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| The Ullmann/Swell 4tet at Firehouse 12 On Friday, March 30th, New Haven's Firehouse 12 will present a two-set performance by the all-star Ullmann/Swell 4tet. Co-led by saxophonist/clarinetist Gebhard Ullmann and trombonist Steve Swell, the group also features bassist Hilliard Greene and drummer Barry Altschul. This performance is part of an early spring tour of the Eastern United States and Canada during which the band will record its second CD. Critics called the group's 2004 debut, Desert Songs And Other Landscapes (CIMP), ”a fiery set full of explorative colorful solos and dynamic group interplay” (Scott Yanow, All Music Guide) and “intelligent, articulate pieces of modernist music making” (Duncan Heining, Jazzwise). In a 2005 live review, AllAboutJazz-New York editor Laurence Donohue-Greene wrote, “Reminiscent of the NY Art Quartet (particularly Swell's brassy Roswell Rudd roots and Altschul's Milford Graves-like, multi- rhythmic expertise), this quartet's tight heads and arrangements, and intertwining improvisations around highly structured pieces, demanded undivided attention.” Collectively the members of Ullmann/Swell 4tet have performed and recorded with the most recognizable names in creative music. Ullmann has recorded more than 30 releases as a leader and co-leader, working regularly with players including Gerald Cleaver, Joe Fonda, and Michael Jefry Stevens. Swell appears on over 70 recordings, including a dozen as a leader, and has collaborated with everyone from Joey Baron to Makanda Ken McIntyre to Buddy Rich. Greene's 20+ year career is equally diverse, and includes solo bass concerts in addition to work as musical director for Jimmy Scott and concert master for Cecil Taylor's Phtongos. Altschul, perhaps best known for his long association with Paul Bley, was a member of the supergroup Circle (with Anthony Braxton, Chick Corea and Dave Holland) and has appeared on such seminal albums as Holland's Conference of the Birds (ECM). write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |