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| Michael Bates & Lutoslawski Quartet METAMORPHOSES: VARIATIONS ON LUTOSAWSKI Premieres at Jazztopad Festival June 28th! Michael Bates + The Lutosławski Quartet, are celebrating the release day of their dynamic recording "Metamorphosis on June 28th at Lincoln Center! How far is jazz from classical music? Do they really speak radically different languages? Michael Bates' Acrobat and Lutosławski Quartet are ensembles from different musical environments. They have established an artistic dialogue focusing on the oeuvre of one of Poland's greatest 20th-century composers: Witold Lutosławski. The results of their work have been recorded and will soon be released under the Polish music label ANAKLASIS. The CD METAMORPHOSES: VARIATIONS ON LUTOSŁAWSKI enters the market on 28th June. Despite his classical education, Witold Lutosławski's output as a composer is not far from improvisation, and it also inspires jazz artists. Bassist Michael Bates heard Lutosławski Quartet during the Jazztopad festival in the autumn of 2021. The Polish composer's music made a tremendous impression on him. 'So powerful. On the flight home I had already begun some deep listening to Witold Lutosławski and making sketches for several pieces in hopes of collaborating with them, ' Bates recalls. A year later the musicians played together at New York's summer edition of Jazztopad, jointly rediscovering Lutosławski in Bates' jazz guise. The collaboration of musicians from two different musical worlds did not end here. Half a year after their NY concert, they met up again in a studio and recorded a new version of Lutosławski. The album METAMORPHOSES: VARIATIONS ON LUTOSŁAWSKI from ANAKLASIS comprises arrangements of several works by Lutosławski, conceived as the Acrobat leader's tribute to the Polish composer's unique individuality. 'His sounds were vast, edgy and above all singular, ' says Bates of Lutosławski. 'I've always appreciated the intrinsic symmetry of every piece and the deeper you dig, the more his attention to detail is revealed.' The resulting music is marked with contrasts of timbre, harmonic ingenuity, and unpredictable turns of action. The whole pulsates with energy and expression. 'People talk about jazz and classical being completely different worlds. Maybe. But I believe the languages are not so different. It's more about the ways they are utilized. This project showcases that, ' Bates explains, and he adds: 'These arrangements create wide open opportunities for improvisers to explore Lutosławski's material and for the original compositions to be heard from a different perspective. It's been a fun ride.' The world premičre of the ANAKLASIS album will also be marked by a concert of Lutosławski's music in Michael Bates' arrangements, in the daring interpretations of that latter musician's quintet and Lutosławski Quartet. The concert will be held as part of the Jazztopad festival on June 28th at New York's Lincoln Center, co-presented by the Polish Cultural Institute New York. Drawing upon his experience in jazz, classical, hardcore, arabic, and improvised music, double bassist Michael Bates has composed and recorded a catalogue that often defies categories. A New Yorker for 20+years, Bates can be found in the heart of several music scenes as both a bandleader and sideman. A prolific and unflinching advocate of all things creative, he has composed 100's of works for every combination of jazz ensemble imaginable plus string quartet and chamber orchestra. Recordings of his music are found on several labels such as Sunnyside, Greenleaf, Anaklasis, Clean Feed, Fresh Sound, Stereoscopic and dozens of others. Recent projects include a power trio, Northern Spy (in tribute to Curtis Mayfield and Donny Hathaway). A chamber ensemble, Acrobat (violin, clarinet, bassoon, bass, drums +string quartet) performing radical arrangements of Dmitri Shostakovich and Witold Lutoslawski. The Michael Bates Sextet that performs three horn originals in tribute to Wayne Shorter. Another project, Sandcatchers, is an oud and lap steel driven band exploring the intersection of Turkish Maqam and Americana. In addition to his composing, recording and performing, Bates has curated several music venues and festivals in addition to teaching and presenting his music in masterclasses around the world. He is the recipient of many composition and touring grants from the Canada Council of the Arts, been nominated for albums of the year and arranger of the year in Downbeat, Jazztimes, the New York City Jazz Record as well as receiving several commissions from several organizations including the One World Symphony. Since 2008, Acrobat, a ferocious quintet of improvisers has been pushing the boundaries of chamber music and jazz through radical interpretations of composers like Dmitri Shostakovich and Witold Lutosławski. Hinged around New York's creative music scene, the members of Acrobat view all styles as fair game.From straight ahead and avant jazz, chamber and symphonic works, cartoon music and powerful funk grooves, a newway of experiencing the classical cannon is revealed: beautiful, vicious, elegant and dissonant. Bandleader Michael Bates' adventurous approach dates back to his early experiences as classical music loving, punk rock/ hardcore bassist who went to jazz school. After hearing the luminary groups of John Zorn, the Clusone trio, Dave Holland and Charms of the Night Sky, a path forward emerged. After years of studying scores and playing creative/ orchestral music in every imaginable venue, Acrobat was formed. A band where orchestration options are limitless and is group filled with kindred progressive chamber musicians: Marty Ehrlich, Fung Chern Hwei, Sara Schoenbeck and Michael Sarin. Having collectively performed with icons like Muhal Richard Abrams, Uri Caine, Anthony Braxton, Donny McCaslin, Dave Douglas, Julis Hemphill, Wada Leo Smith, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Chucho Valdes, these musicians bring a wealth of experience to the music. The Lutosławski Quartet performs contemporary music as well as recently commissioned pieces, and focuses on popularizing Polish music, including works by Lutosławski, Bacewicz, Szymanowski, and also compositions by one of the group members – Marcin Markowicz. An ensemble made up of versatile and open-minded artists, they blend the contemporary repertoire with the gems of classical, Romantic and jazz music. They have worked with Charles Lloyd, Vijay Iyer, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Sylvie Courvousier, Mark Feldman, James Brandon Lewis and other jazz greats, and recorded the world's first album of Witold Lutosławski's chamber works for the Accord label. June 23-30, 2023 Shift, National Sawdust, Barbčs (Brooklyn) Living Room Concert (TBA) Solar Myth (Philadelphia) Dizzy's Club & Rubenstein Atrium, Lincoln Center (Manhattan) + Revue Stage at Vancouver International Jazz Festival (Canada) Commissioned works for the Lutosławski Quartet in collaboration with Craig Taborn, Don Davis, Uri Caine & Michael Bates Performances by Craig Taborn, Amir ElSaffar, Ole Mathiesen, Tomas Fujiwara, Ksawery Wójciński, Maniucha Bikont, Joanna Duda, Max Mucha, Michał Bryndal, Kirk Knuffke The 2023 US edition of Jazztopad, from June 23-30, will proudly feature a series of commissions from the acclaimed Lutosławski Quartet in collaboration with jazz piano luminaries Craig Taborn and Uri Caine, EMMY-winning composer Don Davis and sought-after bassist and composer Michael Bates. Iraqi-American trumpeter and composer Amir ElSaffar will also perform on opening night in a return Jazztopad engagement. Pianist Joanna Duda will present her trio; singer/multi-instrumentalist Maniucha Bikont and bassist Ksawery Wójciński will perform as well. The US edition of Jazztopad has been organised by the National Forum of Music in Wrocław in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York. The Jazztopad satellite events will kick off in three of Brooklyn’s most cherished creative music venues: Shift, National Sawdust and Barbčs. On June 26, the festival takes a more intimate form as well with a series of Concerts in Living Rooms (details soon TBA). In nearby Philadelphia at Solar Myth, one of that historic jazz city’s newest and most exciting venues booked by Mark Christman of Ars Nova Workshop, Philly’s native son Uri Caine will perform. And continuing Jazztopad’s successful and sustained partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center, now in its ninth year, the festival will hold events at Dizzy’s Club and Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium as well. Finally, Jazztopad heads to Vancouver, British Columbia for a Canadian finale featuring Joanna Duda with Ksawery Wójciński and trumpeter JP Carter and drummer Dylan van der Schyff as part of an ongoing collaboration and exchange of artists between Vancouver International Jazz Festival and Jazztopad. "I am extremely happy that for the 7th time we are able to present some of the most exciting and creative artists from Poland and the US. The program features several world premieres of pieces commissioned by or written for Jazztopad Festival. Triggering new collaborations, presenting new music and building a community have been the main features of our festival which started in Poland 20 years ago." write your comments about the article :: © 2023 Jazz News :: home page |