CD yeb-7723-2

Aki Takase "NEW BLUES" Aki Takase - p Eugene Chadbourne - voc, banjo, git Rudi Mahall - bcl Nils Wogram - tb Paul Lovens - dr Guest: Alexander von Schlippenbach - tp 1.New Blues by Aki Takase (5:36)   2. The Joint Is Jumpin` by Thomas "Fats" Waller (4:50)   3. Recyclable Energy by Aki Takase (3:07)    4. Dr.Jazz by Melrose-Oliver (3:41)   5. So Long Knut by Aki Takase (6:03)   6. Jitterbug Waltz by Thomas "Fats" Waller (3:04)    7. Wild Cat Blues by Thomas "Fats" Waller (4:00)   8. Honeysuckle Rose by Thomas "Fats" Waller (1:19)   9. Alpha by Aki Takase (1:44)    10. Seven Eleven by Aki Takase (3:53)   11. Late Spring music by Aki Takase, words by E.E.Cummings (4:22)    12. Mr. Jelly Lord music by "Jelly Roll" Morton, words by Eugene Chadbourne (1:35)   13. Memphis Blues by W. C. Handy (4:04)    14. Take The U. Train by Aki Takase (4:04)   15. Dead Man Blues by "Jelly Roll" Morton (4:18)

Aki Takase was born in Osaka and grew up in Tokyo. She already had piano- lessons when she was three years old. Piano was her main subject during her studies at the Tohogakuen University in Tokyo. 1979 she had a longer stay in the U.S.A. 1981 at the Jazz-festival in the philarmony of Berlin, the first celebrated performance with her trio featuring Takeo Moriyama and Nobuyoshi Ino in germany. Numerous concerts and recordings with Dave Liebman, Sheila Jordan, Cecil McBee, Lester Bowie, Bob Moses, Joe Henderson, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen and many more followed. In the nnetees for years very successfull duos with the singer MARIA JOAO, and with the saxophonist DAVIA MURRAY. Work in trio with REGGIE WORKMANN and RASHIED ALI in duet with ALEX von SCHLIPPENBACH, as well as occasional projects with the TOKI STRING ORCHESTA. Actual is above all her co- operation with the bass- clarinettist RUDI MAHALL as well as with the lyricist YOK TAWADA, each time a duo, and also her trio DEMPA (with Aleks Kolkowski and Tony Buck). Record- prizes of the UDJ Aki Takase got in 1990 (Play Ballads of Duke Ellington), 1991 (Shima Shoka), 1994 (Blue Monk), and 1998 (Duet for Eric Dolphy). From 1997 to 1999 she worked as guest-lecturer at the university for music “Hanns Eisler ” in Berlin. 1998 she received the critic-prize of the “Berliner newspaper”. In the year 2001 her Solo-CD’S “Le Cahier du Bal “(Leo Records) was published as well as her “W.C.Handy-Project” with Rudi Mahall, Nils Wogram, Fred Frith and Paul Lovens under the name “St. Louis Blues” (Enja Records). Aki Takase received the SWR Jazzaward 2002 for the St. LouisBlues CD and in 2004 she was awarded the prestigious German Critics Award (Preis der dt. Schallplattenkritik). Since then she is working on numerous new projects which are duos is Alexander von Schlippenbach, Lauren Newton, Silke Eberhard (Ornette Coleman Anthology) and Louis Sclavis as well as in Trio with LOK 03 (Alexander von Schlippenbach & DJ Illvibe), TAMA (Jan Roder and Oliver Steidle), Aki and the Good Boys and her latest solo project, to mention just a few. Aki Takase is one of the most creative jazzartists nowadays.
“I believe that the giant masters of music in history would all agree with me when I state that band leaders are concerned with how they can let the members of their band (whom they have dragged into their own personal amusement park!) express themselves freely and how they can showcase their individual personalities. Think of Duke Ellington, Charlie Mingus, Gill Evans, Miles Davis – each band has its own sound, yet provides a venue for each member to express their full personality. Aki’s septet is the 90's expression of this ideal. Following the tradition of jazz, she has pulled together an ensemble from a free, easy, and broad vanguard of jazz players who have rounded out the Republic of Jazzmen.” – Aoki Makoto’s liner notes
Up to now, Aki Takase has maintained this ideal attitude and sense of freedom with all the different projects she is involved with.

Eugene Chadbourne began playing guitar at an early age. Noticing that girls liked The Beatles, he thought perhaps learning to play the guitar could lead to getting a girlfriend. What began with a simple boyish dream and a Herman’s Hermits record turned into a musical odyssey that has connected the dots between the Appalachians and the edges of the known musical universe. Along the way, he’s taught himself the banjo as well as piano, bass and drums.
Eugene is a music lover who listens to the world with an open mind, which is reflected in his sets. A typical one could include the music of Thelonious Monk, Eric Satie, Merle Haggard, Phil Ochs along with his own. Some of the departure points may be familiar, but even if you have heard him play a song before, you won’t hear it the same way again. Each performance and each listening is unique. It has to be. To paraphrase an old saying “you can’t play the same note twice” and at the heart of improvisation is an awareness of music, the instrument, the place and all that has led up to that moment. The improvisational music scene can sometimes get a bit rarefied and oblique, but Eugene’s guiding star is his ongoing love for country music. It is not a repertoire customarily heard in New York’s The Knitting Factory or the avant-garde festivals of Europe, but Dr. Chad has made it so.
The list of artists he has collaborated with runs into pages. His favorites include great drummers such as Jimmy Carl Black (Frank Zappa), Paul Lovens, Han Bennink and Ernie Durawa, appearing in clubs, galleries and festivals and in one case, a command performance with banjoist Tony Trischka for William S. Burroughs.
He has also written widely about music, he is one of the founders of the “low-fi” or “low tech” movement that came to see thousands of artists creating and releasing their own cassettes (and now CDs) on their own labels. He has also inspired many as a creator of instruments. His electric rake has motivated many artists to build new instruments and expand the sonic landscape. When you combine all of the above with his penchant for speaking out loud and clear about what exactly the hell seems to be going on, you have an unforgettable artist whose connection to folk is both deep and wide.

Rudi Mahall was born 1966 in Nürnberg, Germany. He studied classic clarinet and within this he got the possibility to examinate contemporary music and improvisation. He is part of the avant-garde-band “DIE HARTMANN 8?, “DER ROTE BEREICH”(with John Schröder and Frank Möbus), of the Trio &QuotTIEFE TÖNE FÜR AUGEN UND OHREN”( with Henning Sievert and Bill Elgart), PRO SUSI, STOL, and “DIE ENTÄUSCHUNG”( with Axel Dörner, Jan Roder, Uli Jenneßen). He performed in concerts together with Conny and Johannes Bauer, Lee Konitz, Barry Guy, Marty Cook, Karl Berger, Paul Lovens, Radu Malfatti, Jim Black, Ed Schuller, Alexander von Schlippenbach and many others.

Nils Wogram was born in 1972 in Braunschweig, Germany. He began his classical training when he was 12 years old. Between 1989 and 1992 he was multiple prizewinner at “Jugend musiziert”(young musicians). He received the price for new music of the town of Erlangen and the Jazz-price of Niedersachsen. In 1989 he became member of the Bundesjazzorchester under the leadership of Peter Herbholzheimer. From 1992-1994 he went to New where he studied together with Reginald Workman, Slide Hampton, Conrad Herwig, Kenny Werner, Buster Williams and Maria Schneider. 1994 he published his debut- album “New York Conversations” (Mono Records). Since his return to Germany Nils Wogram is one of the most demanded solo-trombonists. With his ensemble and also as solist with groups like Jazzkantine, Underkarl, Gunter Hampels Next Generation he was guest at international festivals like Jazz Baltica, Varna Summer Festival (Bulgarien), Vilnius Jazzfest (Litauen), ENJA 25th anniversary (New York), Berliner Jazztage, Moers New Jazz Festival, Theaterhaustage Stuttgart, Jazzfest Wien and many more. He performed in the USA, France, Swiss, Austria, Bulgaria and the Netherlands and took part in different TV-and radio productions. Nils Wogram worked with Kenny Werner, Arnie Lawrence, Herman Foster, Gunter Hampel, Nils Landgren, Tomaz Stanko, Ed Schuller, Illinois Jaquet, Michael Formanek, Brad Shepik und Georg Garzon.

Paul Lovens was born at the 6. June of 1949 in Aachen, Germany. He already played drums as a child. At age 14, he played in groups of different jazz styles and popular music-styles. His interest in improvised music was initiated through Robert Wenseler and Christoph Caskel. Up from 1969 he was nearly only improvising on individual arranged instruments. Since then he worked together with numerous musicians of the international scene of “Free Jazz” and ” Free Improvisation”. Concert tours in more than 40 countries. He was one of the Co- founders of a music- cooperation and is producing on his own record- label “Po Torch Records”. You can listen to this on more than 100 records. Research with the painter Herbert Bardenheuer. Beside very rare performances as solist and occasional concerts with band projects, and although taking part in projects with film, dance and actors, his main interest and – work is the musical improvisation in small, permanent groups.