title	GALLIO / RUPP "FASANE HULA PUNK" Rapid Moment, RM079	©+p 2009
artists	Christoph Gallio, soprano saxophone Olaf Rupp, electric guitar
production notes	Recorded by Olaf Rupp at Nalepastudios in Berlin on April 29 and May 10, 2009 Edited by Christoph Gallio and Olaf Rupp Mixed and mastered by Olaf Rupp Composed by Christoph Gallio (SUISA) and Olaf Rupp (GEMA) Executive produced by Rapid Moment/GLK
cover art	Cover art by Yuri Leiderman

It is not my way of doing things, but this time I would like a start complimenting myself. For many years I listen a lot to records of free improvised music. Many of them are okay, many of them are mediocre. In spite of this listening experience, I often feel not sure anymore whether I still have the capacity to detect improvised music that really makes a difference. But luckily I can, concluding from listening to this very convincing and amazing work by Rupp and Gallio. The CD has a very cryptic title: 'Fasane Hula Punk'. I can't link it to something that makes some sense. The thirteen improvisations are not of any help. Instead of equal mysterious names, they carry numbers only, from 1 up to 13. The improvisations have to stand on their own feet and that is exactly what these improvisations do. Both gentlemen had a very fruitful encounter. The name of swiss sax player Christoph Gallio occurred earlier in Vital Weekly with some of his releases for the Percaso label. Olaf Rupp is a new player for me. He really impressed me with the depth and richness of his style and sound. He is an autodidact from Germany who developed his very own style of playing the electric guitar. He has several solo albums out on Grob and participated on many others albums. In the past he worked with Lol Coxhill, Michael Wertmüller, John Zorn, Paul Lovens, Thomas Lehn, Butch Morris, Tony Buck, among others. The recordings for this new CD were done in Berlin on two days early in 2009. There was a deep mutual understanding and respect in action here. Every piece illustrates that it was a very intense meeting between two improvisors who built beautiful conversations. The playing is crystal clear, very pure, uncomplicated and straight. Everything, every detail is on its place and functional. Although it is abstract, it is very emotional and moving music at the same time. An absolutely marvelous release from Rapid Moment.

Dolf Mulder, VITAL WEEKLY number 714, week 3

Selbstverständlich gibt's auch in der Schweiz eigenwillige Musiker, die den Jazz gegen den Strich bürsten. Ein Spitzenplatz unter den helvetischen Nonkonformisten gebührt dem Saxophonisten Christoph Gallio, für den die zeitgenössische bildende Kunst eine zentrale Inspirationsquelle darstellt.
Auf einer neuen, in Berlin eingespielten CD ist Gallio am Sopransax im Duo mit dem deutschen Gitarren-Guerillero Olaf Rupp zu hören. In freien Improvisationen lassen diese unerschrockenen Spontaneitätsspezialisten eine ganz eigene Klang- und Formenwelt entstehen: abstrakt und doch hochemotional.

Der Rheintaler, Tom Gsteiger

Obwohl Christoph Gallio selbst ein Label (percaso) betreibt und Olaf Rupp ein Naheverhältnis zu FMP aufweist, ist die Kombination der beiden auf dem Label des malaysischen Musikers Goh Lee Kwang erschienen. Wobei der surrealistische, gegen Sinnzusammenhänge resistente Titel auf Gallios Dada-Vorlieben rückschließen lässt; man denke nur an seine letzte Einspielung unter den Namen Mösiöblö! Gallio beschränkt sich hier aufs Sopransax; Rupp, der zuletzt mit einer sensationell guten Solo- und einer Sosolala-Platte mit Wertmüller & Pliakas in Erscheinung trat, traktiert die E-Gitarre nach Bedarf. Mir persönlich behagen die langsameren, aktionsärmeren Stücke (die knapp mit Improvisation 1-13 betitelt sind) mehr als die angefüllt-vollgedüdelten. 3, 7, 11 und 13, um konkrete, klingende Beispiele zu nennen! Sie lassen mehr von dieser Luft, die mir für interaktive Möglichkeiten zur Reflexion und Assoziation unabdingbar vorkommt. Zumindest im besten Fall verhält sich das so. Im schlechtesten handelt es sich um eine reine Geschmackssache, und mit der gleichen Begründung, die gar keine ist, könnte genau gegenteilig geschlussfolgert werden. In diesem wie in jenem Fall gelingt dem Duo Gallio & Rupp – ganz ohne Netze, Tricks und doppelte Böden – eine astreine Duo-Impro-Platte mit allen Vorzügen, die eine astreine Duo-Impro-Platte zu bieten hat. Und das sind bekanntlich nicht wenige.

(felix), freistil

BRIAN AGRO < PROCESSION OF THE ORNAMENTS> (PERCASO 26):
My friendship with Canadian composer Brian Agro goes back to 1988, when we released his first CD "A HOLE in the ICE" (PERCASO 06), with the Swiss pianist Katarina Weber on piano. Another Swiss pianist, Tomas Baechli played on the second CD, "POEMS and PRELUDES" (PERCASO 18), and we are very fortunate to have Tomas playing again on this new CD, which includes 14 solo piano pieces.

Tomas Bächli, born in Zurich (Switzerland) in 1958 and studied piano with Werner Bärtschi in Zurich. Bächli has been awarded numerous prizes for his commitment to new music. He lives in Berlin, Germany as a concert pianist and piano teacher. From 1996 to 1998 he lived in New York where he was curator of the music program of the Swiss Institute for the year 1998. Since 1999 he is living in Berlin. While not ignoring former periods, Bächli concentrates on twentieth century music. Together with Gertrud Schneider, he has a piano duo performing quarter tone music and music in just intonation. They can be heared on the CD "Bridge" (hatART) with piano works by James Tenney. As a performer, he concentrates on contemporary music while also playing composers of former periods. His repertory includes works as the Goldberg Variations of J.S.Bach and Iberia of Isaac Albeniz. Bächli is one of the few interpreters of the legendary "Sonate pour piano" of the French composer Jean Barraqué and of works by the unknown German-Jewish exilee Erich Itor Kahn. For more than ten years Bächli has performed the forgotten works of Russian futurist composers of the twenties following the revolutionary ideas of Scriabin, such as Mosolov and Protopopov.

Brian Agro was born in 1953 in Hamilton, Canada. He studied at the Ontario Conservatory, and at the University of Toronto. He worked in his father's insurance business until 1987. He has lived in Toronto, New York and Berlin.

The CD cover art was done by Rolf Winnewisser, and the design by Danish graphic designer Anne Hoffmann. The Swiss lyricist Raphael Urweider wrote the liner notes. 

CHRISTOPH GALLIO MöSIöBLö <AMPLE FOOD> (PERCASO 27):
In 1965 the French  Fluxus artist Robert Filliou published his book "Ample Food for Stupid Thought", which included 92 'questions'.

Between July 2003 and April 2004,I set the entire book of questions - some humorous,existential, even absurd,but often thought provoking questions, to music.The result is a series of 92 miniatures, averaging around 15 seconds in length, and scored for soprano,guitar, and soprano together with saxophone and or bass clarinet (with the occasional added instrumentation). And "on" soprano,along with guitarist Mario Pliakas and Thomas Eckert playing clarinet, we have added the internationally acclaimed Sylvia Nopper.

You can find out more about the members of the band at http://www.percaso.ch/img/mosioblo06.pdf

The CD cover art was done by Andres Lutz & Anders Guggisberg, and the design by Danish graphic designer Anne Hoffmann. The American writer Steve Delachinsky wrote the liner notes. 

The percaso production label was founded in 1986 and still remains a small independently managed production house today. The musicians and producers invest a great amount of love and care in their productions.

title	BRIAN AGRO "PROCESSION OF THE ORNAMENTS"	©+p 2007
artists	Tomas Bächli piano
production notes	All compositions are by Brian Agro Recorded at Boxhagener Saal Berlin, 2006 December 13 & 14 by Klaus  Barm. Edited and mixed  at Percaso Studio Baden by Christoph Gallio and Martin Lorenz. Mastered at Oakland Recording in Winterthur by Walter Schmid. Graphic design by Anne Hoffman Liner notes by Raphael Urweider
cover art	Cover art by Rolf Winnewisser
	Click on the speaker to listen to the music

title	CHRISTOPH GALLIO MÖSIÖBLÖ "AMPLE FOOD"	©+p 2007
artists	Sylvia Nopper soprano Marino Pliakas guitar Thomas Eckert clarinet & bassclarinet Christoph Gallio, soprano & alto sax Guests:             Peter Schärli trumpet Bernhard Bamert trombone Dominique Girod double bass Martin Lorenz vibes Ernst Thoma electronics
production notes	All compositions are by Christoph Gallio Words by Robert Filliou Recorded 2006 September  3 & 4 at Will-Y Klangdach in Guntershausen by Willy Strehler. Recording supervised by Martin Lorenz Mixed by Willy Strehler and Christoph Gallio Mastered at Oakland Recording in Winterthur by Walter Schmid. Liner notes by Steve Dalachinsky
cover art	Cover art by Andres Lutz / Anders Guggisberg
	Click on the speaker to listen to the music

for photographs & bio please visit the 'contact' site