Extended Technique
Mar 30, 2023 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Music

Extended Technique, a joint product of the Classical and New Music departments, is dedicated to the elevation, exploration, and advancement of “contemporary” “classical” “music” as understood by WKCR programmers. This show challenges the binary distinction between the "classical" and "experimental" traditions as a dedicated space for the 20th-century avant-garde and “traditional contemporary classical" with an emphasis on the work of present-day composers and performers.
3:01 PM
Kaja Draksler/Petter Eldh/Christian Lillinger - Fraustadt
Kaja Draksler/Petter Eldh/Christian Lillinger Fraustadt
Somit Intakt Records 2021 CH2702004242
3:08 PM
Kaja Draksler/Susana Santos Silva - Moonrise
Kaja Draksler/Susana Santos Silva Moonrise
Grow Intakt Records 2022 Jazz CH2702204891
3:08 PM
Kaja Draksler, Petter Eldh & Christian Lillinger - Somit
Kaja Draksler, Petter Eldh & Christian Lillinger Somit
Somit Intakt Records 2021 CH2702004243
3:09 PM
Kaja Draksler, Petter Eldh & Christian Lillinger - Axon
Kaja Draksler, Petter Eldh & Christian Lillinger Axon
Somit Intakt Records 2021 CH2702004244
3:13 PM
Kaja Draksler/Susana Santos Silva - Moonrise
Kaja Draksler/Susana Santos Silva Moonrise
Grow Intakt Records 2022 Jazz CH2702204891
3:20 PM
Cory Smythe - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Pt. 3
Cory Smythe Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Pt. 3
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes Pyroclastic Records 2022 Jazz QZ3DS2200031
4:00 PM
Agnese Toniutti - Sonata I
Agnese Toniutti Sonata I
John Cage: Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano Neuma Records 2023 QM5CR2317201
4:09 PM
Agnese Toniutti - First Interlude
Agnese Toniutti First Interlude
John Cage: Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano Neuma Records 2023 QM5CR2317205
4:13 PM
Agnese Toniutti - Sonata V
Agnese Toniutti Sonata V
John Cage: Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano Neuma Records 2023 QM5CR2317206
4:22 PM
Agnese Toniutti - Second Interlude
Agnese Toniutti Second Interlude
John Cage: Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano Neuma Records 2023 QM5CR2317210
4:26 PM
Agnese Toniutti - Third Interlude
Agnese Toniutti Third Interlude
John Cage: Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano Neuma Records 2023 QM5CR2317211
4:29 PM
Agnese Toniutti - Sonata IX
Agnese Toniutti Sonata IX
John Cage: Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano Neuma Records 2023 QM5CR2317212
4:45 PM
Agnese Toniutti - Sonata XIII
Agnese Toniutti Sonata XIII
John Cage: Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano Neuma Records 2023 QM5CR2317217
4:49 PM
Agnese Toniutti - Sonatas XIV & XV
Agnese Toniutti Sonatas XIV & XV
John Cage: Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano Neuma Records 2023 QM5CR2317218
5:59 PM
John Coltrane - Soul Eyes
John Coltrane Soul Eyes
The Best of John Coltrane (Spiral Collection) Ultimate Oldies Records 2016 Jazz GBURZ1305487

https://spinitron.com/WKCR/pl/17185205/Extended-Technique

No doubt, 2021 was a tumultuous year on many fronts, but the jazz world had a spectacular year in the recording studio and beyond, although live appearances were limited. Hence, the following is a top ten list (in no particular order) that highlight some of the superb recordings released during 2021.

Kaja Draksler—Petter Eldh—Christian Lillinger SOMIT
PUNKT.VRT.PLASTIK
Intakt Records

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/glenn-astaritas-best-recordings-of-2021

LES 40 ALBUMS DE L'ANNÉE

2021: ET POURTANT ILS TOURNENT

<< On ne peut que s'étonner que depuis quelques années qu'elle se fait remarquer, la pianiste Kaja Daksler n'ait pas reçu en France un accueil plus massif tant, elle joue si bien des musiques souvent captivantes >>

NEW RELEASES

Joëlle Léandre, Beauty/Resistance (Not Two)
Silke Eberhard Trio, Being the Up and Down (Intakt)
Tom Ward-Martina Verhoeven-Dirk Serries-Cath Roberts, Imaginary Junction (A New Wave of Jazz)
KORR, Tombé De La Voûte (We Insist)
Bertrand Gauguet & John Tilbury, Contre-Courbes (Akousis)
Punkt. Vrt. Plastik [Kaja Draksler/Petter Eldh/Christian Lillinger], Somit (Intakt)
Flow Trio With Joe McPhee, Winter Garden (ESP-Disk)
Umlaut Big Band, Mary's Ideas (Umlaut)
See Through 4, Permanent Moving Parts (All-Set! Editions)
Lao Dan & Deng Boyu, TUTU Duo (NoBusiness)

https://hullworks.net/jazzpoll/21/ballots-08.php

Torniamo sulle uscite della Intakt per tre album molto diversi fra loro pubblicati dall'etichetta svizzera nel 2021. In due puntate del settembre 2020 che si possono trovare in podcast - ci eravamo occupati dei due precedenti album per la Intakt del sax tenore afroamericano James Brandon Lewis, uno dei personaggi più in vista del jazz di oggi: il nuovo album, realizzato con il suo quartetto regolare con il pianista Aruan Ortiz, il bassista Brad Jones e il batterista Chad Taylor si intitola Code of Being. Uno degli album che hanno fatto più effetto quest'anno, e non solo fra le produzioni Intakt, è la seconda uscita del trio Punkt Vrt Plastik, formato dalla pianista slovena Kaja Draksler, dal bassista svedese Petter Eldh e dal batterista tedesco Christian Lillinger: molto appassionante sia il pianismo della Draksler che l'interplay del trio, con il modo non convenzionale di procedere di basso e batteria. Infine un corroborante doppio cd, Road, di Fred Frith, grande chitarrista e sperimentatore: un cd in trio con basso e batteria, l'altro con l'aggiunta al trio della sassofonista danese Lotte Anker o della trombettista portoghese Susana Santos Silva.

https://www.radiopopolare.it/podcast/jazz-anthology-di-lun-22-11-21/

Second disque du trio Punky.Vrt.Plastik qui réunit la Slovène Kaja Draksler au piano droit et la rythmique allemande Peter Eldh (contrebasse) et Christian Lillinger (batterie, percussions). Les compositions sont partagées : entre quatre pour la pianiste, deux pour le bassiste, et sept pour le batteur, lesquelles, assez répétitives, s’accordent bien au jeu de piano rapide, à la frappe serrée et insistante, et à sa sonorité claironnante. Tantôt, poussé par la rythmique, on avance au pas de course, tantôt on se promène... mais l’on ne s’ennuie jamais à l’écoute de ce disque très original et qui possède son unité. Un parti-pris assumé.

https://www.culturejazz.fr/spip.php?article3689

Nouveauté. Deuxième album sur Intakt pour ce trio européen né à Amsterdam, au nom énigmatique où Punkt suggère (en suédois) l'idée musicale, Vrt (en slovène) le jardin où les planter, et Plastik (en allemand) la flexibilité des structures. Aux côtés de la jeune pianiste slovène Kaja Draksler, entendue en solo et en duo avec Ève Risser sur le label Clean Feed, le bassiste Petter Eldh et le batteur Christian Lillinger partagent une longue complicité, notamment dans le quartette Amok Amor avec Peter Evans. Il y a quelque chose de fascinant dans le flux installé par cette matière inextricablement collective où cependant le centre de gravité se déplace parfois de l'un.e à l'autre. On aime aussi le contraste entre la précision presque clinique du jeu (à partir d'un matériau souvent très réduit) et l'accueil permanent de l'accident ou de l'imperfection, à commencer par celle de la sonorité: en partageant son jeu entre deux pianos droits, la pianiste participe de cette esthétique lo-fi, comme la variété des sons de la contrebasse, et ceux de la batterie de Christian Lillinger. Natt Raum, par son incroyable mixture de bruits d'où surnage un motif mélodique répété, suggère une mécanique implacable et bancale, comme surgie d'un rêve. Tout implique l'auditeur dans une écoute active et complice, que renforcera la lecture du texte de livret rédigé par le pianiste Alexander Hawkins.

Confirming once again his cooperative skill as a band member and contributing composer is drummer Christian Lillinger. Busy with many of his own bands, the Berlin-based percussionist is also a crucial cornerstone of these trios. Both discs, which ironically feature the same number of tracks, couldn’t be more different in concept and execution. Lillinger has been playing with German vibraphonist Christopher Dell and Danish bassist Jonas Westergaard for years and Beats showcases “Configuration”, a 13-part instant composition. Somit in contrast divides the compositional input among the trio members: Lillinger, Slovenian Kaja Draksler coaxing unique tones from an upright piano and Swedish bassist Petter Eldh.

A musical palimpsest of Anton Webern’s “Six Bagatelles”, only one brief track on Beats reproduces a well-modulated extension of the melody. The object of the other sequences is how the trio uses adumbrations of the root material to create an original thesis. Setting up the program with patterns vibrated through drum ruffs, double bass shakes and concise vibe-mallet strokes, references to the theme are expressed throughout. During the introductory sections it’s expressed in broad and lean motifs, reaching a resolution of sorts with “Configuration VII”. Then Westergaard’s connective string throbs fragment into sul tasto stabs that become as prominent as Dell’s supple multi-mallet framing and Lillinger’s cranking cymbal pitter patter. While higher-pitched echoes and post-production electronic whooshes lead to narrative separation throughout the next few tracks, melody is retained through vibe affiliations. Double bass pulses and drum echoes thicken the output so that by “Configuration XI” even the briefest motifs propel a near-hypnotic effect. Following the Webern interpolation the concluding “Configuration XIII” climaxes with presto pops and echoes extending a harder and heavier metallic crunch that is added to the responsive creation.

Webern-improv creations are replaced by individual musical visions on Punkt.Vrt.Plastik. Interestingly enough it’s Eldh’s composition which provide the most variety. “Natt Raum” is a jerky, jokey line that could be a kids’ ditty, and is based on stretched vibrations from Draksler and Lillinger’s rim shots. Meanwhile “Morgon Morfin” is a moderated, almost mainstream ballad which slides along with multi-fingered affirmations and careful cascades from the pianist plus the composer’s string pops and slides. Draksler’s compositions are more elaborate. “Trboje” for example is a piano-centric stop-time excursion into varied time signatures and pitch and timbre changes that recaps the introduction over the bassist’s fluid pulse. “Fraustadt” concentrates on the piano’s highest register, with the discursive feints and key clipping elaborations kept on track with a sustained double-bass throb. Consciously experimental, “Vrvica”, featuring Lillinger on second piano, concentrates on the percussive pops available from stopped keys. For his part the drummer’s compositions make full use of the piano’s multiple identities as a melodic and percussive instrument. “Axon’ for instance advances a linear keyboard exposition with Monkish detours into between note explorations and is cut off abruptly like many others of the CD’s other tracks. In contrast “Amnion” is crammed with stopped key vibrations and a build up of echoing pressure. The release leads to supple theme variations including pedal pumps from Draksler as well as ringing key clips.

With narratives bouncing along chromatically as well as thrust to explosive allegro development with drum smacks, Lillinger and the other two improvise with the same freedom afforded to the trio on the other disc. Yet the interpretations offer contrary variants of contemporary free music. Each is a testament to the continue creativity of all five players – especially Lillinger.

https://www.jazzword.com/reviews/petter-eldh-kaja-draksler-christian-lillinger/

There's a lot to unpack with Punkt.Vrt.Plastik, but doing so doesn't feel like a struggle. Unfortunately, doing so doesn't quite make things crystal clear.

First the name. "Punkt" is Swedish for dot. "Vrt" is Slovenian for "garden." "Plastik" is German for "plastic." The three words represent the nationalities of the three players: bassist Petter Eldh, pianist Kaja Draksler, and drummer Christian Lillinger. The album's title, Somit, translates as "consequently."

If that's all vaguely suggestive while remaining intriguingly confounding, then we're on the right track. Punkt.Vrt.Plastik is a piano trio. Somit sounds like jazz, but again, it's not as easy as that. The allure is in the way the sounds sound.

What leaps out first on Somit are Kaja Draksler's pianos. She plays two, both uprights. She plays lines in unison, sometimes near-unison in the same octave on the two instruments. The uprights' thin voices differ—they might be siblings, but they're not twins—and they aren't perfectly in tune. That tension isn't always overt, but it's always present, vibrating and refracting. The depth of Lillinger's drums, from the hard snap of the snare to the muted toms farther back, create another sonic illusion. Eldh's bass is deep and encompassing, circling slowly below. Abrupt and tightly executed changes sound like edits, but the acoustic warmth of the sustains speaks to the precision of their playing.

The compositions work in the service of the group. The 13 tracks, between two and six minutes, are bright, taut, and easy to digest. A fascinating listen.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/july-2021-jazz-record-reviews

Groove e cellule ritmiche

Note sparse. Secondo lavoro per il trio Punkt. Vrt. Plastik dai suoni tesi e vorticosi

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