MUSIC
BIO
PANNONICA
(more infos)
press:
After several successful projects including
"Woodclock",
"Jazzista",
"Airbass" &
"Schwarzmarkt"
bassist, composer & bandleader
Gina Schwarz is more than ready to explore even deeper
her artistic boundaries with Pannonica.
GINA SCHWARZ & MULTIPHONICS 8
Gina Schwarz – (AT) composition, arrangement, bass
Annette Maye – (DE) Bb-clarinet
Mona Matbou-Riahi (IR) – Bb-clarinet
Steffen Schorn (DE) – contra-alto clarinet, C-melody sax
Thomas Savy – (FR) bass clarinert
Lucas Leidinger – (DE) piano
Mahan Mirarab – (IR) guitar
Dirk-Peter Kölsch – (DE) drums
Daniel Manrique-Smith – (PE) flute
Homage to Nick Drake
In 2020 & 2021 the Austrian jazz bassist and composer Gina Schwarz had the privilege of being invited to the Multiphonics Festival Cologne as Composer in Residence. The starting point of her new compositional ideas was the music of the British folk singer, guitarist and composer Nick Drake.
The depht of his music, the desperate melancholy, the tende hope and his extraordinary lyrics in songs like Time Piece, Way to BLue, Riverman, Clothes of Sand, Strange Meeting II, Fruit Tree, Three Hours ... were inspirationn for her music.
Just as Drake sometimes structured his albums as stories, her new compositions can also be interpreted as an independent cycle. (press)
FUSÃO
GINA SCHWARZ (AT) - bass
ANGELO DA SILVA (BR) - guitar
The mood of the music tells the story
The music is somehow like the Portuguese language - very picturesque - in the moonlight "No brilho da lua", in a dance "A danca" or in "Lobo tonto" - where you can see the wolf dancing. The titles "Venezia", "Via Terra" and "Noce Italiani", on the other hand, fantasize in Italian images - a little sentimental, a little wistful, a little melancholy. "Rain in Spain" and "Santiago" take the listener to Spanish-speaking countries and the circle closes with the melody "Nach Freitag". This is were the Austrian influence comes into play: Vienna, where the virtuoso duo met and was formed. The intense expression in the tone of the two individual musicians seduces you - into a world of driving rhythms, beautiful melodies and harmonies. The combination of acoustic bass and acoustic guitar is magical - intimate an yet sonorous - a special sound - a special duo. Feelings and moods shape the music. when the first notes sound, you feel at home in your living room. When you close your eyes, you hear a 10-string intsrument - a kind of fusion - fusao. (Simeon Morrow)
TRIO
HEINRICH VON KALNEIN (DE) - saxes
RAMON LOPEZ (SP) - drums, tabla
GINA SCHWARZ (AT) - bass
For some time now, “free improvisation” has been a central theme in my musical creativity. The unbelievable freedom which this music form offers is immeasurable and sometimes also unobtainable. Absolute trust and mutual empathy among the players are determining factors for its success.
As with many of my other projects, this trio has a rather far-reaching background. I became familiar with Ramón ten or so years ago through his work with Joachim Kühn’s superb “African” trio, which included the singer and guembri virtuoso Majid Bekkas. In my opinion, Ramón’s colorful playing, sound dynamics and musical intelligence are exceptional, and they can take form in his other artistic works as well. I have also had Gina Schwarz on my radar for a long time, in part through her work with her own band, Pannonica. We got to know each other better musically during the recording session for my production “Möbius Strip – Into the Now!” and then began rehearsing together. I think that Gina is a fantastic bassist with an enormous sound, and above all with musical instinct that always helps her make exactly the right choices.
(Heinrich von Kalnein)
QUARTET
album out - (more infos)
EASE & OOZE (audio)
GUIDO SPANNOCCHI (AT) alto sax
GINA SCHWARZ (AT) - e-bass
MATHEUS JARDIM (BR) - drums
MARTIN SIEWERT (DE) - guitar, slide guitar, fx
ease & ooze is the debut album from four of Europe’s most exciting contemporary improvisers: Guido Spannocchi (alto sax), Martin Siewert (guitar, effects), Gina Schwarz (electric bass, prepared electric bass) and Matheus Jardim (drums). Spanning genres, generations, genders, histories and continents, Spannocchi Siewert Schwarz Jardim had never been in the same room let alone played music together before the recording of this album. Tracked in an afternoon at Audiomanufaktur Studios (Vienna) and without cuts, edits or overdubs, ease & ooze beautifully captures the spontaneous creation of distinct compositions and soundscapes. It is a four-way musical conversation illustrating the elusive truth that playing together is always secondary to listening together.
All songs collectively spontaneously composed.
„Heutzutage ist es ja fast ein Akt des Ungehorsams, wenn man sich Kultur ansieht“, meinte der in London lebende, österreichische Altsaxofonist Guido Spannocchi launig zum wegen der Pandemie zusammengestutzten Publikum. Es war sein Debüt im Pory & Bess, und so hatte er sich fabelhafte Kollegen herbeigezaubert: den wüsten Gitarristen Martin Siewert, den quirligen Schlagzeuger Matheus Jardim, vor allem aber die empathische Bassistin Gina Schwarz. Sie brachte ein wenig funky Sternenstaub in diese wilden Extemporationen. Für gewöhnlich versteckt sie sich gerne hinter einem mächtigen Kontrabass. Diesmal aber groovte sie ohne Paravent, am E-Bass. Ihre Funkyness sah man ihr schon an den güldenen Turnschuhen an. Überhaupt sagt das Schuhwerk schon einiges darüber aus, wie ein Musiker in der Welt steht. Viele Sängerinnen präferieren es, barfuß auf den Brettern zu agieren, andere tragen Militärstiefel oder lila Schnürschuhe. Spannocchi zelebriert eine Art Pauvre Chic, steht aber in mehr als soliden, zweifarbigen Budapestern. Die verleihen Sicherheit, wenn sich der Träger in unerforschtem Terrain umsieht. Die energiegeladene Performance seines Quartetts passierte nämlich spontan und ohne doppelten Boden. Einen Tonträger in dieser Besetzung, die delikate, kühle Innigkeit kommuniziert, wird es auch bald geben.
(Samir H. Köck, "Die Presse", Print-Ausgabe, 13.10.2020)
