dEN014_Steve Swell / Andrew Raffo Dewar / Garrison Fewell “Estuaries”
Steve Swell is an active member of the NYC Music Community since ’75 and has toured or recorded with cutting edge musicians like Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor and mainstreamers like Buddy Rich and Lionel Hampton as well. 

No doubt about the fact that he’s one of the most important active trombonist on the scene.

“Eastuaries” is a wonderful example of how great improvisers can shape the music and reveals that the only way to reach freedom is a total control of the music.

It features the argentinian composer and improviser Andrew Raffo Dewar on soprano saxophone and the great Garrison Fewell on guitar.
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dEN015_RARA AVIS “Mutations / Multicellulars Mutations”
RARA AVIS was born on 2012 from a collaboration between Ken Vandermark (reeds) and Stefano Ferrian (saxophones).
It features some of the best and most active italian emerging musicians like Luca Pissavini (double bass), Simone Quatrana (piano) and SEC_ (revox, instant sound treatment).

It includes a bonus disc “Multicellulars Mutations” which features duo/trio recording.

Ken’s opinions regarding the project:
“I’m extremely excited about the group for a number of reasons: the band is a cooperative, without a designated leader, everyone’s ideas and playing caries equal weight; the Italian members of Rara Avis are part of a new generation of players who are very knowledgeable about contemporary developments in improvised and composed music; and the fields of sound the ensemble explores are unique in terms of texture, velocity, dynamics- the traditional hierarchies of what instrument is “melodic,” what instrument supplies “rhythm,” are so turned on their head and blurred that it is often impossible to identify the creative sources at work during a performance.”

RARA AVIS will be on tour to support the release from APRIL/26 to MAY/08, following the tourplan:

26/04 @ Novara Jazz Winter, Novara [IT]
27/04 @ Leoncavallo, Milano [IT]
28/04 @ DobiaLab, Staranzano [IT]
29/04 @ Fluc, Wien [AT]
01/05 @ Klub Slavie, Ceske Budejovice [CZ]
02/05 @ Kabinet MùZ, Brno [CZ]
03/05 @ Divadlo29, Pardubice [CZ]
05/05 @ Klub Dragon, Poznan [PL]
06/05 @ Pardon ToTu, Warsaw [PL]
07/05 @ Klub Alchemia, Krakòw [PL]
08/05 @ Mika Tivadar, Budapest [HU]
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dEN016_Dalila Kayros “Nuhk”
“Nuhk” is born and believe us . . . it’s such a great thing! 

it’s the result of the artistical marriage between Dalila Kayros and Antonio Zitarelli (Mombu/Neo) who helped Dalila to explores the gloomy depths of her beloved homeland – Sardinia.

The result is simply superb and unique. She can gently weep, sing or shout unearthly laments keeping everything coherent with the musical effort which is pretty wide since it includes compositions and improvisation as well. Not less important the Antonio’s contribution on the arrangements. 

The lyrics are written in the Sardinian dialect which gives to this work of art a unique touch.

Obscure traditions meets modern potions – memories of an old time that still smells of matriarchy. 

Dalila Kayros will present the new effort “Nuhk” live in concert on April / 05 at the Nolebol Festival IV that will be held at the CSOA “La Strada” in Rome alongside acts in the likes of Fuzz Orchestra and Gronge.

dEN012 Nicola Lancerotti Quartet “Skin”
Nicola Lancerotti is an italian double bass player based in Bruxelles. The brand new album “Skin” is a perfect example of balance between improvisation, structures and a wonderful thematic taste. It features Daniele Martini (tenor/soprano sax), Jordi Grognard (tenor sax, flute, clarinets) and Nelide Bandello (drums).
“Skin” will be presented live on/at:

26th at the Sounds Jazz Club, Brussels, BE
28th at the Hot Club de Gand, Gent, BE
30th at the Jazz Station, Brussels, BE 

 dEN013 WhyOakTreeOh “Here Nor There”
WhyOakTreeOh is a monster trio featuring Lawrence Williams (saxophones, voice), Hock Erno (double bass, bass guitar) and Sàrvàri Kovàcs Zsolt (drums).
“Here Nor There” is powerful and spiritual, jazz and rock as well.
Wonderfully played and composed it’s the perfect choice for the open minded. 
 

“After the Chicago jazz icon Ken Vandermark learned he would be getting a $25,000 stipend for serving as this year’s artist in residence at the city’s annual Jazz Festival, his first thought wasn’t about the shiny new sax he could buy. Instead, he calculated how many European musicians he could bring to town to entertain the late-summer crowds that would gather at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park.

Vandermark made a similar decision in 1999 when he won a $265,000 MacArthur “genius” grant. Just about every penny went to bringing jazz artists from around the globe to his adopted hometown of Chicago, which he calls “one of the most extraordinary places on the planet. It’s a really special city for music, completely unique—not just nationwide but globally.”

Since moving here in 1989, Vandermark, 48, has been—and remains—one of the biggest reasons for that. This year, with the Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, he released a new CD, Letter to a Stranger (praised by one critic for “leaving no sonic stone unturned”). And he remains one of Chicago’s most distinguished cultural ambassadors, playing in clubs from London and Berlin to Tokyo before making his way back home to the city he loves. “Where else am I going to live to get the support I have for what I’m doing?” Vandermark asks. “It’s been amazing playing music [in Chicago] for two decades. And people still want to hear me!”
(by Bryan Smith – www.chicagomag.com)

The tour will be held from November/02 to November/24 and will touch Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.

The nucleus of the tour consists in STEFANO FERRIAN (saxophones) and SIMONE QUATRANA (piano). At each gig some local musicians will share the stage with the above mentioned musicians.

The purpose of the IMPRO CONNECTION TOUR is to share ideas with improvisers from different countries and backgrounds and create stable international connections between musicians and artists.

Thanx to every musician and promoter that make it happen.

The European Tour will take place from April/26 to May/09.

Following further informations regarding the project:

LINE_UP
KEN VANDERMARK: tenor/baritone saxophone, clarinet
STEFANO FERRIAN: soprano/alto/tenor saxophone
LUCA PISSAVINI: double bass
SIMONE QUATRANA: piano
MIMMO SEC_: analogue revox, synths, instant sound treatment

The quintet’s musical spectrum is pretty wide and covers almost all the possible influences of the improvisation scene.

Jazz, electroacoustic, radical improvisation, timbrical research, contemporary and
avant-garde are all terms that can easily fit with this project musical effort.

If interested in booking this project please send an e-mail to sfdenoize@gmail.com

dEN010 Double Tandem “OX”
It’s a great honour to welcome in the dEN Records family the DOUBLE TANDEM featuring Ken Vandermark, Ab Baars and Paal Nilssen-Love.
Their brand new album “OX”, which has been recorded live in concert during their powerful performance at Novara Jazz Winter Session on April/20, will be released on October/15.
Simply worthless to go on with long descriptions regarding this brand new recording. It’s simply killer!!!

dEN011 Massimo Minardi (H)ope’n Space 5tet “Lost Copyright”
Massimo Minardi is an important figure in the nowadays italian Jazz/improvisation scene. His brand new album “Lost Copyright” includes some of the best italian musicians in the likes of Dimitri Grechi Espinoza (saxophone, voice, piano), Luca Calabrese (trumpet), Stefano Solani (doublebass) and Filippo Monico (drums).
Elegant…mature and beautiful!!!

 Excerpts taken from the above mentioned albums are available in the “RELEASE” section of this site and at www.soundcloud.com/denrecords

www.therocktologist.com/ferrian-stefano-ndash-lophophora.html

Review by: Rok Podgrajšek

Stefano Ferrian is an Italian multi-instrumentalist, involved in several projects in his home country. In 2011, he released a solo album, called Lophophora, one which I recently investigated and one which certainly made a big impression on me.

The occasional screeching guitar note aside, this album does well in presenting difficult avant-garde music with relatively “socially acceptable” patterns. Ferrian tackles the guitar in the same way that Fred Frith or Robert Fripp would, meaning that strange sequences are acceptable and in fact welcome, while at the same time keeping a cool control over the proceedings as well. The guitar and the rest of the music never gets away from him, as he never wanders too far into the obscure, but manages to present quite a multitude of crazy and bizarre ideas. The trick is in the way he does it – totally free while seemingly reserved and under control.

In terms of styles, we get just about the whole range of musical tastes here – from improvised jazz, metal, avant-garde rock, chamber music, world music, ambient,… you name it. The genres all mesh into this nice gooey collage of sounds from all over the musical map, yet keeping in the same spirit.

Ferrian gives us quite a chunk to digest. He tackles so many instruments on this album and manages to sound uniform and convincing on just about all of them. It is clear, however, that the guitar is where he is most at home at and he opens the window wide, so we may witness his skills on both the acoustic and electric. His saxophone skills are also extremely impressive and just like the guitar never stray too far, never being too self-important and annoying. Ferrian also occasionally uses vocals, but it’s more speak-singing than actual singing. If you are aware of the band Devil Doll, you’ll know what I mean.

Lophophora is a strangely beautiful album from an obviously extremely talented musician, one whom I definitely want to hear more from in the future. A thoroughly satisfying listen!

8 out of 10.

Ferrian’s NUTIMBRE to perform at UMBRIA JAZZ 2012
Nutimbre has been selected to perform at this annual Umbria Jazz festival on July/13!!! It’s a great honour to have a dEN Records recording artist to one of the most important italian Jazz festival.
The performance will take place at Giardini Carducci in Perugia at 16.00 in the afternoon. They’ll present their latest effort “Risk” plus some new compositions as well.

dEN006_Claudio Guida / Marcello Testa One plus One “Platform One”
It’s a big pleasure to welcome two musicians of such a high level like Claudio Guida (saxophones) and Marcello Testa (double bass) in the dEN family.
“Platform One” is a neverending discovery of great ideas and a fine taste on music. There’s 11 unique compositions that mix different musical genres but it never sounds missy with a high sense of focus. But what’s more impressive is the SOUND developed.
Inside also some liner notes by the italian contemporary composer and musician Claudio Lugo.

dEN007_Ferrian’s NUTIMBRE “Risk”
Almost any human endeavor carries some risk, but some are much more risky than others.
This is the brand new Stefano Ferrian project and actually one of the most “risky” to date.
7 original compositions between modern jazz, radical improvisation, jazz-rock, strongly influenced by legends like Steve Lacy, Thelonious Monk, Eric Dolphy and also some contemporary musicians like Ellery Eskelin, Mats Gustafsson and Ken Vandermark.
It features great musicians like Luca Pissavini on double bass (Demetrio Stratos Prize and Porsche Jazz Contest Winner), Vito Emanuele Galante on trumpet (Porsche Jazz Contest winner), Simone Quatrana on piano and Fabrizio Carriero on drums.