After an exhilarating couple of days helping launch Intakt’s fortnight at The Stone I’m struck yet again by how much great music has come out of this very small country (you could fit three Switzerlands into New York state, and ten into California!) Piano (Irene Schweizer, Sylvie Courvoisier, Katharina Weber), drums (Fredi Studer, Lucas Niggli, Pierre Favre, Fritz Hauser, Dieter Ulrich), horns (Urs Leimgruber, Co Streiff, Arte Quartet, Hans Koch), strings (Charlotte Hug, Alfred Zimmerlin, Martin Schutz) and voices (Doro Schurch, Franziska Baumann)—chances are that if you’re into improvisation you already know many of these names, and every year there are more and more names as new and energetic practitioners emerge. Intakt is the logical (if not the only) home for many of these extraordinary musicians, and New Yorkers are enjoying a rare chance to see some of them interact with the local scene. I had a great time, wish I could have stayed longer. A celebration, a party, and a lesson in how things can be done. Bravo Intakt, and chapeau to them and to JZ for thinking, as always, out of the box …
Fred Frith