Working regular with Utku Yurttas, piano and trimba duo. I have also a regular saxophone group: Spirit of Moondog.
Band members of Spirit of Moondog Saxophone sextet (plus the trimba percussion): Jürgen Bebenroth, soprano sax and clarinet. Norbert Geis, tenor sax and flute. Andreas Lensing, baryton sax and bass clarinet. Günther Menger, alto sax, didgeridoo, shrutibox. Thomas König, bass saxophone. Dietmar Schmahl, tenor sax. Stefan Lakatos, Moondog trimba. YOU ARE WELCOME TO BOOK US!
Influences
Mainly Moondog.
Other influences: Frank Zappa, Samuel Beckett, Bertil Pettersson, Luis Bunuel, Harry Lorayne, Mauricio Kagel, Ravi Shankar, Daddy Lasse O.., Jethro Tull, Gong, Fugs, Sun Ra, Zap Mama, Björk, Joseph Haydn, Montaigne, Voltaire, Mozart, Beethoven, Spike Jones, Doo Wop, Dr John and John Ashbery, Harlan Ellison, Robert Crumb, Haruki Murakami, Paul Auster, Ivor Cutler... and many more to come.
"Listen to Moondog and you will never hear music the same way again"............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................"Music has been written for the sake of writing, but not he music that I write; the music that I have written must be heard by you". - Louis Hardin..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Stefan Lakatos is heir to Moondog's percussion instruments and playing style -- in 1986 he was publicly designated by the composer as "the leading exponent of the Moondog method of drum playing." ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Stefan Lakatos, Swedish artist and musician, became a close friend of Moondog's in 1980 and has devoted much of his time since then to the cultivation and propagation of Moondog's music, and in particular to the use of the unique percussion instrument known as the Trimba. Moondog himself taught Stefan Lakatos his method of drum playing. They worked together on various projects, which included extensive private consultations in Sweden............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Through this friendship Lakatos acquired a detailed understanding of Moondog's life and work. In 2008, in connection with Stefan Lakatos' performances at the Moondog Rising Festival in New York, Dr. Robert Scotto observed that Lakatos “recreates the original sound and subtle characteristics of this challenging music, conducting the ensembles from the Trimba rather than the podium -- and thus introducing new generations to the work of Moondog as only he can do.” .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Indeed a year earlier, in 2007, Stefan Lakatos had even brought Moondog's music back into the hallowed precincts of Carnegie Hall. He had recently presented the organ music of Moondog with organist Paul Jordan in London at the Barbican.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
“Stefan Lakatos is the leading exponent of the Moondog method of drum playing", wrote Moondog in his liner notes to the first Bracelli string ensemble LP of 1986............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
The Trimba
The Trimba is a unique percussion instrument invented by Moondog himself and designed -- in the search for new sounds -- for use in his own compositions. The characteristic and, by now, renowned Trimba percussion sonority has formed a part of the thumbprint of Moondog..s music since as far back as the late 1940s.....................................................................................................................................................................
The instrument consists of two triangular wooden tubes, with one or two cymbals attached directly to the wood. This combination brings forth the characteristic echoing sound that is heard when the drum is struck on the rim. A maraca and a clave are used as mallets...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Moondog also created his own rhythmic patterns, often in odd meters such as 5/4 or 7/8 -- these among the so-called "Snaketime" rhythms. Such basic patterns can then be applied as a foundation for rendition of many of his compositions................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
"In December 1980 I brought Moondog over to Sweden for the first time, I invited him on his first trip to the land of the Vikings, it was like a pilgrimage to him, visiting the old kings grave..s in Uppsala. We spent the x-mas night together, taking long walks in the snow, under a full moon. It was a very cold winter, 1980, and Moondog wore a special winter cap he had made himself from square pieces of white lamb wool. His beard was embellished with ice, and so was mine. He also taught me how to make the cap". - Stefan Lakatos............................................................................................................................................. A short time after, Moondog made Stefan become the Moondog Managarm representative in Sweden, organizing concerts and gathering musicians together for recordings and other projects. He also taught him a lot about his music and how to play the trimbas, of course..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
"Moondog - the Viking on 6th Avenue", is the authorized biography by Robert Scotto, with a preface by Philip Glass, you can find it on Process Media Press Inc. You can also listen to Rober Scotto..s radio show on Moondog: at http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/23161....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Through their friendship, Stefan Lakatos has a unique perspective on Louis Hardin alias Moondog, who survived thirty cold winters on the streets of New York dressed up as a Viking. Despite of his handicap, and under difficult circumstances, Moondog stubbornly struggled as a free artist, committed to his own ideas of life and music, regardless to the world around him. He was a true artist who wrote a most beautiful and peculiar music that still amazes listeners and musicians all over the world.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
This is my tribute to Moondog and my lifetime dedication to the music of Moondog a.k.a. Louis Hardin (1926-1999), blind American composer of great rounds and canons for numerous instruments, such as piano, organ, string quartets and orchestras. Moondog was obsessed with rhythms and counterpoint, and of structures, both in life and in music. Moondog was also the inventor of the percussion instrument he coined the Trimba, and what..s more: he was a friend of mine. ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................A very special THANK YOU to my close friend and steady photographer Harry Peronius for his excellent pictures from the past up to present date! Please, visit him at www.indiaphoto.org And a BIG THANK YOU to "Strada Duo": Louis Nicolia and Keita Fukushima! I also want to give my deepest gratitude to Prof. Paul Jordan!
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zu gast bei der letzten bander bender ausgabe in diesem jahr, der dortmunder klangkünstler frollein fritz. der umtriebige frollein verarbeitet eigens aufgenommene ereignisse aus der alltäglichen klangumgebung, wie das singen einer nachbarin, das durch die wand drängt, das grummeln einer rolltreppe unter seinen füssen, die urbanen vogelgespräche
über unseren köpfen: diese werden am rechner editiert, klanglich
belassen oder geändert, beschnitten, wiederholt, rhythmisch eingesetzt
oder zu einem mal dichten, mal minimalistischen klangteppich gewebt. & frollein fritz hat eine stimme & kann lesen, an diesem abend unter anderem von dem gemeinsamen lieblingsunsichtbaren, thomas pynchon. perfekter ausklang zu diesem stürmisch milden, melancholischennovember.
ben gwilliam (UK): reel-to-reel tonbandgeräte, präparierte feldaufnahmen, innewohnender magnetismus jim campbell : cassette scratch kit, shredaptor
"def magnetic"
zu gast bei bander bender in oktober, der britischer klangkünstler ben gwilliam, der sich auch hauptsächlich dem experimentieren mit tonbändern gewidmet hat. ben arbeitet unter anderem mit grossen, alten "reel-to-reel" tonbandgeräten & beschäftigt sich improvisierend mit zufall, zerfall, stille & zunehmend auch mit den innewohnenden klängen von leeren bändern. die zwei spontankomponisten werden ihre individuellen klangwelten vorstellen in kürzeren solo-sets, gefolgt von einer spannenden duo-premiere.
15. Oktober 2009, 20:00 @ Katakombentheater, Girardetstr.
2-38, 45131 Essen:
Das TRANSORIENT ORCHESTRA, "die" Weltmusik Bigband
aus dem Ruhrgebiet, präsentiert die neue Live-DVD/CD, mitgeschnitten im letzten
Jahr anlässlich des 5. Geburtstages des TRANSORIENT ORCHESTRA.
naa har jeg endelig kommet meg paa myspace igjen og faatt svart paa de meldinger som laa der. virkeligheten er baade mer og mindre virkelig med et lite spedbarn i hus! hvordan gikk din london konsert? det var synd jeg ikke fikk det med meg
L I V E - D V D _
& _ C D _ P R Ä S E N T
A T I O N:
das TRANSORIENT ORCHESTRA freut sich, zur Präsentation der
neuen Live-DVD/CD einladen zu können! Aufgenommen im Rahmen eines Konzertes im
Katakombentheater im letzten Jahr sind jetzt endlich Bild und Ton geschnitten,
gemischt etc....
achim kämper: electronics / percussion / things lost & things found jim campbell: cassette scratch skit / shredapter
"rakeem roulette"
wenn ich mit achim kämper musik mache, spielt sich das thema von der tv serie golden girls in meinem kopf ab, mit seiner recht eingängigen melodie, aber vor allem mit seinem schönem text. obwohl eine solche geistige gegenveranstaltung das gemeinsame improvisieren sicherlich erschweren kann, ist es aber doch eher ein sehr gutes zeichen, was dieses tape-dj's gemüt angeht. eine ehemalige freundin von mir hatte mir mal eine geschichte erzählt von einem nicht allzu hellen punker-bekannten, der gerade schwer begeistert eine band mit zwei schlagzeugern gesehen hatte & nur rauskriegte: "boah eh, es war der hammer...die haben chromosom gespielt." ich glaube von mir & achim, kann ich das zu recht behaupten; wir teilen auf jeden fall eine menge musikalisches erbmaterial. in echtzeit gebastelt wird unter anderem ambient tapeno, haunted house, oldskool kosmische musik & freethiopiques. & if you threw a party & invited every one you ever knew...
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