Jazz am Rhein e.V. und 2nd Floor . : KOJ CD Presentation: PIFFKANEIRO - Eine Rhapsodie über Liebe, Räuber und (Un-)glück...
Christian Strässle - vl. ; Claudio Puntin - cl. ; Christoph Grab sax. ; Thise Gloor - piano ; Silvan Jeger - bass
In 2004 the Jazz club Moods and the Filmpodium der Stadt Zürich commissioned KOJ to the setting to music of „Die Bergkatze“ by Ernst Lubitsch, a true gem of a silent movie.
The result is a bitter-sweet, sometimes feisty and ironical music: The themes and motives – most of them composed by KOJ – are improvised on, structured and displaced to form the subtle and enthralling musical experience KOJ has become famous for.
The confrontational work and KOJ’s unique craftsmanship have resulted in an abundance of music and growing compositions and have led to music shows in autumn 2007 under the name of PIFFKANEIRO. Hereby Lubitsch’s imaginary city of Piffkaneiro (Lubitsch places his film „not far from Piffkaneiro“) becomes a stage for new meetings of the characters from Bergkatze. Piffkaneiro is a grotesque town in the mountains, full of stories and colourful districts with its dubious, daring and sometimes very pretty inhabitants. Musically speaking we are confronted by the themes and motives from the film appearing in different surroundings, where new arrangements and improvisation have made them grow and develop further.
For the recording of the CD PIFFKANEIRO (September 2007) KOJ could win the French clarinettist Louis Sclavis. Sclavis who had set the silent movie „Dans la Nuit“ by Charles Vanel to music in 2002, has enriched the multy-layered music of KOJ with his outstanding virtuosity and his gift in merging of various musical worlds. Sclavis’ „voice from the off“ has added a new dimension to the Bergkatze material and it therefore additionally detached from the imagery of the movie. For the live-shows in autumn 2009 clarinetist Claudio Puntin will take the place of Louis Sclavis.
More Infos, Videos and Sounds: www.myspace.com/nadelohr
The History of KOJ (ex nadelöhr)
1992: founded by Christian Strässle – violin, Christoph Grab - saxophone, Ueli Bernays – double bass, Dominik Burger – percussion/vibraphone
1994: CD “nadelöhr” (Unit Records UTR 4076), honoured by Swiss Radio International
1995/96: “nadelöhr”-septet-project Mathias Rüegg (Vienna Art Orchestra), Hans Koch, Mathias Gloor and other contemporary composers write music for the formation, enlarged by the „Weshalb Forellen(-Streich)-Quartett“ to a septet
1996: Mathias Gloor (keys) replaces Ueli Bernays
1999: CD „Charming Stories“ (Unit Records UTR 4114) music to writings by Daniil Charms (Russian writer, 1905-1942)
1999/2000: performances of„Charming Stories“ with the actor Herwig Ursin
2000: presentation of „Merry Melodies“, live-music for animations
2001/02: „Merry Melodies – Part two“, December 2001 release of the CD „Merry Melodies“ (UTR 4136)
2002: „Die Bescherung“: ten years of “nadelöhr” jubilee-program with guests Christoph Sprenger (double bass) and Andres Lutz („Geholten Stühle“)
2004: „Die Bergkatze“: setting to music of the silent movie by Ernst Lubitsch (now with Leo Bachmann (tuba) instead of Dominik Burger). nadelöhr is getting KOJ.
2007: PIFFKANEIRO – new program with guest Louis Sclavis, recording of the CD „PIFFKANEIRO“
2009: Release of the CD KOJ & Louis Sclavis “PIFFKANEIRO” (Label: between the lines)
KOJ are:
Christoph Grab – saxophone, clarinet, melodica
Studied at the Swiss Jazz School Bern (saxophone, composition, arrangement). Studies with Andy Scherrer, Jerry Bergonzi, Dave Liebman und Joe Lovano and others. Projects as leader and co-leader: christoph grab’s CRYPTIC BLUES, NEUROMODULATOR, KOJ, SCIENCE FICTION THEATER. Freelancer in numerous formations of Jazz, electronical music, Ethno (e.g. ZurichJazzOrchestra, ContemparabicJazzEnsemble). A great many concerts in Switzerland and abroad, recording commissions, professorship of saxophone and improvisation at the University of Arts Zürich.
Christian Strässle – violin, viola
Classical training at the Konservatorium Zürich, graduating in 1991 with the concert diploma. He has been invited to take part in several productions of the Theater Neumarkt Zürich and the Theater Basel as a violinist and actor. He plays contemporary music and adaptations of operas with the „Weshalb-Forellen- Quartet“ (string quartet) and Tango Nuevo/French Musette/Musique Tzigane with „Les Truffes du soir“.
Mathias Gloor – piano
Studied at the Jazzschule Luzern and at the Musikakademie in Basel (composition). Gloor was pianist/composer/arranger of the group "Kieloor Entartet" and various Modern Jazz bands (e.g. Michael Gassmann Quartett). Since 1996 member of KOJ and the Fabulous Fable Trio (with Thomas Hirt and Dominik Burger). Compositions mainly for chamber music projects such as „nadelöhr“, "Katarakt", "Trio Lépic", "Seebahn-Quartet", „oggi musica“. Gloor received several honours for his work and has performed in various places in Switzerland and abroad.
Silvan Jeger – bass
Studies of bass, cello and contemporary electronics at the University of Arts Zurich. Own projects: THE SOBS (playing bass and singing, punkjazz), ITURI (vocals and guitar, postrock), SOMNAMBULANCE (cello and electronics, noisescapes) He plays upright-bass in a lot of swiss jazz groups.
Claudio Puntin – bassclarinet, clarinet
* studied clarinet in Cologne (Jazz) and bass clarinet in Rotterdam (contemporary
music)
* winner of numerous international awards
* concerts in more than 50 countries with own projects
* composes and produces music for film, theater and radio play (a.o. Orhan Pamuk's
“Rot ist mein Name”, Daniel Kehlmann's “Die Vermessung der Welt“)
* composing commissions for a.o.: Donaueschinger Musiktage, WDR-Bigband,
Camerata Variabile Basel, Guggenheim-exhibition Bonn
* collaboration as a soloist with Carla Bley, Fred Frith, Steffen Schorn, Steve Reich, Nils
Wogram, Lucas Niggli, Ensemble Modern, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, WDR Rundfunk–
Orchester, Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
* various CD productions a.o. für ECM, enja, Sony