ROTOZAZA - Zero
Leo Records CD LR 763
Rudi Mahall, bass clarinet; Nicola L. Hein, electric guitar; Adam Pultz Melbye, double bass; Christian Lillinger, drums
Recorded at Loft, Köln, Germany March 2015
Right from the start we are introduced to a new, fresh sound, clearly from a stable from which preconception and pre-performance composition have been excluded. Rather is the music writ in its recital, and its presentation abounds with lavish drive and vibrant, penetrating flashes.
Each phrase seems dynamic, full of energy and so driven by the drums’ fragmented cadences that we reach periods of stupor. Some of this creation seems wild though these passages are interspersed with softer sections in which the bass clarinet veers toward the melodious. No matter in which vein any of the quartet may find himself, the communication is never weakened or lost: their notions and philosophies remain in touch, the musical family remains intact.
The four musicians are highly sought after for their improvising skills, both in the fields of Free Improv/Free Jazz and Sound Improvisation. Christian Lillinger and Adam Pultz Melbye both hail from the young Berlin scene, while Nicola Hein belongs to the younger generation of improvisational musicians in Köln. Rudi Mahall is highly thought of in Germany and in Europe generally for his bass clarinet work. Together, the audible skills of the group together with the diversity they bring to their extemporisation create a soundscape that underwrites the band’s unique identity.
Reviewed by Ken Cheetham
Leo Records CD LR 763
Rudi Mahall, bass clarinet; Nicola L. Hein, electric guitar; Adam Pultz Melbye, double bass; Christian Lillinger, drums
Recorded at Loft, Köln, Germany March 2015
Right from the start we are introduced to a new, fresh sound, clearly from a stable from which preconception and pre-performance composition have been excluded. Rather is the music writ in its recital, and its presentation abounds with lavish drive and vibrant, penetrating flashes.
Each phrase seems dynamic, full of energy and so driven by the drums’ fragmented cadences that we reach periods of stupor. Some of this creation seems wild though these passages are interspersed with softer sections in which the bass clarinet veers toward the melodious. No matter in which vein any of the quartet may find himself, the communication is never weakened or lost: their notions and philosophies remain in touch, the musical family remains intact.
The four musicians are highly sought after for their improvising skills, both in the fields of Free Improv/Free Jazz and Sound Improvisation. Christian Lillinger and Adam Pultz Melbye both hail from the young Berlin scene, while Nicola Hein belongs to the younger generation of improvisational musicians in Köln. Rudi Mahall is highly thought of in Germany and in Europe generally for his bass clarinet work. Together, the audible skills of the group together with the diversity they bring to their extemporisation create a soundscape that underwrites the band’s unique identity.
Reviewed by Ken Cheetham
