Alexander von Schlippenbach recommendations

EKE BBB · July-9th-2003, 08:31 AM

Any fans of him out there? Could you recommend me where to start?

Thanks in advance

July-9th-2003, 08:41 AM

Hi EKE,

You're in for a real treat. AvS is among the greatest living improvising pianists. Also one of the few "free music" practicioners to develop a style independent of Cecil Taylor's.

AvS is probably best known for his trio with Evan Parker and Paul Lovens. Of those recordings, I recommend:

Elf Bagatellen

Pakistani Pomade (classic early disc, finally reissued on Atavastic, and winner of the infamous Penguin "Crown")

Swinging the Bim (double-CD set of the trio)

Also check out Digger's Harvest, a duo date with Tony Oxley on FMP, and Light Blue: Schlippenbach Play Monk, with Sunny Murray on Drums and Nobuyoshi Ino on bass.

Vince Kargatis · July-9th-2003, 09:47 AM

Visit AMG's entry, of course, if you haven't already.

Good recs from Alex. An enthusiastic second for the amazing Elf Bagatellen, and I also recommend the very nice Sunny Murray duet Smoke.

shrugs · July-9th-2003, 09:56 AM

I'll third the Elf rec. Great range of what Schlipp has to offer.

Jon Abbey · July-9th-2003, 11:44 AM

Elf me also, and I also enjoyed Physics by the same trio, although maybe it's a bit more daunting.

there's a new Schlippenbach disc scheduled for September release on Evan Parker's Psi label:

ALEXANDER VON SCHLIPPENBACH

BROOMRIDING

PSI 03.05

SCHLIPPENBACH (piano), RUDI MAHALL (bass clarinet),
TRISTAN HONSINGER (cello) & PAUL LOVENS (percussion)
recorded at DeutschlandRadio Berlin in 2002,
using pieces by Schlippenbach, Honsinger & Eric Dolphy.

blawless · July-9th-2003, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Elf me also, and I also enjoyed Physics by the same trio, although maybe it's a bit more daunting.

Jon, it seems like we keep corresponding! Anyhoo, what do you mean by daunting? Its length? Its "difficulty" or "approachability"? If the latter, I'd reverse your assessment of the two.

Jon Abbey · July-9th-2003, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by blawless
Jon, it seems like we keep corresponding!

extremely exciting!

Quote:

Anyhoo, what do you mean by daunting? Its length? Its "difficulty" or "approachability"? If the latter, I'd reverse your assessment of the two.

I meant more the latter, but I haven't heard it in years, to be honest.

michaelr · July-9th-2003, 12:51 PM

I'd also add in Live 1976/77 with Sven-Åke Johansson and The Living Music

MRS · July-9th-2003, 05:20 PM

Salvador Dali Lama · July-9th-2003, 05:40 PM

man I'll be frank with you - ALL of it. I havent heard the globe unity stuff yet, but EVERYTHING schlipp has done that I've heard in a small band context has been stellar. one of, if not my favorite piano players.

Stuckinagroove · July-9th-2003, 06:23 PM

MRS · July-10th-2003, 02:40 PM

Click! Just picked up "Physics" at Vintage Vinyl for $5.99 used today! Man, Alexander's piano sound when recorded on FMP is utterly, utterly distinct.

bostontricky · July-10th-2003, 03:09 PM

I'll put my two cents in for Pakistani Pomade and Elf Bagatellen. As I perpetually try to weed out the CDs here, I'm looking for reasons to get rid of "Hunting the Snake" and "The Living Music" but haven't found them yet...

I'm fond of "Light Blue" - you can find out a lot about AG musicians when they play standards. "Smoke" (with Sunny Murray) also gets my vote as it's a change of pace to hear Schlippenbach without Evan Parker. Less is More, baby.

MRS · July-10th-2003, 03:27 PM

tricky is that new? Maybe I'm a mook but I can't find anything about "Light Blue" on allmusic or enja.

bostontricky · July-10th-2003, 04:00 PM

Mike, you're no mook. I can't remember where I picked up my copy but I do recall it was an absolute bitch to find. The session is from 1996, with Ino Nobuyoshi on bass and Sunny Murray. ENJA 9104-2.

Amazon's German site lists a "Alexander Von Schlippenbach Plays Monk" CD. HMV Japan lists it. Again, I can't remember where I found it, and think I had a couple of orders cancelled.

Good luck. It's worth the effort, IMHO.

MRS · July-10th-2003, 04:02 PM

Could you kindly provide the tunes? I caught him llive playing Monk tunes in April. I still can't think of the words to describe it. Thanks a bunch, chap!

July-10th-2003, 04:12 PM

I picked my copy of Light Blue up from the local electronics megachain. I think they get new copies in semi-regularly; if anybody wants me to keep my eyes open for another one, lemme know.

MRS · July-10th-2003, 04:14 PM

What store in what region of the world, if you don't mind my asking, Alex?

bostontricky · July-10th-2003, 04:15 PM

1. Bye-A
2. Lokomotive
3. Skippy
4. Off Minor
5. Let's Cool One
6. Pannonica
7. Evidence
8. Coming on the Hudson
9. Work
10. Ruby My Dear
11. Trinkle Tinkle
12. Round About Midnight
13. Bolivar Blues
14. Light Blue

MRS · July-10th-2003, 04:17 PM

Thanks! How about the Trinkle Tinkle on 'Smoke'? Top-shelf!

July-10th-2003, 04:19 PM

Michael,

"Saturn" at Alexanderplatz, Berlin (that's in Germany).

Salvador Dali Lama · July-10th-2003, 06:34 PM

wowsers. is schlipp playing monk as great as I think it must be?

perhaps i have a new holy grail.. perhaps.

July-10th-2003, 06:44 PM

Sal.

AvS seems to be playing nothing but Monk these days, and yes, he does it magnificently.

I saw him last year, in a basement club in Charlottenburg, solo (Walter Gauchel was s'posd to play, but got sick), with an audience of literally two (me and some other guy): Schlippenbach played Monk the whole night.

Then, I saw him again a couple of weeks ago, with band "Die Enttaeuschung" ("The Disappointment), which consisted of Axel Doerner on trumpet, Rudi Mahall on bass clarinet, Jan Roder on bass, Uli Jennessen on drums. They played the complete works of Monk.

Salvador Dali Lama · July-10th-2003, 06:52 PM

I'm extremely envious of you alex. When you say the complete works of monk, do you mean everything he ever wrote?

Brian Olewnick · July-10th-2003, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex
They played the complete works of Monk.

Long gig, eh?

How did Dorner approach this? I'm guessing he went his relatively straight route, the way he plays in Sven-Ake Johansson's group. Be very cool though, if he soloed in a similar manner as he plays on his own discs.

frankpop1 · July-10th-2003, 09:24 PM

a lot of critics and me as well go bonkers over the schlip disk on

evan parkers 50 birthday concert

but shrugs has a major hard on for

Detto Fra Di Noi [live]
i cant find it.

finally, i downloaded 'hunting the snake'
i like it a whole lot. this much { }.

MRS · July-10th-2003, 10:26 PM

Alex. . .tell me everything you can about that gig with two attendees where our man played Monk. EVERYTHING.

EKE BBB · July-11th-2003, 05:10 AM

Thanks for all your recommendations!

I´ll put three or four of them in my must-have list.

July-11th-2003, 05:36 AM

Sal and Ollie,

Yeah, everything that Monk wrote. But in a sort of ultra-postmodern, all of it squished together into a coupla hours sort of fashion. Sometimes non-stop without pausing for applause between numbers.

And yeah, Doerner played relatively straight ahead, or about as straight ahead as these guys get. Though at the beginning of one number he did some sorta Greg Kelley-type weird breathing stuff (maybe it was "Off Minor." Can't remember.) I actually need to find some CDs with Doerner and Mahall, when I get the chance.

Michael,

Literally everthing?! Even the elderly drunk guy in the bar upstairs from the club who claimed to be Silesian and fluent in both Polish and German who made rude inquiries about my girlfriend?!

And Sal, don't envy me. Envy the spoiled brats like Olewnick who apparently have the luxury to decide whether or not they're going to attend a Cecil Taylor concert...

blawless · July-11th-2003, 09:13 AM

Anyone-- any opinions on the Schlippenbach/Rivers Tangens on FMP? I've been intrigued by this for a long time, although it doesn't seem to be talked about much.

And one other rec I like is Schlippenbach with Parker/Lytton/Guy/Lovens on 2x3. It doesn't add up to a stellar album, in my opinion, but Schlipp grabs some compelling, vampy solos that point to where this could have been a better set overall.