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Jon Lusk on the BBC-website:
He's been called an 'astronaut accordionist' and even 'Finland's
Hendrix of the accordion'. Whatever the moniker, Kimmo Pohjonen's
hyper-imaginative reinvention of the five-row chromatic accordion
has made him a name to watch, and this is the second time he has
been nominated for these awards.
Kimmo uses his Finnish folk roots as a creative springboard for
an extraordinary hybrid of unhinged experimental music and performance
art, taking his chosen instrument to unheard (of) places. He relishes
all incidental noises the squeezebox makes, employing everything
from bellows to buttons in a feverish search for new sounds. His
beautifully lit shows segue one eye-poppingly radical idea after
another, making full use of state-of-the-art technology to create
percussive and tonal effects with looped samples, effects pedals
and ingenious placing of microphones. It's all delivered through
stunning surround sound systems and once seen and heard, is never
forgotten. 'My goal is to explore the instrument because it's always
had such a narrow minded image,' he says.
Encouraged by his father, a member of the local pelimannipiiri
(folk music fraternity) in the town of Viiala, he started playing
at the age of ten, and got his grounding in folk, dance music and
rock. He studied classical music at the world famous Sibelius Academy
from 1980-85, and then spent another year on folk. Always pushing
the boundaries of his creative imagination, he has not looked back
since launching his solo career in 1996. Parallel to this, Kimmo
has also collaborated with a huge range of artists in the fields
of dance, theatre, folk, rock and the avant-garde, contributing
to 75 albums in the past decade.
His debut CD Kielo (1999) ranges from delicate folk melodies to
shrieking squalls of noise. On Kluster (2002), he joins forces with
leading Finnish percussionist Samuli Kosminen, who samples Kimmo's
playing and abstract vocalizing to create a virtual accordion duo.
Kalmuk (2002) was recorded with the 15-piece Tapiola Sinfonietta,
hinting at the more formal aspects of his training. As half of the
ongoing Kluster partnership, Kimmo teamed up with the Kronos Quartet
in 2004, and also the following year with prog-rock King Crimson
veterans Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn as 'KTU'. Their relatively
conventional album 8 Armed Monkey contrasts with Uumen, (also 2005)
and was the result of totally improvised live sessions with French
drummer Eric Echampard. Whatever Kimmo does next, expect the unexpected.
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Eric ECHAMPARD - Drums
Echampard has a very polished, forceful, subtle, precise style in which the contrapuntal value of percussion is of highest importance. -
Born in 1970, Eric started to play drums as a child, drawn to jazz and improvisation just before he turned 14. - Holder of a diploma
in classical and contemporary percussion (CNSM of Lyon). - His career of musician and improviser was launched in 1991 when he entered
the quintet of Jacques Didonato. He quickly attracted attention in jazz and improvised music circles and began work with Louis
Sclavis, Philippe Deschepper, Chevillon, François Jeanneau, Michel Eddelin. In the mid-nineties he took part in Systeme Friche, a
large ensemble of improvisers managed by Jacques Di Donato and Xavier Charles. He also entered the ORJA big band and is still
involved in the large ensemble conducted by composer and arranger Bernard Strubber.
1995 was a turning point. He started to play in both François Corneloup trio and the Marc Ducret trio.
The trio of baritone and soprano sax player Corneloup together with Claude Tchamitchian on bass performed extensively all over
Europe till the end of the group in 2001. Then Corneloup started a quartet with Echampard, Yves Robert on trombone and Marc Ducret
on guitar. This new band immediately managed to establish itself as a top laboratory of French new jazz.
The collaboration with Marc Ducret has been a crucial part of Echampard's career from its beginning. The power trio with Bruno
Chevillon on bass is definitely one of the greatest in this genre at the moment. Eric is also involved in Ducret's big band
"Le sens de la Marche" and in the quintet with Benoît Delbecq (piano, keyboards) and Christophe Monniot (sax). - Nowadays he also
performs in the quartet of Michel Portal, with Chevillon and pianist Bojan Z. Other outstanding bands are the trio and the
MegaOctet of pianist Andy Emler.
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