Root 70

Root 70 - Heaps Dub - 2006 - Nonplace

If you think that electronic music and jazz music are separate entities, and can't be combined, then listen to this brilliant and enjoyable album. A hugely impressive recording, and VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Check out Nublu Sessions, by Wax Poetic, for similar music.

TRACKS

01. Get Things Straight 5:00
02. Designer Groove 5:00
03. Five Star Group Travel 5:00
04. Destination Unknown 5:00
05. Revivitator (Tongs of Love) / Black Sifichi 5:00
06. Escape the Night 5:00
07. Life Is Worth... 5:00
08. It Ain't Rocket Science 5:00
09. Bosco's Disposable Driver 5:00
10. Nightbeat 5:00

MUSICIANS

Nils Wogram - Trombone
Jochen Rueckert - Drums
Matt Penman - Melodica, Double Bass
Burnt Friedman - Synthesizer, Keyboards, Dubs
Joseph Suchy - Electric Guitar
Ernesto Artunez - Percussion
Hayden Chisholm - Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Saxophone, Melodica
Black Sifichi - voice on Revivitator

TECHNICAL CREDITS

Wolfgang Stach - Engineer
Burnt Friedman - Arranger, Producer
Raschad Becker - Mastering
Hayden Chisholm - Arranger, Producer

REVIEWS

The creative quadrangle of Nils Wogram, Jochen Rueckert, Matt Penman and Hayden Chisholm, Root 70 are a jazz quartet whose loose-limbed style has seen them taming trad-jazz, reggae, dub, latin jazz and tender acoustica to produce a sound that is instantly recognizable and utterly irresistible. In a move that could easily have been interpreted as aurally political, Root 70 have taken the music of Flanger and Burnt Friedman & The Nu Dub Players and soused them clean of any electronic detritus to expose an organic heart beneath the more digitally motivated aspects of Friedman's work. Whilst this has never manifested itself as bleeps and beats, Friedman nonetheless used a silicon scalpel to retool his work to make it sound more natural - a policy Root 70 have extended by "re-naturalising" the selected pieces on offer. Comprising four dub tunes, four latin-jazz songs as well as a spoken word collage and a silky smooth jazz track, 'Heaps Dub' is idiosyncratic to the last -with each piece lasting exactly five minutes and managing to pack more freewheeling instrumentation into those 300 seconds than many similar outfits manage over an entire album. Intricate, clever and (most importantly!) fun, 'Heaps Dub' is the sound of musicians in love with their craft. Root down! © www.boomkat.com
On first tone, you’d think this was the Youngblood Brass Band. But the Root 70 jazz quartet’s sound grows much larger on Heaps Dub, an almost entirely acoustic cover album, reprising largely electronic tunes by Burnt Friedman, his Nu Dub Players and his Flanger and Atom Heart artistic alter egos. All songs have been rearranged for saxophone, double bass, drums—and, crucially, the trombone, which puts a particular spark into the music. Root 70 is a tightknit outfit, playing a sometimes dubby, sometimes upbeat punchy jazz with a drive and energy stronger than that on the original Friedman recordings. The Cinematic Orchestra and French trumpetist Erik Truffaz spring to mind as sonically kindred artists, particularly on the punchy jazz shuffle of “Five Star Group Travel”. Heaps Dub is excellent translation of electronic music into jazz—giving beautiful credit to the respectful kinship and eternal play between the two genres. © Nicolai Hartvig, © 1999-2007 PopMatters.com. All rights reserved
The internationally highly acclaimed Jazz Quartet ROOT 70 (Nils Wogram, Jochen Rueckert, Matt Penman and Hayden Chisholm) play favourite songs from Flanger and Burnt Friedman & The Nu Dub Players. Most original titles come from Nonplace releases 2000-2004. The predominantly programmed and electronically conceived pieces experience the finest acoustic makeover possible. The two days recording session took place in Cologne, October 2005. All songs were arranged for trombone, saxophone, drums and double bass by Hayden Chisholm and have finally been dubbed by Burnt Friedman. The musical spectrum on "Heaps Dub" ranges from jazz, reggae dub, latin jazz, odd grooves and crosses the named genres.

These days, it's all about reconstruction. Well, actually it's always been about that. Only that in this day and age, with all those electronic devices surrounding us, there's so many more possibilities to re-arrange, re-play, re-mix and re-cycle. But while most musical reconstruction today is depending on electronic means, "Heaps Dub" presents a slightly different approach. Burnt Friedman's various projects - that often cross the borders of the most traditional jazz while being produced in Friedman's own genuine electronic style - experience an acoustic makeover on this album.

The ten tracks assembled on "Heaps Dub" all come from the diverse albums Friedman has released with the projects Flanger - together with Atom (aka Senor Coconut) - The Nu Dub Players and also solo recordings released on his Nonplace label between 2000-2004. This selection was chosen by Hayden Chisholm, long-time collaborator of Friedman in the various live outfits with which the two tour the world together.

Chisholm is also part of the acclaimed jazz band Root 70 who have now come to play the once electronically conceived brain children of Friedman in a somewhat classic jazz quartet style - acoustic, from the page, and live.

"Heaps Dub" therefore presents the reconstruction of the reconstruction: Friedman in his original programmed work has always tried to come as close as it gets to the authenticity of natural instruments and the spirit of a band playing - to question the very principle of "natural". Root 70 on this album have "re-naturalized" the programmed works of Friedman - not necessarily to question the very principle of "programmed", but to show that these works are true songs in their own right, as well as musical favourites, no matter what the overall circumstances might be.

"Heaps Dub" comes full cycle with the final production, editing and overdubs that Burnt Friedman did after Hayden Chisholm, Nils Wogram, Matt Penman and Jochen Rueckert had recorded their versions of his diverse songs. There are four dub tunes and four latin-jazz songs as well as a spoken word collage and a smooth jazz track on this CD. Connecting them is the general length of five minutes per track - and the unmistakable timeless quality of Friedman's songwriting. And songwriting is, as we all should know by now, just another form of reconstruction. © 2004-2007 Dot Publishing. All rights reserved
"If you've been wondering about the state of young, contemporary European jazz talent recently, look no further - and enjoy!" © British Jazz Journal

"This music is brilliantly executed, bursting with wit. Root 70 illustrates how traditions can be both respected and resoundingly transgressed." © John Kennedy in JAZZ

"Wogram plays with pinpoint accuracy and rapid-fire linear invention. Hayden Chisholm plays alto with a Cool-School lightness ...combine this with his uncanny ability to elicit shkuhachi-like tones and you have one of the most offbeat, personal saxophone styles I've heard in a while." © Coda

"Wogram is one of the most technically advanced trombonists of any genre. When he lets loose his super-human abilities are something to marvel at, as the trombonist lashes out with a speed and facility rarely seen on the instrument." © Allmusic
...to me the magic is in the subtle changes, the interplay between voices, the explosions of timbre -it's by far the most MUSICAL thing i've heard this year. © Philip Sherburne

Heaps Dub can be dauntingly characterized as a ten-track ‘reconstruction of reconstruction,' or more simply as the sound of acoustic jazz outfit Root 70 (Nils Wogram, Jochen Rueckert, Matt Penman and Hayden Chisholm) doing live versions of Nonplace material by Burnt Friedman & The Nu Dub Players and Flanger (Friedman and Atom Heart). Though Friedman's original tracks were digitally sculpted, the degree to which they approximate organic group performances free of technological manipulation reveals deft sleight-of-hand. In this Baudrillardian hall-of-mirrors, Root 70's live treatment makes the catalogue sound even more natural, with the Cologne-based group confidently navigating scenic routes through dub, traditional jazz, and Latin jazz in Chisholm's rich trombone, saxophone, clarinet, drums, and double bass arrangements.
Given Chisholm's live and recording tenure with Friedman, it doesn't surprise that accomplished dub tunes like “Life Is Worth” equal Friedman's originals in quality and spirit. Root 70's attention to detail is evident throughout—the sinuous clarinet lines of “Destination Unknown” and the lush trombone-bass clarinet weave in “Escape The Night” representative examples. Breaking the instrumental flow, “Revivitator” drops a noirish spoken word setting into the album's middle while “Nightbeat” closes the set in similarly ponderous fashion. Ever the provocateur, Friedman didn't leave the material wholly untouched but configured each track to a five-minute length in the final mix—not that any of it sounds any less organic for being so. If anything, the strength of his compositions comes forth all the more strongly in Root 70's wholly simpatico renderings. © www.textura.org

BIOS ( © 2004-2007 Dot Publishing. All rights reserved )

Hayden Chisholm is a saxophonist and composer well known for his work with the artist Rebecca Horn. Originating from New Zealand, he studied in Germany and India and has since performed all over the world. His compositions have been recorded by BBC and WDR radio and as an instrumentalist he has released several albums. He currently plays with Burnt Friedman & Jaki Liebezeit and Pluramon as well as creating the music for several of Rebecca Horn's recent installations, several of which are touring the world. In 2005 his installation "Moonmirror" was featured in St Paul´s Cathedral in London.
Although only 30, he has spent 8 years of his life on the road giving concerts and is currently preparing a book about his musical travels. he currently lives and works in Berlin and Cologne.

Nils Wogram - trombone
Though barely in his 30's Nils Wogram has been a prolific and acclaimed performer for more than a decade. He has been recognized internationally as the new master on his instrument. Based on classical training, he aims at playing the jazz trombone with the fluency and flexibility of a saxophone while developing an individual concept of composing and ensemble playing. A multi-prize winner, he was awarded the 1996 International Frank Rosolino Memorial Scholarship for Jazz Trombone (USA), a composition award from the 1997 Inter-national Julius Hemphill Competition (USA), the 1998 SWR Jazz Award and many others. Wogram was a classical soloist for Krahnenbaum Company, performed as a leader at the ENJA 25th Anniversary Festival in New York and recorded and toured with his own quartet as well as with other successful acts. Wogram's CDs received highest ratings.

Matt Penman - double bass
Matt Penman is a busy musician, he plays double bass on about 50 records, plays live with the San Francisco Jazz Collective under the direction of Joshua Redman and with Madeleine Peyroux. He also played with are Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kenny Werner, Nneena Freelon, Chris Cheek, Seamus Blake, Peter Bernstein, Guillermo Klein, Wolfgang Muthspiel. Matt created the record ³The Unquiet² on Fresh Sound and once realized that he likes garlic salt more than regular salt, but this wasn¹t always the case. Originating from New Zealand and Matt now lives in New York City.

Jochen Rueckert- drums
Jochen Rueckert was born in 1975 near Koeln, Germany and started playing drums at age 6. In 1995 he moved to Brooklyn, NY where he lives now. He has been playing and recording with a variety of bands including Marc Copland trio, Nils Wogram quartet ,Marc Turner band, Chris Cheek, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John Abercrombie, Sam Yahel, Pat Metheny etc.. Jochen has been touring all over north and south America, eastern and western Europe, Asia and Australia. He is also known for his non-jazz work with New York punk-rock bands "Tennis" and "Bonnie Lundy" and electronic work with Marcus Schmickler and Nublu bands, most mentionable "Wax Poetic". He also plays bass in the NYC rockband "Worldclass" and programs, remixes and produces music for various artists in the electro/pop/hip hop sector.