Unit Records (Switzerland)

[RDK]

Have really been digging the Braff/Oester/Rohrer albums that have shown up on emusic and Braff's Yele is one of my favorite emusic downloads ever. But this is a label that I'm otherwise unfamiliar with and most of the European artists are unknown to me as well. So any recommendations on where to go next? The Strayhornmonk sounds tempting...

[king ubu]

Yele is indeed great, and Braff a personal favourite! His trio with Baenz Oester (b) and Samuel Rohrer (d) is even better, and I was lucky to have caught them live as well. Big Braff fan here!

I couldn't say I'm an expert about things Unit. I think they were in some trouble, having been sort of a musician-union thing, but then someone or a few people bought it to save it or something like that (it got tiny coverage in the press here, as everything jazz does, if it gets any coverage).

Anyway, Rafael Schilt's "Leafar" disc is really good, in my opinion. Sort of in a Konitz/Marsh mood but updated and with much more grooves (electric bass by the great Wolfgang Zwiauer, Samuel Roher is on drums here as well, no piano). Nat Su on alto may be known to a few here, he was on a BFT as well (Nate Dorward's, I think). A great player in the Konitz-line.

Schilt happens to be an old friend of mine, and I caught up with him again on their CD release concert (in fact the CD was delivered between sets, and he offered one to me). He is a technically accomplished tenor player, and his compositions/arrangements allow for some collective linear improvisation, as well as for some quite groovy stuff. It's not cold or difficult music at all, but it's not of the burning hot kind either... somewhere in between, with plenty of interesting things happening all the time.

I'll have to look at the website to see if I have any other Unit titles - I think only a handful or less, as they don't have good distribution, not even here...

[king ubu]

yup, some more I have:

Colin Vallon Trio - Les Ombres (another young swiss pianist, also very good! more lyrical, but also playful and with lots of energy)

Christoph Grab - Cryptic Blues (a mighty fine sax player, modern mainstream, nothing great or very special, just very fine music)

Jürg Solothurnmann - A Deeper Season Than Reason (a project dedicated to e.e. cummings)

And while I don't have any of his discs (or do I have one? not sure that one's on Unit at all), let me put in a good word for that weirdo Lucien Dubuis, bass clarinetist, anarchist, chaot, playful kid... saw him live as well, and he's great! Noisy loud stuff, but lotsa fun, to say the least!

Also the Peyer-Weber-Stoffner disc should be good, if it's similar like the same projects live concert I've heard.

Then, Day & Taxi, a trio by sax player Christoph Gallio, is also worth hearing (though he's got his own label, Percaso, and I only have one disc from that label, not his Unit disc). He's sort of a Lacy disciple, adding some Ayler and other wild things to the mix, doing lots of miniature pieces.

Again, I haven't explored Unit's catalogue really, just got these few discs on various occasions (some where cheap, some I heard the bands on the radio during live transmissions and thought I'd check out their disc).

There are many interesting releases there (Lüdi, Häusermann, Kadash, Christoph Baumann, Andy Scherrer, Wintsch, Leimgruber/Studer, Christy Doran... I really ought to buy some more!

[RDK]

Thanks Flurin! No Schilt on emusic, but a few of the other guys pop up. I'll have to check them out. Having lots of fun exploring some Euro jazzers lately. Have really fallen in love with several Pieranunzi discs and just downloaded Farao's "Takes on Pasolini."

[king ubu]

Pieranunzi records a lot - I'm not familiar with much of it, but it seems it's a bit hit and miss - some of his albums are great, while some are just one CD more, it seems. Definitely worth looking for some of his stuff, though! Keep checking on Schilt, the disc might be too new for now... also there's a new BraffOesterRohrer disc that could eventually turn up. That trio is even better than the one with Blake/Yattara on "Yele", believe me!

[RDK]

Not Unit, but two more Malcolm Braff Combo discs dropped on emusic today: The Preacher & Together. Both so far. Very Mal Waldron/Abdullah Ibrahim-ish.

[king ubu]

COMBO, that's the group with additional percussion and trumpet, right? Love them, too... will have to check out some of Braff's releases, mainly I have live recordings so far.