One of the best trios we've heard in recent memory
This is the first recordings by this unique trio featuring Irene Schweizer on piano, Fred Anderson on tenor sax and Hamid Drake on drums & percussion. This disc was recorded live at two different festivals, some six years apart: The Taklos Fest in March of 1998 and the Willisau Fest in August of 2004. There are only four pieces here and the first one is a long duo of Irene and Hamid. "A Former Dialogue" is a phenomenal excursion right from the first note. Superbly recorded and perfectly balanced so that there is a most perfect dialogue going on back and forth, a blending of ideas into one stream, a seamless, soaring journey that is often like riding upon waves. Hamid Drake and Fred Anderson are both Chicago-based and have played together for a long while. "Trinity", is the longest piece here (nearly a half hour) and it is an amazing blast of torrential power with all three players weaving, burning and building into tight waves together. Rather than blasting intensely throughout, like Fred Anderson is known to do, the trio each blend their talents just right, moving through restrained sections as well as the more intense and furious segments. Ms. Schweizer, who has some 15+ discs on Intakt, is in particularly fine form here as she balances perfectly between Fred's probing tenor sax and Hamid's diverse and creative drumming. This is, without a doubt, one of the best trios we've heard in recent memory. It doesn't get any better than this.
Bruce Gallanter, Down Town Music Gallery, New York, January 2007

Das Leben braucht kein Notenpapier

Seit den Sechzigerjahren setzt sich der Saxofonist Fred Anderson in Chicago für improvisierte Musik ein - Nachwuchsarbeit inklusive
Er hat immer gearbeitet. Seine Hosentaschen sind meist gut gefüllt, nicht besonders sorgsam gefaltete A4-Kopien schauen heraus. Oft sieht er aus, als müsste er später noch bei seinen regulären Jobs vorbeischauen, die er jahrzehntelang verrichtet hat und die ihn an einer internationalen Karriere hinderten. Auslegeware zuschneiden und verlegen, Jobs, mit denen er seine Familie ernährt hat, das Haus abbezahlt. Der Saxofonist Fred Anderson wurde 1929 in Louisiana geboren. In den Sechzigerjahren war er Mitbegründer der AACM, erreichte jedoch nie den internationalen Bekanntheitsgrad seiner Kollegen, weil er nur selten außerhalb Chicagos auftrat. Dort öffnete 1982 sein Club "The Velvet Lounge", der zum lokalen Jazzzentrum wurde. Anderson gilt als der große Förderer der jungen Chicagoer Szene, mit dem melodieorientierten Schlagzeuger Hamid Drake entwickelte er ein stark rhythmisches Improvisationskonzept. Beim New Yorker Vision Festival wurde er 2005 mit einem Fred Anderson Day geehrt, beim Schweizer Intakt Label ist jetzt eine wunderschöne Live-CD erschienen, auf der man ihn, Drake und die Pianistin Irène Schweizer in Duo- und Trio-Settings hören kann: Schweizer-Anderson-Drake, "Willisau-Taktlos" (Intakt 104). Dank dieser Musik ist das Jahr schon fast gerettet.
Er musste die Verantwortung für seine Familie übernehmen, berichtet Anderson beim Gespräch in New York. Bevor das Art Ensemble of Chicago nach Paris ging, hatte dessen Saxofonist Joseph Jarman in seiner Band gespielt. Da Anderson 1959 ein Haus kaufte und seine drei Kinder versorgen musste, habe er nicht weggehen können. Er habe Geschirr gespült und viele andere Jobs gemacht, um das Familieneinkommen zu sichern. Nebenbei studierte der Autodidakt Musik. Mitte 1965 war er bei einem der ersten Treffen dabei, aus denen die schwarze Musikerselbsthilfeorganisation Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) hervorging - es sei damals höchste Zeit gewesen, resümiert Anderson. Erst 1976 fing er selbst international zu touren an, 1978 trat er beim Festival in Moers auf. Abgesehen von materiellen Bedingungen brauche die Entwicklung eines eigenen künstlerischen Konzepts viel Zeit - nichts geschehe hier über Nacht, sagt er. Nach der Eröffnung des "The Velvet Lounge" 1982 kam er erst 1994 wieder nach Europa. Er versuchte von der Arbeit in dem kleinen Club zu leben, seit 1993 gibt es dort regelmäßig Livemusik, erst kürzlich zog "The Velvet Lounge" in neue Räumlichkeiten um.
Das größte Hindernis sei, dass man die Musik der AACM nicht im Radio hören kann, sagt Anderson. Somit werde den Menschen seines Landes eine große Kulturleistung vorenthalten. Es geht dabei vor allem um eine grundlegend neue Perspektive: Man fördert Musiker, die einander zuhören, sodass sie sich gegenseitig antworten können. Nach Anderson studiert man permanent und begreift dabei, dass Musik ein Mysterium ist, so wie das Leben.
Anderson wuchs in einer Gegend von Illinois auf, wo es ganz normal war, dass man die Musik von Charlie Parker kannte. Er hat ihn noch spielen sehen, und das sei ein unglaubliches Erlebnis für ihn gewesen, erzählt er. Nach Parkers Tod müssen die Dinge komplizierter geworden sein, aber diese Revolution sei ja hauptsächlich in New York gelaufen, sagt er. In Chicago hörte man die Platten, und er habe sofort gespürt, wie sehr Ornette Coleman von Parker beeinflusst war. Doch Parker schien ihm damals noch wesentlich freier zu sein.
Heute bemängelt Anderson, dass es keinen Lehrplan für kreative Musik gibt, räumt allerdings auch ein, dass man diese Sounds schlecht in einem Klassenraum lernen kann. Man brauche Sponsoren. Diese Musik lernt man auf der Bühne, durch das Spielen - es gäbe viele Musiker, die gut Noten lesen können, aber wenn man das Notenpapier wegnimmt, fällt ihnen nichts mehr ein.
Für Anderson ist Musik ernste Arbeit und seriöse Kommunikation. Die Hautfarbe spiele für ihn keine Rolle, sagt der afroamerikanische Tenorsaxofonist, der sich stark in jener Tradition begreift, die Louis Armstrong und Duke Ellington begründet haben. Irène Schweizer etwa spreche die gemeinsame musikalische Sprache, sie kenne sich da aus. Die gemeinsame CD entstand bei Festivalauftritten in der Schweiz. Für Anderson reflektiert diese Musik Erfahrung, wie man die Welt erfährt, was man hört. Diese Musiker haben eine Community, ihre Basis sind zwölf Töne. Dagegen hat Anderson die Erfahrung gemacht, dass die Leute, die sich auf die Schwarz-weiß-Problematik einlassen, ein Problem haben.
Was seinen Club betrifft, sprechen die Leute von der Fred-Anderson-Universität. Er hat zwar kein Klassenzimmer, aber viele Aufnahmen, die man hören kann. Der Workshop beginnt für Anderson, sobald man den Club betritt: Zu Hause kann man in Büchern stöbern, und wenn alles erforscht ist, kommt man zu ihm in den Club und probiert es aus.
Dass er unter solchen Bedingungen innovativ geblieben ist, liegt für Anderson daran, dass er das eigene Leben entsprechend ausgerichtet hat. Er sei nicht drogenabhängig und sei froh darüber, dass viele junge Musiker heute ebenfalls clean sind. Das sei früher anders gewesen, doch zum Glück habe er überlebt und könne jetzt die Dinge tun, die er liebe. Musik ist harte Arbeit, sagt Anderson. Er formuliert damit eine sehr typische Haltung seiner Generation. Dann nimmt er die Einkaufstüte aus Plastik und geht. Zur Schicht, zum nächsten
CHRISTIAN BROECKING, TAZ, Berlin, 23.1.2007

Ein klassischer Fall von 2 + 2 = 3. Willisau & Taktlos (Intakt CD 104) verschränkt zwei Partnerschaften, die nahezu lebenslange von FRED ANDERSON & HAMID DRAKE mit der etwa zehnjährigen von IRÈNE SCHWEIZER & Drake. Letztere hört man mit "A Former Dialogue‘ auf dem Taktlos-Festival 1998 in Zürich. Als Trio präsentierten sie sich 2004 auf dem Jazzfestival Willisau. Der unglaubliche Drake ist die verkörperte Schnittmenge, die hier tatsächlich in vielfacher Hinsicht in afrikanischem Boden wurzelt. Kaum jemand könnte diese Roots besser repräsentieren als der Drummer der Mandingo Griot Society. Wobei es dabei immer auch um das "Innere Afrika‘ geht, das sich entsprechend auch in Die Like A Dog, dem DKV Trio, Spaceways Inc. und dem Brötzmann Chicago Tentet findet, Drakes sonstigen Spielplätzen. Ebenso hat kaum jemand das Legat der südafrikanischen Blue Notes besser verinnerlicht wie die Schweizer Pianistin, die dem Lockruf des dunklen Kontinents seit 40 Jahren verfallen ist. Und was macht Anderson mit seinem Tenorsax anderes, als seit derselben Zeit in Chicago von der Black Heritage zu singen? Back Together Again (Thrill Jockey, 2004), sein Duett mit seinem musikalischen Ziehsohn Drake, der 26 Jahre nach ihm im selben Monroe, Louisiana geboren wurde wie er, zeigte dieses Erbe im vollkommenen Einklang vom Intimität und "Natürlichkeit‘. Ein Wort, das ich ungern verwende, das bei Drakes barfüßigem und oft auch bloßhändigem Drumming aber absolut angebracht ist, speziell wenn er zu seiner Frame-Drum als Pulsgeber greift. Für die souveräne Manier, mit der Schweizer sich und ihre Begeisterung und Erfahrung einbringt und wie diese eingebunden wird von ihren beiden Spielgefährten, sind die Taufnamen "Trinity‘ und "Schwandrake‘ für die Passagen ihres Willisau-Sets treffend gewählt. Der binnenrhythmische, "trommelige‘ Grundzug ihrer Spielweise führt zu einer interessanten "Arbeitsteilung‘ mit Drake, indem sie im permanenten Wechselspiel jeweils in hellen (hohen) oder dunklen (tiefen) Registern ihre rhythmischen Muster hämmern und pochen. Ihre animierten Impulse ergeben ein feinmaschiges Gewebe, durch das Anderson seine Linien und Figuren fädelt und schlängelt, das er aber auch gegenläufig durchbohrt oder als Trampolin nutzt. Der rhythmische Rapport der Drei wirkt streckenweise wie jahrelang geprobt. Allen die meinen, dass sie zu ihrem Glück keine weitere Schweizer-Einspielung brauchen, kann ich nur sagen: Dass ihr euch da mal nicht täuscht.
Rigobert Dittmann, Bad Alchemy, Februar 2007, Nr. 53

Maestoso
Non ce ne voglia Fred Anderson, splendido e storico rappresentante della scena free di Chicago, ma questo CD brilla principalmente per le magie di “A Former Dialogue“, sontuosa conversazione tra la pianista svizzera Irene Schweizer ed il percussionista statunitense Hamid Drake.
Live Taktlos & Willisau raccoglie le esibizioni del trio Schweizer/Anderson/Drake al Festival di Willisau nell’agosto 2004, e del duo Schweizer/Drake al Festival Taktlos di Zurigo nel marzo 1998. E proprio quest’ultima è la gemma indiscussa dell’intero CD, un magico equilibrio tra il pianismo enciclopedico, infarcito di richiami alla musica contemporanea di matrice bianca della Schweizer e il senso percussivo tutto africano di Drake.
“A Former Dialogue” è un grandiosa cavalcata idealmente suddivisa in tre parti. Nella prima, Drake privilegia le pelli del suo set percussivo, utilizzando con maestria e in modo originale le spazzole. Si vengono a creare, così, della aree timbriche soffuse e delicate che consentono alla pianista svizzera di alimentare gradualmente un climax fatto di rapide pennellate, di cellule sonore appena accennate, cariche di sottile tensione. Poi l’attenzione di Drake si sposta sui metalli accentuando in tal modo la componente ritmica, indispensabile per sostenere e, in qualche modo contenere, l’esplosione fragorosa della tastiera, sottoposta ad un vero e proprio tour de force dalla spinta inesauribile delle dita della Schweizer. Infine il batterista di Monroe, Louisiana, libera tutta la propria sapienza poliritmica permettendo alla pianista di virare verso una maggior riconoscibilità melodica, in una sezione ricca di riferimenti gospel e blues. Maestoso.
I rimanenti tre brani, serviti dopo un tale uragano, appaiono un poco penalizzati. E più che il chilometrico “Trinity“, quasi mezzora di scambi tumultuosi, colpisce “Schwandrake“, meraviglioso esempio di interplay moderno, triangolo equilatero dai perfetti equilibri con i tre musicisti impegnati in un mantra improvvisativo di rara suggestione.
Vincenzo Roggero, All About Jazz, Italia, February, 2007

Long-standing partnership between saxophonist Fred Anderson and percussionist Hamid Drake has enjoyed a very fruitful relationship. "Birdhouse" [where they played together with Jim Baker and Harrison Bankhead] and "Destiny" [an album that saw them play alongside pianist Marilyn Crispell] were some of the more successful releases the two shared credits for. Into the equation comes Irene Schweizer - a formidable force in her native Switzerland. Without a doubt, she has been one of the forerunners in shaping the direction of improvised music in her country over the last three decades. Without her input, a new batch of Swiss improvising talent would not have been possible. With each release, she reaches for new ideas and is keen on working with new individuals. Her percussion duets with people such as Andrew Cyrille, Louis Moholo, Günter Sommer, Pierre Favre, Han Bennink have been highly successful in unravelling this major talent's ability to adapt to any playing scenario. What's more exciting is what Schweizer brings into the long standing relationship that Anderson and Drake have been able to foster for so many years. While the first track - the 22 minute "A Former Dialogue" - features a duet between Drake and Schweizer, all other pieces feature the complete trio. On that duo, Schweizer applies her multi-coloured percussive-heavy piano technique that Drake responds to with ease. His percussion technique is never an imitation of Schweizer's style. Rather, he's playing straight from his head and his heart. This duet is perhaps one of the better ones I've heard Schweizer be a part of. Following the duo, we get three longish numbers, each one better than the previous one. While Drake and Schweizer duel out to see who's more rhythmically in tune, Anderson simply wails on his tenor. His sweet-as-honey, melodic blows make this session what it is. Even when he's wailing jagged blows into the mouthpiece, there's still an undeniable sweetness. His communication with Drake is done on another plane - a plateau too complex for us, mere humans to be able to comprehend. Whatever it is they do telepathically works. Not only are they all inclusive of Schweizer's melodic piano attacks, they actually allow her to throw more melodies from within then ever before. The trio becomes so in tune with each other that they start to resemble themselves. There is a certain section near the end of "Trinity" where Schweizer imitates Drake's rhythmic percussive pattern. For a minute, in this cat'n'mouse game, you're not sure, who's imitating whom and you have no certainty of who's the leader and who's doing the following. Rarely have I heard Schweizer be this engaged with her players. Rarely have I heard her this damn excited. The totality of the moment has gotten the better of everyone. On these live sets, it's the listener who shares the wealth of the experience of all three players. We're all the richer for having heard this fine example of perfect musical trialogue.
Tom Sekowski, Gaz-Eta, Poland, February 2007

Ihr müsst schon selbst hören, wie funkensprühend sich diese Live-Improvisation dagegen formuliert: Schweizer, erst im ‚taktlos'-Duo mit Drummer Drake, dann im ‚willisau'-Trio mit diesem und Anderson's Sax - letztere sind uralte Freunde -, gelingt es stets, die traditionelle Form bei aller freien Expression und Abstraktion nie komplett zu ignorieren. Hinzu kommt, da Schweizer selbst drummt, ihr intuitiv geschultes perkussives, nahezu talking-drum-artiges Tastenspiel, plus ein lebendiges und impulsives Spielfeuer aller Drei, welches die Grenzen zwischen ihnen immer wieder niederbrennt. Diese Platte ist ein Musterbeispiel für eine beseelte wie packende Konservierung improvisierter Musik - so soll es sein, und so kann es auch weitergereicht werden.
MADE MY DAY by HONKER, TERZ, Deutschland, März 2007

Swiss pianist Irene Schweizer has done some of her best work in duo with drummers, a chief reason why a large percentage of her Intakt catalog features her in such situations. This set teams her with one of the most intuitive percussionists in the field of creative jazz, the indefatigable Hamid Drake. Taped at Takltos in the spring of ’98, the disc’s first piece, “A Former Dialogue,” provides extended exposure to their repartee. At 22-minutes, it’s just the right length, allowing the pair plenty of space to realize an improvised itinerary where rests are few, but the sharply drawn conversation doesn’t feels rushed.
Drake shadows Schweizer’s swirling arpeggios and recombinating chords without crowding or overpowering, anticipating and enhancing her two-fisted progressions with a degree of rhythmic divination that once again upholds his reputation. His limbs are conversant in a full range of reflexive strokes from syncopated cymbal downbeats to stuttering snare tattoos and a small encyclopedia of other stock maneuvers. But these stylistic signatures never feel heavy-handed or disingenuous, always deployed as they are in the service of the music. The interplay is so musically communicative that the impending entrance of saxophonist Fred Anderson on three pieces taped six years later at Willisau almost feels like an miscalculation and I found myself pondering how Schweizer and Drake would tailor their strong rapport to the saxophonist’s staunchly individualized improvisatory traits.
Anderson isn’t usually one to mitigate his longstanding methods, sliding back into the familiar blues figures that inform virtually all of his solos, even when its seems a less than advisable move in relation to the larger musical whole. He’s also a musician not usually given to playing with pianists, possibly a product of the implied chordal formality of the instrument that doesn’t always jibe well with his personalized notions of melody and rhythm. Past dates involving ivories have met with mixed results ranging from great (Destiny) to somewhat sketchy (Birdhouse). This set definitely belongs on the former side of the ledger.
Anderson draws from his customary reservoir of modal riffs, but Drake is so attuned to his elder’s idiosyncrasies that he’s able to span the gap between tenor and piano whenever the need arises. Schweizer responds too, her ingrained melodicism molding to the saxophonist’s vernacular, but Anderson still sounds most comfortable on the short duet segment with Drake that marks the median of “Trinity.” The two old friends slip into the sort of reciprocal exchange familiar to anyone who’s witnessed their compatibility in person. Schweizer returns and Anderson drops out leaving piano and drums to another tumultuous communion. The remainder of the piece returns to trio dimensions, Anderson carving away up the middle with his colleagues at his flanks, the forward momentum leavened by several balladic asides. “Schwandrake” unfolds as a requisite frame drum feature for Drake, his membrane-undulating beats weaving with Anderson in meditative Sufi mode as Schweizer gradually expands her presence with rolling African-tinged chords. The set winds down with a sectional backbeat-loaded coda simply titled “Willisau,” the three giving it one more concentrated go before exuberant applause.
Derek Taylor, Bagagellen, March 2007

Christian Rentsch, Jazz'n'more, Zürich, März/April 2007

Propulsive Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer was joined at Willisau Jazz Festival In August 2004 by Fred Anderson and Hamild Drake, distinguished emissaries from the fertile Chicago scene. Three trio improvisations figure here. Anderson's edgily insistent tenor sax runs and riffs prove an effective counterpart to Schweizer's unremitting dynamism. Her rapport with Drake is still more striking: his polyrhythmic kit-work coincides brilliantly with her own rhythmic priorities. Drake takes up a frame drum for "Schwandrake"; Anderson responds by spinning a serpentine line and the pianist plays percussiveiv on dampened strings. The finest track, though, is "A Former Dialogue", a 22 minute Schweizer/Drake duet recorded at Taktios in 1998. Even when the pace approaches breakneck, their music is characterised by unfaltering decisiveness; details stay clear-cut despite the heady momentum. It's worth having for that dialogue alone – a hugely enjoyable meeting of like intuitions.
Julian Cowley, THE WIRE, London, April 2007

Kavin Le Gendre, Jazzwise, London, Mai 2007

Here are three masters of improvised jazz from two continents, presented in one duo (piano/drums) and three trio contexts, live in Zurich 1998 & 2004. Irene Schweizer is a pianist in the free-flowing Cecil Taylor vein, who is in no way an imitator; Hamid Drake is a amazing drummer who shines in virtually any context, and Fred Anderson is a longtime associate of Chicago's AACM enclave, a deep-toned, vigorous, blues-drenched tenor saxophonist whose flights, no matter how "out," are always heartfelt in an old-school manner (think Don Byas, Coleman Hawkins, Gene Ammons, all gents of the old-school). Toss 'em together and the sparks fly – but think you not this is one of those raging free-for-alls where the participants never touch the earth. The longest piece here, the almost half-hour "Trinity" finds Schweizer engaging in what sounds like mutant boogie-woogie and some slammin' Dave Brubeck-like percussive chord-age. At one point, Anderson and Drake slip into what sounds like a honking jump-blues groove vaguely reminiscent of the likes of Hal Singer and Big Jay McNeely. Drake plays freely, like the rest, but his approach is more explosive and propulsive than tentative or abstract. And Anderson, the seventh-decade marvel that he is (he played on the earliest [1960s] recordings by Art Ensemble of Chicago stalwart Joseph Jarman), has such a gloriously earthy, rough-house élan to his tenor that he grounds the trio even more than does drummer Drake. Don't get the wrong idea, though – this is not jazz for the easy-does-it, theme/solos/theme listener. It's demanding, but unlike some so-called demanding music, it does have its payoff for the resolute listener. On the selection "Schwandrake" these three make a darkly engaging structure out of nothing, one that wouldn't be out of place on a Brubeck or McCoy Tyner recording. Not one for those just getting their feet wet in free waters, but for the experienced…yum!
Mark Keresman, Jazzreview, USA, April, 2007

Wolfram Knauer, Jazzpodium, Mai 2007

Hamid Drake's ascent in the world of improvised music rendered unavoidable his meeting with Irène Schweizer, a pianist who has a rich history of collaborations with drummers and enjoys playing drums in her spare time. The opening piece recorded at the Taktlos Festival features the two of them in a long and multifarious conversation during which Schweizer constantly challenges Drake whose stamina is essential to the music's focus. The other three improvisations come from a different performance that took place at the Willisau Festival and for which they were joined by one of Drake's mentors, tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson. His addition does not disturb the chemistry the two other protagonists have already established and he is clearly careful to support their rapport. His laid-back demeanor is deceiving though, and he can subtly inject new ideas or suggest new directions. The pianist also knows when to step back and let her two cohorts have a private moment. Her trademark translucent and fleet runs, her bouncy progressions, and her forays into South African territory reminiscent of Abdullah Ibrahim are delightful; she can also be whimsical when she plays hide and seek with Anderson at the end of "Trinity." The quieter passages certainly betray her European origins, but are not a distraction from this otherwise energetic, soulful, and pleasurable set.
Alain Drouot, All Music, USA, Mai 2007

New Yorkers have been fortunate, with no small debt of gratitude to the Vision Festival, to have fairly regular opportunities to see Fred Anderson. Going back almost a decade Anderson’s first visits were with fellow Chicagoan Hamid Drake, Louisiana saxophonist Kidd Jordan and New York’s own William Parker. Those visits only showed one side of Anderson, however. True he’s given to the energy jazz on which Vision is founded, but back home at his club, The Velvet Lounge, Anderson is known on occasion to lay back as well. His more recent trips east have hinted at that side however and fortunately some recent CDs also show his mellower, more melodic facets.
Anderson’s longstanding duo with drummer Hamid Drake is one of his strongest and most celebrated relationships. But in 2003 Anderson brought another strong player out from Chicago, the great and vastly under-recognized bassist Harrison Bankhead. Bankhead has been getting some notice outside Chicago since then and the set now released as The Great Vision Concert was almost an away-from-home premiere for him. Besides touring with 8 Bold Souls (another worthy Chicago group), a full-time job keeps him busy in the suburbs much of the time. This is the relaxed Anderson, stretching out with a friend, in no hurry to go anywhere: three long improvisations (15 to 22 minutes) followed by a 5-minute vamp.
That mood is present again in a home game recording with Anderson, Bankhead and Drake on Timeless. The 2005 concert at The Velvet (as it is affectionately called and before it relocated) has the warmth of a living-room jam - which it just about is. Anderson had run the club for some 25 years, taking over after the previous owner died and slowly but surely it became a fixture in the Chicago jazz scene. With a drummer present, he and Bankhead push a little harder than on the duo disc, but it’s still a relaxed set, a nice companion to Anderson’s 2003 Back at The Velvet Lounge, an essential recording for catching a glimpse of the warmth within his fire.
From the River to the Ocean takes the trio into the studio and adds a couple of guests. Although billed like an Anderson/Drake duet, the album includes (on most tracks) Bankhead (tripling on piano and cello), guitarist Jeff Parker and Josh Abrams on bass and guimbri. Parker has been a nice element to the Chicago AACM groups, a thoughtful and melodic player, a bit of Blue Note to the town’s prevailing Impulse! He provides nice color here, as does Abrams and Bankhead’s multi-instrumentalism is valuable to the session. But it’s Anderson and Drake’s record and it’s an excellent one - thought through as a presentation created in the studio and one that will stand out in Anderson’s discography.
Anderson is the guest on Live Willisau & Taktlos (or Drake is the common denominator, anyway, but it’s pianist Irène Schweizer’s turf). Schweizer’s love of duos with drummers and her interest in African music made a duo with Drake almost inevitable and their eventually being joined by Anderson almost as sure a bet. Recorded live at two Swiss festivals - the Taktlos Festival in 1998 and the Jazzfestival Willisau in 2004 - this is the most energetic of the discs here. Still, Schweizer has plenty of styles at the flick of her wrist, from percussion-driven playing to rag and Monk and moves fluidly throughout the four tracks. After decades with little notice, it’s a fortunate thing that the rate of Anderson’s recordings just keeps picking up. And, having just turned 78 in March, so does he.
Kurt Gottschalk. All About Jazz USA, June 2, 2007

Kurt Gottschalk, All About Jazz New York, Mai 2007

Brian Morton, Jazzreview, GB, June 2007

Live Willisau & Taktlos
Intakt CD 104 (www.intaktrec.com)

Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake
From the River to the Ocean
Thrill Jockey thrill 183 (www.thrilljockey.com)

Although recognition has only come to Chicago’s Fred Anderson during the past 15 years, his role as and co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (ACCM) and as mentor for tyro players sometimes obscures his lineage as an accomplished post-bop tenor saxophonist. From the River to the Ocean should rectify that.
Here, the melodic tone and idea flow from the saxophone of Anderson (born in 1929) directly relate to how John Coltrane (1926) and Sonny Rollins (1930) construct solos. Couple this with the unusual setting that frames the reedist on different tracks with Jeff Parker’s guitar; Harrison Bankhead’s bass, cello or piano; Josh Abrams’ bass or guimbri (Berber lute); and Hamid Drake’s regular kit or frame drum; and the CD should impress even those who dismiss Anderson as an unapproachable avant-gardist.
Drake, Anderson’s best-known protégé, totted his drums to Switzerland for festival gigs with percussive Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer, captured on Live Willisau & Taktlos. Schweizer, whose position vis-à-vis Euro-Improv is analogous to Anderson’s with the AACM, has recorded memorable duo discs with a clutch of international percussionists. Her experience with Drake is just as rewarding. As an added bonus, Anderson sits in on three of the four tracks. Energized by the surroundings his tight, sharp contributions are more abstract than those on From the River….
Rollins-like echoes are present on Live’s “Schwandrake”, with the saxophonist’s moderato patterns and runs referencing Newk’s past percussion discussions. This is especially clear when Schweizer’s internal string stopping and plucking complement Drake’s hand drum displays.
Even more impressive is the reed work on From the River’s “Planet E” and “Sakti/Shiva”. The later mixes spittle-encrusted reed cries with the guimbri’s bongo drum-like thumping to recall Rollins’ classic 1960s duets with bassist Bob Cranshaw. “Planet E” also references that era, not only in thick, rampaging bass chords and the drummer’s clattering cymbals, but also in the chiming, finger-picked licks from Parker, who almost channels Jim Hall.
Except for some scene-setting, diaphragm breaths behind Drake’s Arabic chanting, Anderson’s Trane schedule is more pronounced on the Swiss CD. What’s profoundly atypical on From The River however, is the cohesive arrangement of “Strut Time”, a blues that recalls Hall’s 1950s tenure in drummer Chico Hamilton’s minimalist quintet. Walking bass and drum shuffles linked to clean guitar finger-picking and bowed cello chords reinforce the message. But no one would confuse Anderson’s bluesy bellows with Buddy Collette’s Cool Jazz articulation in Hamilton’s combo.
Furthermore Anderson is completely himself on Live’s defining track, the almost 281⁄2-minute “Trinity”. Lacerating split tones and nephritic honking energize his solo, which erupts after Schweizer’s conveyor belt of syncopated octave jumps and piles of clipped notes establish the tune’s parameters. Drake’s characteristic rhythmic invention almost wilts as his elders communicate fortissimo. Billowing glissandi plus focused needle-like jabs undulate from Schweizer’s fingers, as the saxophonist counters with rough-shod split tones. Eventually, the two connect as the pianist’s key ruffling settles into a near-groove and the saxophonist’s flutter tonguing accepts the underlying swing sensibility.
Relaxed and inventive in his duo with Schweizer’s hunt-and-peck rhythms and kinetic dynamics, Drake’s MVP status is confirmed on both discs. Overseas he seconds a first meeting between simpatico improvisers; in Chicago he helps pilot what could be the veteran saxophonist’s most passionate and personal statement.
-- Ken Waxman, CODA Issue 334, 07/2007

Swiss pianist Irene Schweizer excels in a duo. Two years ago, Intakt Records put out a sampler of duets with Gunter Sommer, Louis Moholo, Andrew Cyrille and many more that showed her ability to relate to a wide variety of players. She’s got huge ears (not literally) and can thrust and parry with anyone she meets, provoking her duet partners to bring something unexpected from their repertoire. She has worked with Drake before, but this disc features the venerable Fred Anderson, who has known Drake since his teen years. Drake is an astonishing drummer with unbelievable funk, but what’s most amazing about him on this disc is his melodic sense. The first ten minutes see Schweizer and Drake sketching along the margins of a shared rhythm, with a lightning fast push and pull. Then both go for the gutbucket and meld one crunchy rhythmic vamp into another. When Anderson joins in, there seems to be an air of familiarity at first due to the many recordings he and Drake have made together. Then Schweizer’s skronky South African soul starts giving Anderson different ideas and a truly effective three-way conversation ensues. Two shorter tracks are probably encores and don’t hit the heights of the first two pieces but this disc is well worth experiencing for 45 sublime minutes.
David Dacks, Exclaim, Canada, March 2007

Irène Schweizer im Duo mit verschiedenen Schlagzeugern - eine mittlerweile 3 Jahrzehnte umspannende Erfolgsgeschichte. Die vorliegenden Aufnahmen von zwei Festivals in Willisau und Zürich (daher der kryptische CD-Titel) dokumentieren zwei Stationen in der ca. ein Jahrzehnt alten musikalischen Bekanntschaft der Schweizer Pianistin mit dem Chicagoer Ausnahmedrummer Hamid Drake: ein 22minütiges Zwiegespräch aus dem Jahr 1998, das eindrucksvoll vor Ohren führt, wie sehr sich die Pianistin mit dem Hang zur Perkussion und der Schlagzeuger mit den (bildlich gesprochen) großen Ohren gegenseitig beflügeln. Die 4 weiteren Stücke aus dem Jahr 2004 bringen mit dem Saxofonisten Fred Anderson eine weitere Gewichtsverschiebung in Richtung Chicago, die zwar in packenden Passagen, aber auch einem gewissen Overkill resultiert und ihre besten Momente seltsamerweise wieder in Dialogen (etwa Schweizer/Anderson) hat. Improvisationskunst auf höchstem Niveau ist es allemal..
Martin Schuster, Concerto, Österreich, April/Mai 2007

Bienheureux le jazzkritic trouvant la clé à quelques-unes de ses questions (c'est qu'il n'en dormirait pas le jazzkritic!). Dans Portraits, compilation de la pianiste publiée il y a quelques mois par Intakt, une plage m'avait fortement questionné: il s'agissait de Willisau, pièce improvisée par Irène Schweizer, Fred Anderson et Hamid Drake. « Etrange et frénétique bourrasque binaire » avais-je alors écrit. Aujourd'hui que cette improvisation trouve sa vraie place, l'explication est claire: il s'agissait du rappel du concert. Le rappel. Vous savez... quand tout a déjà été dit, que les tensions sont retombées et que plus rien ne se joue: minutes de relâchement, de paix; hors des fatigues et des craintes; minutes où plus rien n'est à chercher, à prouver. Délivrance et douleur. Si loin et si proche. Jusqu'au prochain concert.

Tout avait commencé par une longue improvisation (Trinity) de près de trente minutes. Un 3/4 furtif avait permis à Fred Anderson de se lover dans les rocailles saillantes d'Irène et d'Hamid. Il peina à trouver son souffle, à phraser ses habitudes. Chez Irène, tout se délivrait dans ces mouvements-ruptures que l'on connaît si bien. Hamid, lui, répétait sur ses toms de longues spirales vibrantes. Tout n'était qu'énergie et force. Déjà. La tension était omniprésente. Anderson, au détour d'un lyrisme qu'il venait d'imposer à ses partenaires, trouvait enfin sa place. Le voici éructant et retrouvé, le temps d'un duo avec son vieux complice Hamid (combien d'années déjà?). De relais en relais, ils se remettront à l'ouvrage, sportifs et ne bafouillant pas l'instant. Les routes seront sinueuses, proches de l'ivresse du renversement, proches des tournis sublimes.

Puis, Hamid dénichera son frame drum. Anderson trouvera de doux phrasés (Schwandrake). Les deux s'enfuiront loin. Irène peinera quelque peu. C'est le jeu !

Mais tout avait pourtant commencé bien avant. Cinq ans auparavant, plus précisément. A Taktlos, le 28 mars 1998, Irène et Hamid jouent en duo. La cassure permanente pour la première, le frisé redoutable pour le second. Ils ont appelé cela A former dialogue. Ici, c'est Irène qui mène la danse. Hamid écoute, comprend le jazz qu'Irène lui confie. Les voici déjà partis vers d'autres abordages, d'autres perspectives. Les cymbales explosent et entretiennent l'enchantement. Plus tard, ce seront toujours eux. Toujours elle. Toujours lui. Puis un solo d'Hamid. Le terrain de ce solo, offert par la pianiste, est une magnifique piste d'envol. Sacrée Irène. Qui aime, qui sait. Indispensable, les amis!
Luc Bouquet, Improjazz, France, September 2007

Pianist Irene Schweizer, tenor sax player Fred Anderson and Hamid Drake on drums are individually benign forces of nature, no question about it, and the performances documented here testify to the fact. All three players are deeply alert to the integral values of free playing and they mine the seam so deeply that it seems as though their creativity is bottomless.
”A Former Dialogue” is taken as a duo by Schweizer and Drake and the extraordinary empathy of their work is such that the music is so self-contained that any third party would sound intrusive. Both musicians have long been appreciative of the value of rhythmic displacement and that's obvious here in the way that repeatedly and joyously confound the listener's expectations.
When Anderson does come on board for “Trinity” however the title proves more than apt. The fraught logic of his lines, marked as they are by his admirable ability not to resort to screaming through his horn as a means for scoring debatably creative points, ensures that the music never assumes the air of anything like ecstatic jazz or some other marketing concept. Instead the trio asserts the far more mercurial and ultimately unmarketable values of human creativity in no uncertain terms, and not a second of the piece's twenty-eight minute duration is wasted, especially when the listener gets down to the transitory duos that the piece offers up, the long-standing musical relationship between Anderson and Drake being just one of them.
On the opening of “Schwandrake” that relationship comes home. Anderson draws upon a tradition that goes way back in his rhythmic vocabulary and when Schweizer chimes in initially with no more than a pointilliste contribution the music really takes off even whilst the sheer volume level is relatively muted. The result is music seemingly of dimensions the number of which far exceeds the number of musicians making it.
”Willisau” is the shortest piece here, but such is the collective endeavor of these musicians that this doesn't result in musical compression or haste. Instead the music again has time to breathe and the results are accordingly joyous and profoundly affirmative of creativity.
Such is the abundance of life here that listeners might feel aggrieved at missing out on witnessing the performances in the flesh. The value of this recording is thus writ even larger.
Nic Jones, All About Jazz, USA, March 2008

Klaus Nüchtern, Falter, Österreich, Nr. 15 / 2007

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