GULFH Of Berlin

Aggressively bold live sound manipulation by Michael Haves makes all the difference in giving the freely improvised music of GULFH Of Berlin its special character. The group’s name is derived from the names of the participants: “G” is for Gerhard Gschlössl, playing trombone and sousaphone. “U” is for Gebhard Ullmann, heard on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet. “L” is for Jan Leipnitz, on bass and cello. “F” is for Johannes Fink, drums and objects. “H,” of course, is Haves. A quartet of freewheeling improvisers can generate plenty of surprises without electronics, but Haves’ continual manipulation of his instrumental surroundings makes virtually every moment fresh and invigorating. The prolific Ullmann is probably the best known player on the date, and his many innovative recordings have led to him being described as a “disciplined sculptor of sound” (Steve Loewy), someone who shapes “his improvisations like a sculptor” (Neil Tesser). For this ensemble, he seems to have abdicated his usual role by inviting Haves and his electronics into the band and letting him have the lead in tailoring the results. It’s generally pointless to attempt to describe improvised music, but in this case, it seems even more meaningless than usual. Let’s just say that you’re in the mood for three-quarters of an hour of vigorous, uncompromising and utterly fascinating improvised sound, this one’s for you. Recommended, especially for headphone enthusiasts. 

ESP-Disk ESP5054; Gerhard Gschlössl (tbn, sous) Gebhard Ullmann (ts, bcl) Johannes Fink (b, clo) Jan Leipnitz (d, objects) Michael Haves (live sound processing); Berlin, Germany, March 6, 2018; Nether/ K3/ Joja Romp/ GG/ Tellus/ Serenade/ Prisoner’s Dilemma/ Mann aus dem Himmel/ 5 Elements/ Jeton; 43:33. www.gebhard-ullmann.com www.espdisk.com