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ICP 044 |
Afijn is an illuminating and deeply entertaining video documentary on the great Dutch pianist Misha Mengelberg. Along with drummer Han Bennink,
Mengelberg is the patriarch of the distinctive Dutch jazz scene, which is
omnivorous in content and irreverent in attitude. Afjin traces the pianist's
jagged artistic trajectory, drawing on old schoolmates and fellow composers
to explain his impish and doggedly original aesthetic. There's terrific
footage and photographs from early performances-including a 1960 trio
gig-that sheds light on his unique mixture of bebop (especially his key
influences, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk) with vanguard modern
composition (old pal Louis Andriessen is one of the doc's subjects) and
Dadaist tendencies. The pianist comes off as both engaging and characteristically oblique in the extensive interview footage, and those qualities are mirrored in the recent performances featured in the film, some with trumpeter Dave Douglas and lots with Mengelberg's long-running ICP Orchestra. Among the DVD's extras are Pief, a short 1967 film made by the pianist that features a cat "playing" the piano, and a lengthy performance of an old composition called "With Sincerest Regards From the Camel," in which a carpenter saws apart a wooden chair and reconstructs it in the shape of a camel while the ICP, with special guest Anthony Braxton, plays on. The disc also includes duet performances with Douglas and Bennink, and several complete ICP tunes. Peter Margasak |
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Documentary Afijn on composer, bandleader
and improviser Misha Mengelberg (77.40)
available in DVD-PAL and DVD-NTSC versions Music fragments and statements give a clear insight in Mengelbergs original way of thinking and way of working. Old film material shows how Mengelberg developed from classic composing by jazz influences to become the godfather of Dutch improvised music. Extra features: - Pief / cat on the piano, filmed by Misha Mengelberg (1967) (1:53) - Eeko/ a duet of Misha and his parrot (1972) (3:13) - Met welbeleefde groet van de kameel (With Sincerest Regards from the Camel)(40:22) (ICP Orchestra and Anthony Braxton - BIMhuis, June 5th, 2005) - Improvisation (Misha Mengelberg & Han Bennink duo - BIMhuis, September 2nd, 2004)(6:28) - Kneef (MM) (4:08) and Gare Guillemins (MM) (7:36) (Misha Mengelberg and Dave Douglas duo, BIMhuis, April 2nd, 2004) - Kachel (MM) (2:36) and Baltimore Oriole (Hoagy Carmichael, arr. By Michael Moore) (5:55) (ICP Orchestra - Mahogany Hall, Edam, November 26th, 2005)
Camera: Daniel Gallenkamp, Wolter Wierbos, Jellie Dekker Sound: Dick Lucas Still photography: Pieter Boersma Translation: Frank van Herk On Line: Het Raam Post Production: Rinus Stroes, Susanna von Canon Editorial staff: Dick Lucas, Piet Hein van de Poel Editing and direction: Jellie Dekker DVD produced by DATArecords Portrait Francesco Martinelli Coverart Han Bennink Cover design Piet Gerards Ontwerpers Thanks to the BIMhuis for use of their stage, Francesca Patella, Jaap van de Klomp and Dutch Jazz Archives for use of photo material. The documentary was made with the support of NPS-television Special thanks to the interviewed: photographer Pieter Boersma, ICP orchestra manager Susanna von Canon, composer and pianist Guus Janssen, pianist Tomoko Mukayama, composer Louis Andriessen, media and visual artist Wim T. Schippers, saxophonists Ab Baars and Tobias Delius, sinologist Rik Schipper and drummer Han Bennink.
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