Norbert Stein

An intense but not intimidating six-part suite, Pata Kandinsky takes as its jumping off point the art and artistic theories of Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944). Famous as a pioneering abstractionist, Kandinsky also had a deep appreciation for music and its effects. Composed by German tenor saxophonist Norbert Stein and interpreted by him and 11 other Köln improvisers the Pata Kandinsky suite reflects the preparation and details of creating art and personifies the painter’s search for confluence. Kandinsky often theorized about uniting contradiction among paintings’ color, form and representation. So as improvised solos and group creativity among the brass, reed, string, percussion and electronic sections are expressed, the contractions and blends implicit in music and visual art are explored.

With sequences of undulations, stop-time interludes, careful harmonies and crescendos, the band adds loud, soft, dark, light, dissonant and static sonic brush strokes to this canvas. Unobtrusive, but omnipresent, Joker Nies’ watery oscillations, voltage drones and signal processed patterns serve as the ornamental frame. Mainly because he’s the only brass player, the downward flutters, half-valve smears and hunting-horn-like ripples from Nicolao Valiensi’s euphonium stand out. This is especially true on “Dunkles Holz, helles Holz, Gold wird Silber” when among a kaleidoscope of crisscrossing tonal variations from the harmonized reeds,  harmonizes individual animated striations are featured.

Michael Heupel’s flute peeps, sometimes united with similar trills from one or more of the three clarinets project elevated timbres. Whereas curlicue clarinet bites and Stein’s intense spews alongside pianist Uwe Oberg’s keys slides are the pointillist tinctures added to “Strichcodes und Kollektive”. Meanwhile tolling smacks from Jörg Fischer’s drums provide the march tempo on it and other tracks. While German dialogue and cabaret style keyboard emphasis during the conclusion relate to Kandinsky’s Bauhaus-era experience, slight saxophone dissonance relate back to the suite’s initial reed movement. However the suite’s real climax is reached on the penultimate track. Aggressive tonal shading is divided among elevated piano tinkles, drum rattles and bangs plus compounded horn variations. Decidedly or inadvertently reflecting facets of Kandinsky’s career, the disc can stand on its own as notable music.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Sieben Pinselstriche, helle und dunkle Stufen 2. Punkt und Linie zu Fläche 3. Dunkles Holz, helles Holz, Gold wird Silber 4. Strichcodes und Kollektive 5. Vermessung der Leinwand, Texturen und Entfaltung 6. Das einfache Lied und der infernalische Klang

Personnel: Nicolao Valiensi (euphonium); Georg Wissel (alto saxophone, clarinet); Andreas Wagner (soprano, alto saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet); Pacho Davila, Norbert Stein (tenor saxophones); Michael Heupel (flute, alto, bass flutes, piccolo); Annette Maye, Rainer Weber (clarinet, bass clarinet); Uwe Oberg (piano); Florian Herzog (bass); Jörg Fischer (drums) and Joker Nies (electronics)