Available
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For Janis Joplin |
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Winter Story |
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EL INFIERNO MUSICAL II
By inevitable coincidence, a street vendor in Buenos Aires became an instrument of
providence, when he compelled attention of Christof Kurzmann, sitting outside a
coffeehouse. His merchandise were small books of Hispanic writers, and the chosen one that
ended up in the buyer’s pocket some eighteen years ago was a collection of poems by
Argentinean poet Alejandra Pizarnik. Her works abound with music and sounds or absence of
it, appreciating silence. For Kurzmann, this served as a sufficient reason to dive into her
writings, which resulted in releasing El Infierno Musical: a tribute to Alejandra Pizarnik in
the fall of 2011.
El Infierno Musical was a quintet started back in 2008 thanks to a wild card given to
Kurzmann as a birthday present by the organizers of Music Unlimited festival in Wels,
Austria, which hosted its official premiere. For the 50th day of death of Alejandra Pizarnik Kurzmann brought „El Infierno Musical back
to life again, worked on new material and changed the line-up of the band in which only he
himself and Ken Vandermark are left from the founding formation. Dave Rempis - long time
friend on saxophone, as well as Chicago Symphony Orchestra member Katinka Kleijn who
together with another great Chicago-Scene musician Lia Kohl share the role of the cellists in
the band. And to round the fresh line-up off, young drummer, percussionist Lily Finnegan
completes the newly created Sextet.
The music brings a clear structure filled with improvised parts, masterly played by perfectly
coordinated musicians, who take advantage of their miscellaneous musical histories and
styles. Full tracklist: 1. The Cage 2. Little Songs 3. For Janis Joplin (Acoustic Version) 4. Sense Of His Absence 5. Winter Story 6. Last Poem. Price: € 20,-/copy incl. worldwide shipping.
Incidentally: the group is named after her last published poetry book before Pizarniks suicide: Il infierno musical, a musical hell. And what a beautiful hell it is. We have Kurzmann on vocals and laptop, Vandermark on clarinet and tenor saxophone, Katinka Kleijn and Lia Kohl on cello, Dave Rempis on baritone and alto saxophone and a kind of flute, and last but not least Lily Finnegan on drums. (...) In short: this is a damn fine release from a damn fine group on a damn fine label. (Vital Weekly, September 2025)
A most touching, insightful masterpiece. (Free Jazz Blog, September 2025)
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