{"id":499,"date":"2013-10-02T17:38:49","date_gmt":"2013-10-02T15:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.for-free-hands.de\/relaunch\/?page_id=499"},"modified":"2015-06-08T10:38:13","modified_gmt":"2015-06-08T08:38:13","slug":"press","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.for-free-hands.de\/en\/press\/","title":{"rendered":"Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

JAZZPODIUM\u00a09\/2014:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0“Andreas Brunn is a dedicated guitarist and composer, an active mediatorial and reconciler and particularly fond of the East, nota bene Bulgaria. (…)\u00a0\u201cPerpetuum five\u201d comes as electrified post-bop, grippy, squared, edged, angry, mad, jazzy. Karparov and Brunn are lively and striking.\u00a0And there is the uncomfortable \u201cMagic Friday\u201d or the title track, in which Karparovs tendency to occasional lyricism and Brunns occasional \u201ccircuit-with-funny outbursts\u201d provide the contrast that generates voltage and excitement. <\/span><\/p>\n

Or view the \u201cEast Side Gallery\u201d\u2019s story as the story of a quartet who, without doubt, would\u00a0 be able to find a comfortable place for themselves in the world, but instead they use the burden of time and the historical workup and responsibly turn it into harmless music that otherwise must have been uncomfortable to make.\u00a0And it is just then that they are at their best. And on the double bass, George Donchev still plays exactly the bittersweet mix of boundless joy and all what lurks just beneath that joy.”\u00a0Alexander Schmitz<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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JAZZ Thing 2014 \/ Issue\u00a0106:<\/strong>\u00a0“Those who can count have a clear advantage, and being able to do fractions does not hurt either. 5\/8, 7\/8 & 13\/16 are some of the rhythmic fabrics\u00a0that together form the outfit of the multicultural Berlin-based quartet FOR FREE HANDS\u00a0on its new CD \u201cKaleidoscope Freedom\u201d, and it teems with surprising twists and turns, pitfalls and tricky cliffs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Biographical references also play a central role, like the openness of the many facets with which they encounter the former city wall. But biography and identity are not all that matter, rather the self-evident certainty with which the quartet drives the various facets of electrified jazz and charges of\u00a0energy \u2013 and also, crucial is the exuberant joy of playing.”\u00a0Stephan Hentz<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Christian Erber NDR<\/strong>: \u201c \u2026 Europe is growing together and a quartet from Berlin provides the soundtrack.\u00a0FOR FREE HANDS\u00a0combine modern jazz arrangements with traditional sounds and rhythms of the Balkans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Gaildorfer Rundschau, 01.04.2014<\/strong> \u201c\u2026 Specialist in infernal rythyms \u2013 effusively, intoxicating\u2013 that\u00b4s how the quartet \u201cFor Free Hands\u201d presented themselves. Compositions from their new studio-album \u201eKaleidoscope Freedom\u201c surprised the audience. The polymetric concepts produced an unusual tension in the music. When in \u201cMagic Friday\u201d guitar- and saxophone cadences mixed over a 13\/16 beat, the musicians took to it like ducks to water. \u201cFor Free Hands” left the audience flabbergasted. \u2026”<\/span><\/p>\n

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Westf\u00e4lische Zeitung 2013<\/strong>: \u201c … The ensemble FOR FREE HANDS to the known strings virtuoso and composer Andreas Brunn offered the enthusiastic audience with his energetic way of playing a best example of contemporary jazz. In a true \u201cKaleidoscope Freedom\u201d , the quartet showed his view of the world , published sounded picturesque images of haunting beauty . … \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

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Braunschweiger Zeitung 2012:<\/strong> \u201c … Is For Free Hands , a programmatic name? Approximately unrestricted freedom of musical expression? Well, the music it brings to light. For example, \u201c Perpetuum 5\u201d . Slow onset , stepping up the pace. Very fast chord changes , in any quarter time , if not on the eighth . Andreas Brunn \u2018s guitar solo : In the best John Scofield style , liquid melody lines and rapid chord changes merged . … \u201c\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Published on the 14th of November 2011 at Modern\u00edcolas (Department of Leisure and Culture of Malaga) www.modernicolas.com<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c \u2026 <\/b>A NEW WAY TO UNDERSTAND JAZZ \u2026 <\/b>Synergy – the best word to describe this Berlin-based quartet. The red light of Echegaray\u2019s theatre gave it a private feel and these geniuses did the rest. The audience were enraptured with the quartet\u2019s musical interpretations which, both big and small, livened up the evening.<\/span><\/p>\n

The music of For Free Hands belongs to contemporary jazz. Honestly, the melodies we heard were totally new and different from classical jazz. Even more than that, the band felt close to you, which made the concert even more enjoyable. You could experience this\u00a0 great atmosphere between sips and a chat with the person sitting next to you.<\/span><\/p>\n

The beginning might seem shrill to the untrained ear but it soon changed into a sweet melody which mixed rhythms, and even more impressively, different instruments, which were played spectacularly by these specialists. The hypnotic quartet drew in everyone who happened upon their sound, uniting cultures as they went. Between pauses and straight eighths, it was great music.\u201c\u00a0 Javier Mart\u00ednez
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Portrait of\u00a0Andreas Brunn in Jazzpodium<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c..Andreas Brunn<\/b> as both motor and nerve-center is a restless musician who crosses between avant-garde jazz, Balkan folk, rock, pop and classical technique. Usually he plays on his seven-string, but also occasionally on electric guitar in order to handle all ethnic and stylistic influences.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Balkans are omnipresent and hold a fascinating jazz-affinity. And there you can find the key to For Free Hands\u2019 music: Brunn and the band try to plumb the depths of the roots of European and free jazz. And they do it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Alexander Schmitz, 01\/2009<\/strong><\/p>\n

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THE FABULOUS FOUR IN BALKAN FEVER<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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The title of the new For Free Hands<\/b> album is \u201cTransversal\u201d which means \u201cacross the mainstream\u201d. For Free Hands is one of the most successful \u201cEast-meets-West jazz projects\u201d to be found in Germany. The mastermind behind it all: Berlin guitarist Andreas Brunn, who has gathered together an international tribe of musicians who share his idea of mixing different music styles. The other band members are New Yorker Jonathan Robinson (double bass), the Bulgarian Vladimir Karparov (soprano and tenor saxophone) and the Greece\u2019s Dimitris Christides (percussion and drums).<\/span><\/p>\n

A 13\/16 beat, as in the track \u201cMagic Friday\u201d, is no problem for Christides. Jonathan Robinson is convincing and confident with his cautious but concise bass sound. The exeptionally gifted saxophonist Karparov understands and masters the traditional and eastern rhythms of his origin, which are combined with the most innovative jazz techniques. Band leader Andreas Brunn, playing his seven string acoustic guitar and his e-guitar by turns, constantly reminds you of the music of John McLaughlin. Both his guitar-play and talent in creating compositions are enigmatic, intelligent and full of experience. \u201cWizards\u00b4cube\u201d is a unique piece of jazz fusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kieler Nachrichten 08.12.2009<\/span><\/p>\n

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FOR FREE HANDS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Four nations, no borders!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Dinslaken (RP):<\/em>\u00a0In Berlin, those who play together, stay together. With \u201cFor Free Hands\u201d the audience experiences a truly international quartet, that provides a good reason as to why Balkan-folk and free improvisation should merge. <\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor Free Hands\u201d\u00a0 combines captivating and intricate improvisation with folklore, working with rock, pop and classical music, cherrypicking from the avant-garde. They look to the future with all the consciousness of their traditional roots. At a glance, you have European and contemporary jazz, that is full of complex rhythms and astonishing grooves that those on stage play with unbridled joy.<\/span><\/p>\n

From dialogues to duels<\/strong> \u2013 It is clear that Bulgarian saxophonist Vladimir Karparov has the inspiration that brings the spirit of the Balkans to life, with his alternative, high energy tenor and soprano playing. His sets are intense and usually fast-paced. The American Jonathan Robinson has commended him on his smooth bow and nimble fingers on the contrabass. The young Greek drummer Dimitris Christides, who played for many years in London, contributes with a surprising sound, a great counter-argument to the saxophone. Seemingly easygoing, he concentrates on the truth, building a foundation for a dialogue that occasionally springs up with duelling ferocity.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the second set\u00a0we see \u201cFor Free Hands\u201d from a totally different perspective. Andreas Brunn arrives with the e-guitar and adds a sweet element to the mix. In \u201cPerpetuum 5\u2033, Brunn and Christides\u00a0play a minute-long and\u00a0dynamic \u201csolo for two\u201d.A band that changes rhythm and tempo again and again, that dares to experiment, gathering the principles of jazz together with elements of melodic pop for a meeting that results in musical joy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The audience love it and burst into rapturous applause,\u00a0they can hardly believe\u00a0that with \u201cBottomless\u00a0Box\u201d, they have already reached the end of their evening of jazz. And with this,\u00a0the\u00a0musicians\u00a0show us\u00a0what it\u2019s all about:\u00a0a\u00a0markedly\u00a0open style of jazz, with different colors\u00a0and more complex rhythms,\u00a0full\u00a0of emotion and passionate intensity. Four\u00a0musicians\u00a0from four different nations\u00a0that take\u00a0to the stage,\u00a0remove\u00a0all barriers,\u00a0and\u00a0call for the\u00a0freedom\u00a0of the world with their\u00a0instruments.\u00a0Four\u00a0musicians, no borders!<\/span><\/p>\n

(Rheinpresse 21.02.2011,\u00a0Ralf Schreiner)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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JAZZPODIUM\u00a09\/2014:\u00a0\u00a0“Andreas Brunn is a dedicated guitarist and composer, an active mediatorial and reconciler and particularly fond of the East, nota bene Bulgaria. (…)\u00a0\u201cPerpetuum five\u201d comes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-499","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.for-free-hands.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.for-free-hands.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.for-free-hands.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.for-free-hands.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.for-free-hands.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=499"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"http:\/\/www.for-free-hands.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1336,"href":"http:\/\/www.for-free-hands.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/499\/revisions\/1336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.for-free-hands.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}