Reviews

• franpi barriaux, september 2014, citizen jazz

  reconnu comme l'une des formations les plus influentes de la scène improvisée turque, le quintet stambouliote islak köpek se situe aux confins de la musique électronique et du free le plus radical. si deux américains installés en turquie, le violoncelliste kevin w. davis et le saxophoniste robert reigle sont des membres permanents du groupe, le guitariste şevket akıncı, dont le jeu très bruitiste répond au ténor fiévreux de volkan terzioğlu, et surtout l'électronicien korhan erel et ses atmosphères spectrales, en constituent la base immuable.

  après avoir croisé la route de musiciens tels que lê quan ninh et publié plusieurs albums en turquie, c'est avec le flûtiste mark alban lotz qu'islak köpek a enregistré en 2010 istambul improv sessions may 4th, désormais présenté sur le luxueux label evil rabbit du pianiste batave albert van veenendaal. musicien sans frontières dont on a pu récemment apprécier le solo, lotz a montré par son imposante discographie qu'il était féru d'ambiances bigarrées où la préparation de ses instruments prend une large part. a ce titre, la rencontre avec islak köpek semblait inéluctable. elle s'inscrit dans une période importante, puisqu'on avait pu écouter il y a quelques années istambul improv session may 5th avec le guitariste umut çağlar. conçu comme une succession de duo et de trios, le disque explore des atmosphères à la fois capiteuses et alcalines malgré leur aspect résolument brut.

  lorsqu'il s'empare de sa flûte basse en compagnie des deux saxophonistes sur « mouths », la musique se fait presque chambriste tout en restant sur le qui-vive, prête à bondir dans un registre aux limites de la musique contemporaine. de même, lorsque il fait face à akıncı et erel sur le pénétrant « down », on peine à séparer le souffle des abrasions électroniques ; une alchimie persistante qui signe la forte complicité entre lotz et erel, lequel retravaille parfois en direct les interventions du flûtiste. ainsi « mouthstrap » et ses tintements synthétiques évoque un temple tibétain revisité par la musique concrète. même lorsque les musiciens sont au complet, sur le très profond « us » par exemple, le ton n'est pas au rapport de force. les ordinateurs se propagent à tous les instruments et entraînent un discours collectif qui s'enfle à mesure qu'il avance, sans rupture ni haussement de ton. un disque sans concessions, qui ouvre une lumineuse fenêtre sur des musiciens à suivre avec grand intérêt.

  franpi barriaux, september 2014, citizen jazz

• eric de rooij, january 2013, fluit

  twee dagen in istanboel in 2010 leidden tot bovenstaande opnames. twee cd's op twee labels, twee bezettingen, één muzikale gedachte: vrije improvisatie met een groep van plaatselijke muzikanten en muzikale 'expats'. het leidt tot intrigerende maar ook weerbarstige muziek, die gedoseerd gebruikt moet worden (een halve cd, eenmaal daags had bij mij de optimale werking). 'meedenkmuziek', waarbij de handvatten de luisteraar gaandeweg worden aangereikt, of deels veroverd moeten worden. titels (soms treffend, zoals bij het microbisch krioelende ursuppe) lijken achteraf toegevoegd. de stad waar het allemaal plaatsvond suggereert een 'east meets west'-sessie, maar zo voor de hand liggend is het niet. turkse maqams zijn er niet te horen, wel (om een paar voorbeelden te geven): digitale en analoge soundscapes, pygmeeënpolyfonie, flarden varèse en ja, heel af en toe een walking bass (waarbij de drummer zijn rol als tandempartner uitdrukkelijk ontloopt). eigenwijze muziek van erudiete muzikanten, vastgelegd in opnames die, getuige de zakelijke datumaanduiding in de titels, een document van het spontaan ontstane willen zijn.

  eric de rooij, january 2013, fluit

• tom greenland, october 2012, the new york city jazz record

  straddling the bosphorus, a strait connecting the black sea and the sea of marmara, turkey’s capital city istanbul lies at the cultural crossroads of europe and asia. no surprise then that turkish ‘jazz’ is cosmopolitan in character and local in flavor, embracing a world of musical travelers. (…)

  berlin-born, den haag-based flutist mark alban lotz is a globetrotting musician whose latest project, istanbul improv sessions may 4th, was recorded in the turkish capital with islak köpek, a local quintet of guitarist sevket acinci, cellist kevin w. davis, laptop and controllers player korhan erel and saxophonists robert reigle and volkan terzioglu.a disciplined outing, the group eschews skronky bombast for tessellated textures and sustained group ‘chords’ in a variety of settings, all featuring lotz on various flutes, some prepared and/ or processed. erel’s samples – a mix of animal calls, natural elements, odd metallophones and robotic twitters – never dominate the soundscape, blending seamlessly with the husky, sputtering saxes, scratchy cello and spitting flute for a satisfying balance, impeccably recorded.

  tom greenland, october 2012, the new york city jazz record

• rui eduardo paes, may-june 2012, jazz.pt

  the title of this cd confirms the fact, that there are two different discs, which document german flutist mark alban lotz’ (piccolo, c- , alto-, bass flutes, prepared flute) trip to turkey. after "istanbul improv sessions may 5th", released by loplop records, his encounter with the quintet islak köpek, pioneers of free improvised music of that country sandwiched between europe and the islamic world, has been released.

  islak köpek consists of two tenor saxophones (robert reigle and volkan terzioglu), cello (kevin davis), electronics (korhan erel) and electric guitar (sevket akinci). only in four of the improvised pieces, all six musicians are at work; there are 11 varied duos and trios throughout the cd, but there is a common characteristic to all tracks: everything that happens, happens around lotz. and extremely well ...

  rui eduardo paes, may-june 2012, jazz.pt

• e.g., 24 march 2012, sands-zine.com

  isco post-free piuttosto classico nell'impostazione, con richiami sia alla tradizione europea sia a quella chicagoana, seppure si noti la presenza di korhan erel al computer. si nota anche l'assenza della batteria e la presenza del violoncello, al posto del contrabbasso, ma questi sono elementi che fanno ormai parte della quotidianità anche nell'improvvisazione di matrice jazzistica. .

  e piuttosto consueti sono sia i numerosi passaggi rabbiosi sia quelli più pacati (quali il meditativo stop), così come l'onomatopea di molti altri frammenti. l'incontro fra il sassofonosta - flautista olandese lotz e l'ensemble islak köpek (formato essenzialmente da musicisti di origine turca) lasciava sperare in una più coraggiosa azione contaminatoria, speranza incoraggiata dal luogo delle registrazioni ben mostrato nel titolo del disco, che al contrario trovo essere piuttosto timida. così stando le cose non posso far altro che consigliarlo solo a coloro che si cibano di post-free jazz a colazione, pranzo e cena, nonché all'ora del classico tè pomeridiano. .

  e.g., 24 march 2012, sands-zine.com

• tim sprangers, february 2012, jazz international rotterdam

  eccentric instruments and formations one of the unique features of the jazz genre is that it is open to every possible influence. this is mutual: often enough there are jazz groups, accompanying a world-music musician, who tours alone through foreign countries. jazz musicians are among the most flexible musicians. the basis for this of course is the ability to improvise. that admissibility ensures an endless stream of energy. outside influences will never be excluded. jazz receives the most diverse instruments, (musical) cultures, typical personalities with open arms, or gets even mixed up with socially engaged topics. if you see an eccentric instrument or a different instrumental setting in a band, you can actually say for sure: these musicians like to use musical opportunities. there is no standard philosophy. this is ‘a priori’ special music. good or not, it does not really even matter. pioneers who dare to walk new paths, which brings us further. (...)

  substantial sound research you can definitely find a rich colour palette in mark alban lotz’ (piccolo, flute) istanbul improvisation sessions with the turkish group islak kopek. it’s rarely beautiful, but most certainly interesting. the flute is the oldest instrument in the world and it receives approval from digital audio sources. the alienating interaction between the excited staccato flute and the sucking electronic tones from the laptop is entertaining, as well as the combination with the two tenor saxophonists; where during long developments, ear-stressing dissonance occurs, the amalgamations stays intriguing. it is a challenge to listen through this whole cd of sound research, but especially the realization that here essential music is made, which touches many ends of the sound spectrum, is the motivation.

  tim sprangers, february 2012, jazz international rotterdam

• uc bouquet, 2 february 2012, le son du grisly

  this is the second part - but the first chronologically - of mark alban lotz’s adventures, by joining islak kopek (sevket akinci: guitar / kevin w. davis: cello / korhan erel: laptop / robert reigle & volkan terzioglu: tenor saxophone).

  even if the six musicians are improvising only four times out of fifteen pieces all together, this is enough to confirm the total amalgamation of the dutch flutist and the five turkish improvisers (american-born kevin w. davis and robert reigle are now turkish residents). the unleashed rough tenor of robert reigle is confronted here with lotz’s serene flutes: there is no fighting but a natural driven dissonance race. suffocated breaths materialize out of the nebulous mass. the best snapshots of the disk however, are the strong meetings between the flute (player) and korhan erel: the ancestral winds of the one and the electronic garglings of the other, are binding some strong, accomplished ideas. this is, undoubtedly, a combination to talk about in the future.

  uc bouquet, 2 february 2012, le son du grisly

• jörg solothurman, january / february 2012, jazz 'n' more

  the most famous ensemble in the new improvisation scene of istanbul, is probably the quintet "islak köpek" (the wet dogs). different inputs from the newest live-electronics, to cage and free jazz are being combined here.

  these introspective recordings were made in 2010, during a visit by the german-dutch flutist lotz. whether pure tone or amorphous and electronic noise, everything in the 14 short unedited improvisations is considered equal, but used selectively. note the caution of the players and the importance of the gaps.

  a short "objet trouvé” can as well be found, but the melody and sound developments predominate. the initiative often comes from the flutist, introducing a small idea. "mouths" for instance begins as concrete music, with scratching sounds that are gradually covered by a static, but color-changing sound. "mouthtrap" interpolates four or five notes, interspersed with gaps and sparse electronic sounds. "stop" starts with isolated, sustained flageolet tones, sounding as coming from a distance. then, increasingly small independent melodic movements devour.

  jörg solothurman, january / february 2012, jazz 'n' more

• ken waxman, 25 january 2012, jazzword.com

  more below the jazz radar than its equivalent in any city of similar size, istanbul’s free music scene is still evolving. nevertheless, as these demonstrated by these cds, recorded on subsequent days by a dutch-based german flautist plus local turkish improvisers, many of the city’s players are ready for prime time.

  a bandleader and composer who plays most members of the flute family and has worked with musicians as different as the zapp string quartet, vocalist fay victor and trombonist wolter wierbos, german mark alban lotz is cast in a distinct role on either cd. although each intermingles the flautist’s playing with subsets of local musicians, those on may 5 are a motley group who often work in different combinations. the date from the day previously however, has lotz alongside members of islak köpek (ik), who have regularly played together since 2005, including a festival appearance with french percussionist lê quan ninh.

  because of this, istanbul improv sessions may 4th, avoid unneeded echoes of sessions which more often than not try to shoehorn together contributions from different local players and a visiting soloist into an untenable mixture. full band tracks such as “our”, “mouths” and “us” – especially then latter two – capture an organized unit comfortable with novel sonic impulses. “us” for instance balances lotz’s low-frequency flute vibrations against split-tone slurps and ney-like yelps from ik’s two tenor saxophonists: american robert reigle and volkan terzioglu. as this exercise in lighter and darker reed vibrations plays out, the jousting is underscored by finger-style patterning from guitarist sevket akinci and american cellist kevin davis, plus percussive input from korhan erel’s laptop programming. erel’s programming is most distinctively electronic on “mouth” when it creates signal-processed gongs to complete the sound picture that mingles expressive reed blows plus tremolo transverse flutters. in an analogous fashion lotz’s experience with any of the ik members demonstrates a similar comfort level. for instance, watery sax vibrations plus flute twitters are propelled by a spiccato cello riff on “we”; while lotz’s balanced bass flute textures nestle comfortably within sparkling music-box-like echoes from the laptop on “mouthstrap”. familiar with preparations himself, lotz’s wide vibrato creates multiphonic echoes perhaps further processed by erel.

  if only such cohesion was demonstrated the next day. not that the musicianship is lesser among lotz’s six collaborators here. after all some of them have played with direct stylists such as saxophonists peter brötzmann and evan parker, respectively masters of bombast and chance. in any case the most dexterous improvisations involve the visitor with clarinetist alexandre toisoul, trumpeter can ömer uygan and guitarist umut çaglar. “ursuppe” finds the guitarist’s slurred fingering and irregular flanges providing an ever-shifting backing for the intermingling of trumpet grace notes, contrapuntal clarinet peeps and bass flute sonority. herding errant timbres together with descending strums, çaglar guides the horns’ wiggles and pants to a satisfying conclusion.

  “open air party” is equally organized as fuzz-tone-encrusted guitar pumps plus rubato trumpet runs create a contrapuntal response to lotz’s legato lines. eventually aviary-suggesting clarinet licks add to the piece’s overall lyricism. despite juddering flute textures, non-western-styled reed explorations and steadying rhythm work from bassist michael hays and drummer florent merlet however, most other interactions appear more tentative, no matter the remaining personnel. instructively, “friction”, the only other completely satisfying track, involves all the participants. committed to express every abrasive timbre that can be pulled, pushed and whapped from an instrument, the cacophonous result of mouthpiece squeezed split tones, twittering bird calls, buzzing guitar reverb and brassy, flat-line trumpeting becomes as exciting as it is impudent. with both these discs disseminated past the confines of turkey, lotz helps to show off the skills of istanbul improvisers. islak köpek in toto is evidentially ready for more western exposure, as individually are some players on the other cd.

  ken waxman, 25 january 2012, jazzword.com

• december 2011, jazzbulletin 81

  flautist mark alban lotz spent the month may 2010 in istanbul, where he played with various jazz- and world music groups.

  islak köpek is one of the leading groups in the field of free improvisation and consists of: sevket akinci (g), kevin w. davis (cello), korhan erel (laptops, controllers), robert reigle (ts) and volkan terzioglu (ts). on the 4th of may they improvise together in various combinations. the result has been released on the cd istanbul improv sessions may 4th. eight duos, three trios and four collective improvisations. mark lotz released the sessions from one day later on his own label loplop, titled istanbul improv sessions may 5th (see jazzbulletin 79).

  december 2011, jazzbulletin 81

• jerry d'souza, 12 december 2011, allaboutjazz.com

  flautist mark alban lotz played two concerts of improvised music with different bands of musicians in istanbul in may 2010. istanbul improve sessions, may 5th (loplop records, 2011) was the first to be released. the performance from the previous day, with islak köpek, now makes its appearance and finds lotz playing in real time duo, trio and larger group settings. the music has been released as it was played except for some trims at the beginning and end of each, leaving the essential intact.

  four of the tracks are group explorations and these understandably have more depth and expanse than the others. lotz is often the reference point before the others come in to add a tangible body. his airy motifs on "mouths" aremet by korhan erel's electronic manipulations before a vent that is closed, stapling the drone of saxophonists robert reigle and volkan terzioglu to guitarist sevket akinci, who moves from rough-edged chords to chiming harmonics. "us" moves across varied terrain, the sweet tones of the flute dovetailing into dissonance, met with the saxophones' open intonation. the sextet keeps the vitality pumping as it builds dense textures through a sustained thrust of momentum.

  the "scared" and the "sacred" come up on the two collaborations with the saxophonists. terzioglu is trenchant, layering whorls of sound into and across the probing lotz on "scared." reigle, in contrast, is more circumspect in approach and lighter in tone and complements lotz. in tandem they create parallel spectrums that enhance the dynamics and come to the fore when they get together on "stop." lotz helms the pastel shades of the head, setting the mood for the saxophone ensemble lines. they work in accord and actually invest a melody which is a welcome touch.

  lotz and islak köpek match up well to forge skillful manipulations of sound.

  jerry d'souza, 12 december 2011, allaboutjazz.com

• ken vos, november - december 2011, jazzism #105

  in may 2010 flutist mark lotz had a fruitful stay in istanbul, which increasingly grows into an international music metropolis. curiously, these two concerts have been released on different labels.

  may 4th is a collaboration with the band islak köpek. this group sounds quite organic with his unusual cast, which means that the electronics fit in the natural acoustics of the other instruments. thus, laptop player korhan erel adds the percussive elements. the quintet is a turkish-american affair with two tenor saxophones (robert reigle and volkan terzioglu), further a guitar (sevket akinci) and cello (kevin w. davis). the pieces are improvised, but are thoughtfully constructed with a distinct jazz sound, while the musicians leave enough space for each other. (...)

  ken vos, november - december 2011, jazzism #105

• gianpaolo galasi, 11 november 2011, mescalina.it

  in recent years istanbul is growing a huge pool of talent. the likes of eugene chadbourne, dom minasi, evan parker and peter brötzmann went to participate to recording projects with local musicians, or to record their own records.

  two years ago the canadian signal to noise magazine has devoted an extensive special on the turkish scene. then it was the turn of the wire in england to distribute a compilation with the december issue, not to mention the constant attention of the online magazine allaboutjazz. even musicians like our italian mauro sambo and renato ciunfrini have excellent and fruitful relationships with local musicians there, bearing witness to what is a real 'scene', to all intents and purposes, and potential contamination of a fertile breeding ground for new or receptacle talents like it has never been seen or felt for a long time. the reason is very simple. it seems that these 'boys' have reported everything, which in these last thirty years has been separated at the level of perception (orchestral music, jazz, contemporary, electronic) in the same pot from which, at least here in europe, everything has been presented on stages of small clubs and made payable to collective names like derek bailey, keith rowe and john russell, before separating, specialized, individualized, and reaching the consolidated current positions. therefore i re-listened to the compilation “not necessarily english music”, published by mit in 2004 and curated by david toop. add everything what has been omitted for 'inscrutable' reasons (read rio, henry cow, robert wyatt, with and without soft machine), and you have a good idea of what to expect from listening to records by musicians like umut caglar or korhan erel. ? ? fresh music, beyond every barrier, including as well electronic, acoustic and electric, as well as composed and improvised, classic and avant-garde. for example, try to put this disk into the drive, which has been produced by evil rabbit records and contains 15 songs, recorded on may 4, 2010 in istanbul at a session, held between the multi-instrumentalist mark alban lotz and islak köpek. the first is a musician, who grew up in uganda and thailand and studied in adolescence classical and contemporary flute at the amsterdam school of the arts, and worked already with musicians as chris potter, wolter wierbos, michael moore, ernst reijseger and han bennink. but also looks back on a large number of interactions with the more important and recognized masters of folk and ethnic music of all kinds, from armenia to zambia, passing through cuba and the yoruba. islak köpek instead was the first group of experimental free improvisation, which performed since 2005 in the clubs of istanbul, before arriving the following year at all'akbank jazz festival.

  guitar (sevket akinci), cello (kevin w. davis), two tenor sax (robert reigle and volkan terzioglu), laptops, and assorted electronic equipment (korhan erel, soul and mind of the group) and the host lotz interact in various combinations - duets of electronics or sax with flute in mouthtrap, throat, diamond and mouthstrap, those of the wind instruments in scared/ sacred, a trio in stop, the ensemble tracks mouths, us, short, mouthwater - showing a vein of faceted compositions, capable of showing receptacle, synthesis and new start of everything what has been produced in the last thirty years in europe and beyond. circular breathing, microtonal, layers of sound, silence, leaps, arpeggios, drones, intricate melodies and instrumental lines, everything seems to regain a new vitality and a urgency which, if not lost, however, is threatened to crystallize in the final and acquired formulas.

  gianpaolo galasi, 11 november 2011, mescalina.it

• rudie kagie, oktober 2011, vrij nederland

  the collaboration of flutist mark alban lotz with the quintet islak köpek is surprisingly good in three different aspects.

  first of all, istanbul seems to own a international scene of improvising musicians. second, the outstanding level of spontaneous interaction recorded in the turkish studio is astonishing. third, lotz’ capacity of coming directly to the essence in quintet, quartet, trio or in duo setting really takes you by surprise. may 2010 was a productive month for lotz in istanbul, where he performed with local musicians from the jazz-, world- and avant-garde scene. one day after recording with islak köpek for evil rabbit records, he recorded with other musicians a second cd released on another label. this is free music in its most universal variant. or as stated in the liner notes: 'ancient footprints are everywhere'.

  rudie kagie, oktober 2011, vrij nederland

• gianpaolo galasi, 7 october 2011, london resonance

  i talked about islak kopek on allaboutjazz months ago - skim through it and pick up what you want directly from re:konstrukt digital label after reading, so i'm happy to introduce a record (istanbul improv sessions 4th may, evil rabbit records, 2011) made by the first improvising group active in istanbul since 1995 added with flutist, improviser, composer mark alban lotz.

  while i'm planning to put down a retrospective on the activity of the band via an interview with korhan erel, i'd like to point at the fact that the music herein is an excellent document of the different approaches to composition and improvisation of the group - basically electroacoustic improvisation with a 'chamber' approach, since the fourtheen small pieces, from 1 to about 5 minutes - are featuring different combinations of musicians. kevin whitehead in the notes writes about a cosmic sound carrying with it balinese gamelan, senegalese drumming, navajo and bulgarian and australian aboriginal singing, peruvian pipes. that means that one of the best quality of the record is being higly evocative. i would add that the best moment here is our, an explicit, moving dedication to albert ayler and to the 'speaking in tongues' era, and an indication on how a group of musicians can bring together non idiomatic expressions and a well rooted sense of what dealing with structures mean.

  gianpaolo galasi, 7 october 2011, london resonance

• jazzowy alchemic, 3 october 2011, http://jazzalchemist.blogspot.com

  Improvisation is a language that doesn't care for cultural differences. Improvised music could be well the most democratic, universal form of communication and expression there is. And what you can hear on this cd is a strong argument for that thesis as german flute player joins the musicians from Istanbul group Islak Kopek (two of them amercian expats) for a series short musical conversations. 4 pieces are played by the entire crew while the other 11 present a different configurations of duos and trios.

  Kevin Whitehead in his liner notes speaks about intercultural (or even intergalactical) meetings. And I can easily immagine the four Lotz / Erel pieces being a kind of conversation between ages, with flute being one of the most ancient instrument on Earth and the electronic sounds of laptop coming from an entirely different era, or planet. Yet they manage to meet, driven by the goal of knowing each other, of making a connection, thus expanding proper universe. The sparkling contrast of the sounds and yet the clear community of the minds makes for some of the most inspiring moments of this cd. Lotz shares also one dialogue with all the others members of Islak Kopek and finds a way to interact with each one (instrument and musician's personality) differently - he follows the fiery free jazz saxophone and soothes it down ("Sacred" with Terzioglu), in the other sax-flute duo he's melodic attitude slowly gravitates towards the extended breathing techniques displayed by Reigle but he retains the singing quality of flute's timbre ("Scared"), he answers the string overtones of cello with polyphonics and sung notes which brings to a heated exchange ("Talking" with Davis), he rides the rapid guitar chords with swift flurrying notes on his own ("Diamond" with Akinci). While the tracks are not ordered this way, still It's fascinating to hear the palette of sounds expanding, the music going in more directions and the will to push in order to connect more disparate elements even stronger in the trio pieces and (especially so) when entire ensemble gets on the stage. Like in the evocative "Stop" (Lotz / Reigle / Terzioglu) where each fragile chord bring the moment of silence. There's the profound feeling of unity, of direction, of compassion in the slowly harmonizing sounds ("Mouths") in the patiently unfolded crescendo, the sense of vitality and passion in expansion (wonderfully expressive saxophones' dialogue in "Our").

  I'm not really sure what words depict this music properly. For all I feel it's profoundly humane, for all I kow it doesn't hold any barriers of culture, race, language, religion, time and space. A democratic and universal form of personal expression and communication.

  jazzowy alchemic, 3 october 2011, http://jazzalchemist.blogspot.com

• François Couture, 30 september 2011, monsieurdelire.com

  An interesting free improvisation meeting between globe-trotting flutist Mark Alban Lotz and Turkish improv group Islak Köpek (a quintet comprising two saxes, cello, guitar & laptop). Fifteen short tracks developing occasionally conventional ideas, though always in clever ways. This music is slithering and shaking with life.

  François Couture, 30 september 2011, monsieurdelire.com

• herman te loo, 26 september 2011, jazzflits.nl

  flutist mark alban lotz from utrecht spent last year in may a fruitful week in istanbul. previously he published on the label loplop the cd "istanbul improv sessions may 5th, where lotz can be heard in the company of a number of prominent members of the improvised music scene from the turkish metropolis.

  this sequel is a session with the turkish quintet islak köpek from the day before. the company has a special cast (two tenor saxophones, guitars, cello and laptop) and makes use of total free improvisation.

  for lotz this is a spread bed, except for the fact, that such securities do not exist in improvised music. however, the flutist uses the space well, offered by the members of islak kopek, which is a prerequisite for their adventurous, open music. the absence of a (potentially dominant) drummer underlines that again.

  in the fifteen pieces the six musicians stand out by means of attentive listening behavior, because the improvisations never get boring and certainly don’t use of the autopilot.

  sometimes one hears duos and trios (just like on the loplop cd), and sometimes, the entire sextet, as in the tensed and driven 'our'. there are also fascinating explorations of harmonies (the long notes of the three horns in 'stop'), confrontations between electronic and acoustic instruments ('mouth trap’) and surprising operations by the laptop (the sounds of a toy piano in "mouth trap"). lotz is busy planning a meeting between turkish and dutch improvisers in the netherlands. based on this diptych of sessions, it seems to be an excellent plan.

  herman te loo, 26 september 2011, jazzflits.nl