Storytelling: Live at Theater Gütersloh is a 2017 live album by English guitarist Fred Frith. It was performed by Frith in a trio with Danish saxophonist Lotte Anker and Swiss percussionist Samuel Dühsler on 18 March 2017 at the Theater Gütersloh in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The recording was released on 18 August 2017 by Intuition in Germany as Volume 12 of its European Jazz Legends series.[1]
| Storytelling | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 18 August 2017 | |||
| Recorded | 18 March 2017 | |||
| Venue | Theater Gütersloh, Germany | |||
| Genre | Avant-garde jazz | |||
| Length | 61:54 | |||
| Label | Intuition (Germany) | |||
| Producer | Volker Dueck | |||
| Fred Frith chronology | ||||
| ||||
Storytelling comprises three pieces of improvised music, plus an interview with Frith conducted by Götz Bühler. The New York City Jazz Record listed the album as one of its "Honorable Mentions New Releases" in 2017.[2]
Reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| DownBeat |   [3] |
Reviewing the album in DownBeat, Martin Longley wrote that the trio switch freely between "complete abstraction and repeating structures" and "free-form and melody".[3] He said that in the "Storytelling" suite there is "a gathering sense of mystery" as the music unfolds, before it becomes "rougher, more agitated", and culminates in a "hyperactive climax" at the end of "Chapter 3".[3] Martin Laurentius wrote in Jazz Thing that on this album the trio follow their instincts. He described the "Storytelling" suite as complex avant-garde music comprising polyphonic layers with rhythmic overlays that swell and fade before building to a climax at the end.[4]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Fred Frith, Lotte Anker and Samuel Dühsler, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Storytelling (for Eduardo Galeano) – Chapter 1" | 15:31 |
| 2. | "Storytelling (for Eduardo Galeano) – Chapter 2" | 12:22 |
| 3. | "Storytelling (for Eduardo Galeano) – Chapter 3" | 5:36 |
| 4. | "La Pasión de Soñar" | 17:15 |
| 5. | "Backsliding" | 4:51 |
| 6. | "Interview with Fred Frith" (Götz Bühler) | 6:19 |
Sources: Liner notes,[5] AllMusic,[6] Discogs,[7] Fred Frith discography.[8]
Personnel edit
- Fred Frith – guitar
- Lotte Anker – saxophones
- Samuel Dühsler – drums
Sources: Liner notes,[5] Discogs,[7] Fred Frith discography.[8]
Sound and artwork edit
Recorded at Theater Gütersloh, Germany on 18 March 2017
- Holger Siedler – recording engineer
- Georg Nieshusmann – supervising engineer
- Volker Dueck – producer
- Lutz Voigtländer – photography
- Knut Schötteldreier – cover design
- Götz Bühler – liner notes
Sources: Liner notes,[5] Discogs,[7] Fred Frith discography.[8]
References edit
- ^ "Storytelling: European Jazz Legends Vol. 12". Schott Music / Intuition. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^ "Honorable Mentions New Releases 2017" (PDF). The New York City Jazz Record. No. 189. January 2018. p. 27. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^ a b c Longley, Martin (January 2018). "Fred Frith: Storytelling". DownBeat. Maher Publications. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ Laurentius, Martin (4 September 2017). "Fred Frith: Storytelling". Jazz Thing (in German). Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ^ a b c Intuition (2017). Storytelling (CD liner notes). Fred Frith.
- ^ "Fred Frith – Storytelling: Live at Theater Gütersloh". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^ a b c "Storytelling (Live At Theater Gütersloh)". Discogs. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^ a b c Ramond, Michel; Roussel, Patrice; Vuilleumier, Stephane. "Discography of Fred Frith". New York Downtown Scene and Other Miscellaneous Discographies. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2018.