For Free Hands

 Our FFH CD “The passing on of the fire” was CD of the week at jazz-fun.de at the beginning of October: “On a work peppered with fresh material, Andreas Brunn makes use of a broad instrumental arsenal. The result is a great album in the border area between jazz and fusion with jazz-rock excursions. I like the guitarist’s nimble solos in interplay with the saxophone, which is supported by Alaa Zouiten’s oud. Diego Piñera’s passionate drumming also adds energy and agility. A great album, we are thrilled!”

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JAZZ Thing – CD Review: ” … Those who can count are clearly at an advantage, and fractions don’t hurt either. 5/8, 7/8 & 13/16 is the rhythmic fabric that the multicultural Berlin showcase quartet For Free Hands weaves, and it is bursting with surprising twists and turns … But what is decisive is the exuberant joy of playing and the self-evident certainty with which the quartet approaches the various facets of electrified jazz and charges them with energy. …” Stephan Hentz (2015)

“FOR FREE HANDS – TRANSVERSAL: … Andreas Brunn constantly moves between musical borders and styles- between avantgarde jazz, balkan folk, rock, pop, and classical skill, mostly played on the 7-string, though also on the electric guitar, in order to use as many influences as possible. All the musicians in FFH are absolute rhythm experts. You only have to hear “Magic Friday”, (meaning Friday the 13th): you can see exactly how the guitar metaphorically spells out ‘transversal’ in the 13/16 bars. The balkan influence can nearly always be felt and is even more fascainating with the jazz thrown into the mix. Therein lies the key to FFH’s music: they are determined to keep to the roots of modern jazz whilst at the same time experimenting with free jazz, in an entertaining and musically serious way. (Alexander Schmitz, Jazzpodium 05/2007)

“For those, who are tempted to associate the title ‘Eastern Moods’ with dancing dervishes, at first glance, the rather unwieldy but nevertheless lyrical tunes of the opener, which carry on for minutes only to explode finally into fireworks of rhythms, might be quite a surprise. Even in the second track, composed by drummer Maurice de Martin, the music shows no sign of hectic and avoids the use of Balkan music stereotypes. In the song “Dracula’s Breakfast”, Fusion Jazz meets eastern-style beats, a fascinating rendezvous, which might in some parts reach the limits of some western listeners’ sense of harmony.
In the following track, Brunn & Co. direct their attention to a McLaughin composition, only to immerse finally in the nested rhythms of traditional Bulgarian music. …
… Surely, no one would think of calling the songs presented herein “easy to digest”, but the austere charm they spray, the great variety of ideas and structures, they exhibit and the remarkable competence of the musicians, which is permanently audible during the entire performance, ensures that this musical fusion will continue to be up-to-date for a considerably long time. (AKUSTIK Gitarre 8/2001, Michael Lohr)

“The thing is, that Hartmann and Brunn (plus drummer Ned Irving) are a bunch of guys who really have found each other, their music sticks it’s nose into every corner and despite lucrative complexities it’s still damn good fun to listen to. From the compartmented fusion of the opening number to the balanced game playing accomplishments arrived at over the dramatic clinches the two “Boy-stringed-Wonders” strummed. Between their modern dissonant and earthy groves (“Draculas Breakfast”) and hits like “Gypsy Miles” they’ve managed to build bridges tainted with Ska, Gypsy music and, of course, Miles Davies. With a little irony of style, these guys could end up squaring the circle.” (Akustik Gitarre 4/1999)