Paul Rogers

Bio:

Paul Rogers n’est pas un bavard. Sauf lorsqu’il a entre les mains sa contrebasse « extraordinaire » conçue avec et pour lui, et qui possède cette sonorité si particulière. S’il n’est pas toujours perceptible de sentir  la différence au sein d’un ensemble, l’art du solo ne peut lui, rien cacher. Et c’est en toute liberté que Paul nous livre ici les différentes facettes de son jeu reconnaissable entre tous. Après avoir longtemps été le bassiste d’Outre Manche à inviter dans toutes les sessions, Paul Rogers a muri et s’est calmé, bien que l’excitation du concert soit toujours sa recherche première. Jouer, jouer, jouer. Cette invitation qu’il nous lance est une sorte de carte de visite d’un savoir-faire étonnant et passionnant. Que ce soit à l’archet, où il révèle un sens aigu de la dramaturgie allié à une étude poussée de la musique classique, baroque tout particulièrement, ou en pizzicato, où la profondeur des sons se marie à une dextérité hors du commun, Paul Rogers nous entraine dans son univers onirique, sensible, violent parfois car l’énergie est toujours là, sans doute plus canalisée mais bouillonnante, avec ces accents de comptines typiquement britanniques issues du folklore, d’un passé proche, incontournable et tendu déjà vers le futur. Paul Rogers avance à grand pas, dépêchez vous de le suivre. (Philippe RENAUD) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul Rogers – Solo Cd “Being” (Amor Fati, 2007) A Paul Rogers solo bass album on Amor Fati, a new French label. All CDs on the label are issued in not more than 500 copies, and all in unique hand-painted covers. There is no information on the cover or backside at all, as a dual token of both lack of commercial interest and excellent positioning. The record brings a live performance from Rogers in the Musée d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux, France in April 2007, consisting of two tracks : "Being One", which lasts a little over 70 minutes, and "Being Two", which lasts a little over 3 minutes. This is, to my knowledge, Roger's third solo bass release, and one well worth getting if you're interested in the genre. His custom-made 7-string bass with 14 sympathetic strings is a unique instrument which of course broadens the possibilities of sound exponentially. What you hear could come from a variety of instruments : bass, guitar, percussion, cello, piano strings or even harp-like sounds, although the bass itself is the dominant voice. As the music is improvised on the spot, it has no goal, it is moving nowhere, and to Roger's great credit, he manages to make every moment interesting and captivating. He starts the long track by dark arco playing, then alternating with playing pizzi throughout the piece, yet always creating tension, suspense even, and out of the gloomy atmosphere he builds, once in a while a jubilant half-melody of extreme beauty arises. His playing is rich and varied, from dark droning moments to barely touched silence and faint birdlike sounds, to pulsing deep-souled jazz sounds. And that's the only thing he does on the short second track, of which at least one minute is the audience clapping enthusiastically. Here is a man at the peak of his powers, creating beauty and deep emotion at the same time. Don't miss it! Paul Rogers should be well known to anyone with even a passing interest in British free jazz. His ability to swing hard, sing sweetly and get down, dirty and abstract has made him bassist of choice for top improvisers ……… Rogers' vocabulary is huge and his facility pretty incredible. The 38 minute Listen 99 ( solo cd 2 ) opens with a blistering display of pizzicato playing before moving though soft harmonic ripples, bowed drones and episodes of scratchy abstraction, returning to just fingers and strings for lengthy, sometimes bluesy solos where he worries away at little phrases, repeating, embellishing and eventually dismantling them before moving on.…… His tone is rich, punchy and resonant, and the lovely recording gives the bass a warm, physical presence that still has ambience. Listening to Paul Rogers is a tour de force of the first order; highly recommended to any fan of solo bass, but for those who simply enjoy hearing a master improviser at work, there's much to savour here. (Peter Marsh, 2002) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ..  

Member Since:

March 18, 2009

Members:

It's Paul Rogers....solo

Record Label:

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