Le duo genevois The Chikitas sort son troisième album, « Wrong Motel », sur fond rock décomplexé.
À tous ceux qui cherchent un rock lisse et sans saveur, passez votre chemin. The Chikitas représente l’antonyme même de ce concept. Le duo féminin genevois s’illustre par la fureur de sa proposition. Chant et riffs de guitare électrisants délivrés par Lynn; rythmique défoulante portée par Saskia. Leur union explore et triture toutes les facettes les plus brutes et authentiques du rock, en y infusant le meilleur du punk et du grunge.
Dès la naissance de leurs deux premiers albums, « Butchery » (2011) et « Distoris Clitortion » (2014), The Chikitas ont convaincu par la qualité et le tempérament de feu de leur univers. Après avoir écumé les scènes suisses, les Romandes sont parties à l’assaut de la France, de l’Europe de l’Est et, point d’orgue à leur palmarès, du CMJ de New-York. Reconnaissance scénique, couronnée par les professionnels d’un Rock-Award à la Demotape Clinic 2015 du m4music et d’un Rock-Award au Swiss Live Talent 2015.
Pour leur troisième album, The Chikitas ont posé leurs instruments à Tucson, en Arizona (USA), pendant vingt jours. Avec la complicité du producteur Jim Waters (Sonic Youth, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), le duo a relevé le défi d’un enregistrement analogique pour cristalliser l’essence du son qui l’incarne. Le résultat ? « Wrong Motel » un album qui se doit d’être vécu comme un voyage d’une délicieuse brutalité. L’atmosphère est rythmée par ce crin tantôt punk, tantôt grunge, toujours rock. Un rock sans compromis hurlé, tourmenteur, déchaîné. Un rock qui, parfois, se laisse toucher par du beat-box et du rap, qui se calme pour mieux se rebeller, qui se dévoile sous un groove suggéré.
Au final, « Wrong Motel » est un concentré d’une lourdeur et d’une ferveur tumultueuse; une compilation savamment réfléchie de compositions métalliques, directes et sincères. La seule chose qui pourrait nous manquer, c’est de voir les morceaux prendre vie sous les coups, riffs et hurlements de The Chikitas. Mais ça, c’est pour très bientôt.
Chaque mois, Swissvibes vous présente un nouveau titre extrait de « Inappropriate Behaviour », le nouvel EP de Rootwords.
Incontournable de la scène musicale suisse, Rootwords puise la source de ses créations dans la culture hiphop. Loin de se contenter de recréer l’actuel ou le passé, le rappeur genevois d’origine américaine et zambienne allie des influences éclectiques à son style de prédilection. Le résultat ? Des univers hétéroclites, entre tendances et old school, guidés par le verbe consciencieusement aiguisé de Rootwords, qui mènent l’auditeur dans un voyage musical aux multiples facettes.
Après avoir présenté son premier album, « The Rush » (en 2014), et les EPs de ses débuts sur les scènes suisses, françaises, italiennes, allemandes ou encore chinoises de renom, Rootwords aborde 2016 avec un nouvel EP au concept peu commun. Composé de six titres qui sortiront au compte-gouttes tout les 25 du mois,« Inappropriate Behaviour » oscille entre titres solo et collaborations avec des artistes des quatre coins du monde, encrant ainsi Rootwords un peu plus dans la lignée des artistes citoyens du monde. Chaque mois, nous découvrirons un nouveau chapitre de cet EP avec l’impression de Rootwords sur ce dernier.
Rootwords a levé le voile sur « Inappropriate Behaviour » au travers de titres aux mille couleurs. De lourdes basses vibrantes (« Move (feat. Muthoni The Drummer Queen) »), une escapade au rythme africain (« Voodoo (feat. Blitz The Ambassador) ») et une mélancolie assumée (« She ») qui se relie d’un fil mélodique à l’atmosphère qui plane sur le titre dévoilé aujourd’hui. « Your Kingdom » se dessine sur un fond mélodique composé un beatmaker suisse habitué aux collaborations qualitatives : Celloprod (CasaOne Records). Après avoir façonné des harmonies pour Youssoupha ou encore Keny Arkana, le compositeur s’est laissé inspirer par un sample tiré de « Transients (feat. Szjerdene) » du producteur anglais Bonobo pour offrir le nuage envoûtant qui porte « Your Kingdom ». Sur ce titre, Rootwords reçoit l’artiste chinoise ChaCha à évoquer l’influence que peut avoir la société sur la créativité :
« La vie sur terre peut parfois être perçue comme un long et fastidieux chemin vers notre propre tombe. On se lève, mange, travaille, mange, travaille, joue, mange, dort, et on recommence. A chaque étape, on a souvent l’impression que ce n’est pas assez. On se pose des questions sur nous-même, sur le sens de la vie, on regarde le ciel et tout autour de nous, sans jamais obtenir de réponse satisfaisante. Si je ne vivais que pour moi-même, je ne pense pas que ce serait aussi difficile. Mais aucun homme n’est une île, et en tant qu’être humain, on dépend des uns des autres. Chacun contribue à la vie en société. Mais, à quel point la société me le rend à son tour ?
C’est un cycle sans fin.
En tant qu’artiste, je suis particulièrement sensible aux effets néfastes de la société sur ma créativité. J’ai décidé de collaborer avec ChaCha sur cette chanson car c’est une femme également sensible, en phase avec les ondes électromagnétiques de notre monde. Elle a voulu exprimer le même émerveillement, les mêmes douleurs et craintes que moi lorsqu’elle a entendu cette instru de Cello Prod inspirée d’un sample de Bonobo (qui au passage, a apprécié le morceau). »
One night: eight showcase-acts: the Swiss Night on April 21 will be a highlight of this year’s live program at Jazzahead! Find out more about the eight Swiss bands below. You can also listen to a track of each band selected at jazzahead! here. If you are not attending jazzahead! this year, Arte Concert is streaming the concerts played at Kulturzentrum Schlachthof live there. Alternatively you can also watch all videos of the showcases the next day on www.jazzahead.de In other words, you have no excuse not to follow those guys live or on Internet!
Last week the editor of a UK jazz magazine said how much the office had got into Plaistow’s album Titan. I think they are something special. Plaistow is an acoustic piano trio driven by experimental dance musics, ancient drones and a desire to distill their sound to its most ‘alcoholic’, most potent. Plaistow make for a thrilling listen. At first I wasn’t sure of Geneva-based Cyril Bondi’s drumming style, it seemed to lack swing, bashing the air out of a beat, but at a sweaty, rammed Berlin Jazz Festival club last November, he was brilliant. Unique and aggressive with an engaging, rhythmic sensibility – perfectly coupled with the imaginings of pianist Johann Bourquenez. Irritating, repetitive notes hypnotise under his touch and at other times he sweeps you off your feet with a sweet melody as in ‘Enceladus’ – it has me in a whirl. Johann’s music is so fresh. Growing in confidence is Vincent Ruiz on bass. His sensitivity connects and subtly reflects the band’s ambitions. To learn more about Plaistow, read our selection of articles on Swiss Vibes!
I’ve never seen Colin‘s own trio and am curious, especially as I felt his last ECM album, Le Vent (2014) fell into the ‘contemplative hole’ that undoes many an artist exploring prepared or experimental piano. I suspect Colin is currently going through a time of musical reflection about his direction. His trio is a pretty high-powered crew with drummer Julian Sartorius (who impressed London’s Cafe Oto in March) and Patrice Moret on bass and his appearance at jazzahead! will be a chance to discover where he is now – and what he wants to say. To learn more about Colin Vallon, read our selection of articles on Swiss Vibes!
Seeing Elina playing solo at Cully Jazz last year elevated her even more in my estimation. That woman can sing! She’s been performing since she was five years of age in her native Albania and although she moved to Switzerland when she was ten, you can almost taste her culture and country when she sings. Her experience comes through too – she moves an audience, but is never cloyingly sentimental. I think the drummer Norbert Pfammatter is key to the band, almost the yin to her yang (yes, that way round), responsive to her and tuned in, whilst Colin Vallon leads the music into imaginative landscapes, provoking her to stretch her ideas. The recent addition of Lukas Traxel on bass adds a sparkling energy as I saw when they played the EFG London Jazz Festival last year. I’ve spoken before about Elina evoking universal goosebumps with her emotive expression and that sold-out gig was no exception.
Pilgrim includes Stefan Aeby on keyboards and Michi Stulz on drums – I know their work as part of Tobias Preisig’s quartet and both were crucial to the innovation of Preisig’s album, Drifting. In Pilgrim, Aeby draws on his ability to play an evocative jazz, informed by artists such as Bill Evans in order to echo Irniger‘s direction. Stulz walks an intelligent line between the past and the now and his interplay with Irniger, Aeby and bassist Raffaele Bossard, makes the band something special.
I like Irniger’s choice of electric guitar and Dave Gisler is a highlight of the track ‘Italian Circus Story’ from the album of the same name. Here, Christoph almost whispers in evocative drawls on the saxophone; he tells his tales in a spacious and thoughtful style. Along with the Christoph Irniger Trio and other projects with New York-based artists, he uses trips to the US to immerse himself in the heritage of jazz whilst carefully searching for his own expression.
This confident and original Bernese quintet are a refreshing flight of fancy on the Swiss jazz scene. They inhabit a surreal terrain somewhere between mutant jazz, prog rock and synthy ambiant rhythms. Cleverly creating a story and atmosphere in each track, they juggle an abundance of patterns and ideas always leaving room for improvisation, tempo changes and general dashing about. With tracks entitled ‘Drunk on Christmas eve’ and ‘The circus is closed and all the animals have gone wild’, it’s impossible to resist their playful attitude and experimental forms, both dark and light. Very popular on the live circuit, PommelHORSE are currently working on their third LP.
Representing the exciting non-conformity of the contemporary Swiss jazz scene, Weird Beard is a quartet led by saxophonist Florian Egli, featuring guitar, electric bass and drums. The weirdness of their beards is less a facial hair reference, more a hallmark of their musical individuality. A band rooted in the jazz tradition in terms of improvisation and composition, but sonically pulled towards trashy metal, punk riffs and quirky noise. Both lyrical and totally unpredictable, their elegant, laconic sound designs can go off in all directions. ‘Everything Moves’ is their second LP just out on Intakt Records and comes warmly championed by Bugge Wesseltoft who describes the group as having ”musical ideas and inspirations merged into a very fresh and new sound.”
The Swiss musical ecosystem is a richer place because of drummer Julian Sartorius. What David Attenborough is to nature wildlife documentaries, Sartorius is to the world of sound: a beat explorer, a sound forager, a sonic researcher. His gigs are a masterclass in bashing, crashing and smashing – not just the ordinary drum skin or commonplace cowbell, but squeaky toys, handcrafted gongs, hairdryers, electric toothbrushes. Can he hit it? Yes he can.
Agile in pushing boundaries of the percussive sound from hip-hop to abstract electronica, Sartorius opens up endless possibilities and range. His latest video features cymbals rolling along a studio space, poetically crashing about at will. Previous works include a 12 LP box set called ‘Beat Diary’ composed of 365 analogue beats, each one painstakenly researched and accompanied by its own visual. A true artist in every sense of the word, a national treasure.
Luca Sisera is a well seasoned Swiss double bass player whose ROOFER quintet describe their sound as “contemporary, liberated jazz music”. Negotiating the fine line between improvisation and composition, the five elements come apart and then reunite in equal measures. There’s a theatrical edge to their music thanks to the horn section adding a lovely big band swing to the complex equation. One minute groovy, sexy, full of bump and grind the next angular, frenetic, swarming around one another like agile birds. The interplay between the musicians is extremely confident and general mood leans towards the playful. An exciting band to watch live because of their warm, busy and inventive approach.
Supporting a very traditional jazz vocalist, (Dianne Reeves), the Akku Quintet played as a very untraditional ‘jazz’ quintet – holding their weight very well as the alternative, slightly dark option on the Cully musical menu. A year ago the band were described as a work in progress, today the quintet comes across as a well-oiled machine full of maturity and articulation.
Underpinned by a definite focus on rhythmic and repetitive elements laid down essentially by the drums and keyboards, this quintet is not in a hurry. Their spacious, unhurried approach leaves plenty of room for interplay between all members who get to shine in totally different ways at very different times.
@J-C Arav
The most attention-grabbing sound is Markus Ischer’s electric guitar which verges towards the psychedelic and is played out to full effect, fuelling the terms ‘jazz rock’ and ‘jazz fusion’ that the band is often labelled with.
Some of the sound particles in the Akku atmosphere are made of of bleeps, hallucinogenic wails, squeaky outbursts. Music to immerse yourself in like a rich, pulsating heart-beat which occasionally slows down, skips and jerks. As Jonas Fehr’s live visuals suggest, the molecules are in gradual full expansion. Expect a new LP from Akku Quintet in spring 2017.
Some questions and answers with AKKU Quintet drummer and bandleader, Manuel Pasquinelli:
Describe the musical dynamics within the quintet
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Manuel Pasquinelli: We are a quintet with saxophone, but the the sax is not the only leading instrument. The focus on an instrument changes all the time. We are all leading at different times, each member influences the whole thing. Groove and mood are as important as the solos. A solo is always part of the composition and leads from one part to the other. We try to create a piece of music as a journey. We leave space and don’t always play everything we could. We don’t tell a prefabricated story to the listener, so that the listener can derive their own story or mood.
Do you think you fit easily into the ‘jazz’ genre?
Manuel Pasquinelli: People often say to me “I don’t usually like jazz, but I really like what you do”, so I think that ‘jazz’ is maybe not the right word to describe our music. It’s minimal, ambient, rock with the playfulness of jazz, influenced by different kinds of music (from Nik Bärtsch to Steve Reich, Yann Tiersen, Pink Floyd and beyond).
Manuel Pasquinelli – drums & composition
Michael Gilsenan – sax
Markus Ischer – guitar
Maja Nydegger – keys
Andi Schnellmann – bass
Jonas Fehr – live visuals
‘Levitation’ by Tobias Preisig & Stefan Rusconi – Le Temple, Cully, 9/4/16
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Tobias Preisig and Stefan Rusconi are Swiss pillars of the Cully Jazz musical institution. Their Saturday night performance at Le Temple church marked a return to sacred ground that the duo had already trodden a few years ago. This is the venue that inspired and housed their Levitation project that tonight is played out to an eager audience, most of whom are already familiar with the powerful, intimate exchange between violinist and pianist.
The key feature of the Levitation project is the sensitive, gradually drawn out soundscape created in great part by Rusconi on the church organ which is then supported and teased out by the strings. In practical terms this means having the two musicians play upstairs in the church gallery, heard but not seen from the audience down below. Deciding that this year’s jazz audience needed something to look at, the entire concert was projected on screen at ground level, which, ironically – because of the very bright projector light that was aimed right at the audience – meant that many of us listened with eyes tightly shut, (it was a bit like staring at the solar eclipse without eye protection). Possibly the best way to appreciate the moody, almost Gothic sounds raining down from above.
Some questions and answers with violinist Tobias Preisig:
What’s your relationship to the Cully Jazz festival?
Tobias Preisig: I have a special attachment to Cully Jazz. I’ve been playing here for the last 6 years, I started off in a small caveau as part of the ‘OFF’ programme, then they offered me residency, then larger stages as part of the main programme. There’s a extremely open-minded attitude here and strong commitment to push the next generation. Young and unestablished musicians find a stage here, right next to the superstars. Playing at Cully is definitely the highlight of the year for me. It’s become almost a family gathering with musical professionalism.
Was the material for ‘Levitation’ tailor-made for Cully?
Tobias Preisig: We played as a duo here at Le Temple in Cully a few years ago, performing for the first time with the church organ. Again, it was an opportunity that the festival gave to us. We fell in love with the sound and came back one summer to record at Le Temple for 5 nights. This music is now released as an LP called ‘Levitation’ and yes, it’s definetely tailor-made. So what’s nicer than to celebrate a recording that was actually made in this enviroment?!
Will there be more live gigs with the ‘Levitation’ project?
Tobias Preisig: This is a special side project for both Rusconi and I whose friendship and collaborations go back a long time. So far we’ve only played the material from Levitation live twice! There are a lot of underplayed organs and oversized churches, so we are looking forward to exploring them and awakening them with new music.
Kaleidoscope String Quartet – Le Temple, Cully, 8/4/16
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Two violins, one viola and a cello make up the unconventional Kaleidoscope String Quartet who kicked off the first night of Swiss musical contributions at the prestigious Cully Jazz festival. Performing material from their second LP, ‘Curiosity’, their strictly acoustic set up was a perfect fit to the meditative church setting of Le Temple.
I was lucky to bump into violinist Tobias Preisig just before the band came on, he tipped me off with a few insights into the quartet: « I used to play with them in the early days. What they do is technically very hard, you have to be really connected as musicians. Their forte is how they swerve tradition, always looking for new ways to play their instruments ».
@JC-Arav
These words proved a useful interpretation tool. A string quartet inevitably conjures up very rigid ideas of genre, hence what makes this group interesting is how a variety of styles, rhythms and tones are woven into the classical string infrastructure. There’s a feeling of the experimental and the improvised even though they’re clearly a tightly rehearsed unit. Seamlessly the ball is passed from one member to the other as the violin is bent and shaped in all directions. Closing my eyes I could have sworn someone had sneaked in some Japanese pipes during track 3. Quasi pop refrains and folkloric riffs creep up when least expected to add colour and vibrancy.
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Admittedly, there were moments when some the barren plucking overstayed its welcome, (at a critical point in the musical tension I overheard someone muttering «sounds a bit like a swarm of mosquitoes » ), the bass tones of the cello proving a welcome contrast to the higher pitches of the violins. Possibly too many sparsely clad moments where the rowdy festival crowd outside the venue added more rhythmic movement to the music than the quartet itself.
@J-C Arav
The higlights for me were the warm, swirling melodies that sprang suddenly out of the languid tones. Nothing gives the feeling of lift off and transportation quite like a set of strings, so to hear them setting off into fourth gear with dynamic, frenetic synchronisation was a delight – one track culminating with a joyful vocal shout! Amazing that a string didn’t break in the process.
Some questions and answers with KSQ bandleader and composer, Simon Heggendorn:
Is it important for KSQ to be seen as more than just a classical outfit?
@J-C Arav
Simon Heggendorn: In many ways, yes. From our point of view, a ‘classical’ string quartet mostly interpretes music, whereas we create the music ourselves – rather like a band – and are completely free in the style of interpretation. This gives us the possibility to have a unique ensemble sound defined by the music we write for it.
Did the fact you were playing in a church impact your choice of what material to play?
Simon Heggendorn: Not primarily, maybe the fact we played in a church had an influence on ‘how’ we played (tempi, improvisations, dynamics). We like to play completely acoustic, so Le Temple was a perfect set-up for us.
What’s your relationship to Cully Jazz?
Simon Heggendorn: We played at Cully Jazz in 2012 for the first time. Spots are limited so it’s always very special to be chosen. Since it’s a big festival, you get more press attention than with standard gigs. It’s important to get known on the scene and be exposed to a wider audience, maybe even internationally. Not to mention the unique atmosphere in the village during the festival and the effort of everybody working here – just amazing!
[youtube=https://youtu.be/YTYVvcAsda8]
Band members:
Simon Heggendorn – violin & composition
Ronny Spiegel – violin
David Schnee – viola & composition
Solme Hong – cello
Je me souviens de la première fois où j’ai parlé avec Aris Bassetti. J’avais entendu trois titres de Peter Kernel sur MySpace et nous avions échangé quelques mails ensuite. A la fin de l’un d’eux il me disait, un poil ironique, combien il était difficile d’être Tessinois parfois. Du moins, quand on fait du rock, tant la région manquait alors de structures, de salles de concerts, de festivals ou encore de labels.
8 ans plus tard, tout n’a pas encore changé. Mais c’est un autre monde déjà. Comme MySpace, le désert rock tessinois semble révolu, remplacé par une scène en plein développement et qui fait désormais parler d’elle hors des ses frontières. « Dernièrement, de nouveaux lieux où s’organisent des concerts sont apparus. Surtout, les qualités et les ambitions des groupes tessinois ont augmenté depuis 3 ou 4 ans et ils sont toujours plus nombreux à tourner et à jouer un peu partout dans le monde », observe Aris Bassetti.
Un label, comme gage de sérieux
seul sur scène tom bar mixe garage et electro
Le musicien de 38 ans n’y est pas pour rien. On the Camper, le label qu’il a créé en 2006 avec sa compagne Barbara Lehnoff a permis l’émergence ces dernières années, en plus de leur projet Peter Kernel, de plusieurs groupes tessinois qui comptent et s’exportent, de Camilla Sparksss (projet solo de Barbara) à The Lonesome Southern Comfort Company. Surtout, il a donné une visibilité au Tessin sur la carte des musiques actuelles. « Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais les gens prennent plus au sérieux un label qu’un groupe, analyse Aris Bassetti, ce qui permet notamment d’attirer l’attention des médias. C’est en cela qu’avoir un label fait sens au Tessin.»
10 bougies
Viruuunga rejoint Peter Kernel sur scène
Un label aux airs de famille musicale, qui fêtait son 10ème anniversaire le temps d’un festival à Lugano, organisé durant le week-end pascal. L’occasion, en plus des fers de lance d’On the Camper, de découvrir sur scène quelques nouveaux groupes tessinois à suivre. En tête tam bor, projet solo de Vitti Bastianelli, batteur intermittent de Peter Kernel. Martelant ses frappes sur des boucles synthétiques, le jeune musicien donne vie à un étrange mix entre garage et electro, le tout rehaussé par un chant habité. Plus conventionnel, Viruuunga n’en est pas moins séduisant. Le duo basse/batterie, soutenu par une drum machine, lorgne aussi bien vers le rock psyché que vers les lignes éthérées d’une certaine new-wave. Premier EP à suivre cet automne. Enfin, le trio Niton – invité de dernière minute en remplacement de Rocky Wood – impressionne par sa posture radicale, l’électronique se frottant à un violoncelle polymorphe et à des instruments bricolés, aux sonorités inouïes.
Frissons et futures collaborations
explosion de paillettes pour clore le concert de Peter Kernel
A côté de cette relève, les (déjà) glorieux anciens de la scène tessinoise ne sont pas en reste. The Lonesome Southern Comfort Company distille son folk inspiré, plus rugueux et crasseux sur scène que sur disque, tandis que Camilla Sparksss s’impose en furie electro-lo-fi, faisant saturer les synthés comme peu d’autres. Mais le clou du week-end, c’est bien sûr Peter Kernel. Le groupe à l’origine d’On the Camper clôt ce jubilé avec un indie rock toujours aussi efficace, mais chargé soudain d’une émotion particulière. Les frissons sont palpables quand retentissent les premiers accord d’It’s Gonna Be Great avant qu’une explosion de paillettes ne ponctue la soirée et le festival.
La fête fut belle et pourrait bien laisser plus que de bons souvenirs en héritage. Les deux soirées au Studio Foce de Lugano ont affiché sold-out et donné quelques idées à Aris Bassetti. « Cet anniversaire était aussi une façon pour nous de tester les collaborations possibles entre différents acteurs culturels du Canton en vue de concrétiser un projet auquel nous pensons depuis longtemps, explique-t-il, un festival qui s’appellerait La Tessinoise. C’est notre prochain objectif. » La scène musicale tessinoise n’a peut-être pas fini de surprendre.
Yael Miller “It was very difficult at the beginning, very upsetting”
As Orioxy’s key composer and vocalist, Yael says, “We did amazing things, were in amazing places and had crazy experiences – it is why it’s good that it finished now before it became bitter…” Like bandmate Julie Campiche, Yael was re-assured about the decision to split up, at Take Five Switzerland & South Africa, even though it affected others, “It was very difficult at the beginning, very upsetting.”
Photo Gerald Langer
Yael has faced tough challenges before. From Tel Aviv, she spoke of a childhood almost lost to shouldering heavy responsibilities. So it’s unsurprising when she says it was a feeling of duty to compose for a whole band that caused her writing block. Her desire was to go more deeply into personal expression, like a singer-songwriter, where lyrics lead. “This is not so acceptable in the mainstream jazz world, so I’m shifting it a bit…not feeling obliged to fit in.” It’s as if Yael is finding the freedom that was compromised as a child.
Orioxy’s drummer, Roland Merlinc will be part of her new trio, “We want the same things,” she explains, and Baptiste Germser, a bassist and French horn player who has a Paris studio. “We close ourselves away for three or four days and just rehearse and record from morning to evening, then we go and drink beers, and then continue.” It’s time for Orioxy to explore who they are now and I’m excited to hear their individual projects.
Mandla Mlengeni: “I was a troubled child and I was always in trouble” Someone else shaped by a dramatic early life is trumpeter Mandla. Brought up in a turbulent Soweto by a young, single mother after his lawyer father was murdered, he admits, “I had to find coping mechanisms. I went to see psychologists, but I didn’t know how to deal with it, I was a troubled child and I was always in trouble.” His childhood is hazy but he remembers sitting on his dad’s shoulders, hearing music at political rallies, and a small, blue piano he brought Mandla from London when working on a case concerning South Africa’s ‘hit squads’.
Listening to Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men on the radio, he says, “I thought composing was a sacred gift and being a musician was something bestowed upon you, like being a ‘sangoma’, it was a calling.” An exchange to Norway introduced him to composing in a simple way, but he left the first piece he wrote for a couple of years, then, “One drunken night, I was with a friend and we were jamming and I started playing this song and he asked, ‘Hey man, whose song is that?’” This encouragement eventually led to his 2015 debut, Bhekisizwe.
It was a long process but the recording fell fatefully into place: finding a studio and having saxophonists Shabaka Hutchings (UK) and Ganesh Geymeier (CH) in town to guest. And now, Mandla says, “I’ve sold all the albums so I have to re-print and strategise as to how to get into markets other than South Africa.” With a tenacity that secured him gigs even before the album’s release, he’s one to watch for.
Joel Graf: “We have to find new strategies”
PommelHORSE’s sax player is also thinking about a game plan. This quintet met studying in Bern and are good buddies but says Joel, “We have to find new strategies, new ways and that includes a new label…and better ways to market the band.” I can’t help chuckling when Joel explains they took an actual pommel horse on their early tours. “When we first played shows, audiences in Germany thought we were a music and gymnastics show…they were kind of disappointed.”
Photo Peter Tümmers
My favourite track on their last album was Joel’s ‘Drunk on Christmas Eve’, and I’m intrigued to see them play live at jazzahead! this month. “There’s always big competition,” he says of this music fair, “…selling yourself and your music, it’s hard work.” He talks of feeling overwhelmed by everything a band should be doing and how you can lose sight of why you ever went into music.
Joel actually studied IT first despite coming from a sort of ‘Partridge Family‘ with the six musical siblings all playing instruments. In a way pommelHORSE are his new musical family and although each of them play various styles e.g. classical and heavy rock, they gel together. “I love our combination of music, but really we have to move on, make our music better and move forward.”
Yilian Cañizares “You know what you want, but you don’t know how to get it”
With Ibrahim Maalouf Photo Marc Bertolazzi
Yilian is looking at how to progress too. “When you are trying to build something, sometimes you can feel,” she searches for the right word, “…lost, because you know what you want, but you don’t know how to get it.” She is often invited to play with others after they see her perform, such as Richard Bona, Ibrahim Maalouf and Omar Sosa (with whom she’s just recorded an album) but she wants more exposure.
In fact Yilian sums up a major issue in Europe, “Right now it’s quite difficult because culture [representation] in all media is getting smaller and smaller and sometimes they just speak about pop music or celebrities. It’s quite frustrating.” That’s an understatement – don’t get me started on UK press coverage of this music, but Yilian knows there’s more she can do, “I believe it’s very important to always be in the creative process, I like to see it as an everyday process…maybe we are sure about that as musicians, but we don’t apply the same concept to other areas of our career.”
I suggest that she must get homesick and Yilian graciously replies that she’s blessed to be able to pursue music at this level, but does want to see her Cuban family more often, “I am split into two feelings…and I try to transform this into my music and creativity, that’s how I manage it.”
Ein Banjo zupft ein repetitives Muster, die Band setzt mit einem bestimmten, akzentuierten Spiel ein, während die Protagonistin durch den mit blauem Industrielicht ausgeleuchteten Gang schreitet – und näher kommt. Sie hat eine elektrische Gitarre, Marke Gretsch, umgehängt und als sie ankommt am Ende des langen Korridors, singt sie nur die Worte: «I’m still alive.»
Eine markante weibliche Stimme in der Schweizer Rocklandschaft
Die «Überlebende», die diese Zeile nicht ohne Trotz intoniert, ist Nadja Zela, die glücklicherweise immer noch da ist und seit über zwei Jahrzehnten eine markante weibliche Stimme in der Schweizer Rocklandschaft ist. Erst waren da Bands wie The Whooshings oder Rosebud, später dann Fifty Foot Mama. Ab 2009 veröffentlicht Zela nur noch unter eigenem Namen. Immer war die 44-jährige Zürcherin da, doch nie mittendrin. Denn dazu sind ihre Musik und ihre Stimme zu eigensinnig und unverkennbar. Und vor allem: Zela lässt sich nicht vereinnahmen. Wenn es zu bequem wird, dann bricht sie auf – und geht weiter.
“Ich bin doch nicht Blues! Ich bin auch nicht Rock oder Folk!”
«Immaterial World» ist ihr viertes Album. Sie hat es mit einer neuen, rockigeren Band eingespielt – mit Martin Fischer am Schlagzeug, Michel Lehner am Bass, Nico Feer an Gitarre und Bruder Rico Zela an Orgel und Oboe. Mitproduziert wurde es von Mama-Rosin-Mitglied Robin Girod. «Ich hatte einfach plötzlich wieder dieses Lechzen nach einer Rockband», schreibt sie. Denn ihr wurde es «zu Comfort-Zone-mässig» mit der vorherigen jazzigen Formation. «Ich mag es einfach nicht, wenn eine Szene mich für sich beansprucht. Ich bin doch nicht Blues! Ich bin auch nicht Rock oder Folk! Ich will Zela sein, irgendwas zwischen Bowie, Sister Rosetta Tharpe und Cheyenne aus ‘Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod’», so Zela.
Eine Art kollektive Ahnung
Das Album beginnt mit einem stillen «Prelude». «We are the children of the old world», singt Zela, nur begleitet von ihrem Gitarrenspiel. Sie meint mit dieser Zeile vor allem ihre Generation der «Golden Age Kids in Europa» – «die aufgeklärte, prosperierende, kolonialisierende, missionierende alte Welt.» Eine Welt, die wie der Kapitalismus ihrer Meinung nach ausgedient habe. Die «Immaterial World», die Zela in zwölf Songs besingt, empfindet sie «als eine Art kollektive Ahnung von einer seelischen Verbundenheit der Menschen in ihrem Bestreben nach Liebe, Zusammenhalt und Frieden.» Dies sei nicht religiös oder esoterisch motiviert, sondern rein emotional zu verstehen.
Die Gegenwart und Vergangenheit zu überwinden
Und so klingt denn auch «Immaterial World», das versucht, aufzubrechen in diese neue, bessere Welt – und es aber nicht immer schafft, die Gegenwart und Vergangenheit zu überwinden. Weil: Die Verletzungen, das Elend und Ungerechtigkeiten der momentanen Gesellschaft, sie geben den Ton mit an, beispielsweise im schroffen «I’m Still Alive» – einem der Schlüsselsongs der Platte – oder gleich darauf in «Break Every Bone». Und selbst wenn die Band ausgelassen aufspielt wie in «Sunday Morning» fühlt sich die Sängerin allein. Aber: «I try to carry on», weil es muss weitergehen, irgendwie.
Es gibt aber auch Hoffnung, und Aufrufe zu mehr Solidarität wie im grossartigen «Mercy on the Weak», in dem Zela und ihre Band eine entspannte und doch dringliche Gospelspielart entwerfen. Überhaupt: Diese Band folgt Zela und ihrer Stimme überallhin – sei es im Reggae «Level Off Level Out» oder im abschliessenden und tröstenden «Homeless Son» – und es ist zu hören, dass hier etwas gemeinsames entstanden ist, das mehr ist als nur eine weitere beeindruckende Soloplatte. Denn es ist so (und da darf man schon mal pathetisch werden, etwas, das dieses Album zu keiner Zeit ist): Nur gemeinsam ist sie zu erreichen, diese «Immaterial World».
À tous ceux qui cherchent un rock lisse et sans saveur, passez votre chemin. The Chikitas représente l’antonyme même de ce concept. Le duo féminin genevois s’illustre par la fureur de sa proposition. Chant et riffs de guitare électrisants délivrés par Lynn; rythmique défoulante portée par Saskia. Leur union explore et triture toutes les facettes les plus brutes et authentiques du rock, en y infusant le meilleur du punk et du grunge.
Pour leur troisième album, The Chikitas ont posé leurs instruments à Tucson, en Arizona (USA), pendant vingt jours. Avec la complicité du producteur Jim Waters (Sonic Youth, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), le duo a relevé le défi d’un enregistrement analogique pour cristalliser l’essence du son qui l’incarne. Le résultat ? « Wrong Motel » un album qui se doit d’être vécu comme un voyage d’une délicieuse brutalité. L’atmosphère est rythmée par ce crin tantôt punk, tantôt grunge, toujours rock. Un rock sans compromis hurlé, tourmenteur, déchaîné. Un rock qui, parfois, se laisse toucher par du beat-box et du rap, qui se calme pour mieux se rebeller, qui se dévoile sous un groove suggéré.
Last week the editor of a UK jazz magazine said how much the office had got into Plaistow’s album Titan. I think they are something special. Plaistow is an acoustic piano trio driven by experimental dance musics, ancient drones and a desire to distill their sound to its most ‘alcoholic’, most potent. 
Pilgrim includes Stefan Aeby on keyboards and Michi Stulz on drums – I know their work as part of Tobias Preisig’s quartet and both were crucial to the innovation of Preisig’s album, Drifting. In Pilgrim, Aeby draws on his ability to play an evocative jazz, informed by artists such as Bill Evans in order to echo 
Representing the exciting non-conformity of the contemporary Swiss jazz scene, 
Luca Sisera is a well seasoned Swiss double bass player whose 
Je me souviens de la première fois où j’ai parlé avec Aris Bassetti. J’avais entendu trois titres de 
Someone else shaped by a dramatic early life is trumpeter Mandla. Brought up in a turbulent Soweto by a young, single mother after his lawyer father was murdered, he admits, “I had to find coping mechanisms. I went to see psychologists, but I didn’t know how to deal with it, I was a troubled child and I was always in trouble.” His childhood is hazy but he remembers sitting on his dad’s shoulders, hearing music at political rallies, and a small, blue piano he brought Mandla from London when working on a case concerning South Africa’s ‘hit squads’.
Ein Banjo zupft ein repetitives Muster, die Band setzt mit einem bestimmten, akzentuierten Spiel ein, während die Protagonistin durch den mit blauem Industrielicht ausgeleuchteten Gang schreitet – und näher kommt. Sie hat eine elektrische Gitarre, Marke Gretsch, umgehängt und als sie ankommt am Ende des langen Korridors, singt sie nur die Worte: «I’m still alive.»