"In perfect harmony"

The fantastic Frank-Gratkowski-Trio performed at the KITO

The Cologne based reed-man Frank Gratkowski belongs to the generation of musicians who have been able to master the many sites of modern music without letting themselves be cornered in by styles and genres.
Even Jazz in its outermost limits of definition is only one of the many languages Frank Gratkowski speaks. It does, however, clearly mark the start­ and end point.

Frank Gratkowski's trio consists of bassist Dieter Manderscheid and drummer Gerry Hemingway who are both equally successful "genre-hoppers" in the leader's vein. Dieter Manderscheid comes from the Cologne "JazzHaus" scene, but is also active on the New Music circuit. Gerry Hemingway is one of the most sought-after drummers in the New York Avantgarde circles between Anthony Braxton and Ray Anderson.

The trio began the concert with a combination of three pieces, which despite the length of at least 30 minutes already hinted at the group's diversity with a display of small chamber music-like forms. Enlargements of minimal patterns shifted effortlessly into noise-like sections (keys, crushing, hissing) and then merged back into silence. A jazz-like theme then broke the calm, beginning with a solid form and rhythm then broken down carefully until we found ourselves in a transformed swinging waltz groove with reminiscence to the Vienna-School.

If the opening seems somewhat cool and intellectual, the trio soon made up for it with their obvious spontaneity and warmth, carefully thought-out compositions and freshness.Especially in the second set, they were able to achieve their goal of an organic synthesis of composition and improvisation.
"Three Vegetables for Double Happiness" moved vivaciously between torrid repeated blocks and free swinging emotional registers where the movement in the rhythmic structure was changed and even completely abandoned. "California Roll" (a piece dedicated by Frank Gratkowski to fellow reedman Michael Moore) developed from typical "Moorish" brittleness to relaxed and gleeful swing melodies.

To top off, the trio combined "Feld 1" and "Stimmung" with the utmost intensity.Beginning with an introverted Contrabass solo using rubbings and flageolets, a highly dynamic piece was developed with wild overblown sound grapes on the alto disappearing gradually into almost meditative timpani-like drumming from Hemingway.

Christian Emigholz

WESER KURIER, Tageszeitung für Bremen und Niedersachsen, 08.02.1997



"The adventure of hearing"

The Frank Gratkowski Trio at "Leerer Beutel"

Serious music, entertaining music, music-music, pop-music, cunt-music, folk music, children's music, whistling, humming. There are endless kinds of music, all the way through to silence or traffic.

The Frank Gratkowski Trio is breathtaking. We sat with open mouths. A bass (Dieter Manderscheid), drums (Gerry Hemingway) and saxophone and clarinets (Frank Gratkowski).

Aus unbenennbarem Gelände kommen wir wieder auf eine feste Straße und biegen in den Highway ein. Der Baßlauf läuft das Dahinfahren, das Schlagzeug spielt die Schlaglöcher und das Saxophon?

From unknown territory we arrive once more on a solid road and turn onto the highway. The bass plays the driving, the drums the potholes, and the sax? We're somewhere in California and the piece is a homage to a friend. The sax could be the car stereo, or the elbows leaning out the window, or the steering wheel, or even the driving itself.

Formally, we could say the Frank Gratkowski Trio combines the art of classical composition and sound experiments with something like free jazz. This is both true and false.

One is not shaken up, but rather strangely moved, almost beamed away. One is intellectually touched on the whole body!

The FGT is the very opposite of spectacular. Strangely enough in our visual age, the sense of hearing rules the finer realms of perception. Some things we may see, but the place, the room and time we hear.

And the Frank Gratkowski Trio does not quote, nor jump, nor switch, but rather is suddenly here and here and here and here - there is no "there".

Just now the sax was hot, the drums were trance like without a break ­ maybe that's the secret ­ the bowed bass dives into the Bach-like space of the cello suites. So soft and dark. Both romantically nutritious and yet longing.

A situation of a certain time, a certain music that's not without direction but rather free of direction. It is and it isn't.

Perhaps it is the synthesis of composition and improvisation where all instruments have an equally important role the deciding factor ­ that which defines the trio's conscious music. The music doesn't glow, but it certainly blows!

Claudia Philip

Die Woche, Regensburg, 13.02.1997