The Fantactic Merlins Tour The Midwest

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The Fantastic Merlins will tour this summer behind their eponymous debut live EP: 8/19 Duluth, MN Beaner’s Central Coffeehouse; 8/20 Minneapolis, MN Acadia Cafe; 8/21 Chicago, IL Hungry Brain; 8/22 Milwaukee, WI Hotcakes Gallery; 8/24 Rockford, IL Minglewood; 8/26 Madison, WI Motherfool’s Coffeehouse; 8/27 St. Paul, MN Black Dog Cafe. Intensely cinematic and entirely unique, the rare beauty of Minneapolis-based instrumental combo The Fantastic Merlins begins with the group's unusual blend of cello, bass, sax, and drums. Replete with stunning dynamics and melodies that range from playful to mournful, the resulting style encompasses avant-garde jazz and chamber music alike, as well as everything in between: classical-yet-contemporary experimentalism, complex rhythms, and breathtaking improvisation.

The Fantastic Merlins formed in early 2005 as the result of a couple of informal playing sessions: The previous summer, Brian Roessler (bass) recruited longtime friend and collaborator Nathan Hanson (saxophone) and Minneapolis cellist Jacqueline Ferrier-Ultan to play a few gigs as a trio. Agreeing they were on to something, Hanson called on Federico Ughi (drums) to complete the group, and everyone rendezvoused in Minneapolis to play some shows and track a record.

Since the foursome came together on the strength of artistic reputation and shared interest with little regard for the breakdown of instrumentation, the sound that emerged was a discovery in its own right. Largely dependent on the spontaneous and serendipitous interplay of their instruments. According to Roessler, this kind of seamless acoustic integration is precisely what The Fantastic Merlins are after. "We all seem to have a unified vision of what kind of textures and feelings we want to create, without ever having to talk about it." In the end, the music says more than enough.

For Rome-to-NYC transplant Federico Ughi (drums), even the ideas he commits to memory or shares in rehearsal are ultimately "a ramp to this improvisation, " and Jersey City saxophonist Nathan Hanson insists the structural flexibility suits the group just fine: "Some pieces are very similar from one performance to the next; some arenever the same twice."

While this kind of genre-bending anti-pop typically caters to the jazz or classical crowd, St. Paul's Brian Roessler (bass) has noticed The Fantastic Merlins are already attracting a widely diverse audience. "A lot of people out there seem to be hungry forthe kind of thing we're doing. Our goal is to connect with these people."

Nathan Hanson is a tenor saxophonist and composer, based in New York City, who specializes in improvised music. Current projects include a solo recording on Sugarstyles Media entitled "Letting Go", a duo project "Mercury Retrograde" with drummer/cellist Elliot Humberto Kavee; and concerts in the US and Europe with Options, a group led by drummer Federico Ughi. He has performed with Cecil Taylor, Douglas Ewart, Dizzy Gillespie, Mark Dresser, Carei Thomas, Liberty Ellman, Elliot Humberto Kavee, Trevor Dunn, Tony Malaby, Daniel Carter, Sabir Mateen, Matt Glassmeyer, Sean Moran, Dan Fabricatore, Bruce Eisenbeil, Kevin Schmidt, Jay Rosen, Francis Wong and many others.

Cellist Jacqueline Ferrier-Ultan's versatility allows her to cover a diverse and expansive range of music; from free improvisation, to rock, jazz, folk, classical and beyond. Jacqueline graduated with a Master's Degree from Yale University, and trueto her rebellious and non-traditional nature followed a path that has lead her to play with a wide array of innovative and creative artists including composer/pianist Carei Thomas; world renowned bassist Anthony Cox; Singer Peg Carrothers and jazzpianist Bill Carrothers; saxophonist George Cartwright; Puppeteer/Playwright Michael Sommers; songwriter Chan Poling; and fellow cellist Michelle Kinney among many others.

Brian Roessler is a bassist and composer. Whether he's quietly working out the details of a new composition, shaking the ground in a late night rock club, or executing delicately textured new double bass music, Brian's rhythmic precision and wide-ranging musical fluency has allowed him to thrive in a variety of settings.

As a teenager Brian dedicated himself to prog rock odysseys, but by the time he finished college he had composed an hour long film score incorporating stringquartets, pieces for small jazz combos, and sequenced MIDI. His 1995 piece Returning to Silence was chosen by the Macphail Center for Music as the subject of amaster class with composer Henry Threadgill. Improvisational structures and works for solo instruments and small ensembles continue to be Brian's compositional focus.

On electric bass Brian has been featured live and on recordings by acclaimed artists such as Storyhill, Alva Star, Brenda Weiler, and most notably Spymob - hi slongtime band that signed with Epic records in 1998.

Brian's exploration of the double bass has been inspired and guided by two crucialmentors. James Clute of the Minnesota Orchestra taught him the intricacies of orchestral repertoire and shared decades of experience at the fore front of the American symphonic scene. Brian's study intensified in 2002 with his move to Paris towork with FranÃ§ois Rabbath, one of the instrument's great virtuosos and pedagogues. Back at home in St. Paul his apprenticeship with Rabbath continues today, bringing deep inspiration to all aspects of Brian's musical life.

Bassist Brian Roessler has performed and recorded with artists as diverse as indie rock darling Kid Dakota and jazz great Carei Thomas. He is principal bass of the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra (Minnesota) and has served as a substitute in the bass section of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Federico Ughi is an artist based in New York with a particular interest in improvisation. He has performed or recorded as a composer, drummer, and electronic musician with such artists as: Daniel Carter, Steve Swell, Steve Dalachinsky, Andrea Parkins, Steve Gauci, Tom Abbs, Matt Lavelle, Jaime Fennelly, Nathan Hanson, Matt Glassmeyer, Sean Moran, Dan Fabricatore, Reuben Radding, Sayuri Goto, Marco Cappelli, Michael Evans in New York and Geoff Simkins, Steve Buckley, Rhodri Davies, Phil Durrant, Cinematic Orchestra (Ninja Tune), Roberto Bellatalla, Carl Orr and Bloody Riot in London, UK and

Ughi has toured throughout NYC, Europe and UK performing in many festivals andvenues including: Vision Festival NYC, Improvised & Otherwise Festival NYC, CBGB, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Brighton Jazz Bop Festival, Relay 1998 UK, Total EclipseFestival UK, The Knitting Factory and Cornelia Street Cafe.

From 1994 - 1999, he was based in London, and performed in many venues and festivals. He co-led the acoustic quartet 'After Breakfast' which toured throughoutEurope, and was awarded a grant from Jazz Services for the "After Breakfast UK Autumn Tour 1998". He moved to New York in early 2000, inspired by Paul Bley, with whom he studied.

Prior to 1994, he was based in Rome, where he studied music at UM (Universita' della Musica), and worked as a drummer and band leader in bands covering diverse styles from jazz to crossover funk to rock to hard-core punk (Bloody Riot).

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