Although the "pioneer" label may reflect her role through the decades, it does not completely convey the importance of late pianist Irène Schweizer's contributions to modern art. Aside from the impact that the Swiss pianist's music has had on certain players (including, in this reviewer's case, an enhanced perspective on contrapuntal extemporization and the capacity to stay composed across turbulence), the expressions that arise when I think of Schweizer's music, or observe her gaze up close, are "coherence" and "articulation."

Schweizer's oblique, unpremeditated movements on the keyboard were directed by a thorough awareness of her position within a sonic continuum. Her phrasing always revealed reference points, veritable "acoustic beacons" to assist us in decoding the message. And, last but not least, that scintillating inventiveness — comprising a mastery of extended techniques and preparations — was truly uncommon.

Given all the reasons stated above and beyond, what is offered here by Intakt —; Schweizer's enduring "home" during most of her career — should be embraced with genuine excitement. Irène's Hot Four serves as the audio documentation of the inaugural act by a group of exceptional musicians. Along with the nominal leader, the ensemble is shaped by Rüdiger Carl on accordion, sax and clarinet, Johnny Dyani on double bass and voice, and Han Bennink on drums, percussion and megaphone. Each artist warrants an individual story, of course, but what is significant in this situation is the outcome of their instrumental (and, on occasion, theatrical) interaction for the listener's advantage. This set, taped by Radio SRF at the 1981 edition of Internationales Jazzfestival Zürich, was praised by local media as a peak of the event. Upon listening to the recording, one cannot help but agree with that assessment, joining the audience's enthusiastic response at the end of each piece in the time machine of the mind.

In spite of the fact that this was their introductory concert, the participants sound as if they had rehearsed together since childhood, effortlessly seeking, finding, prompting and reacting through superb improvisational skills. The high caliber of the interplay and the diverse sensations of tension and release it generates — from fast-paced, ever-changing superimpositions to circus comedy, from anarchic clatter to the clever organization of spontaneous themes — could be discussed for ages without fully grasping the kind of creative spark that ignited the inner dynamics of these beings, immersed in their own "stage reality" and revitalized by the energy they shared with one another. The gift for us is an exhilarating series of genre-jumping scenarios where Schweizer, Dyani, Carl and Bennink function as distinct leaders who have no need for a negotiating table, the term "compromise" seemingly not appealing to any of them. Accordingly, the distinctiveness of the single voices becomes a combination of twists and turns that surpasses styles, norms and tired ideals, in the interest of a "right now" that conceals expectations for a utopian future.

This is an unquestionable must, from which newcomers might start to delve into Schweizer's recorded history. Collaborations like this, alongside solo piano milestones such as 1996's Many And One Direction, also on Intakt, illustrate the vast expressive range of this empathetic, tenacious, quick-witted woman. Should someone genuinely wish to engage in serious study, do complement these and any additional resources with the outstanding book by Christian Broecking, This Uncontainable Feeling of Freedom: Irène Schweizer — European Jazz and the Politics of Improvisation, which includes, among other features, a photo of Cecil Taylor — indeed — intently observing a Schweizer live performance from backstage. Nothing more needs to be said.

https://www.squidco.com/cgi-bin/news/newsView.cgi?newsID=2950

La memoria viva struttura e indirizza il jazz: materiali sempre riplasmabili, ognuno con la sua fetta di storia in evidenza. Il pianista cubano Aruán Ortiz in Creole Renaissance riflette sul Movimento della Negritudine, nato nel 1935 con il giornale Lo Studente Nero; sceglie di farlo con un'austera formula per piano solo in cui sbalzano fuori i silenzi e i contrasti abissali di registro tra mano sinistra e destra, mettendo in conto Taylor come Schoenberg, Messiaen e Monk. Per Intakt, come le altre due segnalazioni. Il batterista visionario Jim Black torna con i suoi Schrimps con Better You Don't. II suo drumming disarticolato e possente, all'accorrenza anche implacabilmente binario, regge, con il basso acustico di Felix Henkelhausen, il fremito delle interazioni del contralto di Asger Nissen, col tenore di Julius Gawlik. Gregg Belisle-Chi in Slow Crawl: Performing the Music of Tim Berne Vol. 2 torna a esplorare, col solo ausilio delle sue corde acustiche, le geniali composizioni del sassofonista suo mentore e collaboratore da tempo, in duo e in trio. Labirintico e magico.

Between a trip to China last weekend and my immersion in Jazzfest Berlin this past weekend I wasn’t able to publish this newsletter as scheduled, yesterday. I’m half-surprised I’m doing it now, to be honest. Music has the ability to elasticize time, but I don’t, and time has been in very short supply of late. My current condition also explains why many of this week’s entries are shorter than usual—which will likely please some readers.

Silke Eberhard Returns to Her Trio, but She’s Not Thinking Small

In the last few years alto saxophonist Silke Eberhard has leaned in to writing and arranging music for her versatile tentet Potsa Lotsa XL, collaborating with Henry Threadgill’s Zooid, tuba player José Davila, and gayaguem player Youjin Sung, and exploring procedures more commonly associated with contemporary classical music. She seems to move from strength to strength, steadily expanding her practice in all directions. All of that growth has been impressive, but sometimes it diminishes her excellence as an improviser, an ability that takes center stage in her long-running trio with bassist Jan Roder and drummer Kay Lübke, which released Being-a-Ning (Intakt), its fifth album, earlier this year. While the music remains tethered to post-bop fundamentals, it’s the freest, most exploratory music I’ve ever heard from the group.

Kevin Whitehead’s typically astute liner note essay mentions Eberhard’s interest in the intervallic system that Threadgill developed for his group Zooid. While she hasn’t embraced that model here, the experience does seem to have impacted the way she thinks about music. The album title is a clear nod to Thelonious Monk, but it also refers to a string of titles she’s used for her last albums that include the word “being,” which suggests a larger devotion to existing in the moment. These ten new compositions are more jagged, angular, and surprising, which you can sense right out of the gate on “What’s in Your Bag,” a Braxton-esque gem which further illustrates a deep connection to Chicago jazz history. The genesis of Potsa Lotsa XL, for example, emerged from a project she had with Chicago in 2017. On the other hand, the trio takes on all sorts of new tacks here, from the needling, tightly-coiled “Sao,” a showpiece for Lübke, or the infectiously limber “New Dance,” where the elastic rhythm section ride the driving group with an impressive snap, expanded with some subtle electronic flourishes, giving Eberhard wide berth in her extended solo. Still, no matter how much the trio experiments and leans into freedom, it maintains an inexorable connection to swing, and there’s no missing those connections on the title track, which like the Monk piece it’s named after, is based on rhythm changes. Check it out below.

The trio performs as part of the Jazz am Helmholtzplatz series on Thursday, November 6. Eberhard also plays on Wednesday, November 5 with a new quartet called Endophyte with Lübke, Davila, and Potsa Lotsa XL trumpeter Nikolaus Neuser at Münzenberg Saal in the building that houses the offices of Wolke Verlag and FMP Records (address below in recommended shows list).

https://petermargasak.substack.com/p/berlin-non-stop?triedRedirect=true

Szwajcarska pianistka i kompozytorka Sylvie Courvoisier od ponad dwóch dekad jest jedną z najważniejszych postaci współczesnego jazzu i znajduje się w samym centrum nowojorskiej sceny muzycznej. Właśnie otrzymała prestiżową Szwajcarską Nagrodę Główną Muzyki 2025, a teraz prezentuje swój najnowszy album nagrany w duecie z legendarnym Wadadą Leo Smithem. Album „Angel Falls” jest to kontynuacja koncepcji znanych już w solowego albumu „To Be Other-Wise” oraz nastrojowego, wielowarstwowego albumu sekstetu „Chimaera”.

Sylvie Courvoisier jest pianistką, kompozytorką oraz znakomitą improwizatorką. Urodzona w Lozannie w Szwajcarii, w 1998 roku przeprowadziła się do Nowego Jorku. Koncertowała i nagrywała z Johnem Zornem, Wadadą Leo Smithem, Joey’em Baronem, Ellery Eskelinem, Natem Wooley’em, Fredem Frithem, Yusefem Lateefem, Timem Berne, Joëlle Léandre, Erikiem Friedlanderem, Butchem Morrisem, Tony’m Oxley’em, Herbem Robertsonem, Tomaszem Stańko oraz z Ikue Mori i Susie Ibarra (w trio Mephista). Pianistka zrealizowała kilkanaście autorskich albumów oraz kilkadziesiąt jako artystka zapraszana do projektów innych muzyków. Jej nagrania znajdują się zarówno w katalogu ECM Records, Tzadik Records (Johna Zorna), jak i szwajcarskiej oficyny Intakt Records. Jest najciekawsze sesje to m.in. „Time Gone Out” – duet z Markiem Feldmanem, „D’Agala Sylvie Courvoisier Trio”, „Crop Circles”- duet z Mary Halvorson, „Miller’s Tale”- kolektywny kwartet z Evanem Parkerem, Ikue Mori i Markiem Feldmanem, „Salt Task” – trio z Chrisem Corsano i Natem Wooley’em. Od 1998 roku Sylvie Courvoisier regularnie występuje solo lub w duecie ze skrzypkiem (i mężem) Mark’em Feldmanem. Od 2013 roku jest liderem własnego Trio z Drew Gressem (kontrabas) i Kenny’m Wollesenem (instrumenty perkusyjne). Album „D’Agala Sylvie Courvoisier Trio” został doceniony przez krytyków i znalazł się na listach najlepszych albumów roku New York Times i Los Angeles Times. Pianistka jest także współliderem Sylvie Courvoisier/Mark Feldman Quartet ( z Drew Gressem i Tomem Rainey’em), VWCR Quartet (z Kenem Vandermarkem, Natem Wooley’em i Tomem Rainey’em) oraz TISM Quartet z Tomem Raineyem, Ingrid Laubrock i Markiem Feldmanem. Od 2017 roku gra także w duecie z Mary Halvorson a od 2000 roku jest członkiemMephista– improwizującego kolektywnego trio z Ikue Mori i Susie Ibarra. Sylvie Courvoisier regularnie występuje w wielu zespołach i projektach kompozytorskich Johna Zorna, takich jak, „Cobra and the Masada” oraz „Bagatelle Marathon”. Od 2010 roku jest pianistką i kompozytorką w projekcie „La Curva” tancerza flamenco Israela Galvana, z którym zrealizowała ( w 2018 roku) „Cast-aNet” – z Evanem Parkerem, Markem Feldmanem i Ikue Mori a w 2020 roku „La Consagración de la primavera” z Cory’m Smythem, wykonując „Święto wiosny” Igora Stravinky’ego i autorskie „Spectro” na dwa fortepiany i taniec.

Legendarny Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith jest jedną z najbarwniejszych i najważniejszych postaci improwizowanego jazzu. Ostatnie lata to najpiękniejszy okres w życiu ​charyzmatycznego artysty​, który jest ozdobą najważniejszych festiwal​i, realizuje ciekawe projekty oraz nagrywa albumy dla prestiżowych oficyn ( od ECM po Intakt i TUMI).​ 83-letni Wadada Leo Smith to artysta niezwykle aktywny, współautor sukcesów i wspaniałych nagrań Mariona Browna, Anthony’ego Braxtona, koncertów z Donem Cherrym, Cecil Taylorem, Lesterem Bowiem, Johnem Zornem, Charliem Hadenem, Jack DeJohnette, Billem Laswellem. W swoim dorobku ma ponad 60 albumów nagranych dla najbardziej liczących się wytwórni​. Większość sesji to rodzaj specyficznych suit​ i utwor​ów budowan​ch impresjami i skojarzeniami z muzyką wielkich free-jazzu oraz nowoczesnych, harmolodycznych improwizacji​.

Jak odległa jest dzisiaj muzyka Wadada Leo Smith’a od harmolodic-jazzu Colemana trudno definitywnie określić. Zdaje się, że rozgrywa się także i teraz w blasku brzmień albumu „Angel Falls” bowiem Wadada Leo Smith to jedna z najbarwniejszych i najważniejszych postaci improwizowanego jazzu. Jest niezwykle aktywnym muzykiem chicagowskiego AACM, improwizatorem, kompozytorem, trębaczem, multiinstrumentalistą, etnomuzykologiem, działaczem na rzecz praw człowieka Ostatnia lata to najpiękniejszy okres w życiu kontrowersyjnego artysty: jest ozdobą najważniejszych festiwalu, realizuje ciekawe projekty oraz nagrywa albumy dla prestiżowych oficyn. Ten wyjątkowy muzyk, zawsze podąża za duchem czasu, celebrując muzyczną różnorodność i kreatywność, a także sprzeciwiając się wszelkim etykietkom. W ciągu ostatnich 50 lat przyczynił się do rozwoju muzyki w różnych kontekstach. Album „Angel Falls” emanuje magią muzycznej wolności, zdumiewającą bezpośredniością i urzeka olśniewającym zmysłem architektury dźwięku.

„ Angel Falls” jest sesją, w której arcymistrz Wadada Leo Smith, wspomagany i podżegany przez żarliwą ciekawość Sylvie Courvoisier angażuje słuchacza jako aktywnego twórcę prawdziwie błogiej, pięknej muzyki. To magia, która nie zdarza się czę...

Fred Frith – legenda muzyki łączącej rock i jazz, improwizację oraz kompozycję realizuje sesję „Matter” z brazylijską perkusistkę, wokalistką i kompozytorką Marią Portugal. Kultowy gitarzysta Fred Frith grał początkowo na skrzypcach i fortepianie, dopiero później zainteresował się gitarą, jako instrumentem, którzy stwarzał większe możliwości osobistej ekspresji. W 1968 roku był współzałożycielem kontrowersyjnej grupy rockowej Henry Cow, a w 1974 roku nagrał nowatorski album” Guitar Solos”. Po rozwiązaniu Henry Cow (w końcu lat 70-tych), Frith kontynuował współpracę z kolegą z zespołu, Chrisem Cutlerem w Art Bears i nagrał znakomite albumy ‘Hopes And Fears’, ‘Winter Songs’ oraz ‘The World As It Is Today’. W latach 80-tych większość czasu spędzał w Nowym Jorku, gdzie występował gościnnie w grupie Material (Memory Serves) oraz takimi formacjami jak Skeleton Crew (nagrał albumy „The Country Of Blinds” i „Learn To Kill”) oraz Massacre, gdzie nagrał album „Killing Time”. Fred Frith pracował także jako muzyk sesyjny z takimi znakomitościami, jak Brian Eno, Robert Wyatt, Gavin Bryars i Residents, a także zwolennikami całkowicie abstrakcyjnej improwizacji, jak Lol Coxhill, Phil Minton i Hans Reichel. Jego ogromna dyskografia obejmują tak znaczące albumy jak “Guitar Solos”, “Gravity”, “Speechless”, “Cheap At Half The Price”, “French Gigs”, “Live In Prague And Washington” nagrany w 1983 roku z Chrisem Cutlerem , “Nous Autres” z Renem Lussierem, “The Technology Of Tears (1988), The Top Of His Head (1990), Stop Complaining (1991),Step Across The Border”, “Helter Skelter” czy “ With Enemies Like These Who Needs Friends”. Gitarzysta pisze także muzykę do filmów i spektakli baletowych, a kilka jego kompozycji nagrał slynny ROVA Saxophone Quartet (album „Long On Logic”). W 1989 roku założył formację Keep The Dog, a w zespole Naked City ( Johna Zorna) grał na basie. Koncertuje z Timem Curranem, Henrym Kaiserem, Billem Laswellem, Renem Lussierem. Nagrał także kilka płyt z samymi gitarzystami: Henrym Kaiserem, Jimem Frenchem i Richardem Thompsonem („Live, Love, Larf And Loaf” oraz „Invisible Means„). Jego własne albumy odznaczają się intrygującym połączeniem eksperymentów gitarowych, hard rocka i różnych autorskich brzmień.

Teraz do współpracy zaprosił perkusistkę i wokalistkę Marię Portugal – postać doskonale znaną na brazylijskiej scenie muzycznej, która od kilku lat mieszka w Berlinie i jest zaangażowana w projekty europejskiej muzyki improwizowanej. Jej głębokie korzenie w brazylijskiej tradycji śpiewania i pisania piosenek, w połączeniu z zainteresowaniem muzyką elektroniczną, improwizacją i jej wykorzystaniem w komponowaniu utworów, czynią ją artystką poruszającą się w różnorodnych kontekstach muzycznych. Teraz duet Frith/Portygal na nowo definiują swoją muzykę w kontekście współczesnej muzyki europejskiej i jazzu. I choć Mariá Portugal i Fred Frith pochodzą z dwóch różnych kontynentów, pokoleń i muzycznych światów, a jednak mają ze sobą wiele wspólnego: ten fascynujący debiutancki album „Matter” dowodzi tego w imponujący sposób.

https://jazz.pl/fred-frith-maria-portugal-matter-intakt-records/

Es gibt mehrere Hunde in den Titeln dieses Albums.
Einen „Space Poodle", dann das komplette „Flying Mega Doghouse", und zum Einstieg „Chilling with the Dogs".
Manchmal geht es ganz schön wild zu, und selten ahnt man lange vorher, was einen gleich erwartet. Gitarrist Dave Gisler ist stilistisch wenig festgelegt, aber alles, was er macht, hat Sinn und folgt intensiven Klangvorstellungen. Mit Raffaele Bossard (b) und Lionel Friedli (dr) arbeitet er seit 2017 im Trio, entsprechend dicht beieinander kommt die Gruppe daher.
Und das will etwas heißen bei Gislers Polystilistik und bei lauter live aufgenommenen Stücken. In den Liner Notes werden als Vergleichsgröße die guten alten Cream angeführt (eine Jazz-Band, sagte Jack Bruce mal, aber das hätten sie Eric Clapton nie verraten): ein Vergleich, der wenigstens die eigenartige Verdichtung dreier profilierter Individualitäten benennt. Manchmal legt Gisler auch mit Verzerrer und anderem Schnickschnack los, allerdings klingt er dann eher virtuos facettenreich wie McLaughlin. Aber alles nur vorübergehend.
Es macht große Freude, diesem wunderbar eingespielten Trio zuzuhören, wie es Energieverausgabung und luftige Spaziergangsstrecken nahtlos zueinander fügt, Dichte und Entspannung wechselt, Räume eröffnet, ins Weite weist und dann wieder dicke Bretter bohrt und an Mauern baut. Dabei kommt es nicht zu Schroffheiten und Brüchen. Alles bleibt an seinem Platz in der durchs Unendliche fliegenden Hundehütte.

Incredibly, trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith is 84 this year. I caught him recently in a duo with Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier at Vilnius Jazz on his final European tour- an amazing gig which is fully reflected in this superb release by lntakt. The two are partners in the fullest musical sense - no comping, no showboating, just pure improvisational brilliance.
Smith emerged in the late 1960s, as an original voice on trumpet alongside Anthony Braxton. Later he was a central figure in the AACM. I recall his inspirational thoughts in a pamphlet from that time, where he offered what amounted to a Romantic ideal of improvisation, with the musical idea fixed in advance of its expression. Sylvie Courvoisier was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, and moved to New York in the 1990s, becoming a force on John Zorn's Downtown scene. A highly individual stylist, she met Smith during a 2017 concert curated by Zorn, and the trumpeter appeared on Courvoisier's Chimaera in 2023, alongside Christian Fennesz and others.
On Angel Falls, Courvoisier and Smith respectively alter their sound via piano preparations or trumpet mutes. Smith belongs to the contemporary jazz trumpet tradition that flows from Miles Davis's melancholic approach, and his tone is beautifully cloudy when muted. On open trumpet he's full and clear, with no loss of power into his eighties. The programmes of concert and album overlap. "Naomi Peak" features furious pummelling and glissandos. "Whispering Images" is entropic, almost nihilistic. The long, dramatic and haunting title track is beautifully paced. The album closes with the ethereal "Kairos", featuring luxuriant piano preparations and voicings that gesture towards Messiaen.
Like his contemporary Braxton, Wadada Leo Smith is prolific. I find his jazz work more impressive than his classical compositions. As a jazz soloist his playing is rich, expressive and lyrical, and the magical extended dialogue of Angel Falls is album of the year material.

As Borderlands, double bassist Stephan Crump, drummer Eric McPherson and pianist Kris Davis developed an astonishing strain of improvised music - a series of extended excursions where heightened interplay and a devotion to timbre and colour eclipsed the group's heady command of melody and harmony.
When the group took a hiatus in 2024, the bassist and drummer wanted to build on the connection they forged together, so they decided to enlist alto saxophonist Darius Jones, whose instrument and temperament guaranteed a different sound, but whose commitment to exploration would enable their process to keep growing. Crump and McPherson continue to forge a mix of abstract structures and indirect propulsion, leaning into instinct more than groove, but the linear quality of Jones's playing can't help but change the approach. It's all still improvised on the spot, but where Davis added additional layers to the edifice, Jones rides across or burrows into it, depending on the given moment.
Otherlands Trio move in and out of elusive patterns. Over 16 breathless minutes the opening piece "Metamorpheme" latches on to fleeting grooves, only to collapse them as suddenly as they appear, not as an act of destruction but as a process of reinvention. What may seem like a Crump bass solo over McPherson's inventive cymbal play is really just another duo passage with shifting instrumental emphasis.
Nobody in the trio is ever subservient, even if they do step back. Toward the end of the piece Jones locks into a corkscrewing riff, perpetually stoked and cajoled by the rhythm section, who elsewhere set a rhythmic table for his wide open blowing. "Diadromous" does maintain an irresistible groove for its duration, with Jones crafting lines that burn into the rhythm like etched glass. It may seem like free jazz, but ultimately Otherlands Trio thrives because the members draw so openly on
lifelong experience and learning, surrendering self in pursuit of a truly collective conception.

Matter brings together Fred Frith—one of the most influential figures at the crossroads of rock, jazz, and contemporary improvisation—with Brazilian drummer, percussionist, singer, and composer Maria Portugal. Known for her deep roots in Brazilian song traditions as well as her engagement with electronic music and European improvisation, Portugal finds a kindred spirit in Frith, whose career has continually defied stylistic boundaries.

Recorded in Berlin, this debut duo album showcases their intuitive interplay and shared curiosity, moving seamlessly between raw energy, subtle textures, and lyrical passages. A meeting of two powerful voices from different continents and generations, Matter is a compelling addition to Intakt’s catalog and a statement of boundary-pushing creativity.

https://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/106371/fred-frith-maria-portugal/matter

Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and pianist Sylvie Courvoisier first played together at a concert organised by John Zorn in 2017 and have collaborated regularly since then. But this is the first time they have recorded together as a duo, a format Smith loves and regularly returns to. It was Smith who suggested they record together, Courvoisier who asked that they avoid charts. What resulted are eight tracks of stunning immediacy, a sense that sonic architecture is being discovered anew. Courvoisier remarks that, starting at noon, “We just played right through exactly the order of the CD, and exactly the amount of music on the CD, with no edits. We probably did that in two hours.” Recorded and mixed on the same day, everything was done and dusted by 5pm.

That sense of immediacy permeates every one of the eight pieces, all given their titles during a joint listen to the playback. Throughout, Smith is elegant and rarely hurried in his delivery, performing with controlled emotion whether in annunciatory fanfares or more subtle lines, sometimes with an open horn, often muted. Courvoisier is consistently inventive and unpredictable, delivering both rumbling piano rolls and a snatch of boogie-woogie, percussive interludes and romantic passages. She brings a childlike sense of wonder to the music, a joyful and spontaneous immediacy of creation, in real time. Together as Courvoisier says, “We’re like kids discovering things. … Basically, I try to erase myself and try to make him sound great.” But actually, they both sound great, complementing each other without comping, showboating or grandstanding. I hope these two fine musicians work together again soon.

https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2025/10/31/reviewed-wadada-leo-smith-sylvie-courvoisier-brigitte-beraha-ruby-rushton//

Né en 1979 en Suisse, Christoph Irniger est un saxophoniste, compositeur et leader dans diverses formations au sein desquelles il a développé un style plutôt innovant et contemporain dans l’univers du jazz. Pour cette performance en public, donnée en 2023 au Red Horn District, Bad Meinberg en Allemagne, il s’associe les services de plusieurs comparses. On notera les présences de Stefan Aeby, Daven Gisler, Raffaele Bossard et de Michael Stulz. Tout ce petit monde pour effectivement concevoir un répertoire contemporain, voire expérimental, où l’improvisation semble omniprésente à travers des passages techniques et pointus. S’alternent des passages mélodiques et fluides, où le saxophone a une place de choix, et des moments plus aventureux, où l’on découvre effectivement une musique innovante et créative. A travers une dominance jazz, on découvrira un beau passage bluesy à la guitare, ainsi qu’un chouette passage technique à la batterie, au sein d’une première composition s’appelant étrangement « Hendrix » ! Notons qu’entre les morceaux, on entendra les applaudissements du public, sinon pour le second morceau, on assistera à une plongée au sein d’un travail expérimental fait de sons épars, au travers duquel filtre un travail plus cadré au piano et au saxophone. Une alchimie atypique, qui pourrait surprendre certains, puisque se côtoient au sein d’une même composition un jeu classique et un jeu improvisé. Côté aventureux et innovant, on décèlera également des passages plus intimistes où tout est joué avec délicatesse et où il faudra tendre une oreille attentive. Au final, des lignes classiques s’enchevêtrent au sein d’un laboratoire sonore où l’innovation et l’improvisation sont de mise. Un résultat créatif !

https://jazzmania.be/christoph-irniger-pilgrim-human-intelligence/

Longue de plusieurs années au sein de la scène new-yorkaise, la collaboration entre Sylvie Courvoisier et Wadada Leo Smith s’est concrétisée dernièrement autour de deux disques. Smith intervient au sein du quartet qui interprète Chimerae paru en 2023 et qui constitue d’ores et déjà à coup sûr un des sommets de l’œuvre toujours en cours de la pianiste suisse, tandis que le duo qu’ils constituent aujourd’**** pour Intakt montre une fois de plus les affinités qui les relient.

Le trompettiste a toujours su trouver l’épanouissement de son jeu en présence d’un clavier, comme en témoigne une collaboration avec Angelica Sanchez en 2013 ou plus récemment le très méditatif Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens aux côtés d’Amina Claudine Myers. Avec de nombreuses nuances toutefois, les deux interprètes s’élancent cette fois dans un répertoire sans filet qui se nourrit des apports de l’autre.

Avec comme aire commune une place importante accordée au silence considéré comme un allié, les deux musiciens laissent se construire un lent dialogue qui prend le temps de laisser advenir puis se formuler les idées. Chaque geste, commun ou partagé est ainsi particulièrement abouti et la coordination entre les deux atteint un degré d’entente tel qu’on ne semble plus écouter de la musique mais plutôt assister à une chorégraphie.

Les articulations acrobatiques de Courvoisier, de même que sa capacité à utiliser l’intégralité des potentialités de son clavier dans la profondeur des basses comme dans l’espièglerie de quelques trilles aigus, tournent autour, parfois avec griserie, de la trompette puissante et immuable de Smith qui viendra soudainement se déchirer dans un cri bouleversant. Loin des compositions trop cadrées qui corsèteraient l’expressivité en la canalisant, le champ des possibles est ici totalement ouvert et dans un jeu souple et mobile les deux musiciens cherchent la bonne distance à l’autre, faisant de leur rapprochement ou de leur éloignement les conditions d’une tension en permanence régénérée et d’une intériorité qui s’épanouit dans la communion de deux individualités.

https://www.citizenjazz.com/Sylvie-Courvoisier-Wadada-Leo-Smith.html

Wadada Leo Smith enjoys recording as a duo with pianists. I have appreciated his creative merging with a variety of artists including Amina Claudine Myers, Angelica Sanchez, John Tilbury and Vijay Iyer. Perhaps, it was inevitable that he would suggest a recording with Sylvie Courvoisier. When they discussed it, Courvoisier suggested they avoid music charts. As a result of that request, the eight tracks on this album “Angel Falls” were recorded freely and uninhibited.

The two artists compliment each other, in a restless, spontaneous kind-of-way. Both are free spirits and master musicians. The original songs they sing together offer us continuous calibration and improvisation. They become a conversation between trumpet and piano right from the opening tune, “Old ‘Upnea and Lightning.” The trumpet takes the lead. Courvoisier’s piano chords fall into place, like rain to a thirsty earth. They both feed and compliment the production.

“The title reflects the world’s highest continuous waterfall in Venezuela,” Courvoisier explains. “I like the image of an angel falling down,” she refers to their album title.

The pianist and trumpeter first played together in 2017 at a concert organized by John Zorn. After that initial meeting, the two musicians exchanged phone numbers and have played together a hand full of times since that initial meeting.

The two bring artistry that draws from years of performance and decades of composing. Each has mastered the Avant-garde. They let freedom ring, allowing themselves to seek out their hidden most emotional introspection and creativity. Without charts, their music offers a new dimension of freedom and exploration. They listen to each other intently. The musical conversation is often tentative, sometimes explosive, but always unpredictable. Amazingly, they started recording this project at noon and by 5pm it was mixed, mastered and finished.

“We just played right through exactly the order of the CD, and exactly the amount of music on the CD, with no edits. We probably did that in two hours,” Sylvie stated proudly.

Composer, trumpeter and author, Wadada Leo Smith is one of the creative music world’s most heralded artists. Born December 18, 1941, in Mississippi, he grew up steeped in the Southern musical tradition, first performing in Blues bands and then traditional bands. He relocated to Chicago, joined the iconic AACM collective, and began to explore more freedom and Avant-garde exploration of jazz and other genres of music. The result is what you hear today.

Pianist, composer Sylvie Courvoisier is a Brooklyn-based native of Switzerland. She won the American Academy of Arts and Letters Music Award in 2025. She is highly capable of balancing the chamber music of her European roots with the Avant-garde jazz scene. Playing in and around NYC for more than two decades, Courvoisier has mastered both European classical music and Jazz, a music heralded as America’s only true musical art form. You hear her handling jazz, the Avant-garde, her European inflections, and a taste of the blues on their song, “Naomi Peak.”

Together, these two amazing musicians present a package of excellence and unique ingenuity.

https://www.makingascene.org/sylvie-courvoisier-wadada-leo-smith-angel-falls//