Channel Crossing – Musiker 2010

Currently the second ever jazz BBC New Generation Artist, the work of trumpeter, flügelhornist and composer Tom Arthurs (b. 1980) finds itself in increasingly unique territory, drawing influence from music ranging from György Ligeti to the pygmies of Central Africa, the work of film directors Andrei Tarkovsky and Jean-Luc Godard and the philosophies and creations of pioneering chef Ferran Adrià.

Deeply rooted in the European jazz and improvised music tradition, Tom’s music is one of assimilation rather than of fusion, and one that sets out to explore the relationships between improvisation and composition, as well as between a family of musicians with whom he has been collaborating for several years.

Winner of the Peter Whittingham Award and thrice-nominated in the BBC Jazz Awards (Best Instrumentalist and Rising Star), Tom has been featured on BBC Radio 3 several times, both with his own trio, arthurs.høiby.ritchie, and in duo with pianists Richard Fairhurst and the legendary John Taylor, with whom he also appeared at the Electric Proms and the 2007 Bath Festival. He has performed at international festivals including Berlin, Cheltenham, Moers, Bath, Jazzd’or, London, Manchester, Belfast and Jerusalem and recently participated in the third edition of the Jerwood/PRS Foundation Take Five Initiative for creative jazz musicians.

As a composer, Tom has recently been awarded commissions from the BBC/RPS for both the City of London Festival (Postcards from Pushkin with Richard Fairhurst), and the BBC Proms (And Distant Shore, with Richard Fairhurst and ace classical trumpeter Giuliano Sommerhalder), as well as the Geneva Downtown Orchestra for a suite of music for a 9-piece enxemble with Arthurs.Høiby.Ritchie at it’s centre.

www.tomarthurs.co.uk

Julian began his career as a musician at the age of fourteen touring throughout Europe with the European Community Big Band. Quickly he gained recognition as an original musician and joined the much acclaimed 21 piece UK big band “Loose Tubes”. He stayed with them for four years and recorded two albums. Since their demise Julian has collaborated with fellow Tubes members including Django Bates who appears on Julian’s albums “Skull view” on Babel and “Escapade” – on Provocateur Records. In 1986 Julian was awarded the prestigious Pat Smythe award and has also been awarded several BBC awards.

His main interest continues to be writing and performing with his own band. In 1990 the Julian Argüelles Quartet, with pianist John Taylor recorded their first CD “Phaedrus”. The second CD “Home Truths” was released in 1995 with Mike Walker on guitar, Martin France on drums and Steve Swallow on electric bass. This was followed by a project with his brother Steve Argüelles, entitled “Scapes” which was released in 1996.

The BBC commissioned Argüelles to write 60 minutes of music for a new band to be premiered at the 1996 Bath Festival, the Octet was formed and the music became his fourth album “Skull View” which was voted Jazz CD of the Year 1997 by the Independent on Sunday. His previous two albums (Scapes & Home Truths) had been voted Jazz CD of the Year in both 1995 and 1996.

Julian has worked with musicians drawn from around the world including Tim Berne, Hermeto Pascoal, Steve Swallow, John Abercrombie, Dave Holland, Dave Leibman, Jim Black, Peter Erskine, Chris McGregor, John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler and Carla Bley.

In 1999 Julian released his first album for Provocateur records the critically acclaimed “Escapade”. His second, some 5 years later, was the much anticipated “As Above So Below” – a large scale work for jazz and classical musicians featuring the 20 piece Trinity College of Music String Ensemble. The album evolved from a commission that was originally performed in Saint Wendredas Church in March in the Fenlands. The result is an album charged with a wide range of emotional and melodic surprises. His recent CD “Partita” was recorded in New York and features Tom Rainey on drums and Michael Formanek both from New York. In Jan 2009 a solo CD “Inner Voices” was released on the Portuguese label TOAP and in May 2009 a CD was released intitled ‘Momenta’ on Basho Records featuring all Julian’s compositions for the Frankfurt Radio big Band, Germany.

Despite being very busy performing he maintains a commitment to teaching and has been invited to teach at various places such as The Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Glamorgan Jazz School, Edinburgh and Manchester summer schools and music colleges in Den Haag, Lisbon, Porto, Koln, Weimar and Copenhagen. In 1995 Julian was offered the first position of Jazz Musician in Association at the Royal Northern College Of Music and in 2007 he became tutor of Saxophone. The Julian Arguelles Octet is currently the Ensemble in Residence at The University Of York.

www.julianarguelles.com

Wolfgang Schmidtke, geb. 1956 in Lüdenscheid, Musikstudium im Hauptfach Saxophon, seit den 80-er Jahren in div. Bereichen zeitgenössischer Musik tätig. Konzerte und CD Veröffentlichungen u.a.mit Ginger Baker, Horace Parlan, Peter Kowald, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Tom Mega, Peter Brötzmann, Randy Brecker

Zahlreiche Produktionen als Komponist/Arrangeur für den WDR, u.a. mit dem Auryn Quartett, Lisa Bassenge, Hans Reichel, Mechthild Georg, Claudio Puntin, der WDR Big Band; Komponiert häufig Bühnenmusiken; Künstlerischer Leiter der Konzertreihe „Nachtfoyer“ am Wuppertaler Schauspielhaus; Künstlerischer Leiter des Musikfests „Die 3. ART“; Vorsitzender der Peter Kowald Gesellschaft; Unterrichtet Saxophon und Improvisation am Fachbereich Wuppertal der MHS Köln

In the past twelve years Jarry Singla – pianist and composer of Indo-German origin – lived and worked in New York, Mexico City and Cologne.

Jarrys work has been inspired by all his experiences in these places. In his original music he combines European musical traditions not only with a variety of jazz-styles but also with non-European classical and folk music. Jarrys compositions include pieces for his ensemble with the renowned British saxophonist Julian Argüelles as well as music for jazztrio and symphony-orchestra.

He is currently a member of „Borderland“ , the group of Ukrainian singer Mariana Sadovska. In 2006 Borderland received the „Creole Award for Worldmusic NRW“.

www.jarrysingla.com

Gunnar Plümer ist ein gefragter Bassist in der deutschen und internationalen Jazzszene. Sein Bass-Spiel ist auf zahlreichen LPs und CDs zu hören. Er spielte viele Jahre mit dem Trio Engstfeld/Plümer/Weiss, Randy Brecker, Lee Konitz, der Uli Beckerhoff Group, Kenny Wheeler, Barre Phillips und weiteren namhaften Musikern, wie z.B. Barre Phillips, Terumasa Hino, Albert Mangelsdorff, Christof Lauer, Bobo Stenson, Mel Lewis, Jon Christensen, Jiggs Whigham, John Taylor, Clifford Jordan und John Abercrombie.

Plümer ist ein hervorragender Begleiter und Melodiker auf dem Kontrabass und begeistert das Publikum wie die Fachkritik durch sein musikalisch und klanglich sehr eigenständiges Spiel. Er gastierte auf allen wichtigen europäischen Festivals, im Duo mit dem Tenorsaxophonisten Matthias Nadolny beim JazzFest Berlin 1996. Von 1989 bis 1999 unterrichtete er an der Jazzabteilung der Musikhochschule in Essen und ist zum wiederholten Mal Dozent des „Jazz Workshop International“ in Trier.

Konzerte und Tourneen mit folgenden Musikern: Uli Beckerhoff, Gunnar Plümer, Hugo Read, Zbigeniew Namyslowski, Matthias Haus, Rainer Witzel, Werner Neumann, Gerd Dudek, Ed Kröger, Hendrik Soll, Benny Bailey, Norbert Gottschalk, Jarek Smietana, Peter Brötzmann, Norma Winstone, Bob Degen, Matthias Nadolny, Al Grey, Michael Küttner, Achim Kaufmann, Reiner Winterschladen, Christof Lauer, Frank Wunsch, Hal Singer, Andrew White, Tata Din Din, Glen Moore, Isla Eckinger, Manfred Schoof, Frederik Köster, Charlie Mariano, Randy Brecker, Terumasa Hino, Itaru Oki, James Moody, Piotr Wojtasik, Christopher Dell, Dieter Manderscheid, Matthias Schriefl, Pablo Held, Wolfgang Schmidtke, Hans Reichel, Conny Bauer, Rhani Krija, Arkadi Shil­klopper, Tobias Weindorf, Wolfgang Engstfeld u.a.

Gastspielländer: Holland, Belgien, Luxemburg, Österreich, Polen, Italien, Frankreich, Namibia, Kuwait, Japan, Russland, Jugoslawien, Spanien, Schweiz, Australien, China, Südafrika, Tschechien, Brasilien, Großbritannien, Portugal, Litauen

Aktuelles Projekt »The Good View« mit Ryan Carniaux (tp), Kristina Brodersen (as), Sebastian A. Sternal (p) und Hendrika Entzian (b)

www.weisspeter.com