voyage of sonic discovery. It is as if everything is new and unleashed — even their astonishing recreation of Muhal Richard Abrams’s improvisation anthem, Arhythm Songy.

Chris Searle, Morning Star, Dec 2021 (EN)

 

 

La réunion de deux des personnalités les plus stimulantes de la scène jazz internationale actuelle est une heureuse nouvelle. Alors qu’il jouait en duo avec Wadada Leo Smith au Jazzfest Berlin , le pianiste anglais Alexander Hawkins découvre le trio de la saxophoniste allemande Angelika Niescier et tombe sous le charme de son jeu. La rencontre musicale a lieu et elle a tout de l’évidence. On peut ajouter qu’elle se devait d’advenir, tant les points de convergence entre les deux musiciens sont nombreux.

par Nicolas Dourlhès, Citizen Jazz, Dec 12 2021 (FR)

 

 

Saxophonist Angelika Niescier (Poland) and pianist Alexander Hawkins (UK) share mutual admiration amid a meeting at the Berlin Jazz Fest. As we fast forward to this duet outing by these increasingly prominent Euro improvisers who recast their respective goods here, think of Language A communicating with Language B, simply using the emotive aspects and non-verbal interactions with their instruments. Here, the output solidifies into a spiritual union of rapid interpretations, cunning contrasts, and orbital characteristics where spoken word really wouldn't matter.

Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz, Jan 19 2022 (EN)

 

 

Some of pianist British Alexander Hawkins' most potent outings have been in the intimate duo setting. Think, for example, of Leaps In Leicester (Clean Feed, 2016) with Evan Parker or Shards And Constellations (Intakt, 2020) with cellist Tomeka Reid. To that list can be added this richly-detailed double act with the Polish-born, German-resident saxophonist Angelika Niescier. The set had its genesis in a meeting at the 2016 Berlin Jazz Festival where Hawkins had performed with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and Niescier was about to go onstage with her quintet co-led by pianist Florian Weber and featuring three storied US names in trumpeter Ralph Alessi, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Gerald Cleaver.

John Sharpe, All About Jazz, Jan 25 2022 (EN)

 

 

My conversation with the composer, bandleader and saxophonist Angelika Niescier based in Köln, Germany. Originally aired 5.18.2022 We dig in to her most recent record with Alexander Hawkins, Soul in Plain Sight and her 2018 release The Berlin Concert with Tyshawn Sorey and Christopher Tordini. Angelika was a pleasure to speak to and provided great perspective as an artist as well as her perspective on the ongoing dire situation in the Ukraine.

Bill Kautz, Mixcloud, May 18 2022 (EN)


Ce duo entre le pianiste anglais Alexander Hawkins et la saxophoniste d'origine polonaise Angelika Niescier est né d'une rencontre lors d'un Jazzfest à Berlin. Hawkins venait de jouer en duo avec le trompettiste Wadada Leo Smith et la saxophoniste avait présenté son New York Trio, avec Christopher Tordini à la contrebasse et Tyshawn Sorey à la batterie.

Claude Loxhay, Jazz’halo, June 2022 (FR)


Pianiste anglais né en 1981 à Oxford, Alexander Hawkins connaît un parcours ascensionnel. D’abord initié en parallèle à l’orgue dans ses jeunes années puis passé quasi exclusivement à la pratique du piano, il commence par l’apprentissage de la musique classique avant de se tourner vers le jazz. Se dégageant des conventions académiques, il se met tôt à la recherche d’un style propre en multipliant les collaborations.

Franpi Barriaux and Nicolas Dourlhès, Citizenjazz, Dec 11 2022 (FR)

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