For such an assuredly rhythmic performer Swiss pianist Irene Schweizer shows an unexpected affinity to drummers, though this is only the second entry to her discography with maverick Dutch drummer Han Bennink. In spite of their impeccable avant-garde credentials they have crafted a surprisingly accessible album which fizzes with joie de vivre. While a fondness for tradition surfaces at regular intervals, it's glorious off-the-cuff syncopation that proves their strongest suit. In the end, it's two people having fun in a way which everyone can share.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-sharpes-best-releases-of-2016-wadada-leo-smith-by-john-sharpe

For such an assuredly rhythmic performer Swiss pianist Irene Schweizer shows an unexpected affinity to drummers, though this is only the second entry to her discography with maverick Dutch drummer Han Bennink. In spite of their impeccable avant-garde credentials they have crafted a surprisingly accessible album which fizzes with joie de vivre. While a fondness for tradition surfaces at regular intervals, it's glorious off-the-cuff syncopation that proves their strongest suit. In the end, it's two people having fun in a way which everyone can share.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-sharpes-best-releases-of-2016-wadada-leo-smith-by-john-sharpe

For such an assuredly rhythmic player Swiss pianist Irene Schweizer shows an unexpected affinity to drummers, who feature disproportionately as partners in her discography. But even so Welcome Back constitutes only the second entry to pair Schweizer with maverick Dutch drummer Han Bennink, following their eponymous debut (Intakt, 1996), which was itself preceded by years of engagement stretching back further still. In spite of their impeccable avant-garde credentials (both have been at the forefront of European improv for the last five decades) they have crafted a surprisingly accessible album which fizzes with joie de vivre.

Two days in the studio generated sufficient material from which to select a diverse yet well-rounded program. Among the 14 short cuts are those which reflect a fondness for tradition (a gentle "Meet me tonight in dreamland" on which Bennink's airy accompaniment brings a smile to the face), the influence of South African expatriates (Johnny Dyani's richly voiced "Ntyilo, Ntyilo") and their regard for Monk (the concluding sunny rendition of "Eronel"). Though credited to one or other of the two principals, many of the remaining cuts sound spontaneous with an unforced freewheeling feel.

They conjure outbreaks of irrepressible swing from even the seemingly most abstract surroundings -the opening title track in which Schweizer initially hints at Cecil Taylor is a good example. A relaxed vibe pervades the set, stemming from a perception that each can explore in whatever direction they choose no matter what the starting point. Although largely held in check, Bennink's sense of mischief manifests in the occasional irreverent thump -as on ballad stylings of "Free for all." Tenderness comes out on the lilting stroll of "I surrender, dear." But glorious extemporized syncopation proves their strongest suit, notably evident in the pianist's "Rag" and the jointly apportioned "To Misha with love." In the end, it's two people having fun in a way which everyone can share.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/welcome-back-irene-schweizer-intakt-records-review-by-john-sharpe

For such an assuredly rhythmic player Swiss pianist Irene Schweizer shows an unexpected affinity to drummers, who feature disproportionately as partners in her discography. But even so Welcome Back constitutes only the second entry to pair Schweizer with maverick Dutch drummer Han Bennink, following their eponymous debut (Intakt, 1996), which was itself preceded by years of engagement stretching back further still. In spite of their impeccable avant-garde credentials (both have been at the forefront of European improv for the last five decades) they have crafted a surprisingly accessible album which fizzes with joie de vivre.

Two days in the studio generated sufficient material from which to select a diverse yet well-rounded program. Among the 14 short cuts are those which reflect a fondness for tradition (a gentle "Meet me tonight in dreamland" on which Bennink's airy accompaniment brings a smile to the face), the influence of South African expatriates (Johnny Dyani's richly voiced "Ntyilo, Ntyilo") and their regard for Monk (the concluding sunny rendition of "Eronel"). Though credited to one or other of the two principals, many of the remaining cuts sound spontaneous with an unforced freewheeling feel.

They conjure outbreaks of irrepressible swing from even the seemingly most abstract surroundings -the opening title track in which Schweizer initially hints at Cecil Taylor is a good example. A relaxed vibe pervades the set, stemming from a perception that each can explore in whatever direction they choose no matter what the starting point. Although largely held in check, Bennink's sense of mischief manifests in the occasional irreverent thump -as on ballad stylings of "Free for all." Tenderness comes out on the lilting stroll of "I surrender, dear." But glorious extemporized syncopation proves their strongest suit, notably evident in the pianist's "Rag" and the jointly apportioned "To Misha with love." In the end, it's two people having fun in a way which everyone can share.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/welcome-back-irene-schweizer-intakt-records-review-by-john-sharpe

Most renowned for its mountains, lakes, watches, chocolate, banks and folding knives, Switzerland deserves equal attention for its vibrant jazz scene. Recent recordings by Swiss artists furnish the proof.

Schaffhausen-born septuagenarian pianist Irène Schweizer has been an outspoken voice on the European free improv scene since the late '60s. It's somewhat surprising, therefore, that she hasn't been heard more often with iconic Dutch drummer Han Bennink; Welcome Back, only their second duet recording in 20 years, is a long overdue reunion. Both inhabit overlapping musical orbits, sharing an affinity for incisive swing, spontaneity and serious playfulness, such that their camaraderie is effortless. Besides short readings of Schweizer and Bennink compositions, ranging from nervous pointillism and frenzied bombast to light fairytales and rattling tone poems, the album contains covers of "Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland", Johnny Dyani's "Ntyilo, Ntyilo", "I Surrender Dear" and Thelonious Monk's "Eronel", all rendered in a more straightahead style.

Hera, recorded for the Bern's Everest Records, is the second installment of a fairytale trilogy by Le Pot, a Swiss quartet of trumpeter/electronicist Manuel Mengis, keyboardist Hans-Peter Pfammatter, guitarist Manuel Troller and drummer Lionel Friedli, all veterans of Mengis' Gruppe 6. After a four-day sojourn at the ancient hilltop church of St. Roman overlooking the historic hamlet of Raron, the group emerged with an extended suite of collective improvisations based on motifs gleaned from the music of Benjamin Britten. Acoustic elements - open trumpet, piano, hand percussion, even the church's carillon tolling nine o'clock in the background of a piece inspired by Britten's "Requiem Aeternam" - readily blend with an almost constant wash of processed electronica, making it difficult to distinguish guitar from synthesizer or glissandoing gongs from echoing trumpet. Hypnotic and scarifying, it suggests a macabre soundtrack.

The Biel/Bienne district is homebase for Koch- Kocher-Badrutt, a project recorded on the local Bruit label by local musicians: bass clarinetist Hans Koch, accordionist Jonas Kocher and live sampler Gaudenz Badrutt. Koch and Kocher often perform duets with Badrutt, so expanding to trio format was a natural extension. Recorded live at Blutopia, a record store/ performance space in Rome, Italy, for a highly attentive audience, the album is a study in contrast and restraint, beginning with a high-pitched whine reminiscent of a pediatrician's hearing test, wending through an eerie series of soundscapes until an abrupt caterwauling conclusion. It could be a day in the life of an industrial factory, with its various whirrings and stirrings, squeaks and drones, rubbings and mumblings, leaky faucet sounds and swelling murmurs, punctuated with gaping silences, then slowly cleaving into sustained plateaus with occasional burps and brief climaxes.