|
|
|
|
 |
Artists
Annelise Zamula - tenor saxophone, flute Bill Noertker - contrabass with Jason Levis - drums (tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) Jenny Maybee - piano (tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, 8) Jim Peterson - alto and baritone saxes, flute (tracks 3, 4, 7, 8) Niels Myrner - drums (tracks 2, 3) Yehudit - 5-string electric violin (track 2) Hugh Schick - trumpet (track 6) Download CD from Emusic.com  |
Tunes
1) Dutch Interior 2) Burnt Picture 3) Ladders Cross the Sky in a Blue Wheel of Fire 4) Dona Del Càntir 5) Dancer 6) the Red Sun 7) Harlequin's Carnival 8) Catalan Peasant in the Moonlight all music composed and arranged by Bill Noertker ©2007 (Deuh Jauh Music BMI) |
| Join bassist Bill Noertker and Moxie as they dance into the whimsical world of Catalan surrealist Joan Miró. From the broad brushstrokes of Noertker's surrealist anthem, "Dutch Interior," to the wistful beauty of "Dona del Càntir," from the rollicking freebop of "Dancer," to the tender soulfulness of "Catalan Peasant in the Moonlight," Suite for Miró paints a phantasmagorical musical portrait of one of Catalonia's leading artistic lights. In the last decade, Bill Noertker has composed over 150 original pieces of music for jazz ensemble. His compositions point to the continuity between the jazz tradition and the avant-garde. His use of group improvisation and his attention to the individual voices of each of his bandmates call forth the human element so sorely missing from much of today’s jazz. |
|
selected
CD reviews
|
|
review by Mike Wood 24 October, 2007 Contrabassist Bill Noertker
has spent a good part of the last several years exploring the musical
possibilities of paying tribute to the area of Spain that has produced
Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí and Antoni Gaudí, among
others.
The mystery, poetry and pain of Catalonia, and the influence of some of its residents on experimental art and film is what has driven Noertker to create several sets of largely improvised jazz that sonically explore that influence and contribution to many forms of art. Here, impressionistic and passionately spontaneous tunes mingle in the twilight, with the sax/flute work of both Annelise Zamula and Jim Peterson creating and extending the groove. The man known only as Yehudit, on the five-string electric violin, is the clear hero of many of the eight tracks. Noertker’s love of the artists and the atmosphere of Catalonia is clear, and in addition to being a labor of love, these releases are also able to stand in their own right as adventurous and inspiring jazz. rating: 7/10 (Noertker comments: Yehudit is a woman,
not a man. She appears only on track 2.)
|
from theonetruedeadangel.blogspot.com review by RKF Inspired by the work of
Catalonia native Joan Miró, this disc is the second in a trilogy
of discs offering homage to various Catalonia legends (the first lauded
the work of Salvador Dalí; the forthcoming one is based on the
life of Antoni Gaudí). Led by composer and contrabass player
Bill Noertker, the ensemble at work here includes Annelise Zamula on
tenor sax and flute, Jason Levis on drums, Jenny Maybee on piano, Jim
Peterson on alto / baritone sax and flute, Niels Mymer on drums,
Yehudit on 5-string electric violin, and Hugh Schick on trumpet. For
such a large ensemble, the pieces are surprisingly airy and sparse;
then again, the eight pieces here rarely feature more than a few
players at a time, and even when the ensemble is large, the players all
give each other plenty of room to move. This is cool jazz with a hint
of swing, and while they're definitely in the avant garde tradition,
their approach is understated enough and sufficiently rooted in
traditional structures to be accessible to listeners who would normally
have nothing to do with the avant garde. The standout track is "Dona
del Càntir," a haunting and beautiful slow ballad that straddles
the line between traditional jazz and soundtrack music, and while some
of the other tracks are more upbeat, for the most part this is quiet,
reflective music heavy on the woodwinds. The piano playing is
frequently a highlight of the ensemble's sound, particularly on the
closing track "Catalan Peasant in the Moonlight." Is this the jazz
equivalent of chill-out music? I think it just might be.
|
|
|