CD released by Klanggalerie
Frank Gratkowski studied woodwind instruments at Hamburg University. He constantly works on extending the repertoire of his instruments: solo and in various groups, large or small. He uses unusual techniques to play his instruments and sees himself as working in contemporary improvised music. Composition and improvisation are both equally important. In 1995 he founded the first Frank Gratkowski trio with Gerry Hemingway on drums and Dieter Manderscheid on bass. Since then, he is part of various groups and enjoys working with young musicians, for example the quartet The Resonators. Gratkowski played as soloist, bandleader or sideman at the world's most important festivals, ie The Donaueschinger Musiktage. In 2014 he composed music for the ensemble Zeitkratzer, in 2021 he was artist in residence at New Music Festival Klangspure in Austria. On Klanggalerie, he released CDs with his ensemble Skein, as well as a duo CD with pianist Elisabeth Harnik. He considers his new group Frank Gratkowski's Entrainment his strongest effort yet, working with Kazuhisa Uchihashi, a Japanese guitarist who used to be a member of Otomo Yoshihide's group Ground Zero. Also participating is Steve Heather, a freelance drummer, composer, performance and installation maker based in Berlin. Dan Peter Sundland is a unique electric bass player and composer active in the jazz and improvising scenes in Norway and Berlin. His playing is set apart by his expressive, wide ranging playing techniques, including cello-like bowing and a varied palette of percussive colours. This is their first album as a quartet and an absolute must-have for every fan of powerful improvised music.
