In November 2006 Esther Bächlin was awarded a work contribution by the canton of Lucerne for her new project „In Between“.The Lucerne pianist and composer found two outstanding musicians with saxophonist John Voirol and vocalist Lauren to again realize her own sounds. She skillfully integrates their features in her condensed but still vivid compositions covering classical music, jazz and free improvisation. The collective free parts in particular emphasize the congeniality of the trio: Lauren Newton‘s airy, complex voice, John Voirol‘s expressive aesthetic saxophon and Esther Bächlin’s colourful dynamc piano playing combine to a very special, organic and pleasurable tune.
Performing in Switzerland and Germany over the last two years, the band’s increasing ability for interplay has created some amazing, refreshing new sounds as can be heard in their instant composing pieces on their new CD „IN BETWEEN“.

ESTHER BAECHLIN – Winner of the work contribution of the canton of Lucerne Nov. 2006 for her project “IN BETWEEN“.

PRESS RELEASE OF THE JURY

(by Pirmin Bossart)

„This work contribution promotes an experimental project convincing the jury of the compositional references and cast. The pianist and composer Esther Bächlin not only found a meaningful instrumentation to realize her own sounds, but also chose two outstanding musicians: saxophonist John Voirol and vocalist Lauren Newton with their distinguished ideas of music. She skillfully integrated their features in her compositions. Esther Bächlin produces strong harmony music.

LINER NOTES OF THE NEW CD „IN BETWEEN“

...The band formation made up by these three superb musicians allows for many colourful facets and layers of improvisation. In contrast to other free improvising bands, the sense of harmony, groove and melody doesn’t get lost and plays an important role on their voyage.
Their vast potentials of expression between jazz, classical music and free improvisation as well as their instrumentation is rarely heard and played - inspiring music!

PRESS COMMENTS

Melodien und nette Saboteure
(Tages-Anzeiger from 12.1.07, Christoph Merki)
The Lucerne Pianist Esther Bächlin and her new trio played at Moods in Zurich

In jazz the composer is seldom on his own. Unlike classical music where the composer can produce his work, the interpreter and the instrumentalists in an improvising group participate in writing the notes that might only be sketches thought out by the composer. These thoughts occur when listening to the pianist Esther Bächlin and her trio at Moods on Tuesday night: the great John Voirol (soprano and tenor sax, English horn) and meditative vocalist Lauren Newton. Bächlin who was born in 1965 was lucky to choose these musicians. The musical characters of her ensemble colleagues perfectly complement her own work.

The music of the trio without drums is delicate; piano sounds mix with Voirol’s high-pitch soprano saxofon, with Newton’s voice, a vocal acrobat who is much more diseuse and echoist than singer. Bächlin has a soft spot for dark chords. For a moment you even wish that musing trumpeter Kenny Wheeler could be there that evening - as logic sequel of such elegiac piano sounds. The singer Lauren Newton though is not only melody representative. She caricatures Bächlin’s play with tripping nonsense sounds - from chirping to babble. She covers the chords with musicalized sound poetry as a type of surface hachure and she turns the music into something circusy with Voirol. Thus neo romance crosses experimental aspects: Romantic candlelight and gremlins always trying to blow them out. That is not so much sabotage but more part of the programme.


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MP3	Oriental Ride The Art Of Not Pretending Native's Call In Between So Intervision Spiral Of Harmony Gentle Hearts

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