Sarah Gail Brand/Michael Fischer/Pat Thomas/Mark Sanders
Sarah Gail Brand, trombone
Michael Fischer, tenor saxophone
Pat Thomas, piano
Mark Sanders, drums
A set with inspiring and shining artists of the local improvised music scene and Michael Fischer, who has pioneered the improvised music scene in Austria since the 90ss, triggered by working with William Parker and Denis Charles, recontextualizing the tenor saxophone by f.i. innovating the feedback-saxophone and founding the Vienna Improvisers Orchestra.
Sarah Gail Brand, described by The Wire magazine as “the most exciting trombone player for years” Sarah Gail Brand has recorded and performed on the international Improvised Music and Jazz scene since the early 1990s with Mark Sanders, John Edwards, Elton Dean, Evan Parker, Phil Minton, Lol Coxhill, Alexander Hawkins, Maggie Nicols, Wadada Leo Smith, Steve Beresford, Georg Graewe and countless others. Sarah fronts her own tunes quartet (Sarah Gail Brand Sextet), has a long standing duo with drummer Mark Sanders, a new trio with John Edwards and Steve Beresford and continues to work as a soloist and in ad hoc ensembles. As well as being a composer, Sarah’s trombone work ranges from playing Improvised Music and Jazz, studio session work to arranging & playing in pop and rock music. Sarah is a music, therapist and a professor of Improvisation at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London and leads workshops on improvisation around the world.https://www.sarahgailbrand.net
Michael Fischer works on the speech immanence of sounds on saxophone, violin, soundscapings and conducted instant compositions. He has worked with early key-figures in experimental literature, op-art, conceptual art, visual poetry and video/film such as Marc Adrian, Dmitri Prigow, Gerhard Rühm. Performing with Marcos Baggiani the duo bagg*fish (since 2003, cd release 2013) “the two were determined to redefine the sonic options of such a duo” (AllAboutJazz) also by integrating the feedback_saxophone Michael has developed since 1999. Michael was strongly influenced to turn to free improvised music by playing and recording with William Parker and Denis Charles in the 90ies. He has collaborated with John Edwards, Hilary Jeffery, Felicity Provan, Joao Castro Pinto, Daisuke Terauchi, Tamaho Miyake, Ken Okami, Michael Vatcher, Atsuhiro Ito, Peter Jaquemyn a.m.o. In 2004 he founded the Vienna Improvisers Orchestra and works as instant composition conductor with international improvising orchestras. Concerts and festival appearances throughout Europe, Lebanon, Canada, the USA and Japan at festivals Wien Modern, Sonic Circuits, High Zero, ZKM-Globale, Kaleidophon, Donaufestival, Konfrontationen, Irtijal, ArtActs, Elevate, ReMap4, POL, Hurta Cordel, Cross Hearing, Jazzfest Wien; and Muziekgebouw, Bimhuis, STEIM, Bunka Kaikan Tokyo, Urbanguild Kyoto, Porgy&Bess, a.m.o. https://m.fischer.wuk.at
Since 1979, Pat Thomas has been performing seriously as an improviser. In 1986, he became a member of Ghosts, a band that also included flutist/saxophonist Pete McPhail and percussionist Matt Lewis. In 1988, Thomas’ interest in electronic music was rewarded with a commission to write two new compositions for his own ten-piece electro-acoustic ensemble, Monads; the group included vocalist Phil Minton, violinist Phil Durrant, bassist Marcio Matttos, and trumpeter Jon Corbett. Thomas has played with Derek Bailey in Company Week, with the trio AND, with Tony Oxley’s Quartet and Celebration Orchestra and in a duo with Lol Coxhill. In 1992, Thomas formed the quartet Scatter with Minton, Roger Turner and Dave Tucker. Thomas has recorded for several independent jazz labels in Europe, including Incus, Leo, Intakt, and Acta. In 2001, Emanem released 3 Pianos, by Thomas and fellow pianists Beresford and Veryan Weston. His experimental leanings manifested themselves in the form of electronics – he plays and programs electronic keyboards and uses pre-recorded tapes in his music. Thomas is one half of Black Top with fellow collaborator Orphy Robinson. https://efi.group.shef.ac.uk/
Mark Sanders has played with many renowned musicians including Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Henry Grimes, Roswell Rudd, Peter Brotzmann, Barry Guy, Otomo Yoshihide, Jah Wobble, Sidsel Endresen, Charles Gayle, Peter Evans, Tim Berne and William Parker. He works with John Edwards in a duo and with groups including Evan Parker, `Foils` with Frank Paul Schubert and Matthius Muller and groups with Veryan Weston, John Tilbury, Agusti Fernandez and Mathew Shipp. Mark works in a regular improvising duo with John Butcher, in a trio with cellist Okkyung Lee, John and Mark have played in Belgium, France, England and Scotland. He also has a longstanding duo with Sarah Gail Brand which has featured on the BBC`s `The Stuart Lee Show`and in the film `Taking the dog for a Walk`. As a guest with New York`s ICE Ensemble he has performed John Zorn`s `The Tempest` in London and at Huddersfield New Music Festival. Mark also works in the groups of Paul Dunmall including Deep Whole Trio with Paul Rogers, in duo and `Frisque Concordance` with Georg Graewe, and the ensembles of Mikolaj Trzaska, Uwe Oberg and Peter Jaquemyn. He has performed at major festivals in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Morrocco, South Africa, Australia, Mozambique and Turkey. https://marksanders.me.uk