Nu Band

Lou Grassi drMark Whitecage sax
Roy Campbell Jr. tp
Joe Fonda kb
Dies ist definitiv eine der stärksten Free Bop Bands aller Zeiten: Vier mit allen Wassern gewaschene Musiker, zuhause wie wenige in diesem von Coleman, Braxton, Altshul, Holland und Corea geschaffenen Idiom, Meister des Klangs, Götter des Jazz. Begeistert und außer sich möchte man rufen: ‚The Nu Band rules!‘, denn wenn Joe Fonda ruft, ‚fast‘, dann ist es genau das. Fast as the Southern Pacific Railroad, rasend von ragtime to no time – the best of left-leaning jazz you can get! –
Allen steckt der Jazz in den Knochen, über jeden von ihnen kann man seitenweise schreiben. Ob Mark Whitecage, the white boy, der als Teenager in Harlem heimlich an der Bühne hing, um das Evangelium des Bop von seinem ersten Hohepriester, Charlie ‚Bird‘ Parker direkt zu empfangen; der seit mittlerweile 50 Jahren mit den führenden Künstlern unserer Zeit von Jeanne Lee über Anthony Braxton bis zu Joe McPhee Jazzgeschichte schreibt – ‚an absolute master of the alto saxophone and clarinet (not to mention a dab hand at electronics), and one of the finest and most original jazz composers in the world, and has been for years‘ (Dan Warburton, Paris Transatlantic). Ob Roy Campbell, den die renommierte Jazz Times schlicht ‚a monster trumpeter‘ nennt, letztes Glied in der Kette, die von Fats Navarro über Booker Little ins Jetzt reicht. Campbell, der seit drei Jahrzehnten eigene Gruppen leitet, die einen Preis nach dem anderen einheimsen – für viele nach Spring Heel Jack’s ‚Songs & Themes‘ (Thirsty Ear, 2008) die absolute Nummer 1 auf seinen Instrumenten. Joe Fonda, unser liebster Hausbassist, über dessen enormen Output sich, so Altmeister Braxton, zukünftige Musikhistoriker in Grund und Boden wundern werden, living tradition and all that – jedenfalls ‚a real virtuoso and composer of the highest order‘. Und last not least Mr Lou Grassi, dessen Stern seit Mitte der Neunziger nur noch im Steigen begriffen zu sein scheint, der einer der ganz wenigen ist, die wirklich von Dixie und Straight Ahead bis zu absolutely free alles drauf haben und mit grenzenloser Energie und diesem beseelten Lächeln auf den Lippen stundenlang durchtrommeln, dessen PoBand zu den kreativsten Veranstaltungen seit dem Sun Ra Arkestra gehört – kein Wunder bei Besetzungen mit Namen wie Steve Swell, Joseph Jarman, Marshall Allen, John Tchicai etc.etc. – Keine Frage! Für alle, die sich nach dem ‚genuine article‘ sehnen – hier ist er!
The Nu Band is a sparkling, dynamic group of pros – all of whom lead a number of groups, play and record with a variety of world-class musicians, and compose.
The Nu Band has performed at The Knitting Factory, The Vision Club Series and The Music Now Festival in NYC; The Bop Shop, Rochester, NY; The Chicago Cultural Center; Hallwalls Contemporary Center for the Arts, Buffalo, NY; The Detroit Art Space, The University of Pittsburgh, The University of Indiana and many other venues throughout the U.S.
The Nu Band toured Europe in January 2005, October 2007 and January 2009 thrilling audiences in France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland and Austria. They have four well-received CD releases available — Lower Eastside Blues (Porter Records PRCD 4025), The Dope and The Ghost / Live in Vienna (NotTwo Records MW788-2), The Nu Band Live (Konnex KCD 5141), The Nu Band / Live at The Bop Shop (Clean Feed CF002CD).
ROY CAMPBELL, JR. (trumpet, flugelhorn) has been leading his own bands for over three decades. Presently he leads Tazz, the Pyramid Trio, Shades and Colors of Trane, the Last Messengers, and the collective band Other Dimensions in Music. He is a leading innovator on his instruments and a renowned composer and arranger, and he has toured Europe, America, and Japan. All of his Delmark CD’s have risen high on critics‘ and readers‘ polls; „Ethnic Stew and Brew“ was the #3 CD of the year in 2001, according to Jazz Times. „Roy Campbell is a monster trumpeter. He’s the latest in a long line that has extended from Navarro through Brownie through Booker Little and beyond.“ –Robert Iannapollo, Cadence Magazine www.RoyCampbellMusic.com
MARK WHITECAGE (alto sax, clarinet) is internationally known as a dynamic, ceaselessly inventive instrumentalist and composer in jazz and new music. Current projects include solo work as well as his own duos, trios, quartets and quintets. He has a number of award-winning recordings on CIMP, GM Recordings, and his own label, Acoustics. His 2005 Acoustics CD, „BushWacked – A Spoken Opera“ was voted one of the year’s best by All About Jazz – LA. Since the 1960’s he has performed and recorded with some of the leading artists of our time, including Jeanne Lee, Anthony Braxton, Gunter Hampel, Dominic Duval, Joe McPhee, Steve Swell, Marshall Allen and Saheb Sarbib, in the US, Canada, and Europe. „The man is an absolute master of the alto saxophone and clarinet (not to mention a dab hand at electronics), and one of the finest and most original jazz composers in the world, and has been for years“ – Dan Warburton, Paris Transatlantic, Signal to Noise www.erjn.it/mus/whitecage.htm
JOE FONDA (bass) is an accomplished international artist who has performed and recorded as a leader in his own ensembles, most notably The Fonda/Stevens Group, throughout the United States and Europe, and as a sideman with Anthony Braxton, Archie Shepp, Bill and Kenny Barron, Ken McIntyre, Charlie Persip, Lou Donaldson, Leo Smith, Curtis Fuller, Mark Whitecage, Kunle Mwanga, Majeed Greenley, Bobby Naughton and others. „The music of Joe Fonda is part of a living tradition of belief and dedication. Future historians will be surprised at the breadth of Mr. Fonda?s offerings. This is a real virtuoso and composer of the highest order.“ – Anthony Braxton www.joefonda.digitalspace.net
LOU GRASSI (drums, percussion) is internationally known for his work in both the traditional and the avant-garde jazz worlds. From the 1970’s to the present, Lou has performed and/or recorded with a great variety of outstanding artists, including Marshall Allen, Borah Bergman, Rob Brown, Charles Gayle, Urbie Green, Gunter Hampel, Johnny Hartman, Sheila Jordan, William Parker, Perry Robinson, Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai, Fred van Hove and many others. Lou is the leader of the Lou Grassi PoBand which has released five CDs and received critical acclaim worldwide. „Lou Grassi is one of those few jazz players who is as comfortable with straight ahead bop as he is with ventures into the realm of the totally free and the creativity and energy are boundless.“ Steven A. Loewy All Music Guide to Jazz www.lougrassi.com