GA Russell

ECM Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin Awase Nik Bärtsch: piano Sha: bass clarinet, alto saxophone Thomy Jordi: bass Kaspar Rast: drums Release date: May 4, 2018 ECM 2603 B0028299-02 (CD) B0028300-01(Vinyl) CD UPC: 6025 673 5867 1 2-LP 180g UPC: 6025 673 5869 5 Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin on tour May 4 Montreal, Que L’Astral May 6 New York, NY le poisson rouge May 8 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live May 9 Washington DC Blues Alley May 10 Chicago, IL Constellation *** further dates in preparation Six years have passed since Live, the last release from Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin, the long gap bridged in 2015 with Continuum, an album from Mobile, Bärtsch’s all-acoustic project. “I wanted to give Ronin the peace and space it needed to develop,” says the Swiss composer-pianist. “Not to put it under pressure, and to take all the steps necessary before the next recording.” Awase, recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the South of France in October 2017 and produced by Manfred Eicher, updates us on the progress of one of the most original bands around, as well as the present-day status of ritual groove music, Bärtsch’s all-purpose term for his self-invented idiom equidistant from jazz and funk and contemporary composition. Almost by definition, rituals can’t be rushed, and Ronin has had some changes to absorb. With bassist Thomy Jordi replacing Björn Meyer in 2011, and percussionist Andi Pupato departing the following year, trimming the line-up from quintet to quartet, Ronin has gradually become a subtly different band. A leaner, more agile animal. Bärtsch speaks of a new-found freedom and flexibility in the approach to the material, with “greater transparency, more interaction, more joy in every performance”. The freedom here extends to revisiting earlier Bärtsch modules alongside new compositions including, for the first time on a Ronin record, a piece by reedman Sha. “We’ve spent a long time working on the new repertoire, really checking out and fine tuning all the details.” Awase, a term from Aikido, means “moving together” in the sense of matching energies, a fitting metaphor for the dynamic precision, tessellated grooves and balletic minimalism of Ronin today. In the old band, Bärtsch often chose to present Björn Meyer’s flamboyant 6-string bass as a lead instrument. Thomy Jordi’s 4-string bass guitar tends to be deployed within the fabric of the pieces, creatively fulfilling a more traditional bass function and locking in with Kaspar Rast’s powerful drums. With Bärtsch also scaling back his own solo playing, listeners are encouraged to hear the whole music and its layered, shifting approach to interaction in new ways. The album opens with an abbreviated version of “Modul 60”, quite unlike the interpretation heard on the Mobile recording. “We’ve always taken the position that the compositions can be played by both groups – Mobile or Ronin – to bring out different aspects of the music. When we did ‘60’ with Mobile, I was hearing it in a very chamber music way and it radiated a sort of bittersweet atmosphere. With Ronin it has a sparseness, an emptiness and a roughness that I really like. In the studio Manfred and I had the idea that it would be nice to play it as a sort of ‘quote’, bringing the story forward from Continuum. So, this new version starts around the middle of the composition…” “Modul 58” is built upon – in Ronin terms – “a simple pattern cycle, just 5 against 7, and the same motif even, but it created such an interesting form. We usually think that metre, rhythm and the start of a piece all begin on the ‘one’, but in a lot of the tribal music styles we admire there is often not such a clear downbeat. ‘58’ becomes a kind of metric mantra which keeps loading itself up until we get to the more open part. You can hear, almost ironically, the simplicity of the two rhythms but you cannot catch them at the same time. In its direction and its energy this piece still feels new to me, although there is something about it that seems archaic.” The role of bass clarinettist and alto saxophonist Sha (born Stefan Haslebacher) has been steadily growing inside Ronin, and this is acknowledged by the inclusion of his composition “A”, which forms a contrasting transition on the album between “Modul 58” and “Modul 36”, while also being an effective piece in its own right. Nik Bärtsch: “When Ronin plays it as an organism it attains an enormous power and it shows, I think, that Sha is developing a personal and unique language as a composer.” “Modul 36” is an old Ronin favorite which introduced the group to ECM listeners back in 2006: “Yes, it was a conscious decision to choose that piece to mark this quartet album also as a kind of new beginning, and to show how things have developed. In terms of structure and clear, fine detail, the compositional aspects – those things remain. But the group feeling is very different and the energy more voodoo-ish, perhaps. And I’m really enjoying playing as part of the band again on ‘36’, rather than soloing.” Written “back in 2002 or 2003”, “Modul 34” receives its premiere recording here. “Sometimes pieces just have to wait until they are ready, or we are ready. Part of the challenge with ‘34’ was not to allow it to become too busy on the one hand, or too formal on the other.” The members of Ronin meet every week, as they have done for many years now, to puzzle out the implications of Bärtsch’s pieces in workshops and performances at the Zürich club, Exil. The group is, says Nik, still coming to terms with the demanding final piece here, “Modul 59”. It is one which, he says, points the way to the future. “It begins from basic ideas, in this case to do with triplets, and builds until it becomes a sort of polyrhythmic, polyphonic carpet of sound. We’ve rehearsed and developed it extensively, and it still keeps surprising us.” Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin are touring widely with the music of Awase in 2018. For details visit www.nikbaertsch.com and www.ecmrecords.com

Brad, if your comment is addressed to me, yes, I'm quite content (assuming that the package arrives on time).

ECM Nik Bärtsch's Ronin - Awase release date: May 4, 2018 Nik Bärtsch: piano; Sha: bass clarinet, alto saxophone; Thomy Jordi: bass; Kaspar Rast: drums Nik Bärtsch's Ronin on tour: May 4 - Montreal, Que @ L'Astral May 6 - New York, NY @ le poisson rouge May 8 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live May 9 - Washington DC @ Blues Alley May 10 - Chicago, IL @ Constellation further dates in preparation... "Awase", a term from martial arts, means "moving together" in the sense of matching energies, a fitting metaphor for the dynamic precision, tessellated grooves and balletic minimalism of Nik Bärtsch's Ronin. Six years have passed since the last release from the Swiss group. In the interim, trimmed from quintet to quartet size and with new bassist Thomy Jordi fully integrated, Ronin has become a subtly different band. Bärtsch speaks of a new-found freedom and flexibility in the approach to the material, with "greater transparency, more interaction, more joy in every performance". The freedom here extends to revisiting early Bärtsch modules alongside new compositions including, for the first time on a Ronin record, a piece by reedman Sha. Awase was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the south of France in October 2017 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

View this email in your browser LISTEN | BUY NOW "a reminder of why—and how—the now-defunct group redefined the piano trio. An excellent and highly recommended album.” – Karl Ackermann, allaboutjazzcom The group colloquially known as “the Standards trio” has made many outstanding recordings, and After The Fall must rank with the very best of them. “I was amazed to hear how well the music worked,” writes Keith Jarrett in his liner note. “For me, it’s not only a historical document, but a truly great concert.” This performance - in Newark, New Jersey in November 1998 - marked Jarrett’s return to the stage after a two-year hiatus. Joined by improvising partners Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, the trio glides and soars through classics of the Great American Songbook, plays breathtaking accounts of hallowed bebop tunes, and tackles a rare, energetic exploration of Coltrane’s “ Moment’s Notice”. Copyright © 2018 ECM Records. 1755 Broadway, Floor 3. New York, NY 10019. All rights reserved. View this email in your browser Arvo Pärt The Symphonies NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor Forty-five years separate Arvo Pärt’s four symphonies, and each one, as the great Estonian composer has noted, is a world unto itself. Newly recorded and heard in chronological order, they also tell us much about Pärt’s musical and spiritual journey, and the very different ways in which he has exercised his craft - from his early days as a student in 1963 to 2008, by which time he was the world’s most widely-performed contemporary composer. Pre-order the CD Ravel / Franck / Ligeti / Messiaen Duo Gazzana György Ligeti Duo (1946) / César Franck A major Sonata (1886) Maurice Ravel Sonate posthume (1897) / Olivier Messiaen Thème et variations (1932) Natascia Gazzana violin | Raffaella Gazzana piano A sense of discovery is a key theme in the third ECM recital of sisters Natascia and Raffaella Gazzana. Alongside a landscape of French music for violin and piano, drawing on a multiplicity of inspirations, is a premiere recording of György Ligeti’s Duo. Pre-order the CD Alexander Knaifel Lukomoriye Oleg Malov piano | Tatiana Melentieva soprano | Piotr Migunov bass Lege Artis Choir conducted by Boris Abalian The fourth New Series album from the St Petersburg-based composer Alexander Knaifel may be his most wide-ranging to date, voyaging from the sacred to the secular and back again via several inspired detours. Luminously quiet, and quietly magical. Pre-order the CD © 2018 ECM Records, a Division of Verve Group. | 1755 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, All rights reserved. ECM Elina Duni Partir Elina Duni: voice, piano, guitar, percussion Release date: April 27, 2018 ECM 2587 B0028133-02 UPC: 6025 670 8641 3 After two highly ECM acclaimed albums - Matanë Malit and Dallëndyshe - with her quartet, Elina Duni issues her most intimate recording to date. On this entirely solo album, the Tirana-born vocalist accompanies herself on piano, guitar and frame drum, interpreting songs from very diverse sources - from folk songs and chansons to singer-songwriter ballads. Here we find traditional music from Albania, Kosovo, Armenia, Macedonia, Switzerland and Arab-Andalusia as well as Jacques Brel’s “Je ne sais pas”, Alain Oulman’s “Meu Amor”, Domenico Modugno’s “Amara Terra Mia”, Elina’s own “Let Us Dive In” and more. Twelve songs altogether, sung in nine languages: Albanian, German, French, English, Italian, Portuguese, Armenian, Yiddish and Arabic. Elina Duni’s uniquely-expressive voice and her pared-down arrangements locate a common thread of longing that runs through the material, as Partir brings together songs of love, loss and leaving, songs of the pain of separation and the courage to seek new beginnings. Several factors converged to shape and influence the project. On a personal level, the break-up of a long-established relationship had left a cloud of uncertainty over the future of Duni’s quartet. “Would we continue, or wouldn’t we? We decided to take a longer pause. At the time it felt like the end of a big musical project, and I had to find another way to go on.” One possibility was implied in contributions Duni had been making over the last decade to readings by her mother, the novelist, poet and essayist Bessa Myftiu. “We started doing this together in 2008. She would read from her books, and in between I would play songs, usually with guitar and percussion. And through this I gradually started to develop a solo repertoire”. When Duni began to play full solo concerts, she linked the songs with her own texts; these were written originally in French, and affected by the burgeoning refugee crisis which had made the singer reflect upon the meaning of exile in her own biography. In performance, the songs have been presented “in the context of a ‘confession’, inspired by the texts of the songs and by stories I’d made up to emphasize that any of us can, through circumstances we can’t control, find ourselves in a situation where we’re torn away from places and people we care about. And this should, in my opinion, make us feel more solidarity with those who are forced to leave, more solidarity with each other generally. Putting that message across, the solo concerts started to feel like they were about more than just music.” Elina Duni likens the experience of working on solo music, after many years of collaboration, to “withdrawing in a monastery. It’s a metaphysical experience, really, and you start to find out more about your inner resources.” Her almost minimalistic accompaniments on piano and guitar serve the essence of the songs, and her voice, an extremely flexible and subtle instrument, has never sounded better – as is immediately apparent from the beautiful album opener “Amara Terra Mia”. “Lamma Bada Yatathanna” - where the only accompaniment is the diffuse throb of the daf, the frame drum of the Middle East - is another very touching piece, giving full rein to the sinuousness of the Duni voice. The range of expression here is striking. Hear Elina singing “Je ne sais pas”, for instance, and you might well wish for a whole album of Brel interpretations from her. Each song seems to open up another avenue of possibility. In any case, radio programmers will have, with Partir, a broad palette to draw from. How did she select the songs? “I wanted to move away a little from the Albanian-only focus of the last few records, because I’ve always also enjoyed communicating in many languages. The songs came from many places. Some I’ve known for years, some were from other projects - the Armenian song ‘Lusnak Gisher’ came via a theatre production I was involved with. The Arab song ‘Lamma Bada Yatathanna’ was one I knew and liked, and I wanted to sing it, not for political reasons, exactly, but to make a statement. The Yiddish song ‘Ofyn Weg’ was another one I knew and loved. And so on. And then the question was: how can I use the songs to tell a larger story? The idea to sing in nine languages was a decisive one - also, again, to stress the universality of the theme, about leaving, about facing the unknown, and the will to continue.” Partir was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the South of France in July 2017, and produced by Manfred Eicher. The album is launched with an international solo tour. For more information visit www.elinaduni.com ECM Elina Duni - Partir release date April 27, 2018 Elina Duni: voice, piano, guitar, percussion Songs of love, loss and leaving. After two highly acclaimed albums with her jazz quartet, Elina Duni issues her most intimate recording to date. The entirely soloPartir features the Tirana-born vocalist, accompanied by her own piano, guitar and frame drum, interpreting songs from very diverse sources, from folk songs and chansons to songs of singer-songwriters. Here we find traditional music from Albania, Kosovo, Armenia, Macedonia, Switzerland and Arab-Andalusia as well as Jacques Brel's "Je ne sais pas", Alain Oulman's "Meu Amor", Domenico Modugno's "Amara Terra Mia", Elina's own "Let Us Dive In" and more. Duni's uniquely-expressive voice and pared-down arrangements locate a common thread of longing that runs through the material. Partir was recorded at Studios La Buissone in the South of France in July 2017, and produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM Nik Bärtsch's Ronin - Awase release date: May 4, 2018 Nik Bärtsch: piano; Sha: bass clarinet, alto saxophone; Thomy Jordi: bass; Kaspar Rast: drums Nik Bärtsch's Ronin on tour: May 4 - Montreal, Que @ L'Astral May 6 - New York, NY @ le poisson rouge May 8 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live May 9 - Washington DC @ Blues Alley May 10 - Chicago, IL @ Constellation further dates in preparation... "Awase", a term from martial arts, means "moving together" in the sense of matching energies, a fitting metaphor for the dynamic precision, tessellated grooves and balletic minimalism of Nik Bärtsch's Ronin. Six years have passed since the last release from the Swiss group. In the interim, trimmed from quintet to quartet size and with new bassist Thomy Jordi fully integrated, Ronin has become a subtly different band. Bärtsch speaks of a new-found freedom and flexibility in the approach to the material, with "greater transparency, more interaction, more joy in every performance". The freedom here extends to revisiting early Bärtsch modules alongside new compositions including, for the first time on a Ronin record, a piece by reedman Sha. Awase was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the south of France in October 2017 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

I don't know Fairyland, but Offering and Barefoot Boy were two of my very favorites at that time.

Not to beat a dead horse, but... I placed my order with Amazon UK Dec. 19. At that time, I was told that it would arrive April 4 - 9. Today the website says April 10. Saturday I received an email from them saying that it had been shipped. My price was 13.83 GBP + 3.08 GBP shipping = 16.91 GBP. My bank has not notified me of a currency exchange fee that I expected. Perhaps that is included in the $23.93 I have been charged.

I enjoyed his autobiography "Here and Now!" (currently $6.75 + $3.99 in hardback). https://www.amazon.com/Here-Now-Autobiography-Pat-Martino/dp/1617130273

Amazon UK Thursday charged my card $23.93.

Soul Message

This year's Hall of Fame inductees have been announced: Frank Cosentino (Builder) Hank Illesic Barron Miles Brent Johnson Scott Flory Tom Hugo http://3downnation.com/2018/03/21/flory-miles-johnson-and-illesic-headline-2018-hall-of-fame-class/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/03/21/call-hall-2018-hall-fame-class-unveiled-winnipeg/ https://www.cfl.ca/gallery/2018/03/21/images-2018-canadian-football-hall-fame-inductees/ http://www.3downnation.com/2018/03/21/hamilton-native-frank-cosentinos-life-football-honoured-hall-fame/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/21/hall-of-famer-brent-johnson-had-defining-impact-on-lions/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/21/never-in-doubt-alouettes-scott-flory-more-than-hall-worthy/#comments

Vince Young has said that he is no longer Riders property. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/18/vince-young-says-window-with-riders-has-closed/

I learned today that Zoverstocks, from whom I have purchased box sets, is now called musicMagpie.

CFL Week began today. This year it's in Winnipeg. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/13/50-cfl-players-winnipeg-cfl-week/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/16/3down-getdown-cfl-week-edition/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/20/3down-podcast-henocs-options-calvillos-decision-cfl-week-preview/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/21/cfl-week-sequel-will-face-comparisons-regina-original/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/03/20/commissioner-ambrosie-making-stops-ahead-markscflweek/ https://www.cfl.ca/2018/03/13/52-players-confirmed-attend-marks-cfl-week-winnipeg/ http://3downnation.com/2018/03/15/cfl-week-line-notable-omissions-especially-canadians-duron/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/15/cfl-week-line-notable-omissions-especially-canadians-duron/#comments http://www.markscflweek.ca

A new US spring football league called the Alliance of American Football was announced today. Bill Polian is involved. His past favorability toward CFL players suggests that the CFL could lose a number of imports to this new group. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/20/cfl-threat-new-spring-football-league-big-name-backers/#comments https://www.bing.com/search?q=Alliance+of+American+Football&filters=tnTID%3a"274E3D7D-3C97-4ae1-B7CB-B1F390A6DB63"+tnVersion%3a"2392842"+segment%3a"popularnow.carousel"+tnCol%3a"1"+tnOrder%3a"def3968a-67ff-4789-abef-e2d5f71306dd"&FORM=HPNN01 ***** Tiquan Underwood has joined the coaching staff of Lafayette College in New York City. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/18/former-ticats-alouettes-receiver-tiquan-underwood-takes-ncaa-coaching-job/#comments ***** The Argos have finalized their 2018 coaching staff. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/19/argos-finalize-2018-coaching-staff/#comments ***** Troy Stoudermire has signed with Calgary. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/19/stamps-sign-former-bombers-db-returner-troy-stoudermire/#comments ***** Marcel Bellefeuille will be the OC for Queen's this year. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/19/former-cfl-head-coach-marcel-bellefeuille-hired-by-queens-university/#comments ***** 3DownNation today issued its own pre-season power rankings. They like Edmonton at #1, and Montreal at #9. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/20/cfl-power-rankings-eskimos-squeak-top-spot/#comments

This box's release date is this Friday. Amazon UK has not charged my card yet. I'll let you know what my price is when they do. I suppose all Americans here will be charged the same (the lowest pre-order price) but each of us my have different currency exchange charges.

Joe Kapp turns 80 today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Kapp ***** The league introduced its "new and improved" football today. Harder leather. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/19/cfl-unveils-new-and-improved-footballs/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/03/19/cfl-roll-new-ball-2018-season/ ***** BC has released both Ricky Foley and Mitchell Gale. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/15/lions-release-canadian-dl-ricky-foley-qb-mitchell-gale/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/14/released-b-c-end-ricky-foley/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/03/14/lions-release-foley-gale/ ***** Edmonton has released Cory Greenwood. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/15/eskimos-officially-release-canadian-lb-cory-greenwood/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/14/eskimos-release-lb-cory-greenwood/#comments https://www.cfl.ca/2018/03/15/eskimos-release-lb-cory-greenwood/ ***** This year's national combine will be March 24 and 25. It will be carried live on the league's website cfl.ca. https://www.cfl.ca/2018/03/19/cfl-ca-broadcast-2018-cfl-scouting-combine-presented-adidas/

The Fugitive (complete) - $35.83 prime https://www.amazon.com/Fugitive-Complete-William-Conrad/dp/B00TGNLUSI ***** The Wild Wild West (complete) - $31.21 prime https://www.amazon.com/Wild-West-Complete/dp/B00TZF2KEU ***** The Twilight Zone (complete) - $39.50 prime https://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Zone-Complete-Rod-Serling/dp/B01KOCNQUO ***** Becker (complete) - $27.43 prime https://www.amazon.com/Becker-Complete-Terry-Farrell/dp/B06XXCXSCS

Marianne Faithfull - The Collection - 3.99 GBP https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collection-Marianne-Faithfull/dp/B00070DK96/ (2 CDs, 40 songs, AutoRip for those in UK)

The signings of free agents have slowed to rra trickle, so the league has released its first power rankings of 2018! https://www.cfl.ca/2018/03/06/stamps-take-top-spot-nissan-titan-post-free-agency-power-rankings/ ***** Here's a look at the remaining free agents as of a month ago. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/18/complete-look-remaining-cfl-free-agents/#comments ***** Winnipeg is bidding for the 2020 Grey Cup. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/25/winnipeg-bidding-for-2020-grey-cup/#comments ***** D'Anthony Batiste has retired, and will join Oakland's coaching staff. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/01/eskimos-ol-batiste-retires-set-to-join-raiders-strength-staff/#comments ***** Eskimos OC Carson Walch will join the Philadelphia coaching staff this year. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/04/eskimos-offensive-coordinator-take-job-eagles-report/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/05/official-carson-walch-departs-eskimos-for-eagles/#comments ***** Moe Racine has died at 80. RIP. I had his bubble gum card in 1964. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/04/rough-riders-great-maurice-racine-dies-age-80/#comments ***** The Redblacks have released Ryan Lindley and Winston Rose. BC promptly signed Rose. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/05/redblacks-cut-qb-ryan-lindley-report/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/07/redblacks-release-qb-lindley-db-rose/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/12/lions-sign-former-redblacks-db-winston-rose/#comments ***** Andrew Jones has retired. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/06/canadian-ol-andrew-jones-retires-as-an-eskimo/#comments

Everything in the Tiger-Cats Shop is 30% off with the code MARCHBREAK. https://ticats-store.myshopify.com

Happy Birthday FFA!

Happy Birthday jt!

Happy Birthday Brendan!

Happy Birthday Garth!

Happy Birthday Al!