Michael Thieke | clarinet, alto saxophone, alto clarinet, zither
Luca Venitucci | accordion, amplified objects
Derek Shirley | bass
Eric Schaefer | drums, percussion
1 If I Think, Again, Of This Place 3:08
2 Fünf Treppen 5:59
3 Portnoy 4:37
4 Der Idiot 4:26
5 Nach Aussen Gewölbte Mönche 4:34
6 mmm 4:12
7 Der Verfolger 8:21
8 Element 2:21
9 Einen Käfer Werfen 6:03
recorded by Michael Thieke may 2004 in Berlin
Mastering by Christoph Amann
Cover by Asi Föcker
all compositions by Michael Thieke, except 1,3,8 by Unununium
reviews:
MICHAEL THIEKE und UNUNUNIUM bürsten Jazz gegen den Strich. „Where Shall I Fly Not To Be Sad, My Dear?“ ist frisch, überraschend, fordernd und sehr intelligent, ohne (über)schlau zu sein. Großer Tip!
-Westzeit
Joined by bassist Derek Shirley, drummer Eric Schaefer and Luca Venitucci on accordion and prepared piano, clarinettist and alto saxophonist Michael Thieke’s latest offering, Unununium, marks something of a move away from the lowercase extended techniques of his recent outings on Creative Sources, Leuchten, Kreis and Schwimmer back to – gulp – jazz. (Not that this will come as a surprise to those familiar with his work in Nickendes Perlgras and Demontage, both of which also feature Schaefer). But jazz is just one of many languages spoken here: „Portnoy“ explores territory familiar to devotees of Berlin / Vienna micro improv, with ghostly clanging gongs, growling low register bass (shades of Werner Dafeldecker) and Thieke’s delicate wisps of breath, but it’s bookended by „Funf Treppen“, which alternates walking bass ostinatos and trucking 4/4 metrics with sections of rapid fire fluttery free jazz deftly illuminated by flurries of accordion clusters from Venitucci, and the Cage-like sonorities of the prepared piano on „Der Idiot“. Thieke’s terrific alto clarinet work on „Nach Aussen Gewölbte Mönche“ is a timely reminder that many of Berlin’s most daring instrumental innovators – trumpeter Axel Dörner most notably – are just as good at playing straight and swinging hard if they put their mind to it. The Shirley / Schaefer rhythm team is outstanding here, laying down a spiky free funk groove on top of which Venitucci and Thieke really get cooking. Surprises abound throughout this album, from the laidback lope of „Der Verfolger“ to the exquisite microdrones and tingling glockenspiels of the tiny, perfect „Element 110“ and the pointillism of the closing „Einen Käfer Werfen“. All in all, Unununium is a magnificent piece of work by four musicians at the height of their powers in a vibrant new music scene documented by an essential label.
-Dan Warburton, Paris Transatlantic
Der Berliner Klarinettist und Saxophonist Michael Thieke hat seine Wurzeln sowohl im (Free) Jazz als auch im Berliner Improv Umfeld. Auch die Musik der Combo Unununium spielt mit diesen beiden Stilen, so dass das Quartett mal groovt und sich dann wieder auf konkrete Sounds konzentriert. Ungewöhnlich auch die Instrumentierung, neben Bass (Derek Shirley), Schlagzeug (Eric Schaefer) und Thiekes Blasinstrumenten spielt Luca Venitucci Akkordeon und präpariertes Klavier. Genreübergreifend spannend.
-De:Bug
As multi-instrumentalist Michael Thieke leads his quartet on Where Shall I Fly Not to be Sad, My Dear? in a program of originals, the scene shifts to cool jazz and leading-edge creative gestures. The leader plays alto saxophone, clarinet and alto clarinet and zither; with him on this adventurous album are bassist Derek Shirley, drummer Eric Schaefer and accordionist Luca Venitucci (who also plays prepared piano). Venitucci’s accordion colors with snippets of sound delivered in brief bursts, while Thieke balances with equal and opposite actions. The session includes quite a bit of empty space where minor nuances fall into place casually. Founded several years ago with this May 2004 recording, Thieke’s quartet reaches out for the mechanical in what they perceive. Most of the CD follows an unyielding path where bits of music are tossed out with unmetered punctuation that flows in uneven streams. Clarinet, accordion, bass and drums put their muscles together in a tight pattern that brings anxious tension, wide-open spaces and forceful statements through improvised music. Along the way, a taste of ‚jazz‘ surfaces here and there for a few brief moments.
-All About Jazz
A debut from one of Thieke’s many projects. Thieke is a german improvisor who lives in Berlin and Rome. With this new cd Thieke brings together the best from both worlds. Unununium is a quartet of Derek Shirley on bass, Eric Schaefer on drums, Luca Venitucci on accordion and prepared piano, plus Michael Thieke on alto clarinet, alto saxophone and zither. They play jazz in a non-jazz manner. Meaning no swing? In a way surely yes, but it depends how you look at it. They play in a ‘less is more’- style and succeed in being very effective that way. The music is full of humor, pleasantly (un)pretentious and poetic, which make this a very sympathetic quartet. The playing is fresh and pure. Some pieces are built upon a very straight rhythm, and because of the odd instrumentation they remind me of some of Steve Beresford’s projects like 49 Americans and The Alterations. Just listen to ‘Fünf Treppen’ or ‘Der Idiot’. The prepared piano and little percussion sound as children toy-instruments. ‘Nach aussen gewölbte Mönche’ – what a tittle! – has Unununium at their most energetic and hectic level. The music jumps from one corner to another. Here the music really takes of. But this quartet has also another side. Pieces like ‘Portnoy’ and ‘Mmm’ are spheric improvisations that are investigations in soundcollage and texture. Also most of the other pieces move slowly forward built on little motives that are repeated over and over, but not literally. In the case of ‘Ein Käfer werden’ the music is to introspective, and fails to catch attention from beginning to the end. Considered as a whole the music on this cd is clearly structured and transparent. The players make up a good team and share the same musical vision and way of playing. They have everything under control. Schaefer is a great drummer, known from other projects with Thieke as well (Nickendes Perlgras). Luca Venitucci on accordion and prepared piano was the greatest surprise for me. But the best thing you can do is to surprise yourself with this cd. It is worth it.
Dolf Mulder, Vital Weekly