Vesuvius

Description

Alex von Schlippenbach, one of the pioneers of the free jazz movement in Berlin in the 1960's, known for his legendary big band the Globe Unity Orchestra and his trio with Evan Parker and Paul Lovens. He has recorded the complete works of Thelonious Monk. Paul Dunmall, one of the leading lights in melodic free improvising over the last 25 years on saxophone and his more revolutionary work on bagpipes, has an immense range of experience playing with Johnny Guitar Watson, London Jazz Composers Orchestra, Mujician and Danny Thompson's 'Whatever'. Paul Rogers is an integral part of the European improvised music scene, working with all the recognised players across the continent and beyond, whilst developing his outstanding approach on his own designed 7 string bass. Tony Bianco, firmly rooted in the jazz tradition from his home in New York, has embraced all forms of improvised music. His drive and stamina are exceptional.

Press:

"Vesuvius works wonderfully - two large slabs of urgent, probing sound with no fat and little room for meditative pause...this is a remarkable, unexpected record with a real edge." - Brian Morton, The Wire

"This is a colossal studio date and first-time meeting of four giants of European improv...Both Schlippenbach and Dunmall sound particularly inspired here, often riding the waves of rhythm and spinning out cascading lines of notes. All four musicians take a number of outstanding solos, both unaccompanied and with the quartet...For those who can't wait for that next Mujician disc, this is an equally cosmic date." - Downtown Music Gallery Newsletter

"Dunmall is a master of the head-down tenor charge, while Bianco creates a rolling, surging backdrop. Most compelling here are the variety and grace of it all. Rogers' 7-string enhances his extraordinary fluency, as he flies into cello and guitar registers with ease. Von Schlippenbach seems to add a special multi-dimensionality to it all. His three contrasting solos - high speed, almost baroque, prepared - give "Leviathan" a distinctive, suite-like shape." - Stuart Broomer, Signal to Noise