Paradoxical Frog
The band:
Paradoxical Frog - photo by Daniel Sheehan
About Paradoxical Frog
This group started at a session Kris Davis called. We played for about and hour and Tyshawn Sorey suggested we turn it into collaboration with each one of us contributing compositions.
We have developed an almost telepathic way of interacting really deconstruct and improvise with the sometimes long and involved compositions. Everything is possible and each one of us is kept on his/her toes all the time, it reminds me of being on a (sophisticated) playground.
This exciting trio sees Drummer Tyshawn Sorey, pianist Kris Davis and reedist Ingrid Laubrock, all extremely thoughtful and engaging composer-improvisers, join forces. All three musicians contribute their own unmistakable compositions to the group's sound. “AllAboutJazz” has described their unique interplay as “a taut set, as if they'd agreed to avoid the easy way to make a fire and instead rubbed sticks telekinetically”. On this CD you will find music on a superior level using a wide range of dynamics, density and expression.
The trio recorded its two Cds so far, CD “Paradoxical Frog” and the follow-up “Union”, both for Cleanfeed Records.
Press quotes
[…] a wowingly sensitive encounter with mostly-free but sometimes creatively structured music of the moment, and one of the most memorable sets of the festival.
Joseph Woodard /Jazz Times (about the performance at the 2010 Moers Jazz Festival)
“Paradoxical Frog” (Clean Feed), Ms. Davis in a trio with Ms. Laubrock and Mr. Sorey — a frequently stunning record, and so far one of this year’s best.
Nate Chinen/.NY-Times
NPR/The Best of 2010:
[…]All three share a similar approach to abstract jazz composition and execution: loose and unfolding like a flowering tea, yet full of unexpected color.
Lars Gotrich, NPR Music
Ingrid Laubrock – Saxophones
“Some young jazz musicians find their style and move in lock, stock and barrel, making little refinements over the years but basically keeping their place. Ingrid Laubrock, a German saxophonist who started her career in London and has spent the last 15 years playing there, sounds happily unsettled. On tenor and soprano, she’s omnivorous and pointed, slouching and precise, humorous and austere (…) You didn’t walk away thinking, well, that sounded like a certain person, place or time. Ms. Laubrock encouraged its constant sense of renewal.”
Ben Ratliff/NY Times
Originally from Germany, Ingrid Laubrock has been living in the UK since 1989 is and now residing in Brooklyn.
She performed and recorded with: Anthony Braxton, Dave Douglas, Kenny Wheeler, Tim Berne, Mark Helias, Michael Formanek, Mary Halvorson, Tyshawn Sorey, Evan Parker, Steve Beresford, John Edwards,Veryan Weston, Luc Ex,Django Bates’ Human Chain, Evan Parker, The Continuum Ensemble and others.
As part of the F-ire Collective, she won the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation in 2004,was nominated for the BBC Jazz Award for ‘Rising Star’ in 2005 and won a Fellowship in Jazz Composition by the Arts Foundation in 2006. She won the 2009 SWR German Radio Jazz Prize the and was one of the final nominees for the 2009 Westfalen Jazz Preis .
In 2011 Ingrid was commissioned to compose, rehearse and record for the prestigious New-Jazz Meeting, an annual production by the SWR and an institution since its inception in 1966 Her chosen octet featured Drew Gress, Mary Halvorson, Tom Rainey, Ted Reichman, Liam Noble, Tom Arthurs, Ben Davis and herself, the music will be released on Intakt Records in 2012.
Her current groups are Sleepthief,the new octet, the NY based quartet Anti-House and and the collaboration Paradoxical Frog with pianist Kris Davis and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. She is also part of the Tom Rainey Trio,Mary Halvorson’s Septet, Kris’ Davis Quintet, Catatumbo, Haste and Luc Ex’ Sol 6 and Sol 12.
Kris Davis - piano
Kris Davis has quickly grown to become a vital contributor to New York's jazz scene. An artist exploring the balance between improvisation and composition, her writing and pianistic prowess have been described as 'adventurous' and 'refreshing'. Known for her work as a leader, Davis has released three records and toured extensively with her quartet featuring hailed saxophonist Tony Malaby, bassist Eivind Opsvik, and drummer Jeff Davis. Her newest trio project, Good Citizen, will be released on Fresh Sound Records in 2010 and features drummer Tom Rainey and bassist John Hebert. In addition to her projects as a leader, Davis has performed and/or recorded with Kermit Driscoll, Bill Frisell, Vinnie Colaiuta, John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble, Mat Maneri, Tyshawn Sorey, Theo Bleckmann, Andrew Cyrille, Paul Motian, Eric Revis, Steve Swell, Ingrid Jensen, Ron Horton, and Chris Speed. As a solo artist, Davis gave debut concerts this summer in Portugal, France and New York and released her solo recording ‘Aerial Piano’ on Clean Feed in 2011.
Tyshawn Sorey - drums
Tyshawn Sorey is a composer, performer, educator, and scholar who works across a very extensive range of idioms in experimental music. Originally self-taught in composition, piano, trombone, and percussion, he has worked with chamber ensembles and collaborated with a diverse array of musicians, including Muhal Richard Abrams, Ray Anderson, Wadada Leo Smith, Steve Coleman, Michele Rosewoman,George Lewis, Peter Evans, Mat Maneri, Steve Lehman, Mario Pavone, Ellery Eskelin, Vijay Iyer, Dave Douglas, Mark Helias and Butch Morris, among many others. Sorey has also conducted and participated in various lectures and master classes on improvisation, ensemble playing, and critical theory at the International Realtime Music Symposium in Norway, Hochschule für Musik Köln, School of Improvisational Music, Musikhochschule Nürnberg, Berklee College of Music, and Cité de la Musique in Paris. Tyshawn is also on the faculty of Brooklyn's School of Improvisational Music and New School University's Jazz and Contemporary Music program, and has received commissions from Van Lier Fellowship and Roulette Intermedium, most recently for a multi-chapter work in progress entitled “Wu-Wei,” premiered in its' entirety at The Stone in New York City in 2009.