New Reto Suhner Quartet album is recorded!

It should have been the spectacular final tour of the project UMHLANGANO (isiXhosa for encounter, gathering) by the band PLURISM, but things turned out differently: the band's long-time trumpeter, Feya Faku, passed away unexpectedly on 23 June 2025.

Revered in his native South Africa as a ‘legend’ and ‘interpreter of dreams’, Faku was more than just a great trumpet player. He was a mentor, a great bandleader and a tireless composer. His 2019 songbook alone contains 94 compositions. From this treasure trove, the musicians of PLURISM, the two most outstanding saxophonists of South Africa's younger generation, Mthunzi Mvubu (as) and Sisonke Xonti (ts), the excellent bassist Raffaele Bossard and bandleader Dominic Egli, select their favourite gems, integrate them into the Umhlangano repertoire and thus create a tribute to the ‘gentle giant’ Feya Faku, full of sensuality, explosive serenity and earthy playfulness, just as he would hopefully have liked it.


Wed 29.10. JAZZ:NOW, Frauenfeld www.eisenwerk.ch

Thur 30.10. Jazz in Dübi, Dübendorf www.jazzinduebi.ch

Fri 31.10. Jazzmission, Schwäbisch Gmünd D www.jazzmission.de

Sun 02.11. Feya Faku Memorial, Bird's Eye Jazzclub, Basel www.birdseye.ch

Wed 05.11. Keynote Jazz, Casino, Zug www.theatercasino.ch

Thur 06.11. Esse Musicbar, Winterthur (Xaver Rüegg on Bass) www.esse-musicbar.ch

Fri 07.11. AMR, Geneva (Xaver Rüegg on Bass) www.amr-geneve.ch

Sat 08.11. Aux Garages, Vallon, Lausanne (Xaver Rüegg on Bass) www.quartierduvallon.ch

Sun 09.11. Stadthaus, St. Gallen www.gambrinus.ch

My friend, Hey F

You've been gone for almost two weeks now. This morning, I watched the live stream of your funeral. There was a wonderful choir singing, and many of your fellow musicians whom you loved so much were playing. I thought of your sons, your family, your friends, and the grief they must be feeling.

And there was a coffin, under a mountain of white flowers... YOUR coffin. How abstract. Then I saw your hat hanging on a microphone stand and all the pain came pouring out of me. The one hat that made you look so incredibly hip. The hat that was a part of you, just like discussing hats was a part of our friendship.

Thirteen years ago, Veit Arlt offered me a gig in an old church, and two South African musicians were supposed to be there too. It was a motley crew, and rehearsal was rather tedious. Finally, the sound check was over and the band left the room. But you stayed behind to practice a duet with your friend Paul Hanmer. I remained seated, alone in the pews. It didn't sound like a rehearsal: you played your heart out. I sat there with tears in my eyes, moved to the core by the intensity. One of the speakers said today: “Feya was an interpreter of dreams.” That's exactly how you played, and it has stayed with me ever since. Every time I've tried to imagine music since then, your sound has been there.

I spontaneously invited you to play with my trio Plurism at our planned studio session, and this was followed by a first tour with “Fufu Tryout.” My love for your musical personality grew. Your search for meaning in the little things of everyday life was enriching, and your laughter made me feel at home.

We didn't talk much about religion, but your belief in the power of music was unshakeable and inspiring. It was your presence and support that made me believe in the meaning of our music, in its importance beyond “some serious fun.” In 2016, it gave me the energy to tackle the project “More Fufu!”, an album you liked, not least because of Donat Fisch's sound. Damn. We still have to record “No More Fufu,” like you always said with your laugh!

Also in 2013, I got to play in your band for the first time. Our week at the Bird's Eye Jazz Club, followed by the recording of “Le Ngoma,” was one of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had on stage. My girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time, came to one of the concerts, and it was during one of your solos that she felt our daughter kick for the first time. You became part of my family, often sitting with us in our tiny kitchen (“Rue du Maupas”). You saw my daughter grow up. Your greeting “Hey M!” was answered by a Mickey Mouse voice with “Hey F!”. When she was only three, you played table tennis with her, and on one of your last tours you arrived wearing the same red Converse sneakers she had just asked for. You leave her a wonderful song (“Matilda”).

In 2016, you took us with Le Ngoma to South Africa. And it was only then that I began to understand what an important figure you were, how much and why your compatriots revered you. I wish I didn't have to learn more about this today from obituaries.

You took me to your home, New Brighton, to meet your family. It was important to you to show me where you came from, and you even introduced me to your teacher Dudley, who passed away shortly afterwards. People, encounters, actions, places – everything had meaning for you, and you let me feel some of that.

In 2017, we played four tours. Do you remember Schaffhausen? I didn't have enough money for a good hotel, so we stayed in a cheap hostel... there was a Nazi bar on the ground floor and, frightened, we smuggled you up to the first floor without you noticing...It was cold, the bathroom was in the hallway. It happened as it had to happen: in the morning, you locked yourself out of your room wearing only a bath towel. Raffaele had to wrap you in a duvet and we spent hours trying to reach someone from the guesthouse...

Or in King Williams Town? How we visited the museum at the Steve Biko Center shortly before the concert, how we stood in front of this huge board full of names of people murdered and kidnapped by the apartheid regime, how you pointed your finger at it and said “I knew this guy” at many of the names? And we wanted to transform these impressions into something positive on stage, but when we arrived at the venue, there was an MC, a kind of clown, who told the worst jokes in the world and wouldn't stop?

You often complained about little things, but never about the hardships and great absurdities of life on tour. In 2018, you came to Switzerland and we started the tour in a tiny tropical greenhouse. On the second day, we played in a prison. On the third day, I picked you up at the hotel, you got in my car and asked, “Hey D, where do we play today?” We rarely laughed so hard.

But it's also a bit bitter that I was never able to offer you the conditions that a musician of your stature deserves, neither in terms of fees nor media coverage... in all those years on tour in Switzerland and Europe, only one radio station asked you for an interview.

Because the bandleader and composer Feya Faku was even bigger than the sideman. Over the years, I have enjoyed listening to some of your projects. It was always a memorable experience. You had a gift for letting your great fellow musicians contribute their best to the band's sound, putting their skills at the service of your songs, and devote themselves over to the music. Each of these concerts was monumental, as if made for eternity.

In 2018, we recorded “Azania in Mind,” an album that means a lot to me. It even won an award; remember, we still have to pick up the bottle of wine in Pretoria. The dreams of the planned tours were shattered by Covid.

Then came your serious illness. You had booked me for the tour to release your songbook, which you had to cancel at short notice. Since I already had the plane ticket, you invited me to stay with you for a few days. I will never forget how you stood in the kitchen every morning and prepared a luxurious breakfast for us.

You fought for your chops, in the truest sense of the word. And you made it. In 2023, you joined us on our first tour with our new lineup and, sounding as good as ever, we recorded “Umhlangano.” This was followed by a tour in Nepal and, in 2024, the longest and hardest tour we had ever played. You were back in full force, with your power to turn a piece into utter chaos or lift it to a spiritual dimension.

You stood on stage with my band 97 times. I can't believe that Cape Town in April was the last time I heard you play. We still have a tour in November, don't we? I still wanted to record that song you liked so much? What about all the stories you haven't told me yet, the ones we have to tell each other again? Don't you want to get lost in the streets of my little town one more time? Will you forgive me for not being able to come to your funeral? What does the title “Is that so, Mr Egli” mean? Have you found your perfect mouthpiece where you are now?

Your last WhatsApp message was “I've tried to reach you, motherfucker 🤣”.

You did reach me, motherfucker. With your music, with your essence, in the deepest sense of human existence.

D

New Project Alert:

TALMOR/EGLI "Thelonious Monk - A Sound Examination"

We're playing a first concert at Festival AMR aux Cropettes on june 25th at 21:30h.

I'm still a bit in disbelieve that this is really happening...I guess you can imagine how much I am looking forward to this:

PLURISM feat. Feya Faku tp/flh, Mthunzi Mvubu as, Sisonke Xonti ts, Xaver Rüegg b

is playing at the Cape Town Jazz Festival 2025!

See you there!

PLURISM had a nice october tour with UMHLANGANO.

Thanks for the music and the friendship, Feya Faku, Mthunzi Mvubu, Sisonke Xonti and Raffaele Bossard

thanks for having invited PLURISM and the warm welcome: Jazz in Sarnen, Jazzlive Aarau, Osteria Centrale Olivone, Kulturlokal Am Rank Zürich, Kulturscheune Liestal, Cavete/Jazzinitiative Marburg and Loft Köln

and thank you for the support La Ville de Lausanne, Canton de Vaud and Oertli Stiftung!

📸 by Jonas Ruther

PLURISM is happy to announce our next tour with UMHLANGANO feat. Feya Faku, Mthunzi Mvubu, Sisonke Xonti and Raffaele Bossard:


17.10.24 Jazz in Sarnen
www.jazzinsarnen.ch
19.10.24 Jazzlive Aarau
www.jazzliveaarau.ch
20.10.24 Osteria Centrale, Olivone
www.osteriacentraleolivone.ch
24.10.24 Kultur Lokal Rank, Zürich
25.10.24 Kultur Lokal Rank, Zürich
26.10.24 Kultur Lokal Rank, Zürich
www.amrank.ch
28.10.24 Kulturscheune Liestal
www.kulturscheune.ch
29.10.24 Jazzclub Cavete, Marburg DE
www.jazzini.de
30.10.24 Loft LOFT Köln, DE
www.loftkoeln.de

with the kind support of La Ville De Lausanne and Etat de Vaud.

Here are some snippets from PLURISM's concert at the Schaffhauser Jazzfestival earlier this year.

PLURISM relasetour UMHLANGANO

PLURISM featuring Feya Faku (SA), Mthunzi Mvubu (SA), Sisonke Xonti (SA), Raffaele Bossard (CH) and myself is excited to announce the next tour with our new album UMHLANGANO (Unit Records):

17.10.24 Jazz in Sarnen
www.jazzinsarnen.ch

19.10.24 Jazzlive Aarau
www.jazzliveaarau.ch

20.10.24 Osteria Centrale, Olivone
www.osteriacentraleolivone.ch

24.10.24 Am Rank, Zürich
25.10.24 Am Rank, Zürich
26.10.24 Am Rank, Zürich
www.amrank.ch

28.10.24 Kulturscheune Liestal
www.kulturscheune.ch

29.10.24 Jazzclub Cavete, Marburg DE
www.jazzini.de

30.10.24 Loft Köln DE
www.loftkoeln.de

Feya Faku, trumpet & flugelhorn
Mthunzi Mvubu alto saxophone / flute
Sisonke Xonti, tenor saxophone
Raffaele Bossard, double bass
Dominic Egli, drums & cymbals

You can listen and order CDs on Bandcamp or on any platform.

The album is a celebration of music, friendship and trust, the coming-together, the gathering - the UMHLANGANO.

“The eruptive solos, the steaming grooves, the songlike compositions and the desire to improvise collectively raise “Umhlangano” to a level of attention that is far above that of the uniform postbop monotony.” RK, Jazzthing

“[...] the band quickly grew together and appealed with its drive, the soloistic elegance, the polyphonic brass sections and the bandleader, who also spiced up the “time” in terms of sound.” Jazz'n'More 2024

"Maintaining friendships over 8,000 kilometers is no easy task, and keeping a band going is even less so. Dominic Egli succeeds with “Plurism”. The drummer and Swiss bassist Raffaele Bossard team up with greats from South Africa: Feya Faku on trumpet, Mthunzi Mvubu on alto saxophone and Sisonke Xonti on tenor saxophone. Their current program: UMHLANGANO brings together and creates energy." SRF 2024

“[...] The quintet is bursting with energy, which is channeled in a very tasteful way. The arrangements are finely crafted, the improvisations wonderfully fresh.” Concerto


With the kind support of La Ville De Lausanne.

We're looking forward to see you!
😘

You can watch PLURISM's performance at SCHAFFHAUSER JAZZFESTIVAL from may 23rd online now:

Video PLURISM at Schaffhauser Jazzfestival

Beautiful people,

the first tour with PLURISMs „UMHLANGANO“ is done.

A big thank you to: Feya Faku, Mthunzi Mvubu, Sisonke Xonti and Raffaele Bossard for the music, the teamwork and the energy they put in this project;

Minuscule Booking for the uncountable calls and e-mails that made this tour possible;

the venues Gewürzmühle Zug, Jazztage Illmenau, Jazzclub Altenburg, Kulturforum Lüneburg, Jazzraum Hamburg, Kunsthaus Troisdorf, Jazzclub Unterfahrt München, Armer Konrad Weinstadt, Kit-Café Düsseldorf, Atelier Christiane Schauder Mainz, Dumont Aachen, Das Haus Ludwigshafen, Jacques Pelzer Jazzclub Liège, Hnita Jazzclub Heist-op-de-Berg, Terminus Saarbrücken, Le Singe Biel, Jazzfestival Schaffhausen

for the warm welcomes and the efforts and love they give for this vibrant music scene;

to our sponsors PRO HELVETIA, Stadt Zug, Kanton Zug, Ville de Lausanne and Fondation Suisa;

and of course all the people that came to share the music with us!

📸 Peter Pfister, Schaffhauser Jazzfestival

Dear friends

PLURISM featuring Feya Faku, Mthunzi Mvubu, Sisonke Xonti, Raffaele Bossard and myself is excited to announce the release of our new album UMHLANGANO on Unit Records on april 25th.

You can listen and order CDs on Bandcamp or soon on your platform.

Minuscule Booking booked us a nice little tour through Switzerland, Germany and Belgium:

25.04. Gewürzmühle, Zug (CH)
26.04. Jazztage, Ilmenau (DE)
27.04. Jazzclub, Altenburg (DE)
28.04. Kulturforum, Lüneburg (DE)
29.04. Jazzraum, Hamburg (DE)
30.04. Kunsthaus, Troisdorf
01.05. Unterfahrt, München (DE)
02.05. Armer Konrad, Weinstadt (DE)
03.05. Kit-Café, Düsseldorf (DE)
04.05 Atelier Schauder, Mainz (DE)
05.05. Dumont, Aachen (DE)
07.05. Das Haus, Ludwigshafen (DE)
08.05. Jacques Pelzer Jazzclub, Liège (BE)
09.05. Hnita Jazzclub, Heist-op-de-Berg (BE)
10.05. Terminus, Saarbrücken (DE)
11.05. Le Singe, What Jazz is or isn’t Festival, Biel (CH)
23.05. Schaffhausen Jazzfestival (CH)

Feya Faku, trumpet & flugelhorn
Mthunzi Mvubu alto saxophone / flute
Sisonke Xonti, tenor saxophone
Raffaele Bossard, double bass
Dominic Egli, drums & cymbals

This album is a celebration of music, friendship and trust, the coming-together, the gathering - the UMHLANGANO.

PLURISM would like to thank: The NGOs Sea Watch and SOS Méditerranée for saving the lives that Europe deliberately lets drown in the Mediterranean (reference to these NGO's actions lies in the audio file on "Trumpets for Captain Rackete", in which the captain of the Sea Watch 3 is heard radioing the Lampedusa authorities to announce her unauthorised docking in port, after being blocked at sea by the Italian government and EU policy for more than two weeks in 2019, with 41 shipwrecked people on board);
Sibongakonke Mama for the poem on which "iBabathane" was composed; the children of Chad for the inspiration of "Children Song" and Liyana Hlela Xonti for her contribution; Peter Frei for his teachings ("Curved Space-Time"); Don Cherry and Mongezi Feza for the music ("A Pocket Full Of Cherries For Mongezi" by Feya Faku);
the team of La Maison Matrice for the hospitality; Noé Franklé for recording and editing; Antoine Etter at Phonotope for mixing and mastering; Eva Mercurio for the graphic design, Paul Argast for the photos;
Raffaele for his assistance; Veit for his help; Beatrice for the support; Unit Records for the continuous collaboration;
our friends and families for being our friends and families;
and of course all of our musical ancestors, who created this playground that we love to swing on so much.

…we hope to be celebrating with you somewhere!
😘😘😘

Back in 2002, Journalist Tom Gsteiger curated a project for the BeJazz Festival at the Dampfzentrale in Bern. He suggested Andy Scherrer to team up with the Jean-Paul Brodbeck Trio and play a tribute concert to Joe Henderson. Fabien Gisler replaced Peter Frei on bass (the trio was now the same as the rhythm section of Domenic Landolf's quartet at that time). Later in 2003 the quartet recorded the project under the title "SERENITY, A TRIBUTE TO JOE HENDERSON“ in studio, featuring Mathieu Michel on flugelhorn (www.unitrecords.com).

I remember beeing shit-scared to play that tricky music on that big stage with Andy himself, one of my dearest teachers and a guiding figure through all those years. Once up there, it was just trying to survive and somehow keeping up with all the energy coming from that horn. I couldn't tell afterwards if we played good or not, I was just empty.

I had forgotten about the recording until moving some years ago, finding the CD in a box.
Andy's playing is just so "deermaassä" (as he would have described someone else's playing) that I wanted to make it accessible somehow. Here is the full concert:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJq4B6_ej3A

Thank you Andy, for everything. I promise I'll never play swing on a splash laying on the floortom again ("mach das nit")

❤️

📸 Palma Fiacco

PLURISM had a great time in Kathmandu, Nepal, performing on the various Jazzmandu stages for 5 nights and collaborating with Nepali classical musicians.
Thank you Jazzmandu for the invitation, thank you Feya Faku, Sisonke Xonti, Reto Suhner and Xaver Rüegg for the music, and a big thank you to Pro Helvetia for making this possible!

PLURISM is grateful for the invitation to perform at JAZZMANDU, the Kathmandu Jazz Festival!

Dear friends,

Our Trio Lakatos/Bossard/Egli is very happy to announce the realease of PASSING MONTHS today on Privave Records (www.privave.com), all digital plattforms, and of course you can stream and order your CD on the most artist-friendly website: Bandcamp

Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos piano
Raffaele Bossard, upright bass
Dominic Egli, drums & cymbals

To celebrate the release, we play at The Bird's Eye Jazzclub Basel (http://www.birdseye.ch) for four nights:
august 16th&17th in trio
august 18th feat. Domenic Landolf (ts)
august 19th feat. Nat Su (as)


We would like to thank Sibongakonke Mama for her poem, Regula Meier for the graphic design, Nicolas Masson for the cover photo, Daniel Dettwiler & team for the recording, mixing, mastering and the portraits, Elmar Frey and Privave Records for their support, Stadt Zug, Kanton Zug, Hürlimann Wyss Stiftung, Alice und Walter Bossard Stiftung and Rudolf Fischer & Karin Meichtry for the financial support, and of course Peter Bürli for his words (sorry for the german):

"Das Piano-Trio ist im Jazz, was das Streichquartett in der klassischen Musik einmal war: ein Labor, um neue Ideen auszutesten. Der Pianist Bill Evans hat ab Ende der fünfziger Jahre in diesem Labor die Möglichkeiten des Interplay ausgelotet. Meint: Den Bassisten und den Schlagzeuger aus den blossen Begleiterrollen befreit, und zu gleichberechtigten Partnern gemacht.
In dieser Tradition steht heute auch das Trio des ungarischen Pianisten Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos mit dem Schweizer Bassisten Raffaele Bossard und dem Schweizer Schlagzeuger Dominic Egli. Egli und Lakatos arbeiten in verschiedenen Konstellationen seit einem Vierteljahrhundert immer wieder zusammen, und haben schon einige gemeinsame Produktionen realisiert. Egli und Bossard sind etwa halb so lange gemeinsam unterwegs.
Auf solchen Konstellationen lässt sich aufbauen, wenn das Setting für ein gemeinsames Projekt eher limitiert ist, und diese Aufnahmen an zwei Tagen innerhalb weniger Stunden im Basler Jazzcampus entstanden sind. Was natürlich für Jazzverhältnisse nicht unüblich ist. Die Frische und die Freude an dieser Begegnung sind auf jeden Fall in jedem Track zu hören.
Das Repertoire dieser Session ist diesen Umständen ideal angepasst: Zwei Standards aus dem Great American Songbook (I Fall In Love Too Easily, I’m Getting Sentimental Over You), zwei Jazz-Klassiker (Bop-Be, Black Nile), ein Stück aus Südafrika (Lakutshon’ilanga) und drei Eigengewächse aus der Familie Lakatos. Gerade in diesen manifestiert sich der Melomane Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos idealtypisch. Das Titelstück und der Blues sind aus seiner Feder, während der Opener, komponiert von Lakatos’ Bruder Béla, eine Liebeserklärung an die Roma ist."

We hope you'll enjoy!
best regards,
Róbert, Raffaele and Dominic

Release alert:

VIDIC/GIGER/EGLI are releasing our first album "AU SIMPLON" on july 1st!

PLURISM had a great tour with the new line-up, thank you Feya Faku, Mthunzi Mvubu, Sisonke Xonti for the music and friendship!

Here are 2 clips, recorded at the "Swiss-Southafrican Jazz Indaba" at the Bird's Eye Jazzclub Basel, a collaboration with the Centre for African Studies of the University of Basel:

I’m very excited to annonce PLURISM’s next adventure: New line-up, new music, and a first tour through Switzerland:

PLURISM “Intlanganiso”

Feya Faku tp/flh
Mthunzi Mvubu as/fl
Sisonke Xonti ts
Raffaele Bossard b
Dominic Egli dr

Thur 27.4. 20:30h Moods, Zürich ZH
Tue 02.05. 20:30h Bird’s Eye Jazzclub, Basel BS
Wed 03.05. 20:30h Bird’s Eye Jazzclub, Basel BS
Thurs 04.05. 20:30h Cinema Sil Plaz, Ilanz GR
Fri 05.05. 20:15h Esse-Musicbar, Winterthur ZH
Sa 06.05. 20:30h AMR, Geneva GE
Sun 07.05. 17:00h KleinAberFein, St. Gallen SG

with the kind financial support of:
La Ville de Lausanne
SUISA Foundation
Schweizer Interpreten Stiftung

Here we go: Joe Haider‘s "The Slide Hampton Project - Give Me A Double"

feat.
Florian Trübsbach Lead; as/flöte, Tony Lakatos ts; Domenic Landolf ts/ss; Dave Blaser Lead, tp/flgh; Claus Reichstaller tp/flgh; Daniel Nösig tp/flgh; Alistair Duncan Lead, tb; Johannes Herrlich tb; Erik van Lier bass-tb; Joe Haider p; Thomas Stabenow bass; Dominic Egli dr

Dates:
24.03.23 - 19:00 Uhr, Reaktorhalle, München;
25.03.23 - 20:30 Uhr, Birdland, Neuburg/Donau;
26.03.23 - 20:00 Uhr, Porgy & Bess Wien;
27.03.23 - 20:30 Uhr, Unterfahrt, München;
28.03.23 - 20:30 Uhr, Birdseye, Basel;
29.03.23 - 20:30 Uhr, Birdseye, Basel;
30.03.23 - 20:30 Uhr, Teatro del Gatto Ascona;
31.03.23 - 20:30 Uhr, BeJazz Bern;
01.04.23 - 20:00 Uhr, Chutz, Solothurn;
02.04.23 - 17:00 Uhr, Jazzorama, Uster;
04.04.23 - 20:00 Uhr, Little Big Beat Studios, Eschen/Li

Can't wait for this!

Playing 4 days in Geneva with Ohad Talmor's OTCHCO!

Memories...Donat Fisch's hauntingly beautiful "Elva", recorded with PLURISM for a live broadcast for radio RTS Espace2 ten years ago...

New record loading: Lakatos/Bossard/Egli

Photos by Daniel Dettwiler

New Album loading:

Roberto Bossard New Group

recorded at Radio Studio Lugano by Lara Persia

Ich bin entsetzt.

Eigentlich hatt ich ja die «Debatte» um Kulturelle Aneignung nach dem in Absprache mit der Band Lauwarm in der Brasserie Lorraine abgebrochene Konzert unkommentiert vorbeiziehen lassen wollen, weil Diskussionen auf Sozialen Medien generell schwierig sind, und weil: «Bisher hat die Debatte vor allem zu einem geführt, nämlich, dass rassistisch diskriminierte Menschen in der Schweiz einer Zunahme von Gewalt im öffentlichen Raum ausgesetzt wurden.».

Die allgemeine Empörung scheint jedoch nicht abzuflauen. Dass sich die Junge SVP mit einem Gerichtsverfahren lächerlich machen will, ist leider keine Ueberraschung und dass die Kommentarspalten der Printmedien von rassistischen Äusserungen triefen, kann ich auch noch halb einordnen.

So richtig entsetzt bin ich jedoch über die Diversen Statements und Kommentare von Musiker*Innen auf den Sozialen Medien. Da werden munter eine ernsthafte Problematik ins Lächerliche gezogen, Dreadlocks als unsauber bezeichnet, Parallelen zu Faschismus und Goebbels gezogen, der Transatlantische Sklavenhandel relativiert, zum Anstossen «auf die Freiheit» aufgerufen. Alles Statements von v.a. weissen* Mittelstandssöhnen wie mir, die Musikstile spielen die von v.a. Afro-Amerikanischen Künstler*Innen entwickelt wurden.

Nichts dazu zu sagen wäre von meinem Privileg gebrauch zu machen, mal kurz nicht an Rassismus zu denken.

In diesem Interview steht eigentlich alles drin, was es zum Thema zu sagen gibt:

Interview Jovita dos Santos Pinto


Diese Empörungswelle ist ein Lehrstück zur Bedeutung von white fragility*.

Ich habe noch nirgends gelesen dass wir weissen Musiker*Innen irgend etwas nicht spielen dürfen. Die Frage «dürfen wir jetzt nur noch Ländler spielen?» unterhöhlt die Diskussion um Kulturelle Aneignung (ja, ob die die Ländlerspieler*innen Anerkennungsarbeit gegenüber den Jenischen Beiträgen zu leisten haben ist eine ähnliche Frage).

Ich spiele und unterrichte BAM («Black American Music», wie es Nicolas Payton als Ersatzbegriff für «Jazz» vorschlägt BAM for Dummies), eine Musik, die so offen gestaltet ist, dass ich mich darin ausdrücken kann und die mir eine Heimat bietet. Ich bin unendlich dankbar, dass ich diese Musik spielen darf und dass v.a. Schwarze Amerikanische Musiker*Innen meinen Lehrern das Spielen beigebracht haben (auch aus wirtschaftlichem Druck: «if we’ve got to play with them, let’s teach them», Zitat Johnny Griffin, überliefert von Joe Haider).

BAM wird mittlerweile auf dem ganzen Planeten gespielt. Sie lässt sich aneignen.

Als Schweizer kann ich mir bedenkenlos ein Norddeutsches Volkslied aneignen Sinne des Kulturellen Austausches, wie er in Kommentaren so häufig als Rechtfertigung für ein sich nicht mit der Problematik befassen zu wollen zitiert wird, weil: Es besteht kein Gefälle von Privilegien. Schweizer unterdrücken keine Norddeutschen und beuten sie nicht aus.
Eigne ich mir jedoch eine Musik an, die von einer unterdrückten Community geschaffen wurde und die ich mehr als kopieren und stehlen will, bringt das Verpflichtungen mit sich (eine spontane, unvollständige Liste):

- Die Verpflichtung Antirassist zu sein, d.h. gewillt zu sein den Rassimus und die Stereotypen auszumerzen, den ich von Klein auf von der Gesellschaft eingetrichtert bekommen habe: Eine Lebensaufgabe.
- Zuzuhören. Zu Lesen. Mal kurz den Mund zu halten, wenn betroffene Personen sprechen.
- Bei unangenehmen oder gar schmerzhaften Fragen nicht in eine Abwehrreaktion zu verfallen, mein Denken, Sprechen und Handeln konsequent zu hinterfragen.
- Mir meiner Privilegien (die Liste ist lang) und deren Herkunft (u.a. Kolonialismus) bewusst zu sein.
- Meine Kleidung bewusst zu wählen (Symbolik? Verletzungspotential?).
- Die Herkunft und ihre Erfinder*Innen dieser Musik zu respektieren und konsequent zu benennen.
- Solidarität zu leben, mich zu engagieren, finanziell und aktivistisch.

Etc., etc...

Reicht dies, um dieser Musik und ihrer Geschichte gerecht zu werden? Ich weiss es nicht.

Tue ich genug, um diesen Verpflichtungen nachzukommen? Nein. Aber das Entsetzen und die Scham über die obengenannten Statements von Kollegen erinnern mich einmal mehr daran mehr zu tun. Denn «auf die Freiheit anstossen» können wir erst wenn unsere Privilegien eingestampft sind und wir frei sind von Rassismus.




*weiss: Glossar Diskriminierungsfreie Sprache, amnesty.de

*white fragility: Universität Köln

Looking so much forward to play with the great Robi Lakatos again!

Lakatos/Bossard/Egli, september 7th at Esse Bar Winterthur, and september 8th at Festival Jazz Sous les Étoiles, St. Luc. Hugs!

Souvenir: Joe Haider's Sextett, spring tour 22, live at Tangente, Eschen LI

Joe Haider p, Heinz Von Hermann ts/fl, Johannes Herrlich tb, Daniel Nösig tp, Raffaele Bossard b, DE dr

(concert starts at 19:16' on the video)

Roberto Bossard's New Groupe is going to England:


07.06.22 Spike's Place, Brentwood (UK)
08.06.22 Ashburton Arts Center, Ashburton (UK)
09.06.22 The Albany Club, Coventry (UK)
10.06.22 Chichester Jazz Club, Chichester (UK)
11.06.22 Oliver's Jazz Bar, London (UK)

Mats-Up featuring Mbuso Khoza "Ivovo" is on tour again:

Throw back: here's the full video of Joe Haider's (officially) "Last Appearance"

Live @ BeJazz Winterfestival Bern, Januar 20th 2022

Daniel Blanc sax/fl, Tomi Geiger sax, Domenic Landolf sax/cl, David Blaser tp/flh, Vincent Lachat tp, Lukas Wirz tb, Joe Haider p/comp/arr, Raffaele Bossard b, Dominic Egli dr, Simon Heggendorn violin, Gabriel Miranda violin, David Schnee viola, Solme Hong cello, Doris McVeigh-Rikli voc, Isabelle Ritter voc, Nina Gutknecht voc, special guest: Sandy Patton voc

Audio: Radio SRF 2 Kultur
Video: Claudio Strebel konzertvideo.ch

Mats-Up's new album "Ivovo", featuring South African singer Mbuso Khoza, is out!

We are performing the music live:

11.10. Musikwerft, Emmen CH
13.10. Sendesall, Bremen D
15.10. Stadtkirche Darmstadt D
16.10. Nordhäuser Jazzfest D
17.10. Jazzclub Bamberg D
19.10. Kulturmarkt, Zürich CH
20.10. Unterfahrt, München D
21.10. Opus Jazzclub, HU
22.10. Domicil, Dortmund D
23.10. Kulturforum, Villach AT



listen: Bandcamp

Three nights with the Reto Suhner 4tet „20“ ahead:

6.10. Jazzinitiative Marburg e.V.
7.10. Jazzfestival Saarbrücken
9.10. MEHRSPUR, Zürich

💥💥💥

Bandcamp

PLURISM's tour through Austria, Germany and Switzerland is canceled (again), BUT 💥 the good news is that BeJazz invited us to celebrate not only the release of our album AZANIA IN MIND (Unit Records) but as well the come back on stage of Feya Faku with a free live stream concert.

Join us this coming thursday at 20:30h (21:30 SA time) on

link to the live stream

❤️

Feya Faku tp/flh
Ganesh Geymeier ts
Raffaele Bossard b
Dominic Egli dr

📸 Sheldon Sutter

TRIBUTE TO BILLIE BROOKS

From 1997-2001 I had the chance to study with Master Billie Brooks at the Hochschule der Künste Bern HKB / Haute école des arts de Berne HKB (Swiss Jazz School at the time).

Brooks is a legend: everybody who crossed his path has a story to tell, everybody who heard him play resonates with his sound forever.

He came from New Jersey to Europe in 1967 and couldn't go back without having to go to Vietnam. He stayed and was the housedrummer in various Clubs all over the continent before settling in Bern. Documented collaborations that come to my mind are with Tete Montoliu, Fritz Pauer, Nathan Davis, Larry Young/Woody Shaw, and of course (maybe his best album) "Give Me A Double" with the Joe Haider/Slide Hampton Bigband. Unfortunatly I don't know of a recording with his favorite partner, Mr. Sal Nistico. For a while he led his own unrecorded quartet "Billie's Freebop" (with Andy Scherrer ts, Isla Eckinger tb and Peter Frei b). Before withdrawing from the scene he was regularly invited to perform with Steve Grossman.

The lessons in that bunker basement were like a drum circle: one, 2 or 3 students would read and play with him through a book called Syncopation, a collection of quite simple rhythmical phrases on which Brooks had created almost infinite ways of interpretations. Lots of sweating. "Turn the page!" His sound was so mighty that I could always hear him, no matter how loud the other students were banging. Only once I dared to ask a question, then I had to learn to wait for the information to come. Which often happened after the lesson, hanging out listening to Coltrane and Brooks playing along on his flute.

Here are two of his Syncopation interpretations, my all time favorites. Many others I forgot or I can't figure out my notes anymore...😅


Thank you Billie.

Sadly, I have to annonce that PLURISM's november tour AZANIA IN MIND in Germany and Austria featuring Raffaele Bossard, Ganesh Geymeier and South Africa's amazing alto player Mthunzi Mvubu (replacing our dear Bra Feya Faku) is canceled because of Covid-19.

A big shout out to Minuscule Booking, the venues and the patient musicians who did everything to keep the flame of hope burning till the last moment.

We hope to share our music in a better moment with these places:

Jazzclub Ilmenau e.V. D
17. Wuppertaler JazzMeeting D
Jazzklub Altenburg D
Jazz-Club Villingen D
Musikwerkstatt Wels AT
Kunstforum, Villach AT
Jazzcafe ZWE Vienna AT
MAERZ Galerie Linz AT
Kulturverein Eremitage, Schwaz AT
Opus Jazz, Budapest HUN

Live-music will be back! However, if you'd like to order or download AZANIA IN MIND, you can find the Album on all major platforms or preferably on bandcamp: www.dominiceglisplurism.bandcamp.com

Had a nice tour in Germany and Switzerland with the Joe Haider Sextet featuring Heinz V. Hermann, Johannes Herrlich, Daniel Nösig, Raffaele Bossard and myself.

In february, the Joe Haider Sextet played a concert at the AMR in Geneva. Radio RTS Espace 2 recorded the show and Mathis Plaut filmed and edited this memory. We will hopefuly back on stage in october!

enjoy...

Sweet memories:

PLURISM with Feya Faku's first concert of the july 2017 South Africa Tour at the legendary Afrikan Freedom Station featuring Puno Selesho and her poem "I Am An African"

a few weeks ago I fell in love with this song "Le Groove De Ma Terre Natale" by a musician that I've been admiring for a few years now: Assako Ngone Essawo'o.

It made me wonder if I could find something to play on it...here's the result!

Assako Ngone Essawo'o; composition, vocals, cithar mvet
Dominic Egli; (overdubbed) drums

Here is our set of improvised music, recorded last week for « life at the zoo ». 💥
Les Welsch Gregor Vidic on tenor and Brooks Giger on upright bass; thank you Tom Gsteiger for this opportunity, and Wolfgang Zwiauer and Felix Wolf for recording it!

Listen:
Life At The Zoo on Soundcloud

Look what arrived today!

officially to be released on may 20 on
Anuk Label

PLURISM with Feya Faku officially joins the choir of Bands moaning a canceled tour: The Birds Eye Jazzclub Basel, Kult-X Kreuzlingen, Cinema Sil Plaz Ilanz, Frohsinn Weinfelden, Café du Soleil Saignelégier, Jazztage Ilmenau, Freiberger Jazztage...it would have been nice...

Nevertheless you can listen and support the project AZANIA IN MIND on our Bandcamp page (today only(!) the full charged amount goes to the musicians):
Bandcamp

enjoy!

Feya Faku, Photo by Vuyo Giba december 2019

The Joe Haider Sextett tour starts tomorrow friday in Uster, @ Musik Container, featuring Joe Haider p, Bert Joris tp, Heinz von Herrmann ts, Johannes Herrlich tb, Raffaele Bossard b, DE dr. Looking forward!

24.01.20, 20:00 Uster : Musik Container
25.01.20, 21:00 München D : Jazzclub Unterfahrt
26.01.20, 20:00 Feldafing D : Bürgersaal im Rathaus
27.01.20, 20:30 Zürich : Jazzclub Moods
28.01.20, 20:30 Basel : the birds eye jazz club
29.01.20, 20:30 Basel : the birds eye jazz club
30.01.20, 20:00 Bern Liebefeld : BeJazz Bern
31.01.20, 20:00 Eschen LI : Tangente @tangente
01.02.20, 21:30 Genève : Amr Sud des Alpes
02.02.20, 11:00 Solothurn : Chutz

A year of celebration comes to its end...time for the big bammm!

Mats-Up has been on stage for 20 years and about 250 concerts in many countries, has recorded 6 albums*, has collaborated with a bunch of outstanding musicians**. The little Festival at our home club Moods in Zürich will not only feature our current project featuring South Africa's treasure Mbuso Khoza (which will be recorded right after the party) and Mats-Up's 1999 septet-edition performing some of our works through the years. As well, three outstanding "alumni" bands will come together.

Come celebrate this family gathering with us!


*“Something About Water“, „In the Beginning“, „Same Pictures – New Exhibition“, „5“, „Psalmen von Said“, „Live is Life“, „The Nature of the Blues“

**who where and are: Matthias Spillmann, Thomas Lüthi, Domenic Landolf, Bernhard Bamert, Leo Tardin, Fabian Gisler, Colin Vallon, Patrice Moret, Reto Suhner, Marc Méan, Tobias Christl, Matthias Künzli, not to mention all the subs!

Mats-Up

PLURISM had a nice little tour. Thank you Radio Espace2 Lausanne, Point 11 Sion and AMR Geneva for the invitation, the supportive audiences for sharing te music with us, and Matthias Spillmann for jumping in for Feya Faku!

The Reto Suhner Quartet will have a new album out soon!

That's what happend in october at Elisa Barman's carte blanche at the AMR Geneva: Spark Five!

Dear Friends

PLURISM is very happy to announce the first concerts with our new album AZANIA IN MIND:

08.11.2019 17:00h: Broadcast "Magnetique", Radio RTS Espace2
08.11.2019 21:30h: Point 11, Sion Point 11 on Facebook
09.11.2019 21:30h: AMR Sud des Alpes, Geneva AMR website

Matthias Spillmann tp/flh, Ganesh Geymeier ts, Rafaele Bossard b, Dominic Egli dr/comp

For these concerts our friend Matthias Spillmann is replacing Feya Faku who is unable to play for medical reasons.

For the occasion of the release, Francisca Pedro Mirine from Maputo did two improvised clips on our songs, I think she is amazing!

Buy on Bandcamp

Coming home from a tour and finding this surprise on FB...

Wow, Rosette Mbemba it is amazing how you made our song visible, I‘m honoured!

https://dominiceglisplurism.bandcamp.com/album/more-fufu

Thank you Le Pirate Rosenheim, Cave 61 Jazz Club Heilbronn, Jazz-Zirkel Weiden and Birdland Jazz Club Neuburg/BR Jazzfestival for the vibes and the Bavarians for inventing Schweinebraten with Knödels!

Sweet memories: PLURISM's collaboration with Poet Puno Selesho, live at The Orbit, Johannesburg, december 2017

VidicGigerEgli with Célia Ballini

For it’s grand opening, The Glimpse celebrates the mingle of the rhythm of words and the poetry of notes. Saxophonist Gregor Vidic, bassist Brooks Giger and drummer Dominic Egli welcome the slam poet Célia Ballini for an hour of sponteneous creation between spoken word and improvised music.

"J’ai pas les punchlines des lascars
Ni la sagesse des vieillards
Mais mes textes se nourrissent des tares
De la vie, des voyages, des rencontres, des écarts.
Et même si je suis 100% 7ème art
J'occupe plus les scènes slam que celle des Césars."
Célia Ballini

Gregor Vidic, tenorsaxophone
Brooks Giger, bass
Dominic Egli, drums
Célia Ballini, spoken word

Espace „The Glimpse“,
Route de Cugy 19, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne

The Glimpse on Facebook

Dimanche 8 septembre 2019
17:00 – 18:00h
Entrée et boissons à prix libre, les enfants sont bienvenue.

The Glimpse is a space dedicated to accoustic adventures, musical encounters and groups under construction. From time to time, The Glimpse opens it’s doors on sunday afternoons to an audience interested in sonical experiments, rather than in polished products.

YAY! Now this is a nice morning surprise:

Plurism's album AZANIA IN MIND has been nominated by the South African MSANTZI AWARDS in the categories "Best foreign Jazz Album" and "Best International Jazz Collaboration".

What an honour!

Spent a week at the Bird's Eye Jazzclub in Basel with the amazing upcoming harmonicaplayer Tian Long Li, the not less talented pianist José-Luiz Martins from Brazil and my old friend and wonderful bassplayer Arne Huber.

Nice!

Reto Suhner's new 4tet album is recorded.

It were 3 amazing days, recording no less than 19 songs with Reto on bass sax, alto sax, c-melody sax, contraalto clarinet, bambooflute.

Stay tuned for the releasedate!

digital single release on june 30 2019 on Bandcamp and all major platforms (itunes etc):

CONGO

by Dominic Egli's PLURISM with Feya Faku

Feya Faku, trumpet
Ganesh Geymeier, tenorsaxophone
Raffaele Bossard, double bass
Dominic Egli, drums & cymbals

„Congo“ is inspired by Congolese rhythms and melodies, the composition is an ode to the region’s great artists.

Also, PLURISM would like to celebrate the 59th anniversary of the foundation of the République Démocratique du Congo and it’s liberation from the colonial rule.

On June 30th 1960, at the official celebration of the independence and in front of the Belgian King, the nation’s first prime minister, Mr. Patrice Emery Lumumba, gave the iconic speech that would lead to his assassination only 6 month later.

By integrating excerpts of his couragious and truth speaking words, „Congo“ commemorates the victims of the country’s violent oppression, it is a reminder of the ongoing exploitation and a call for change.

Supported by: Ville de Lausanne, Canton de Vaud, Migros Kulturprozent

buy now: Bandcamp

PLURISM supports the Konzernverantwortungsinitiative

sad news: Feya Faku's booklaunch tour through South Africa next week has been postponed...

Time to celebrate...

Mats-Up has been on stage for 20 years and about 250 concerts in many countries, has recorded 6 albums*, has collaborated with a bunch of outstanding musicians** and shot many stupid bandphotos (here the 2008 lineup with Colin Vallon and Patrice Moret).

I swear, the music has always been better than the bandphotos.

Come celebrate with us:

Mai 9th, 20:30h Bejazz, Bern
Mai 10th 20:30h Bird’s Eye Basel
Mai 11th 20:30h Bird’s Eye Basel

Matthias Spillmann tp/flh/comp, Reto Suhner as/acl/fl, Domenic Landolf ts/bcl, Bernhard Bamert tb, Marc Méan p, Raffaele Bossard b, Dominic Egli dr.

Thank you Mats, for your visionary writing and playing (your music!), your teachings and challanges, your loyalty and friendship and the neverending discussions on the road ;-)

*“Something About Water“, „In the Beginning“, „Same Pictures – New Exhibition“, „5“, „Psalmen von Said“, „Live is Life“, „The Nature of the Blues“

**who where and are: Matthias Spillmann, Thomas Lüthi, Domenic Landolf, Bernhard Bamert, Leo Tardin, Fabian Gisler, Colin Vallon, Patrice Moret, Reto Suhner, Marc Méan, Tobias Christl, Matthias Künzli

www.matsup.ch

A first and beautiful review about AZANIA IN MIND. Thank you, Ian Ward and UKvibe!:

DOMINIC EGLI’S PLURISM ‘AZANIA IN MIND’ CD (UNIT) 3/5, 13TH DECEMBER 2018 UKVIBE

“The name ‘Azania’ has a dense history in Africa. The contemporary understanding of the word stems from the liberation movement of South Africa. Freedom fighters in the pan-Africanist tradition have repeatedly called for the country to be renamed Azania – the land of the blacks”. Them’s the words of Zimasa Mpemnyama, offering some context around Swiss drummer/composer Dominic Egli’s new project, with renowned South African trumpeter Feya Faku, ‘Azania in Mind’.
Following the good works of ‘Fufu Tryout’ and ‘More Fufu!’ Egli has again assembled the PLURISM collective. Here we have Ganesh Geymeier (sax), Raffaele Bossard (bass), Feya Faku (trumpet/flugelhorn), South African singer Siya Makuzeni, and Houry Dora Apartian-Friedli, Lisette Spinnler on vocals. Egli composes all.
‘Azania in Mind’ is a full hour of homage to African music and culture, and the opener, ‘Ewé Lulama’, dedicated to Mdantsane-forged guitarist Bra Lulama Gaulana, pretty much sets the tone for the rest of that hour. What works so wonderfully during this 3 minutes is then developed further throughout – the cohesive expression, the inner voices and personal contemplations being outwardly vocalised, the array of colour, the sensual flow. Egli’s busy dancing rhythms support Faku and Geymeier’s harmonising before they diverge into soloing that frolics around each other, then return to the motif.
‘Assiko’ is a showcase for the remarkable vocal expressions of Makuzeni. A visceral, guttural, didgeridoo-like grumble groans from deep, way beneath her feet, then rises joyfully into a nice bit of cat and mouse with the horns. She throws exciting shapes – alternately scatting, Leon Thomas spirit-yodelling and growling as she playfully bounces off the loosely paired horns and Egil /Bossard push it on at a right royal pace.‘Begena Meditation’ is meditative – a call for reflection. It’s a gorgeous, potent lament with Faku and Geymeier mourning singular mourns but in deep communion.
‘An African Elegy’ is a heart-felt delivery of the words of Booker-winning Ben Okri’s 1997 poem of the same name. Firstly as spoken word then as a deep, swelling multi-voiced vocal song that delivers in an earnest but hopeful spiritual jazz mantra.

“And there is surprise
In everything the unseen moves.
The ocean is full of songs.
The sky is not an enemy.
Destiny is our friend.”

Faku and Bossard then take it in turns to continue the narrative with such gentle hands before the fullness of those voices return with the truth. Soothing. Uplifting. Plurism at its very best.
Bossard leads ‘For The Ones Left’ with a sensitive, contemplative walk around the neck as Egli shimmers around him before those voices wash over the head-bowed, mournful horns. An African blues gospel with a touch of New Orleans funeral, it pays a moving respect to the Herero and Nama people who, in the early 20th century, were subjected to genocide in German South West Africa.
‘The N’Nonmiton of Dahomey’ (an all-female fighting force serving Dahomey) has Egli Bossard driving ahead as Faku Geymeier dance an angular dance while ‘Lettre à Fatou Diome’ (a Senegalese writer) relatively rambles through its story as Geymeier drops a wonderful, energetic, lyrical 2 minutes of solo that, at times, reminds me of early 70s Joe Henderson. ‘Crossing the Sahara (for the women on the road)’ has a touch of trad. Geymeier and Faku again in communion. ‘Ulale Kakuhle’ ends things, naturally, because as I obviously already knew ‘Ula Kakuhle’ means sweet dreams in Xhosa..and that’s exactly the message it sends out – a harmonious slow lullaby leads to a swinging, heartwarming view of a brighter tomorrow. ‘Azania in Mind’ is fundamentally an album of story-telling. Stories sensually told. When joyous, they aren’t happy clappy, more of an inward-looking pragmatic hopefulness, a deeper trust in human spirit and resoluteness. When mournful, they aren’t hand-wringingly sentimental more of a sad, hurt but respectful appreciation of the characters involved.
This is an album of lifted energy, cause, earnest belief and love. Its motifs and stories will interrupt my day-to-day thoughts for some time to come.
Ian Ward

Hour Dora Apartian-Friedli, Siya Makuzeni, Lisette Spinnler. Photo by Ganesh Geymeier

"Oh, the sweetness that I taste on my tongue when I tell the story of Africa!
When I tell the story of us.
There is much wonder to be found here.
Indeed there are many songs still to be sung about us."
Puno Selesho

I proudly announce the release of a new album:

Dominic Egli’s PLURISM with Feya Faku and special guest Siya Makuzeni
AZANIA IN MIND

Official release december 21st 2018 on Unit Records, webrelease january 4th 2019

Feya Faku tp/flh, Ganesh Geymeier ts, Rafaele Bossard b, Dominic Egli dr/comp
Guests: Siya Makuzeni voc, Houry Dora Apartian-Friedli voc, Lisette Spinnler voc

I would like to thank Siya, Houry, Lisette, Feya, Ganesh and Raffaele for their soulfull playing and singing, creative support and friendship; Daniel for transforming our music so tastefully into bits and bytes and Leandro for his professional work; Andrew Tshabangu for the beautiful coverphotography "City in Transition" that expresses so many of my thoughts; Puno for her poem; Regula for the graphic design; Sheldon for the bandphoto; Unit Records for their continuous collaboration; Veit for his precious help. And of cours La Ville de Lausanne, Canton de Vaud and Migros Genossenschaft Aare for the financial support.

The album is now available on Bandcamp:
https://dominiceglisplurism.bandcamp.com

PLURISM's last tour with MORE FUFU!, our ode to Africa and it's musical masters is over.

Thank you Villa Irniger Zürich, Treibhaus HAFL Zollikofen, Prison de la Croisée Orbe, KfM Glarus, Centro Elisarion Minusio, Jazz in Baden, Schlot Berlin, Au Raisin ABC Bussigny, Jazzclub Bamberg and Stadtkirche Darmstadt for hosting us.

Thank you Ville de Lausanne and Fondation Suisa for the financial support

and a big thank you to all the people that came to share the music with us!

Photos Stadtkirche Darmstadt 11.11.2018 by Jens Vajen

PLURISM's project MORE FUFU!, an ode to Africa and it's amazing musical masters, has been quite an adventure so far: 36 concerts in Switzerland, Germany and South Africa, inspiring collaborations with Puno Selesho, Phumzile Zondo, Queen Mashie and Linda Sikhakhane, endless hours on the road that brought us together...I'm happy to announce the last tour with MORE FUFU! in the backpack (befor we release the new album Azania in Mind!):

Dominic Egli's PLURISM with Feya Faku MORE FUFU!
Feya Faku tp/flh, Ganesh Geymeier ts, Raffaele Bossard b, Dominic Egli dr/kalimba

30.10.18 19:00h: Villa Irniger, Zürich CH
31.10.18 19:30h: Treibhauskultur, Tropisches Gewächshaus HAFL Zollikofen/Bern CH
03.11.18 20:30h: KfM, Kulturzentrum Holästei, Ennenda CH
04.11.18 17:00h: Centro Elisarion, Minusio CH
05.11.18 20:15h: Isebähnli, Jazz in Baden, Baden CH
06.11.18 20:30: Kunstfabrik Schlot, Berlin D
08.11.18 20:30h: ABC, Bussigny CH
10.11.18 21:00h: Jazzclub Bamberg, Bamberg D
11.11.18 19:30h: Stadtkirche, Darmstadt D

with the kind financial support of:

Touring in South Africa with PLURISM and Feya Faku in july 2017, we played a concert in the special sphere of the Steve Biko Center in King William’s Town. At the center we met a young dancer and today she sends me a cllip with an improvisation on one of our songs. Thank you, Thandiwe Pearl Mqokeli, your work is beautiful!

After a year of dreaming sounds, melodies and rhythms, reading stories and searching ways to translate them into music, it is done: PLURISM’s new album « Azania In Mind » is recorded.

I am deeply grateful for the soulful contributions of some of my favorite musicians: Raffaele Bossard, Siya Makuzeni, Ganesh Geymeier, Bra Feya Faku, Houry Dora Apartian-Friedli, Lisette Spinnler. Thank you Daniel Dettwiler and Leandro Gianini for the sound, Sheldon Sutter for the photos, Veit Arlt for your help!

The album will be out on december 21st on Unit Records...

very honoured that the Swiss National Sound Archives has uploaded my complete discography:

https://www.fonoteca.ch/wordpress/?p=3457

Out now on www.privave.com:

Roberto Bossard New Group NOSTALGIA
Roberto Bossard guit
Toni Bechtold ts
Lukas Gernet p
Raffaele Bossard b
Dominic Egli dr

the latest Mats-Up live:

I'm happy to be part of this new project:

Back home from the Inner Dimensions Tour. Thank you Cape Town Jazzfestival, The Orbit Johannesburg and Centro Cultural Franco-Moçambiquanos Maputo for having us; Nduduzo Makhathini, Linda Sikhakhane (check him on the clip!), Fabien Iannone, Omagugu Makhathini, Anna Geggi Widauer, Xolani Sithole, Samito Tembe and (the amazing) Xixel Langa for the music; and all the people that worked hard to make this happening, Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, Germaine Gamiet, Ana Lúcia Cruz, Veit Arlt and of course Salym Fayad...

Memory: on the 21st of december 2017, we (PLURISM with Feya Faku, Ganesh Geymeier, Fabien Iannone) played our last concert of a tour through South Africa at the Slave Church in Cape Town. We adapted our usual setlist and playing to the very special atmosphere and sound of this venue loaded with history, creating long, improvised suites with songs appearing now and then ("Crossing the Sahara" and "60 Million" in this track). Here is an excerpt of that concert, beautifully recorded by Ryan Mitchley and captured visually by Gregory Franz.


https://soundcloud.com/dominicegli/dominic-eglis-plurism-with-feya-faku-excerpt-from-the-slave-church-concert

Two songs from PLURISM’s concert at Jazzclub Moods, Zurich, november 2017

just came across this clip...sweet memory from PLURISM's maybe best concert of the novembertour 2017 at C.Keller, Weimar, Germany.
"Ulale Kakuhle“, Feya Faku tp, Ganesh Geymeier ts, Raffaele Bossard b, Dominic Egli dr.

Just came across this interview, done right after an intense performance with PLURISM at the Standard Bank Jazzfestival in Grahamstown, South Africa in july 2017.
With Feya Faku tp/flh, Christoph Irniger ts, Raffaele Bossard b, Dominic Egli dr.

finaly Joe Haider’s new record "Joe Haider Orchestra feat. The Sparklettes: Back To The Roots" is released on Double Moon Records. I’m looking forward to perform the music live:

09.01.2017 Moods, Zurich
11.01.2017 Bejazz, Bern
12.01.2017 La Marotte, Affoltern a/A
13.01.2017 Jazzclub, Chur

EISH!
PLURISM's december tour in South Africa is already over, way too quick.
It's time to say thanks to:
South Africa for welcoming us so warmly (again, we have learned a lot!) and the supportive audiences that shared the music with us;
Feya Faku, Ganesh Geymeier and Fabien Iannone for there soulful playing and company;
Puno Selesho, Phumzile Zondo and the vocal students from Fort Hare for joining us on stage for some inspiring collaborations; Elethwithemba Ngoqofor bringing her traditional
isiXhosa group to open the evening at the Steve Biko Center (it was just perfect);
Nikki Froneman for the amazing tour managing;
Sibongakonke Mlonyeni-Mama from The Orbit in Johannesburg, Nduduzo Makhathini from Fort Hare University in East London, The Chairman in Durban, Xolisa Xolani Kapakati from the Steve Biko Center in King Williams Town, Lunga Magxaka from Lunga's General Jazz Café, Ulla Gosebrink from the Slave Church in Cape town and their hard working staff for hosting us so friendly;
and of course our sponsors, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, the Canton de Vaud, the KulturStadtBern, the Kanton Bern, the Suisa Foundation and the Schweizer Interpretenstiftung for making this tour possible

i am very happy to welcome the wonderfull tenor saxophone player Ganesh Geymeier as a new member of PLURISM!

mats-up played a great tour through switzerland, austria, germany and azerbeidjian

Joe Haider did it again: his next album with a large ensemble including 4 singers is recorded. It will be out and presented live in january 2018, featuring Joe Haider, Dave Blaser, Dani Blanc, Thomi Geiger, Domenic Landolf, René Mosele, Lukas Wirz, Doris Rikli, Isabelle Ritter, Xenia Zampieri, Nina Gutknecht, Raffaele Bossard, Dominic Egli

and the end of the tour…

I’m incredibly exited: PLURISM with Feya Faku will be touring in South Africa, presenting our new album MORE FUFU!
Christoph Irniger will be subbing for Donat Fisch. Looking forward!

I’m speechless: Nduduzo Makhathini’s Umgidi Trio Album “Inner Dimensions” just won Best Jazz Album in a country with such a deep musical culture and with so many incredible musicians. I’m touched by the idea that our album is listened by people. Thank you, South Africa, for the support!!!!

for more news about concerts and projects visit:

http://www.facebook.com/dominic.egli.96

PLURISM had a beautiful spring tour, thank you Feya, Donat and Raffaele for your playing, thanks to Altes Spital Solothurn, Jazz In Bess Lugano, AMR Geneva, Cully Jazz, Bee-Flat im Progr Bern, Esse-Musicbar Winterthur and Live Musikveranstaltungen Schaffhausen for having us, thank you Pinky Kämpfer for the pictures and thanks to the audiences for sharing the music with us!

An interview by radio SRF2, about MORE FUFU!

a little documentary about PLURISM’s new album MORE FUFU!

4 days to go, and it will be officially released!

MATS-UP’s spring tour, celebrating the nature of the blues:

14.3. IKSEV European Jazz Festival, Izmir TK
17.3. Jazzclub Neustadt DE
18.3. L’aquilone, Liège BE
19.3. Café Roskam, Bruxelles BE
07.4. Cully Jazz, Le Club, Cully CH
21.4. Freiberger Jazztage, Freiberg DE
18.5. Brotfabrik, Frankfurt a. M. DE
19.5. BE-Jazz, Vidmarhallen, Bern CH
20.5. Lokerse Jazzclub, Lokeren BE

i’m happy to announce the dates of the first releasetour with the Album MORE FUFU! by PLURISM with Feya Faku:


28.03.2017 ALTES SPITAL, Solothurn SO, http://www.altesspital.ch

29.03.2017 JAZZ IN BESS, Lugano TI, http://www.jazzy-jams.ch

31.03.2017 AMR,Geneva GE, http://www.amr-geneve.ch

01.04.2017 CULLY JAZZ OFF, Cully VD, http://www.cullyjazz.ch

05.04.2017 Bee-flat im Progr, Bern BE, http://www.bee-flat.ch

06.04.2017 ESSE-MUSICBAR, Winterthur ZH, http://www.esse-musicbar.ch

08.04.2017 HABERHAUS, Schaffhausen SH, http://www.live-musikveranstaltungen.ch

pauline ganty’s new album “Après” is out now!
we’re celebrating the release live:

21 janvier 2017
Olten, Jazz in Olten

29 janvier 2017
Zürich, Moods

3 février 2017
Kulturscheune, Liestal

4 février 2017
Ferme-Asile, Sion

16 février 2017
Jazz Campus, Basel

24 février 2017 (Vernissage)
Chorus Lausanne, 21h

25 février 2017
Kunsthaus Glarus, 21h

10 mars 2017
Gambrinus St. Gallen, 21h

it is done! official release is march 2017…

controvento’s new album is out, and it will be baptized saturday 18th of december at the AMR geneva!

peter eigenmann’s next album is recorded…

had a nice tour with mats-up in belgium…

it’s a beautiful day, mats-up’s new album “the nature of the blues” is officially released and soon we can be heard live!

matthias spillmann talking about “the nature of the blues”, his music based on the natural scale:

mats-up celebrates a 100 years of dadaism!

plurism’s MORE FUFU! is mixed. thank you daniel for the beautiful sound!

the 4 nights with kirk lightsey at the festival “generations16” in frauenfeld were an incredible experience. touching history…

i’m touched, deeply moved and grateful for the tour with the “feya faku swiss unit”. thank you, southafrica, for the warm welcome!

after three days at studio la buissonne with the wonderfull engineer gerard de haro, pauline ganty’s next album is on tape. it will be released for the festival swiss diagonales 2017, for which we have been chosen to play 5 gigs…

finally the dates for the tour with the Feya Faku Swiss Quintet tour in south africa are fixed.
it’s such an honor to go play in south africa and especially with bra feya!

recorded on april 30th and 1st of may, the album “inner dimensions” by the soulful southafrican piano player nduduzo makhathini and our UMGIDI trio is out now, featuring the one voice vocal ensemble. it can be ordered here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/m/cd/nduduzomakhathini6

PLURISM’s springtour is halfway, 6 more gigs to go…

Liebeslied für Mutter Afrika. Er ist zwar nicht wie sein Kollege Lucas ­Niggli in Kamerun geboren, aber auch Dominic Egli, 1976 im zürcherischen Obfelden zur Welt gekommen, unterhält eine lange Liebesbeziehung zu Mother Africa. Sie ist für einen Drummer noch ein bisschen näherliegend als für Jazzmusiker insgesamt, schwarze Jazzmusiker insbesondere. Schon in den vierziger Jahren suchte Art Blakey in Afrika seine Meister-Drummer (1953 erschien seine Platte «Message from Kenya»); Randy Weston, Yusef Lateef und andere suchten ihre Inspiration in der Rückbesinnung auf den Schwarzen Kontinent, und noch Coltranes «Africa/Brass» gehört in diesen Zusammenhang. Vor solchem Hintergrund könnte die afrikanische Seelensuche eines Schlagzeugers von hinter dem ­Albis, der 2001 erstmals zu Studien in Ghana war, wie eine Frivolität erscheinen. Doch «Fufu Tryout», die vielleicht etwas irreführend nach einer afrikanischen Basismahlzeit (einem Brei aus Maniok oder Jams und Kochbananen) benannte CD von Eglis Gruppe Plurism (neben dem subtilen Leader der tolle Bassist Raffaele Bossard und der agile Donat Fisch an Alt- und Tenorsaxofon), ist das genaue Gegenteil. An etwas mehr als der Hälfte der Titel ist mit seinem uneitlen, poetischen Spiel der südafrikanische Jazz-Trompeter Fezile «Feya» Faku beteiligt (zeitweilig Partner von Abdullah Ibrahim). ­Eglis Plurism plus one hüten sich mit viel Takt, afrikanische Folklore zu imitieren oder ihren Jazz mit oberflächlichen Afro-Klischees pseudo-authentisch zu parfümieren. In den dreizehn Titeln (zwölf davon stammen von Egli) entwickeln sie ihre eigene folklore imaginaire: sehr entspannt, mit grosser Gelassenheit, ­ohne allen vorgegebenen «afrikanischen» Vitalismus, der doch nur peinliche Erinnerungen an Minstrels der zwanziger Jahre weckte, an Josephine Bakers Bananenröckchen. Egli und Co. geht es um die Verwandlung von afrikanischen Eindrücken. So fehlen auch fast völlig afrikanische Originalinstrumente: kein Balafon-Fake, kein Maultrommel- oder Daumenklavier-Gezirpe. Eine schöne, warme, ­coole Jazz-CD. Mit allem Respekt und ohne ­jede Anbiederung. Weltwoche, Peter Rüedi, 5_16

before going back in studio to record a new album, PLURISM and the wonderful southafrican trumpet player feya faku are on the road again, presenting the album FUFU TRYOUT and the new songs:


20.05. Kulturcinéma, Arbon, http://www.kulturcinema.ch
21.05. Kiste, Stuttgart D, http://www.kiste-stuttgart.de
25.05. Jazzwerk, Ulm D, http://www.kunstwerk-ulm.de
26.05. BeJazz Bern, http://www.bejazz.ch
27.05. Café Literaire, Biel, http://www.litcafe.ch
31.05. Villa Irniger, Zürich
02.06. Esse-Musicbar, Winterthur, http://www.esse-musicbar.ch
08.06. Bird’s Eye, Basel, http://www.birdseye.ch
09.06. Bird’s Eye, Basel, http://www.birdseye.ch
10.06. Bird’s Eye, Basel, http://www.birdseye.ch
11.06. Bird’s Eye, Basel, http://www.birdseye.ch

and i’m happy to be part of feya faku’s spirit jazz project, featuring the swiss jazz orchestra, to be heard on may 23rd at the bierhuebeli in bern…

UMGIDI!

exciting times ahead:

a concert with the swiss jazz orchestra and the invited composer trudi strebi
a tour and recording with the new trio UMGIDI with the great south african piano player nduduzo makhathini and fabien iannone
a mats-up tour through eastern europe

and finally the 2nd part of the FUFU TRYOUT releasetour of my band PLURISM with feya faku, followed be the recording of a new album…

the next mats-up album “well tempered rhythm and the natural blues” is recorded! whatch out, there’s some singing involved :-)

two little comments on the upcoming votes on february 28th:

reto suhner quartet, jazzclub bamberg D, december 2015

out now! reto suhner’s new album “easy”, with philip henzi on piano and silvan jeger on bass, released on
http://anuklabel.com/anukproduction.php

besides working on the music of the next PLURISM album, i just listend to the mix of the recording of the new “joe haider jazz orchestra” that we did in august; i like the music very much, i’m happy to be on that record, and i’m looking forward to tour with that band in january 2016! http://www.joehaider.ch/konzerte/index.php

i’m as well looking forward to play a little tour presenting the record “one life in the sun” by the southafrican trumpet player marcus wyatt next week: concerts.php

mats-up is touring in germany starting on october 20th (http://www.matsup.ch/de/agenda/), on two gigs we’ll play spillmann’s septet version of modest moussorgsky’s pictures of an exhibition, the others will feature the new program “well-tempered rhythm & natural blues”, a blues-inspired music based on the natural scale. we will as well record the program at the end of the year; here’s a little teaser, captured at “kollektiv nights, tiyatrom, berlin” on sept 8th, 2015:

i had the pleasure to collaborate on fabian müller’s blog-project “hidden session”. you can listen to the recording here: http://hiddensession.com/2015/09/01/hidden-session-8/

...had a coffee with ohad talmor during the festival “amr aux cropettes”

doku and interviews about PLURISM’s FUFU TRYOUT:

5 songs from the FUFU TRYOUT releasetour in january:

interview about FUFU TRYOUT on srf2 jazz aktuell, broadcasted on january 20th 2015

pauline ganty’s new video

20.01.2015 radio SRF2 jazz aktuell, interview and cd presentation, 20:00, http://www.srf.ch
20.01.2015 radio espace2 jazzz, live broadcasted interviews and livemusic, 22:40-24:00, http://www.rts.ch/espace-2
22.01.2015 esse musicbar, winterthur, 20:15, http://www.esse-musicbar.ch
23.01.2015 jazzstation, sierre, 20:30, http://www.jazzstation.ch
24.01.2015 jazzclub allmend, oberengstringen, 20:15, http://www.jazzclub-allmend.ch
25.01.2015 ONO, bern, 15:00, http://www.onobern.ch, FAMILIENKONZERT
26.01.2015 jazz in baden / isebähnli, baden, 20:15, http://www.jazzinbaden.ch
27.01.2015 jazzclub moods, zurich, 20:30, http://www.moods.ch, CD-TAUFE!
29.01.2015 jazztime, ravensburg DE, 20:30, http://www.jazztime-ravensburg.de
30.01.2015 chorus, lausanne, 20:30, http://www.chorus.ch
31.01.2015 AMR, geneva, 21:30, http://www.amr-geneve.ch

the tour is financially supported by

Trois Puces à l’Oreille: Dominic Egli’s Plurism FUFU TRYOUT

Voilà un mois que les mots que vous lisez ont été amoureusement arrangé les uns à la suite des autres. Mais peut-être qu’en notre mythologique cuvette. Atlas n’a toujours pas changé la voûte céleste d’épaule, et se plait encore à nous condamner à cette infame toit sans forme, sans couleur et sans âme. Ce stratus qui donnerait envie aux plus écolos de prendre le premier avion vers le Sud. Ceux qui n’auront pas cédé, par économie ou par idéologie, à cette premiere pulsion, pourront tout de même s’essayer au foufou, qui n’est pas l’amuseur d’un roiroi, mais une pâte à base de farine et d’eau bouillante, que l’on prend dans la main droite pour former une petite boule à tremper dans une sauce ou une soupe avant dégustation. Et si vous n’aimez pas manger avec les mains, faites comme Dominic Egli: prenez des baguettes.

Voilà déjà presque trois ans que, vous parlant du premier opus de Plurism, Untitled Yet, je disais cela: „le batteur s’est inventé un folklore africain imaginaire qui chante une langue universelle“. C’est donc avec plaisir que je constate qu’il a su donner un nom à son second album, en d’autres termes cultiver pendant ces années une terre déjà prometteuse et nous livrer ici un florilège de rhythmes africains, palette d’une prodigieuse richesse qui donne l’impression de ne jamais entendre les mêmes éléments d’un morceaux à l’autre, dans un but créatif plus qu’ethnologique, préférant y voir des sources d’inspiration, une eau qui dans son lit donne naissance à des contes.

Vous qui cherchez en vain la Grande Ourse dans nos nuits mates et cotonneuses, venez voir les étoiles du Transkei qu’allument trois notes de flûte de pan, venez danser le kpanlogo au ras du sol, la tête encerclée de tomes, ou le highlife sous une pluie de mangue, sous l’oeil clair rieur de l’alto, achevez de vous donner le tournis aux échos des Pygmées Aka, venez honorer Doudou N’Diaye Rose en battant vigoureusement chaque espace que laisse cette petite phrase à la trompette, mais aussi Abdullah Ibrahim, par le fil simple et apaisant d’une caresse au tenor, et Joli-Nez, dont trois fils mélodiques dessinent le contour gracieux, venez piétiner en même temps que ce charley qui succède aux tambours Kete, préférez à celle des canards la danse des autruches, les Gbilugu ghanéennes qui vous entraîneront dans un slow serein à sept temps, laissez vous prendre par une agitation collective et migratoire, par une fantaisie afro-péruvienne, par le mimétisme de cette contrebasse déguisée en berimbao, un de ces arcs à capoeira comme Waldemar de Bahia en faisait de si beau, avant de revenir à Cape Town pour un Goema jazz victorieux.

Vous en voulez encore? Attendez un peu et vous aurez du rab de foufou. (Nicolas Lambert, Viva La Musica janvier 2015 nro 355)

pauline ganty’s new record “l’envol” is out now! with marc méan and fabien iannone. for all the news of that quartet visit http://www.paulineganty.com!

the dates for the FUFU TRYOUT release tour:

22.01.2015 esse musicbar, winterthur ZH, 20:15
23.01.2015 jazzstation, sierre VS, 20:30
24.01.2015 jazzclub allmend, oberengstringen ZH, 20:15
25.01.2015 ONO, bern BE, 15:00
26.01.2015 jazz in baden / isebähnli, baden AG, 20:15
27.01.2015 jazzclub moods, zürich ZH, 20:30
29.01.2015 jazztime, ravensburg DE, 20:30
30.01.2015 chorus, lausanne VD, 20:30
31.01.2015 AMR, genf GE, 21:00

visit plurism.php for the dates of PLURISM’s release tour in january 2015!

reto suhner quartet live at moods, mai 2014

a new clip from the reto suhner quartet, filmed live at jazzclub moods the 1st of may:

mats spillmann organises a new serie of concerts; come and check it out!

plurism’s new record “FUFU TRYOUT” with southafrica’s great trumpetplayer, mr. fezile “feya” faku, and my fake-african-folksongs will be out soon!

a little preview for the new mats-up record “life is live” (cominig out in may):

voilà the teasers for the new records “L’envol” of the pauline ganty quartet:

after a warm and lazy summer a few announcements:
PLURISM is recording a new album, with songs inspired by african music which featers johnnesburg based trumpetplayer feya faku, there will be concerts with the feya faku 5tet, a little releasetour with the marcus wyatt ZAR 4tet, the releasetour with the peter eigenmann nonett, a live recording with the reto suhner 4tet, a recording session with singer pauline ganty, concerts with the ljo…it’s gonna be a busy autumn!

a little movie from the 4tet project led by south african trumpetplayer marcus wyatt; somewhen there will be a record coming out too :-)

the cd MATS UP SPIELT PSALMEN VON SAID is out now, and we will be on tour in germany and switzerland november 23.-29., here a little preview:

"we should recite the sutra with the ears" (shunryu suzuki), what an advice for group improvisation!

and one more PLURISM-clip:

performing with plurism, recording with mats-up, two projects with south-african trumpetplayer marcus wyatt including the “shocking” experience of playing with pianomonster africa mkhize, rehearsals for the new ljo-record and the honor of playing with joe hader…it was an intense month. and finally i find the time to put online three songs by plurism, filmed at the bejazz-winterfestival january 2012:

that’s what vivalamusica writes about untitled yet: “«Enfant je rêvais d’être romancier mais arrivé en bas de la première page, il m’a semblé impossible d’écrire un livre entier. Puis j’ai voulu être poète mais tout ce qui venait sur le papier était lamentable. Mon troisième souhait fut d’être chanteur et parolier, malheureusement sans succès. Aujourd’hui, j’essaie de ne plus penser à ce que j’aimerais être et de simplement faire ce qui me plaît: composer, jouer de la batterie et improviser avec des musiciens que j’admire»...A l’écoute du premier opus de son nouveau trio, on a tôt fait de se rendre compte que Dominic Egli n’est pas tombé si loin de ses premières aspirations. Car quoi de plus poétique que ces mélodies minimales, ces lignes claires, comme on dit pour la bande dessinée lorsqu’un simple trait vous taille un personnage, un décor, qu’il ne reste qu’à colorer. Shnorakal Yemcommence par exemple par deux notes au «toypiano», le tictac d’une antique horloge, qui devient carillon. Le poème suit sa propre route et nous emmène, à noires toujours égales, un peu en-dehors des gammes conventionnelles. C’est une machine sentimentale, à laquelle le saxophone insuffle enfin la vie, et la suite de noires devient le thème doux-amer d’une ballade. Pour appeler son album «encore innommé», il faut bien être un peu poète, avoir le goût du non-dit, de l’évocateur. Le morceau titre a donc les traits d’un haïku musical, unisson entre sax et contrebasse qui deux fois apparaît au milieu du concert déconcertant d’un free flottant. Quant aux aspirations de «singer/songwriter», nul besoin de voix ni de texte: le batteur s’est inventé un folklore africain imaginaire qui chante une langue universelle. C’est une végétation tropicale et luxuriante qu’évoque le kalimba, piano à pouces d’Oumou et Malcolm se rencontrent au bord de la mer, avant de devenir forêt de baguettes, richesse prolifique sans être musclée des rythmes en lisière des tomes. Donat Fisch y nage serein mais vif, affectionnant quelques excursions à contre-courant de l’harmonie, entre deux appels suivi d’un break où l’on croit, comme dans Flames, saisir le sens du dialecte, les syllabes souriantes du saxophone. Romancier, Dominic Egli l’est enfin dans le medium swing feutré de Ferrari Testosterossa, son ambiance de contrebande où l’action suit un scénario rythmique précis, notamment pour le solo miraculeux de Bossard, où les pains se multiplient. Est insensible celui qui ne frémit pas à la danse des ballets sur la caisse claire, suspense agrémenté d’une grosse caisse à la clave originale, qui pour les besoins de Snow in March sonne comme un tas de neige. Car dans les écrits d’Egli chaque apparition de cymbale est un événement, et le chef d’orchestre a deux baguettes en main, qu’il change d’une scène à l’autre pour dicter les dynamiques.”

the LJO will perform together with dave douglas at the langnau jazznights, the 26th of july, what a dream come true…

now available on DVD: don li’s orbital garden 48 hour rhythm around the clock, extracts from the live performance (48 minutes, 48 drummers). what an experience! http://www.orbitalgarden.com

good news: i just received two boxes with 750 cds: UNTITLED YET is the title of PLURISMs first album with my compositions, it will be released on UNIT RECORDS in january 2012 and we will baptise it at the bejazz winterfestival in bern the 21st of january. i hope to see you there!

you can find this album in any good record store or order it directly here: eglidominic[at]hotmail.com
for Sfr 29.-, shipping included (switzerland)

i’m a new member of the LJO lucerne jazz orchestra :-)

after a stormy winter “spring is here” and i’m happy to anounce two new projects: on invitation of dominik alig i will present a longgrown idea in his club MUST34A coming thursday 31.3. in bern: “OBRONI KOFI, a fake african orchestra” will present some of my african inspired compositions, and i’m happy that patrice moret b, marc mean p, andreas tschopp tb and reto suhner as will share this experiment with me. and, having dreamt of playing with saxophonplayer donat fisch for years, i fullfill myself the dream and reform my trio PLURISM with him and bassplayer raffaele bossart; we will record an album in july and will release it on unit records. jibiie!

matsup is chosen for the finals of the BMW-Jazzcontest next year; i’m exited. and, i’m invited to play a duo concert with marc mean with my music at the bernau-minifestival in bern/wabern the 4th of november, i’m curious what’s going to happen. and, miniatur orchester’s new promo video is now online on our myspace-site or on youtube:

and, i sell my beloved custom-made giannini-kit (18" 12" 14") and a beautiful vintage blue oyster ludwig (22" 13" 16" 18"), contact me if you’re interested…and: its a dusty day

he “miniatur orchester”, our new project for which araxi karnusian writes music on grooves by simon fankhauser and me, has just recorded a bunch of “doubledrums&horns dixiebalkanimproworldbeat”-songs, and i’m happy to announce that the album “pro specie rara” will be baptised on february 28th 2010 at the festival “jazzwerkstatt bern 2010” (www.myspace.com/miniaturorchester). And, matsup’s new record “5” is out now on unit records, i’m proud to be on it and to play the three releaseconcerts this month

K:E:B’s album “gunzgen sued” will be released the 24th of october! Radio DRS2 will broadcast some music and an interview the 28th of october, and in november we will be playing six concerts. release-partys will be in bern the 8th of november (dampfzentrale) and in zurich the 16th of november (bazillus)

in march, my trio K:E:B spent a week in a villa on the beautiful island elba. we recorded lots of music, and i’m glad that unit records is bringing out our album “gunzgen sued” in october!

peter frei has founded a new trio and i’m proud to be part of it. under the name DEGEN/FREI/EGLI we will perform with the incredible american pianoplayer and composer bob degen, gigs are announced on my concert page

i’m happy that araxi karnusian’s new cd “interrupted” with her 9 piece ensemble “strange sounds - beautiful music” (including a string quartet) is out now! a suite in three parts of colorful crossover music between classical music and afroamerican jazz- concerts will be coming up during the year

out now:
peter frei "three trios"
peter frei (bass), dominic egli (drums); colin vallon (piano), micheal zisman (bandoneon), rafael schilt (tenor saxophone); daniel dettwiler (soundengineer), martin schilt (artwork), peter bürli (executive producer, radio drs2), tom gsteiger (linernotes), friederike kulcsar (translation), recorded november 2004 at radiostudio zürich, brambus records (www.brambus.com)

devided in three sets, this record by master-bassplayer peter frei features three different trios with the soloists colin vallon (piano), michael zisman (bandoneon) and rafael schilt (tenorsax); the open interpretations of sometimes loosly arranged broadwaysongs show frei’s unique and allways surprising comping-concept that keeps the musicians awake for any kind of interaction and requires their full creativity. i’m very happy with the result.

You can find this album in any good record Store or order it directly here: eglidominic@hotmail.com
for Sfr 30.-, shipping included (Switzerland)