This Intakt double CD, which is simply named after the artist himself, is a comprehensive and representative portrait of the Swiss pianist Urs Voerkel. Urs Voerkel has been playing with the drummer Paul Lovens for more than twenty years. The duo recordings with Paul Lovens are great testimonies of musical proximity, founded on musical friendship, longstanding artistic experience and a special kind of alertness.
The duos with Irène Schweizer (on drums) are also conversations between friends. The five variations of Voerkel’s «Zwischenzeitstück» as well as his composition «Nomis» are the first joint release of Urs Voerkel and Irène Schweizer after a quarter of a century of playing together.
Characteristic for Urs Voerkel’s openness and his desire to find the new, five quartet improvisations stand in contrast to the recordings with the long­standing partners. The trombone player Priska Walss and the singer Gabriela Scherrer do not come out of the jazz tradition, but rather represent a younger generation with an education in classical and baroque music. Originally planned as a band to set live music to film, the quartet, however, has quickly freed itself from the role of an illustrator and made its way upon the parquet of improvised music.

Cover Art: Stefan Vollenweider
Fotos: Stefan Vollenweider, Charlotte Friedli
Liner Notes: Patrik Landolt, Evan Parker, Fredi Lüscher

Propinquity composed by Voerkel and Lovens. Aria by Voerkel, Scherrer, Walss, Widmer. Zwischenstück and Nomis by Voerkel and Schweizer. Published by Intakt Records.
Voerkel-Lovens Duo (CD 1): Recorded at WIM Radio Days Zürich, 1997. Engineer: Patrick Schwitter, Mastered: Michel Seigner (12.01.98).
Scherrer-Walss-Voerkel-Widmer Quartett & Voerkel-Schweizer Duo (CD 2): Recorded at Swiss Radio Zürich. Engineer: Martin Pearson, Mastered: Michel Seigner (23.11.97).
Produced by Intakt Records