a r t i s t : Blauer Hirsch
t i t l e : Brain Drain
d a t e : 1992
l a b e l : Unit
g e n r e : Jazz
r l s. d a t e : May/2006
t r a c k s : 08
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 63,3 MB
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Werner Ludi, AS, BS, Effects;
Wadi Gysi, G, Effects;
Mich Gerber, B, Effects;
Mani Neumeier, DR, Perc.
All compositions Blauer Hersch
Recorded and mixed on june 2,3, 1992 at Studio Zurich by
Martin Pearson
All compositions Blauer Hersch
Recorded and mixed on june 2,3, 1992 at Studio Zurich by
Martin Pearson
Swiss alto player Werner Ludi recorded little and remains even
lesser known despite his involvement in early European free
jazz and his later, critically-hailed performances at jazz
festivals. Ludi first began playing music at a young age,
beginning with the concertina. By his mid-teens, he was
already a fan of jazz -- be-bop in particular -- and decided
to learn to play the saxophone. Ludi was 15 when he began
teaching himself the instrument, starting with the baritone,
then switching over to alto. He served in the military for a
time and, after his release from the service, began to travel
around Europe, working various jobs and playing in several
groups in Germany and Scandinavia, sharing the stage more than
once with fellow hard-blower, German saxophonist Peter
Br÷tzmann. Ludi's first steady gig came with Gunter Hampel's
first group in the 1960s. This ensemble played at clubs,
festivals, and universities in Germany, Spain, and Holland.
Still, many audiences and even current musicians were still
uncertain what to think of this new breed of jazz musician,
who favored experimentation and was moving far away from bop.
Br÷tzmann once spoke of a time when he and Ludi were the last
two left playing on a stage -- the other musicians had
eventually stopped playing, "terrified" of these uncertain
waters. He also added that laughter from the audience was not
unusual at that time, and that these same musicians would
later be happy to collaborate with him. Due, perhaps, to lack
of gigs as well as unreceptive audiences, Ludi retired from
music in 1966 to work as a copy editor.
Fourteen years later, he picked his saxophone back up, and
started playing occasional sessions. He then formed the group
Sunnymoon, a quartet with the original line-up of guitarist
Stephan Wittwer, bassist Leon Francioli, and percussionist
Fredy Studer. Sunnymoon gave a performance at the 1981
Willisau Jazz Festival that brought the house down, marking a
successful comeback for Ludi. Unfortunately, the times hadn't
changed enough, and Sunnymoon soon dissolved since there
weren't many opportunities to play. Ludi remained active in
music, however, and led his first recording date in 1983. This
session, which included pianist Donat Beer, resulted in the
album Painted Bird. Ludi revived Sunnymoon in 1984, this time
with multi-reedist Hans Koch, bassist and cellist Martin
Schultz, and drummer Timo Fleig. This incarnation of Sunnymoon
quickly became in demand on Switzerland's jazz scene, and
their set at the 1984 Zurich Jazz Festival was another
stunning success. From December, 1984 through the following
month, Sunnymoon recorded for the Hat Art label. Lunatico was
released later in 1985.
Since this successful comeback, Ludi has remained active in
the creative music scene. He performs on several albums on the
FMP label, including a duo with Brotzmann (Wie das leben so
spielt (1989)), in Brotzmann's tentet (The Marz Combo Live In
Wuppertal, 1992), with Sainkho Namtchylak (When The Sun Is Out
You Don't See The Stars). Ludi has also gone on to lead more
of his own dates, including Ki (on Intakt) and Lucendro (on
Unit). His travels during this time included a tour of Europe
with Brotzmann's tentet, the Marz Combo, and a brief tour of
Japan with drummer Shoji Hano. ~ Joslyn Layne, All Music Guide
(Saxophon player Werner Ludi died in the night of 21st june
2000 in his hometown Malans by a cardial arrest.)
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01-lemme loose, nincompoop! [05:16]
02-proud to be part of the yellow zonkers [04:42]
03-goat in boots or empty bed blues [01:45]
04-nadaville [04:42]
05-it's a movie about a woman who ... [04:48]
06-burn to breeze [06:23]
07-barbarian love song [02:38]
08-too much of a good thing can be wonderful [13:10]
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43:24 min