Mr. Ban prizes embedded mysteries more so than stylistic directives suggested by Monk’s music, or by that of Paul Bley, who is among the pianists on Mr. Virelles’s list. The only two pieces on Mr. Ban’s album that are not originals— Annette Peacock’s “Albert’s Love Theme,” played with potent restraint and nearly out of tempo; and Carla Bley’s “Ida Lupino,” which swings and soars ever so gently—are really odes to Mr. Bley, who recorded indelible versions of both. Elsewhere, on his originals, Mr. Ban’s use of dynamics—from tender to thunderous and back on the title track—crafts dramatic narratives from each piece. . . . . click to read full review

Effortlessly eclectic and encyclopedic in his knowledge of most jazz forms from classic to free, Harlem stride to Tristano, Ban creates the impression that each track could be the thresh old to a different album, but the whole coheres around his most personal and exposed improvisation yet, with “Cristina’s Hope” at the end (she is the dedicatee of the whole) as raptly self-transcending as anything Bill Evans ever committed to record. An astonishing stylist with a near-perfect instinct for dynamics and effective pedaling, Ban is now unquestionably in the major league of contemporary pianists. In his day, and this is one of them, there’s hardly anyone to match him. 

Transylvanian Folk Songs by Lucian Ban , John Surman, Mat Maneri on BILLBOARD (Classical Crossover TOP) for 4 weeks at position 8 (May 2020).

Transylvanian Folk Songs on NPR 2020 Jazz Critics Poll !

Francis Davis: ” Specifically, the folk songs collected by Béla Bartók in the Carpathians in the early 20th century. Bartok couldn’t stop himself from adding layers of counterpoint, and Ban, a Transylvanian living in New York who’s developed a fine rapport with violist Maneri, can’t stop himself from adding still more. Plus, this is your opportunity to catch up with Surman, a Brit who was only the most outstanding baritone saxophonist to emerge between Pepper Adams in the 1950s and Hamiet Bluiett 20 years later, though few stateside have acknowledged as much”

TOP 20 of 2020.
Transylvanian Folk Songs album featured on Balkan World Music Chart – Top 20 of 2020

Transylvanian Folk Songs is as much an act of tribute as it is a transformation. It helps that violist Mat Maneri is equally grounded in Bartók’s music, drawn as much by the composer’s respect for folk melodies as by his innovative approach to rhythm and harmony. But the alchemical heart of the album is John Surman, who improvises in a style that, while thoroughly jazz-based, nonetheless seems to capture the melodic dialect of this music. Listen to the way his soprano sax slurs and gulps in conversation with Maneri on “Violin Song,” and it’s hard not to believe that he was born to this music. Ban, for his part, doesn’t always follow Bartók’s lead and treat the piano as a civilizing influence. There are moments when his playing is percussive enough to evoke the clatter of a cimbalom (a traditional Hungarian dulcimer) . . .  click to read full review

Trio Infuses ‘Transylvanian Folk Songs’ With Mystery And Clarity.

Lucian Ban, John Surman and Mat Maneri bring a fresh treatment — and musical chemistry — to the bare-bones folk transcriptions of the 20th-century Hungarian composer Béla Bartók.

There’s mystery in that bare-bones music and in much else on the album “Transylvanian Folk Songs.” But there’s clarity to it as well. Lucian Ban, John Surman and Mat Maneri listen to those vintage melodies as closely as they do to each other, making those old bones dance one more time.

Mat Maneri, a player who’s also a key presence in the New York community documented on Whit Dickey’s release, put forth his own yearning vision of abstraction on Dust. With crucial contributions from pianist Lucian Ban, bassist John Hébert, and drummer Randy Peterson, the album is a shining example of patient instrumental exchange that can sound like chamber music melting slowly off the page.

“Like glistening water drops”  LIRA Magazine (Sweden)

I början av 1900-talet reste den ungerske tonsättaren Béla Bartók ut på landsbygden och samlade och spelade in tusentals folksånger. Ett jättelikt pionjärarbete, exempel finns i vinylboxen Hungarian folk music (4 lp) på Qualiton, märklig musik. Nu har den rumänske pianisten Lucian Ban grävt bland Bartóks upptäckter tillsammans med Mat Maneri på altfiol och John Surman på barytonsax, sopransax och basklarinett. Träblås och altfiol klingar nära varandra, Surman bejakar det melodiska och Maneri kärvar till. Lucian Ban kan baxa musiken hårdhänt som i Up there eller låta tonerna trilla som blänkande vattendroppar. 

Transylvanian Folk Songs album on New York City Jazz Record BEST OF 2020

HONORABLE MENTION – New Releases

The new explorative trio co-led by Romanian pianist Lucian Ban, American violist Mat Maneri and British multi-reedist John Surman focuses on interpretations of Romanian folk tunes recorded and transcribed by Hungarian pianist/composer Béla Bartók in the early 1900’s . . . .  “The Dowry Song” is a wonderful piece that develops with unflinching purpose. . . The coherently calibrated layering of these three instruments never ceases, and considerably more light can be found on “The Mighty Sun”, a motivic classical tone poem, and on the closing piece, “Transylvanian Dance”, a Garbarek-esque folktale with repeating rhythmic cadences and dexterous chordal work. Following a structured course of action, Transylvanian Folk Songs manages to be at once freewheeling and languidly pastoral.

“. . . there’s a whole other kind of virtuosity that is less talked about: an affective virtuosity – the ability to create a sonic atmosphere and ambience that has nothing to do with instrumental technique. Over the course of Dark Blue’s eleven tracks, baritone saxophonist Alex Harding and pianist Lucian Ban deploy this more elusive form of virtuosity. Evocative and intimate, Dark Blue showcases the full possibilities of the horn/piano duo format. The album is clearly not a one-off; they’ve obviously spent time developing a shared vocabulary and point of view for this format that takes advantage of their different voices in ways that allow them to shine as a duo and individuals. Compare Harding’s solo feature “H.B.” (for Hamiet Bluiett) with Ban’s solo “Low Country Blues”: free jazz inflected bari against a piano approach that’s only a couple steps removed from the concert hall. They come from different sonic worlds, yet as a pair they sound natural. ” Click to read full review

“It’s a gorgeous endeavor . . . . the musicians ingrain bluesy phrasings, buoyant mid-tempo jaunts and impassioned choruses, shaded with playful interludes  . . . . presented by musicians who instill the spirit of Giuffre with a personalized spin that works wonders”

“Jazz’s Viola Virtuoso” by Martin Johnson for WSJ
Most notable is Mat Maneri, a violist. His new recording, “Dust” (Sunnyside Records), is engrossing, affecting and innovative . . . .

“Village dances with a fresh spin”

Folk and classical influences merge as the pianist revisits traditional music collected by the Hungarian composer. Hungarian composer Béla Bartók first collected field recordings of Transylvanian folk music in 1909. Within eight years he had collected thousands of songs and was so inspired that he developed an entire theory of art. That same archive is now the basis of pianist Lucian Ban’s latest exploration of his Romanian roots, a chamber jazz trio intertwining his piano with Mat Maneri’s viola and John Surman’s clarinets and baritone sax . . .  The album opens with Surman’s gruff baritone sax pirouetting in complex time on “The Dowry Song” — the piano is even-toned and precise; Maneri plays the melody two minutes in. As the set continues, jazz, folk and classical influences merge and Ban reimagines the stately carols, sedate village dances, dirges and romps as wisps of melody for viola and reeds and delivers rumbling ostinatos, sparse single lines and haunting cadences underneath. “Violin Song” opens with abstract scratches and scrapes before the pulse begins. The three musicians entwine and react on “Bitter Love Song” and “Carol” and on “The Return” Surman’s bass clarinet ruminates slowly in acres of space. Two pieces were arranged by Ban’s long-term collaborator Maneri. “The Mighty Sun” delivers insistent minimalism and a motif played by each musician at a different speed and on “What a Great Night This Is, A Messenger Was Born”, viola and clarinet take the melody leaving piano the freedom to roam. The varied and satisfying set ends with the frolicsome “Transylvanian Dance” arcing to a peak and a burst of applause giving the first indication that the set was recorded live. By Mike Hobart.

“Dunkle Motive und sperrige Auslegungen: Seit ihrem im Jahr 2002 eingespielten Debüt „Somethin’ Holy“ hat die Musik des rumänischen Pianisten Lu­cian Ban im Duo mit dem amerikanischen Baritonsaxofonisten Alex Harding nichts von ihrer Faszination verloren . . . Mit den meistens im langsamen Tempo gebotenen Stücken ihres aktuellen Albums „Dark Blue“ demonstrieren Ban und Harding, wie harmonisch sich Spieltechniken aus der improvisierten Musik mit Einflüssen osteuropäischer Folklore und Klassik verbinden. Mit seiner bizarren Melodie erinnert „Tough Love“ an Themen von Thelonious Monk . . .  ” Click to read full review

“The transportive sound of old rural Transylvania . . . each track is its own mini-masterpiece and part of an impressionistic cultural snapshot as well as a tribute to Bartók’s efforts as a music preservationist”. TRANSYLVANIAN FOLK SONGS among albums by Archie Sheep, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dave Douglas and others.

Dwóch muzyków z innych muzycznych światów, dwaj artyści wyrośli z innych tradycji i w zupełnie innych dziękowych kulturach spotykający się w przestrzni jazzowej improwizacji. Chciałoby się powiedzieć, schemat jakich nieskończenie wiele razy doświadczała historia muzyki. To prawda, ale też schemat, który pozwalał jazzowi rozwijać się jak żadnemu bodaj innemu rodzajowi muzyki . . . Click to read full review

“. . .A series of visceral duets take place between pianist Lucian Ban and Alex Harding, who sports the baritone sax and bass clarinet on a collection of originals. Harding plays the bass clarinet on three of the tracks, and he’s sublime to Ban’s Satie-esque piano for “Black Sea,” gurgling to Ban’s sparkle during “Esto” and sighing on the rich “The Invisible Man . . . ” Click link to read full review

Romanian folk and Motor City blues combine for some stonking jazz

“A singular and unlikely pairing they are: a baritone saxophonist born in Detroit in 1967 when the sounds of  Motown were at their apex, and a pianist from the Transylvanian village of Teaca in agricultural Romania, born in 1969, where he grew up listening to the folk music played at weddings, birthdays and festivals . . .  their partnership is powerfully empathetic, just as intensely so when Harding turns to bass clarinet in Resonance, with Ban striding up and down his keys . . . This amalgam of the lyrical and the visceral is forged through African Blutopia and Duke Ellington’s African Flower, with Ban’s sublime subtlety inside every one of his lines . . .  a deep, delving album of many earthen beauties, a conjunction of the US and Romania entirely unexpected, powerfully surprising” Click to read full review

“Muzyczna współpraca Alexa Hardinga i Luciana Bana rozpoczęła się dwie dekady temu. Fonograficznie debiutowali w roku 2002 zarejestrowaną w duecie płytą Somethin’ Holy, wydawali następnie albumy w większych składach, uczestniczyli wspólnie w sesjach innych muzyków. . . Dark Blue to bardzo ciekawa i różnorodna płyta. Zarówno pod względem nastroju, jak i stylistyki. Instrumentarium Hardinga (saksofon barytonowy i klarnet basowy) znakomicie koresponduje z pianistyką Bana. Albumu słucha się bez chwili znudzenia”. Click to read full review

“. . . The universal language of jazz is conveyed here as Detroit-reared Harding and the Romanian born pianist gel to a variety of tempos amid solstice, reflective sentiment, off-centered blues balladry and bouncy grooves. Toss in some lyrically resplendent tapestries of sound and a crystalline audio production, you are liable to become entranced by the duo’s moody vibes that are etched within an underlying sense of glee . . . ” Click to link full review

Maneri’s melancholy sound and imaginative phrasing have been guided by the philosophies of his microtonalist sax-playing father Joe, Ornette Coleman’s free-jazz, 12-tone and baroque music – though he retains a clear affection for old-school jazz-violin swing. Ban suggests Keith Jarrett, Monk and early Abdullah Ibrahim with 20th-century classical infusions . . . . It’s a set of sometimes brooding and rather clandestine music, but it has its own kind of melancholy beauty, and plenty of wayward exuberance, too.

Early in the 20th century, Hungarian composer Béla Bartok began his investigations into the Romanian folk music of Transylvania. Traveling through the countryside, he made field recordings documenting the region’s indigenous music, eventually amassing more than 3,000 songs comprising six catalogues, which certainly had an imprint on his own work. One hundred years later, Lucian Ban, John Surman and Mat Maneri look to Bartok’s collections for inspiration on their release Transylvanian Folk Songs (Sunnyside). Pianist Ban, who grew up in Transylvania, has frequently found sustenance in the music of his homeland. Maneri, who grew up in Boston, also came to the music of Bartok early in his development, recognizing the folkloric connection to rock and modern classical music. After conceiving of a project that would launch from the Bartok field recordings, Ban and Maneri recruited master reedist John Surman, who grew up in the English countryside, as the third side to their triangle. Among the tunes they interpret, allowing plenty of space for personal expression, “The Dowry Song” opens the collection on a sprightly note. Surman’s edgy baritone saxophone engages in a stately dance with Ban’s rhythmic piano motif, the pair soon joined by Maneri’s stringent viola. The piece grows in intensity as it unfolds, whirling like revelers at a wedding who have enjoyed the free libations before quieting into somewhat somber reflection.

konnten wir binnen drei Tagen zwei außergewöhnliche Jazzabende erleben, die sich durch hoch geschraubtes Niveau auszeichneten und multikulturelle, kompromisslose Vielfalt ergänzten. Völlig aus dem Rahmen der modischen Hörgewohnheiten gesprengt war die originell verpackte Neubearbeitung der Oper „Oedipe Redux“ des rumänischen Komponisten Georg Enesco, die 1936 in Paris uraufgeführt wurde.

There is an alluring timelessness to the music created by pianistLucian Ban’s quartet on Songs From Afar. The group plays without artifice, whether mining Transylvanian folk music or paying tribute to Sun Ra. This is an especially powerful program that reveals new high points with each listen. Ban has tapped an essential source.

Las parejas musicales formadas por Lucian Ban y Mat Maneri, por un lado ahondan en las posibilidades del formato en sendos conciertos en JazzMadrid. Poco después, en ese templo del jazz en Madrid que es el club Bogui Jazz, el pianista de origen rumano Lucian Ban y el viola norteamericano Mat Maneri presentaron su excelente álbum Transylvanian Concert. La química que muestran en directo es fascinante, y a medida que transcurrió el concierto fue cada vez más patente que la suya no es una confluencia que deje elementos musicales al azar.

George Enescu (1881-1955) zijn opera ‘Oedipe’ vertalen naar een jazzcontext mag gerust bestempeld worden als een sisyfusopdracht. Toch waagde de Roemeense pianist en componist Lucian Ban zich hieraan. Samen met violist Mat Maneri schreef hij de arrangementen voor de uitvoering door een gezelschap van zes musici en twee vocalisten. Een gesprek met deze twee kamikaze-muzikanten. Pianist en componist Lucian Ban is afkomstig uit het noordwesten van Transsylvanië, de streek waar Bartok inspiratie haalde uit de lokale volksmuziek om die vervolgens te koppelen aan klassieke structuren. Sinds 1999 koos hij New York als vaste uitvalsbasis. Zijn werk verscheen bij labels als ECM, Sunnyside Records, Clean Feed, CIMP en Jazzaway. Op 27 november 2019 staat hij samen met Mat Maneri, Louis Sclavis, Ralph Alessi, Theo Bleckmann, Jen Shyu, John Hébert en Tom Rainey op het podium van Bozar. Het is een zonnige herfstnamiddag in Brooklyn wanneer we hem bellen. Via zijn open raam dwarrelen gedempte stadsgeluiden binnen.

Bela Bartok is a man of dual destiny: recognized as one of the most remarkable and influential composers of the 20th century, he is also considered the founder of scientific ethnomusicology . . . Romanian jazz pianist Lucian Ban has used them as a basis for improvisation for an unexpected and therefore more impressive trio – together with saxophonist John Surman and violinist Mat Maneri. Unlike classical jazz ensembles, neither the piano nor the saxophone, nor does the lesser-heard jazz violin actually become a soloist. . . . click to read full review

Much of the material at the Vortex was drawn from the pair’s Transylvanian Concert, recorded two years ago and recently issued on ECM. Shades of Monk and early Jarrett could be heard on a furiously-swinging, off-kilter Not That Kind Of Blues, and later pieces containing audacious harmonies and unresolved cadences brought to mind both Béla Bartók and Annette Peacock . . .

A shared interest in Bartók prompted this collaboration between pianist Lucian Ban, violist Mat Maneri, and woodwinds player John Surman. . . . The playing is marked by delicacy and the music’s tone often introspective, never more so than during “What A Great Night This Is, A Messenger Was Born” when viola and bass clarinet address the melody transcribed by Bartók as Ban extemporizes. “Transylvanian Dance” concludes the release on a buoyant, ECM-like note with Surman’s soprano sax pirouetting alongside Ban’s driving piano. . . . Transylvanian Folk Songs is a wholly absorbing set distinguished by imagination and originality. . .  click to read full review

The outstanding opening tune “Quiet Storm” was penned for multi-reedist Jimmy Giuffre, whose trio with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow inspired the music on this album. Sensitive and prayerful, the heavenly melodies navigate the simple harmonization, also a carrier of exceptional delicacy and touching beauty. Unearthing an improvisatory urgency, the title track brims with free, instinctive interplay, in which poised piano grooves and helical clarinet lines work together to achieve a dynamic combustion . . . Ban and Simu operate at the fringes of jazz and classical, communicating pleasant feelings as they search and create with abandon.

Putting aside for the moment mention of chamber-jazz weaves, global influences, modal designs, and high-wire improv, what’s the most economical way to describe the performances on Dust? How about suggesting an alternative four-letter album title? Soul, for instance. After all, that’s the common emotional thread running through these mostly introspective, artfully executed performances—a yearning vocal-like quality that helps account for why even the longest, most multifaceted tracks consistently cohere.

“An unexpectedly nuanced album . . . . Quiet Storm, an original by Lucian Ban, brims with a degree of lonely, contemplative atmosphere so great that it nearly forces the visualization of fat flakes of snow falling softly upon dormant fields of grass. This song, more than any other contained in this set, provides a brief glimpse of compositional genius, not only in the complexity of the instrumental, but in the complexity of character. FREE FALL extends beyond the late musician’s (Jimmy Giuffre) shadow, drawing forth two of modern jazz’s unique personalities”

“Inspired by the improvisational genius of Jimmy Giuffre. What transpired throughout this particular performance, captured at Bucharest’s French Institute, is a fitting embodiment inspired by one of jazz’ humblest stalwarts. Ban’s “Quiet Storm” opens the concert by immersing listeners in the robust tenderness for which Giuffre will be forever known. Harnessing an illustrative power akin to incidental music of the theater, Simu comports himself like an actor on stage, deviating just enough from the script to wrap his performance in a cloak of individuality.  Moving with ghostly patience, it crowns the metaphysical heart stirring within each of these songs”

Notturno, mistico e intenso questo lavoro discografico targato ECM, testimonianza sonora di una intera performance al Culture Palace di Targu Mures nel cuore della Transylvania. Ma c’è anche il suono dell’Europa dell’Est, in “Monastery”. L’album si chiude con “Two Hymns”, fra i momenti più delicati e lirici dell’intero lavoro discografico, ove entrambe le voci si fanno purezza e delicata malinconia, sciogliendo le astrazioni e i parossistici e convulsi movimenti della ricerca musicale e rendendoci una sorta di miracoloso equilibrio, la quiete, il mistero della musica tutta.

There is an alluring timelessness to the music created by pianist Lucian Ban’s Elevation quartet on Songs From Afar—the group’s third album for Sunnyside. Perhaps that’s the effect of mixing traditional Romanian folk songs— two of them sung with authenticity by Gavril Tarmure—with a band that can sound like it’s channeling John Coltrane’s quartet . . . . there is a strong life-force that seems to flow through this music.

Rescate de los mágicos sonidos de la niñez . . . El sólido lirismo de los tres temas populares cantados por Gavril Tarmure (en los que el sueño es metáfora recurrente) cuenta con el respaldo de un Burton en estado de gracia, por momentos tierno y en otros desatado, pero siempre transitando por la senda de mágica espiritualidad trazada por el último Coltrane.

Evan Parker, Mat Maneri and Lucian Ban in London — scrapes, scampers and ululations – the trio performed an evening of through-improvised music at the Vortex Jazz Club.

Parker’s guests had just completed a South American tour, but this was the trio’s first meeting since recording the engaging set of themed improvisations collected on the album Sounding Tears in New York in 2014. The evening began with a gentle scrape of viola, a flutter of soprano sax and a toddler in the audience saying “Papa” (at first I thought it was a sample). The delicate interplay continued when Ban entered with a scattering of notes. As the piece progressed, Parker delivered microtonal variations of a single note over Maneri’s viola drone, and Ban’s solemn piano firmed into a steady, somewhat ominous walk. Fast scampers passed from sax to viola and spiraled into the upper register, then Parker launched into an extended, continuous ululation, his first of the night. By the time the piece ended with sax and viola skirling over the thump of Ban’s deadened piano strings, solo piano had arced from sparse rumination to full-on rumble, the trio’s mournful textures hovering with intent. The second improvisation, led by Ban’s marching single-note piano, evolved through ragged stride to sax and viola skitters, delivered pure melodies and ended on a fading viola moan. As on the album, the music was focused and imbued with an intense sense of space, but the centre of gravity had shifted. The recording merged Parker’s spontaneous aesthetic with established routines. Here the saxophonist held sway. As Ban said, introducing the second set: “Playing without a net, it’s not easy.” Not that any awkwardness was on display. The second half continued with focus intact. The opening improvisation began with a plangent viola and piano duet, and ended with the distinctive inflections of an east European mode. The second started with a quiet flutter of Parker’s soprano sax and finished with a two-note piano dirge and hints of the blues. Both pieces featured Parker’s extraordinary ululations, the first with sax, piano and viola acting as one, the second with Parker unaccompanied, and revealing the core phrase within. The encore, a dense swirl of overlapping scuttles, roared to a climax and stopped dead.

“Recorded in the region where composer Béla Bartók collected many of the folk songs, . . .  Maneri’s return to the label for this intimate live recording with pianist Lucian Ban (on his first-ever ECM appearance) something to celebrate. Ban’s four compositions cover significant territory while speaking clearly with a voice that, like Maneri, has absorbed the language of jazz into something that transcends even its most distant borders”

Viola player Mat Maneri first emerged during the 1990s, and has delivered introspective, at times mournful performances in a broad range of contexts ever since. Dust, though, is his first release as a leader in a while, so it’s no surprise he’s brought in players with whom he’s got a history. Maneri and pianist Lucian Ban released a duo disc, Transylvanian Concert, in 2013. They also recorded with bassist John Hébert on 2010’s Enesco Re-Imagined, with violinist Albrecht Maurer on 2015’s Fantasm, and with Evan Parker on 2017’s Sounding Tears. Maneri’s relationship with drummer Randy Peterson, meanwhile, goes back to the first decade of the bandleader’s career . . . . This is a collective music, suspenseful without being tentative, and it’s as much about listening as playing.

Pour ceux qui auraient découvert Lucian Ban en duo avec Mat Maneri lors du dernier festival Jazz!Brugge, en octobre 2014, une précision s’impose: cet album n’a rien à voir avec la musique assez cérébrale (très ECM) du concert brugeois. Dans un parfait équilibre entre lyrisme mélodique et pulsion rythmique, le répertoire fait alterner de belles ballades au climat nostalgique (Transylvanian Sorrow Song, Farewell, Chakra the island, Spiritual) avec des compositions au tempo nerveux (Travlin’ with Ra), parfois avec un ténor au souffle coltranien (Transylvanian Wedding Song I) ou un relent de blues (Southern dawn). L’accord entre saxophone et violon alto, en constant contrechant, est parfait et les envolées du piano sont bien soutenues par une rythmique infaillible.

“Enesco Re-Imagined is visionary third-stream music. That’s undercounting the streams, actually; the album is a compound of musical compounds. Romanian composer Georges Enesco, was known for molding doina— a Romanian folk form — into classical structures and settings . . . . . . Enesco belongs in the pantheon of 20th-century composers, and this recording places Ban and Hébert among the great 21st-century interpreters”

LUCIAN BAN Auditori, Barcelona 13 de noviembre Históricamente los caminos del y de la música llamada clásica se han juntado en innumerables ocasiones con resultados dispares, desde la frivolidad más simplista hasta la belleza hipnótica de muchas composiciones de Gershwin o los experimentos turbadores de Gunther Schuller y la primera Third Stream. Una historia de amor/desamor que no ha concluido y que probablemente no concluya nunca mientras la música exista. Uno de los últimos capítulos llega desde Nueva York pero capitaneado por el pianista rumano Lucian Ban que, con la mirada del jazz más prospectivo, ha profundizado en las partituras de su compatriota George Enescu. Una revisión luminosa e imaginativa, sorprendente de principio a final. Lucian Ban en colaboración con el contrabajista John Hebert tomaron varios fragmentos de diversas obras de Enescu y les dieron completamente la vuelta para que, sin perder ni la rítmica ni el colorido del original muy anclado en su folclore, sirvieran de plataforma para alguno de los mejores improvisadores de la actual escena neoyorquina. El disco resultante fue una de las sorpresas más agradables de la pasada temporada. Ahora su puesta en escena ha rozado la genialidad. En el Auditori, Lucian Ban reinventó la música de Enescu bordando un estremecimiento a cada paso. Ban mostró un toque pianístico heredado directamente de la tradición clásica europea pero terriblemente imaginativo en las improvisaciones, un Enesco más abierto si cabe y con los pies pisan- do un asfalto de lo más actual. John Hebert faltó a la cita pero fue sustituido para esta gira por un grande del contrabajo, Mark Helias que se lució especialmente en una revisión de la sonata para violonchelo y piano del compositor rumano (solo se interpretaron obras suyas). Completando una banda de verdadero lujo destacaron el trompetista Ralph Alessi, el saxofonista Tony Malaby, el viola Mat Maneri y el histórico intérprete de tabla Badal Roy que tuvo también sus momentos de protagonismo tendiendo un sólido puente entre el folclore indio y el rumano.

Stirring emotions, luxurious textures – The duo’s music is steeped in modernist influences, from classical music to jazz.

A wheezy viola scamper announced the evening, swiftly answered by a scatter of low-register piano. Texturesthickened, the pulse firmed up, and the duo’s understated entry blossomed into a performance that had the heft and impact of a larger band. Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri compress folkloric bacchanals, atonal mysteries and the unmistakable cadences of the blues into a singular aesthetic. Pianist Ban grew up in Transylvania, and his percussive full-pedal approach at times conjured forest-dwellers’ revels. But this is only one component of a compositional palette that is steeped in modernist influences, from classical music to jazz. Maneri, here playing amplified viola, complements this approach with sweeping lines and plangent melodies, richly voiced chords and subtle plunks. In this performance, the last date of a European tour, their close phrasing, complementary tones and rapport produced stirring emotions as well asluxurious textures. The performance began with two new pieces, “Black Salt”, a homage to the blues with a delicately decorated theme, and “Transylvanian Dance”, which lived up to its title and tore at the heart. A cover of drummer Paul Motian’s sedate and sombre “Fantasm” followed, its sparse abstract lines developed into a dense, closely argued duet. George Enescu’s “Prelude 1 for Orchestral Suite” evoked optimism and doubt with a lovely tune, rippling piano arpeggios and ebb-and-flow improv. The evening’s highlight was a cover of Sun Ra’s “A Call for All Demons”. The piece began as a whimsical ballad, but soon Maneri was playing plaintive minor-key lines and slurred country blues, fizzing, fleet-fingered abstractions and aggressive harmonised stabs. And all the while, Ban’s two-note motif maintained a steady militaristic pulse. The finale, “Monastery”, referenced the duo’s Transylvania Concert album. The dancey fusion theme had a modal bridge and, delivered at full force, was equally up to snuff.

Klavier und Violine, wohltemperierte Halbtonschritte und abgestufte Reibeflächen. Mat Maneri und Lucian Ban, live, Zwiesprache in Transsilvanien. Eine schwer bewegte Harmonie hier, eine mit leichter Hand dagegengeworfene Melodie dort, nicht totzukriegen, aber alles andere als Zombies. Hier ein Gran Muddy Waters, ein bisschen Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, die im unendlichen Fluss der Ideen, Assoziationen und Querverweise vorübertreiben. Doch Zitate sind nur spielerischer Zierat, im Kern geht es den beidenMusikern um die eigenartige Spannung, die zwischen ihnen entsteht, um das Mit- und Gegeneinander der Dis- und Konsonanzen, um die höhere Dimension der Harmonie, die aus der Spannung entsteht.

El octeto es ciertamente espectacular, todos y cada uno de los músicos tienen unas trayectorias envidiables y una calidad extraordinaria . . .  Más o menos interpretaron todo el disco, la “Sonata nº 3 para violín y piano”, el “Aria & Scherzino”, el “Octeto para cuerdas”, etc., mostrando así desde distintos ángulos instrumentales y temáticos esa “actualidad” que tiene la música de Enescu.

. . . Add in Ban’s long, lumbering, melancholy bookends, “Not That Kind of Blues” and “Two Hymns,” and Transylvanian Concert—perhaps appropriately, given the locale—comes as close as it gets to Goth-jazz.

Honorable Mention:

Lucian Ban & John Hébert, Enesco Re-Imagined (Sunnyside)

Evan Christopher, Remembering Song (Arbors); Empirical, Out ’n’ In (Naim); Amir ElSaffar & Hafez Modirzadeh, Radif Suite (Pi); John Escreet, Don’t Fight the Inevitable (Mythology); Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamers (Savoy Jazz); Tomas Fujiwara & Taylor Ho Bynum, Stepwise (NotTwo); Microscopic Septet, Friday the 13th: The Micros Play Monk (Cuneiform); Joe Morris, Camera (ESP-Disk); Jeremy Pelt, Men of Honor(HighNote).

La música de Lucian Ban y Elevation viene envuelta en una colección de melodías realmente hermosas, resaltadas por la fina y sensible interpretación de un grupo capaz de jugar con ellas, reformularlas, sugerir posibilidades y lanzarse a explorarlas hasta sus últimas consecuencias. El resultado es un puñado de interpretaciones verdaderamente imprevisible, en que jamás se pierde de vista la composición original pero que, sobre todo, abre la música a la imaginación y el talento de unos músicos capaces de aportar nuevas perspectivas a cada momento, y de reaccionar creativamente a las que proponen los demás. La variedad del menú ofrecido por el grupo, que incluyó tanto hermosas baladas como veloces desarrollos plenos de swing; arrebatos free y poderosos ritmos funk, fue otra de las bazas que ayudaron a que el concierto que Lucian Ban y su fantástico grupo resultase tan gozoso. Un lujo, un privilegio… 

Barcelona ha vivido un noviembre en estado de gracia. Enescu no deja de ser uno de los grandes desconocidos por nuestras latitudes (incluso para los programadores clásicos), así que Ban abrió al público de Barcelona una puerta llena de sorpresas, paisajes sonoros llenos de luz y texturas poco habituales en el jazz. Uno de esos días en que uno se siente orgulloso de poder presenciar y descubrir la grandeza de la unión de las músicas llamadas clásicas y las improvisaciones jazzísticas . . .  Una gran apuesta para un gran descubrimiento. Combinaciones nuevas para música en ebullición. 

Sounding Tears is a one-of-a-kind experience . . . a nebulous musical session devised by the improvisational masters Mat Maneri, Evan Parker and Lucian Ban, American violist, British saxophonist, and American pianist of Romanian descent, respectively. On “Blue Light”, we have Parker’s uninterrupted enunciations secured by muted viola sounds and low-pitched piano notes, both working as a percussive obbligato . . . Neglecting tempo and forsaking harmony, “The Rule of Twelves” finds Maneri and Parker playing an avant-chamber duet immersed in ambiguity. 
Afterward, it’s Ban alone, who shines with a solo piece, “Polaris”, being also preponderant on the enigmatic “Blessed”, in which his penetrating low notes superimpose to the sparse high-pitched lines. The setting he creates is perfect for Maneri’s microtonal approach and Parker’s uncompromised strays.Jazztrail review of SOUNDING TEARS

“Transylvanian concert”, l’ultimo cd di Lucian Ban (pianoforte) e Mat Maneri (viola) prodotto dalla Ecm è una proposta, del tutto esclusiva, di libertà. Si tratta di quella musica – “quella” perché è blues, jazz, classica e contemporanea: George Enescu, Ligeti e Velvet Underground insieme – inconfondibile e sarcastica. Questo è ciò che pensa della musica il pianista Ban. Coinvolto nella ricerca e nella rivisitazione di un blues che in Romania prende il nome di “Doina”, «canzoni tristi e dolenti di incredibile bellezza» con le quali interrogarsi sui significati della musica.

Both Ban and Maneri are in peak form. It serves as a beautiful introduction to the two artists, or a reaffirmation of why you found these player-composers interesting in the first place. If there is an ECM sound, as of course there has been for a long time, it doesn’t stand still. This one is an example of how the music moves forward in good ways

Das Live-Album «Transylvanian Concert» bietet Musik für Grenzgänger; für Melodieverliebte und für Anhänger der Folklore; für Enthusiasten beredeter Stille und für Leute, die Improvisationen schätzen. Was der arrivierte amerikanische Bratschist Mat Maneri hier erklingen lässt – im Verbund mit dem rumänischen Pianisten Lucian Ban –, ist mannigfaltig und doch einheitlich. All die Partikel aus unterschiedlichen Winkeln sind filigran verbunden 

Come accennato, la sera dopo siamo tornati alla Casa del Jazz, per ascoltare Lucian Ban al pianoforte  e Matt Maneri alla viola. E qui il discorso cambia radicalmente ché trovare tracce di jazz, canonicamente inteso, è davvero difficile…anche se la performance dei due è stata semplicemente superba.  Lucian Ban è un pianista e compositore rumeno cresciuto in un villaggio della Transilvania e residente da diverso tempo negli Stati Uniti. Il suo pianismo ha radici nel blues, in Ellington, Monk e Jarrett e si collega in qualche modo alla tradizione afroamericana, cui aggiunge le influenze che gli vengono dalla sua terra,  la melodia, la malinconia soffusa.

“Dieses außergewöhnliche „Transylvanian Concert“ via ECM auch den Menschen jenseits der Heimat Draculas bekannt zu machen. Lucian Ban, der aus der Gegend stammt, aber seit 1999 in New York lebt, und der vor allem in der Band seines Vaters Joe Maneri bekannt gewordene Mat Maneri begegnen sich eine knappe Stunde lang in einem spannungsgeladenen und breit gefächerten Dialog, in dem sie nicht nur die Grenze zwischen Komposition und Improvisation gänzlich verwischen, sondern auch jene zwischen avantgardistischem Jazz und klassischer Kammermusik, zwischen Blues und Zwölftonmusik. Hier musizieren zwei verwandte Geister, die sich höchst kreativ aneinander reiben – sei es in wunderbar lyrischen Stimmungsbildern oder in dynamischen Eruptionen. Faszinierend ist auch, was Mat Maneri in seiner Soloimprovisation zum Spiritual „Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen“ daherzaubert. Eine Platte, die viel Aufmerksamkeit verlangt – was aber auch belohnt wird, je öfter man sie hört.

Lucian Ban is a jazz pianist and composer who in recent years has become a key figure on New York’s downtown jazz scene. This album is devoted to the work of Romanian classical genius George Enescu, the violin virtuoso who taught Yehudi Menuhin, and whose compositions looked westward to the regular classical repertoire and eastward  to oriental music, while being rooted in his homeland’s folk traditions . . . Fast trumpet solos with tabla rhythms turn into a seesawing Enescu folk-melody, and percussive Indian chanting is prodded by Herbie Hancockish piano chords and then raw free-jazz sax. It’s a rare combination of uninhibited but coherent solo and collective improv, shrewd arrangement and dazzling thematic writing.

Albrecht Maurer, Mat Manieri and Lucian Ban’s new record, Fantasm, lives in the space where modern classical and avant-garde jazz meet.Albrecht Maurer, Mat Manieri and Lucian Ban’s new record, Fantasm, lives in the space where modern classical and avant-garde jazz meet. Throughout the record, the musicians on Fantasm balance mystery and exuberance with continual movement. This is a record that incorporates space and stillness without ever being still.

Nein, „solch ein Blues“ ist der Opener nicht („Not That Kind Of Blues“), aber er spielt mit Bluesmotiven, und die Musiker kitzeln nur so die Blue Notes aus Klavier und Viola. Der aus Rumänien stammende Pianist Lucian Ban und der Bratscher Mat Maneri aus Brooklyn sind klassisch geschult, aber in improvisierter Musik unterwegs. Bei einem Konzert in Bans Heimatregion, deren Volksmusik Béla Bartók einst sammelte und erforschte, betören sie mit Kammermusik zwischen Komposition (zumeist von Ban) und Improvisation, die sich aus all diesen Quellen speist. Von besonderem Reiz: Maneris Version des Spirituals „NobodKnows The Trouble I’ve Seen“ für Viola solo. Musik ****1/2 Klang ****

The life and music of the prodigiously talented Romanian violinist, composer and conductor, George Enesco . . . . Recorded at the biennial George Enesco Festival in 2009, and cleverly titled Enesco Re-Imagined, it is a spectacular, dreamy affair, rooted, no doubt, in the celebrated musical reality of the celebrated 19th/20th Century composer.

The exquisite counterpoint of horns, strings and percussion in “Octet” demonstrates absolutely masterful writing, and shows Ban’s sensitivity for Enesco’s great ear for the sound palette. A spectacular pianist himself, Ban subdues his own pianism, but elevates his overall musical voice to soar with Enesco’s throughout the set. Hébert’s playing also displays great melodicism, as he negotiates very difficult parts of the score—typically in the adagio movement of Enesco’s “Piano Suite No. 1.”

This is a wonderful piece of work, and hats off to Sunnyside for its foresight in seeing the ingenuity from Lucian Ban’s perspective.

Zwei seelenverwandte Musiker verbinden eine alte Welt des Balkans mit einem stets archaisch anmutendem Jazz. Klingen dabei mal absolut zeitgenössisch, dann wieder wie aus einer versunkenen Welt. Der eine, Lucian Ban, wuchs dort auf, wo Bela Bartok die folkloristischen Traditionen Rumäniens erkundete, Jahrzehnte später zog es ihn nach New York. Der andere, Mat Maneri, bewegt sich genauso souverän zwischen Jazz und Zeitgenössischer Klassik; Mat Maneris reichhaltiges Spiel in dunkleren Tonlagen kann subtil und unterschwellig alte Gesänge aus dem östlichen Europa genauso anklingen lassen, wie er dem Gospel ‚Nobody Knows the trouble i’ve seen’ unerhörte Abgründe entlockt. Da klingen zudem und fast beiläufig, während man einmal gar Regen auf das Dach der Konzerthalle fallen hört, für Sekunden Themen alter amerikanischer Jazzweisen an, um sich dann wieder, fast geisterhaft, in Luft aufzulösen. Dann wieder bewegt sich das Duo in Sphären, wo alle vertrauten Insignien fehlen. Das Unheimliche bleibt unberechenbar, in diesem transylvanischen Konzert.

Der seit 1999 in New York lebende aus Rumänien stammende Pianist Lucian Band hat Elevation, sein Quartett mit dem Saxophonisten Abraham Burton, Bassmann John Hébert und Drummer Eric McPherson diesmal erweitert. Zum einen ist Bratschist Mat Manieri dabei, mit dem Ban vor zwei Jahren im Duo bei ECM debütierte, zum anderen hat er für drei Songs einen rumänischen Sänger eingeladen. Die sonore Stimme von Gavril Tarmure transportiert die alten Melodien mühelos in die offenen Sounds der Band hinein, wobei zwischen dem knorrig Traditionellen im Gesang und der Urbanität des Postbop eine Harmonie zum Vorschein kommt, die auch zur Atmosphäre anderer Stücke des Albums passt – den mit Bluesfarben getupften Kompositionen Lucian Bans für seine Band und zwei Soloklavierstücken mit Gospeleinschlag. „Songs von weit her“ ist der richtige Titel, denn so nahe an den Orten seiner Herkunft und dem seines Wirkens zugleich war Lucian Ban in seiner Musik bisher nicht

“A colossal work of re-writing the music of George Enesco . . . the group sounds like a 40 piece orchestra!” . . . 

C‘est à un colossal travail de réécriture pour cuivres et cordes de l’oeuvre du compositeur roumain Georges Enesco (1881-1955) que se sont livrés le pianiste et compatriote Lucian Ban et le contrebassiste américain John Hebert pour ce travail présenté en public à. Comment rendre compte d’une oeuvre aussi complexe que celle de Enesco tout en la modernisant, en la relisant mais sans toutefois la trahir. C’est l’audacieux pari des deux co-arrangeurs qui, c’est le moins que l’on puisse dire ont livré là une oeuvre orchestrale d’une incroyable densité.  Full review in french. 

John Szwed’s “Best of 2010″ list (JJA)

1 Myra Melford The Whole Tree Gone
2 Chris Lightcap Deluxe Clean Feed
3 Lucian Ban and John Hebert Enesco Re-Imagined (Sunnyside)
4 Ches Smith and These Arches Finally Out of My Hands
5 Henry Threadgill This Brings Us to 2
6 Steve Coleman and Five Elements, Harvesting Semblances and Affinities
7 Norma Winstone. Stories Yet to Tell ECM
8 Claudia Quartet Royal Toast Cuneiform
9 David Weiss Snuck In Sunnyside
10 Scott Coley Empire Cam Jazz

Michael J. West’s “Best of 2010″ list (JJA)

1. Christian Scott, Yesterday You Said Tomorrow (Concord Jazz)
2. Vijay Iyer, Solo (ACT)
3. Regina Carter, Reverse Thread (E1)
4. Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes, Double Portrait (Blue Note)
5. Jason Moran, Ten (Blue Note)
6. Mary Halvorson Quintet, Saturn Sings
7. Rudresh Mahanthappa & Steve Lehman, Dual Identity (Clean Feed)
8. Steve Coleman and Five Elements, Harvesting Semblances and Affinities
9. Geri Allen, Flying Toward the Sound
10. Lucian Ban & John Hebert, Enesco Re-Imagined (Sunnyside)

“Interpretations driven by invention and flecked with both frenzy and repose. From sonata to symphony, George Enescu’s pieces are sliced in a way that lets an Improvising brass/reeds/strings ensemble makes hay with scores that never had jazz in mind, but lend themselves to all sorts of creativity.” Jim Macnie, Village Voice November 2010

Romanian-born George Enesco was one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century – a violin virtuoso as well as a gifted and prolific composer (though history’s memory reveres him as a player first). Enesco was a prodigy who graduated the Vienna Conservatory at 13, met Brahms, moved to Paris and studied with Gabriel Faure and was friends with Maurice Ravel. This disc contains a lengthy biography as a bonus feature as well as a live video version of one of his pieces played by this ensemble from a concert earlier this year, playable on computer. Since I am not familiar with any of Enesco’s music, which is odd since I have upwards of a thousand discs by hundreds of 20th century composers, I can’t compare this with anything I know previously. “Aria et Scherzino” was composed in 1909 and is now more a hundred years old. It is a lovely, melancholy piece for delicate strings, calm piano and simmering horns. “Octet for Strings” starts with a tabla-led groove, Miles-like trumpet and superb Tony Williams-like drums, with strong solos from the trumpet & strings. This complex and compelling passionate music fits the superb skills of this ensemble so well. Lucian’s final solo here is outstanding, as is Mat Maneri’s dreamy solo near the end. Bravo! “Sonata No. 3 for Violin & Piano” has an endearing melody that reminds of those soundtracks that Morricone wrote for those Italian westerns of the sixties. Both Alessi on trumpet and Malaby on tenor sax take incredible solos here. The other thing that makes this band so special is the consistently spirited and inventive playing of the Ban/Hebert/Cleaver rhythm team. Other highlights include Badal Roy’s tabla and vocal percussion, which are used most selectively to enhance certain sections of the appropriate pieces. As November approaches, we find ourselves considering the most engaging, best discs of 2010 – this disc is ABSOLUTELY a serious contender! – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

One of the most creative new musicians on the New York City scene, Lucian Ban is a Transylvanian pianist and composer whose collaborations with fellow NYC jazzers continue to produce a burgeoning collection of original music. Recordings with Bob Stewart, Alex Harding, and Jorge Sylvester highlight Lucian’s prodigious recent output, a body of work that includes five releases in the last five years. 

AAJ: Alex Harding was and continues to be one of your primary musical collaborators. How did you meet?

LB: Alex and I played together from first moment I got to New York, and I’ve learned a great deal from him as a musician, friend and somebody with more experience on the scene. He’s introduced and recommended me to many of the great and established players in the city.

LUCIAN BAN
Enescu Reimagined
(Sunnyside)
****

Romanian jazz can swing like the clappers one minute and break your heart the next. Inspired by late composer George Enescu, this East-meets-West suite by pianist Ban and bassist John Hebert adds violin and viola to the usual jazz mix. Their Mingus-like arrangements draw melodious solos from tenorist Tony Malaby and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. And a rhythm section including US bassist Drew Gress and Indian percussion virtuoso Badal Roy is quirkily effective.

“Drawing on traditional Romanian folk melodies, Newsome and Ban cleverly reconfigure age-old material with their cross-cultural crew of Americans Alex Harding on baritone sax and Willard Dyson on drums, and Romanians Sorin Romanescu on guitar and Arthur Balogh on bass. ….. This unique collaboration between American soprano sax player Sam Newsome and Romanian pianist Lucian Ban, both players on the New York jazz scene for several years, offers further evidence that jazz is indeed a universal language in the 21st century….”

And trust me, the music is among the most dynamic Third Stream jazz I’ve heard in recent years. Trumpeter Ralph Alessi , tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, violist Mat Maneri, violinist Albrecht Maurer, drummer Gerald Cleaver and percussionist Badal Roy help Band and Hébert that sound like eight classical/free jazz symphonies on each song. One of the most amazing things about it, at least to me, is that the album was recorded live at a festival bearing Enescu’s name.

“Romanian-American’ suite taps deep roots

By Don Heckman,
American jazz and the music of Romania would not seem to have obvious linkages. But, as frequently happens when players from one improvising musical culture meet those of another, common ground – even fascinating common ground – is discovered. Which is exactly what happened Thursday night at the Jazz Bakery in the performance of the “Romanian-American Jazz Suite” by a six-piece ensemble uniting three Romanian players with three Americans? . . .  Their empathetic partnership was more easily achieved by virtue of the fact that all were experienced jazz artists. But what made the performance one of the more unusual musical encounters of the year was the blending of roots elements that filtered through each piece: the traces of the blues and the propulsive swing of the Americans, soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome, tenor saxophonist Abraham Burton and drummer Willard Dyson; the modal references and off-beat rhythms of the Romanians, pianist Lucian Ban, guitarist Orin Romanesque and bassist Arthur Balogh . . .

George Enescu was active and successful as a violinist, a pedagogue, a conductor, and of course a composer. He was heavily influenced by the folk idioms of his native Romania, as well as other emerging musical forms from around the world. Recorded at the 2009 Enescu International Festival, the performances here have a lot to offer most listeners. Even purists who aren’t big fans of altering original compositions will notice that reorchestrators Lucian Ban and John Hébert do so in a highly respectful manner; perhaps most surprisingly, Enescu’s music truly lends itself well to this type of performance, and jazz aficionados may not even suspect that these works were drawn from a “classical” composer. Ban, Hébert, and their ensemble play with a pleasingly laid-back, relaxed mood. Sunnyside’s sound quality is clear, but not too close. By Mike D. Brownell

This acoustic album is heady, electric stuff, from one of the strongest, freshest new bands in New York . . . what makes Playground work is the juxtaposition of Ban’s Old World intellectual romanticism and Sylvester’s earthy Third World fervor. Ban writes subtle, intriguing tunes (eight of the nine here), and every one of his solos finds uncommon lyricism . . .
The liberated latter-day ballads are best. “Gentle Shifts Rain” hovers in space, rather like Jimmy Rowles’ “The Peacocks.” “Silence” is for Shirley Horn, with Sylvester piping high and Ban picking out bare fragments. It is one of the most moving eulogies in recent jazz.

“Globalization isn’t just a socio-economic phenomenon these days. It’s increasingly affecting jazz, our most American of art forms, too. For proof, consider this month’s Winning Spins pair.Despite the daunting musical descriptions, the tracks are vividly engaging as reflections of both another culture’s music and inventive jazz. Each track has its own unique flavor, achieved through specific textures and sequences, including choice of solo voices. Ban’s piano has a spare authority; Romanescu’s guitar possesses an ethereal tone suggesting he’s listened to Pat Metheny; Newsome can conjure a folkish, piping tone or a deeper jazz resonance on soprano, all with very little vibrato; and Harding’s baritone covers a wide tonal spectrum from gruff and dirty to suede-smooth . . . on “Transylvanian Dance”, baritone and soprano engage in lengthening trades flowing into polyphony; and on “Carol” the soprano’s rubato opening is shadowed by bass clarinet obligati. “Bucharest, Part Two” dances with gypsy fervor in solos that gnaw at phrases (soprano), chop up riffs (guitar) and take off with febrile energy (baritone). It’s an album full of rewarding surprises, a jazz delight.”

“With The Tuba Project, Lucian Ban and Alex Harding have put together a raucous, bluesy, energetic, and at times ecstatic album. Drawing from deep roots in jazz and Afro-American music, these musicians play with a contagious abandon . . . The centerpiece of the record is the sixteen-minute “Bluesness Suite,” which starts with Harding and Phillips playing freely against each other, leading to a moaning theme played by the horns, which reappears a few times. Not a blues, but the very essence of the emotions that produce it, this piece is a very powerful drama. . . The Tuba Project is hard to resist. This music is so alive and full of spirit that it will demand and get your willing attention as you travel emotionally with the band; the trip is well worth every minute.

“The Romanian-American Jazz Suite, by soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome and pianist Lucian Ban, is another very good example of how the jazz aesthetic of personal expression be applied to other music (here Romanian folk music and Christmas carols) and, in essence, subsume it. Having Romanian roots, Ban lent Newsome a collection of Romanian carols put together by Iosif Hertea, providing the inspiration for a four-movement suite “Prelude,” “Colinda,” “Bucharest Part One” and “Bucharest Part Two”—composed and arranged by the saxophonist . . .  The Romanian-American Jazz Suite is delightful—emotionally as well as physically moving.

“This disc, containing the multi-movement piece entitled, The Romanian-American Jazz Suite, was written by Sam Newsome & Lucian Ban. …. The music, which one might think would not work, actually is rather lovely. “Carol” is a sweet ballad, “Danube Stroll” is a funky little number in four, “Colinda” has a lilting beat within it’s rather austere harmonic framework, and the duet from the two leaders, “Where Is Home?” is poignant and touching…..This very surprising disc shows cultures can mix, and in the case of these two, especially well. By THOMAS R. ERDMANN

“Alex Harding’s The Calling reminds me of a time not so long ago when jazz maintained fairly consistent values—before “straightahead” and “free” became irreconcilably separate, when jazz musicians weren’t afraid of being imperfect and style had yet to win out over feeling. The brainy yet gut-busting baritone saxophonist/bass clarinetist fronts a quintet of first-class improvisers (Lucian Ban, piano; Brad Jones, bass; Nasheet Waits, drums; Andrew Daniels, percussion) in a set long on both musical sophistication and emotional depth . . . like Harding, Ban is a fine and tasteful changes player who’s just as capable of taking it “out.” He gives the ensemble the right amount of harmonic flexibility and percussive energy….. Few saxophonists these days are half as interesting. Still fewer are as intense. Good album. Very good. Chris Kelsey, Jazz Times, May 2006

“On this Tuesday night, the club was filled, and one could hear much accented English mixing with the smell of American barbecue. The band present was the one on the recording: Newsome, Ban, baritone saxophonist Alex Harding (a long-time partner of Ban’s, see The Tuba Project, (CIMP, 2006)), guitarist Sorin Romanescu, bassist Arthur Balogh and drummer Willard Dyson. ….The musicological fusion of Romanian folk music and American jazz worked extremely well. There were a number of very heavy grooves set up that had the house swaying. Odd-meter dances were kept lively and pulsating by the close interaction of the bass of the Romanian Balogh and the drums of the American Dyson, who was having some serious fun. Romanian scales set the harmonic context for much of the music, which, when juxtaposed with the jazz soloing aesthetic, produced music that belonged in neither world exclusively. ….The original four-movement “Romanian-American Jazz Suite” ended the set. Moving from the simpler hymns and carols of “Prelude” and “Colinda” through the pulsating rhythms of “Bucharest Part Two,” the music brought everyone, regardless of their cultural heritage, together as one

“Several years have elapsed since Lucian Ban and Alex Harding’s last CIMP collaboration, but their artistic rapport has only deepened in the interim. Their latest project carries a signifier that stresses the novelty of the instrumentation. The duo dispenses with string bass completely. In its stead, Bob Stewarts’ bulbous, bell-shaped horn sits as co-resident of the bottom end, right alongside Harding’s heavyweight sax. Stewart slides naturally into the brass bass role standard to early-20th Century street bands, but also steps into the foreground with an advanced technique well suited to soloing when the occasion arises …..

“Romanian-born pianist Lucien Ban and baritone saxophonist Alex Harding have a thriving collaboration, as evidenced by their well-focused Tuba Project, and Ban’s assertive presence on The Calling. Often, the strength of such collaborations can be measured by another circle of musicians; those brought onto more than one project. Ban and Harding’s is doing well on that count, with Brad Jones on board with both Asymmetry and Blutopia, and drummer Derek Phillips playing on both the pianist’s date and Tuba Project. Another gauge is their ability to recruit bona fide heavyweights like tuba player Bob Stewart, serious contenders like drummer Nasheet Waits, and solid journeyman saxophonists J.D. Allen and Jorge Sylvester, to give each album distinctive identities.
Ban’s writing on Playground reveals influences spanning the early carefree Ornette and the early weighty Jimmy Giuffre; however, there’s nothing gratuitously off-center or ponderous about his compositions. Instead, Ban hones melody and harmonic movement into smartly constructed pieces that resonate, emotionally……

“Lucian Ban (piano) and Alex Harding (baritone saxophone) have previously recorded for CIMP as a duet (Something Holy) and as part of a quintet (Premonition), as well as on the recently released quartet disc The Calling (Jazzaway). As for The Tuba Project, the title tells the tale. The quintet centers around Bob Stewart’s burping tuba bass lines. He, Harding and tenorman JD Allen make a formidable front three…..A group with this much rhythmic sense is at its finest when it finds a groove (as on the lightly Latinized “Mexican Hat”), and this small band plays big (check out the rollicking second-line motion of “Cajun Stomp”). Ban takes writing credit on seven of the eight tracks, and his innate European classicism appears to have been leavened by his partnership with the bluesy, from-the-church Harding, particularly on the majesterial “Hymn,” which opens as a piano/tenor duet but soars to the rafters when the rest of the band joins in…..This quality is put to the test on the nearly sixteen-minute “Bluesness Suite,” which starts with tongue slaps on sax and manages to sustain interest through solos from Ban and Stewart before Harding sets a course that the rest of the band follows. Harding’s baritone is a marvel: soothing, roaring, vociferous and generally attention-getting in turn…..
Jeff Stockton, All About Jazz, Feb 2006

” …. Drummer Derrek Phillips ignites the opening take of “Hieroglyphics,” and he and bassist Jones provide sensitive backing for Ban and Sylvester to shimmer on “Gentle Shifts Rain” and “Silence.” Sylvester is a gorgeously melodic player whose tone can be light as a feather on ballads, particularly on the delicate “For Giuffre” ….In addition to Ban’s pairing with Alex Harding and his work with Asymmetry, his bio indicates several other active projects and more recordings in the works. He’s a prolific composer, generous with his sidemen and not content simply to work again and again with the same lineup. We should be thankful for Lucian Ban’s abundant imagination.
Jeff Stockton, All About Jazz, Feb 2006

“Featuring Lucian Ban on piano & direction, Jorge Sylvester on alto sax, Brad Jones on bass and Derrek Phillips on drums. Lucian is fine Romanian pianist, currently living in NY ….. This is his third CD as a leader or co-leader with Alex Harding, after two on CIMP. His great quartet features Jorge Sylvester on alto sax, another local great who leads several bands, including a strong big band. Double-bassist Brad Jones has become of the most in-demand players in NY over the past decade, working with the Jazz Passengers, Dave Douglas, Misha Mengelberg and many others. Their drummer, Derek Phillips, has played with Dave Douglas, but more than that I couldn’t tell you. Lucian wrote all but two pieces here and each is special in its own way. “Hieroglyphics” opens with a quick, demanding theme that is constantly shifting tempos. No easy feat for the entire quartet who must stay on their toes as the changes constantly move. “Gentle Shifts Rain” is a mellow, poignant piece, which drifts gently by with a touching, delicate solo from Jorge’s alto, direct from Johnny Hodges-land. Jorge’s “Playground” exciting, uptempo tune, that balances quick bopping sections with different bursts of shifting structures. Lucian’s “Symmetry” is a short, sweet duo for alto and piano and it features some superb alto with a rich, warm tone supported by Lucian grand piano playing. “For Giuffre” is an exquisite, dreamy song, which seems to float freely into space. I dig the way “Travelin’ With Ra” moves in mysterious ways, balancing between faster and slower sections and broken into unexpected parts that do fit oddly together as one whole piece. Sun Ra must be smiling somewhere out there. Shirley Horn’s “Silence” is another gentle, spacious gem, with more of that gorgeous toned alto that Jorge excels at. “Go For It!” is an aptly titles tune that opens at a furious tempo and keeps the quartet on their toes as it shifts tightly and quickly over some complex changes. I dig the way Lucian’s solo moves in bursts of energy, from quick to gradually slowing down to a quiet, majestic solo piano episode. The bass and drums both take impressive solos by themselves while keeping the flow of the piece moving forward most impressively and seamlessly. “Asymmetry” brings things to a grand close with a fine piano and alto sax duo, with both players caressing each other with sublime beauty.
Bruce Lee Galanter, Downtown Music Gallery

“Alex Harding (Detroit) and Lucian Ban (Romania) have developed a fruitful partnership over the last few years. Harding’s bluesy, church-steeped baritone sax is the logical heir to Hamiet Bluiett’s, while Ban’s tasteful, reflective piano playing combines the elegance and technical precision of the European classical tradition with wide-ranging musical interests and a passion for improvisation….
On “Cultural Warrior,” Harding’s baritone is a caress, while on “Southern Dawn,” a Ban composition that gets to these players’ roots, Harding builds his dirtiest, most impressive solo….
Jeff Stockton, All About Jazz, Feb 2006

“Fans of the fabulous pianist Lucian Ban and baritone saxman Alex Harding will rejoice that this dynamic duo is back, leading a quintet on Premonition. Joining them on this date are Erik Torrente on alto sax, bassist Chris Dahlgren and drummer Damion Reid. Ban did yeoman work on this disc, writing or co-writing all of the songs, doing the arrangements, and playing some damned fine piano along the way. The disc opens with “Harmology,” an up-tempo tune with a Monk-like structure. Harding’s solo turn is typically passionate and inventive, punctuated by his trademark wails on the baritone sax, which vacillate between elephantine and equine shouts . . . . Outside of the excellent performances, what really puts Premonition over the top are the bare bones, the “live” feel of the recording procedures at CIMP. Ban and Harding recently played an excellent duo set at Barbes in Brooklyn and a full quintet set at the Cornelia Street Cafe. If they continue to transfer the energy they found in the studio to a live setting ? and there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t be ? audiences are in for true magic.” All About Jazz, Feb 2006

“Harding have formed a musical bond over the last several years that has led to the formation of several groups: the Blutopia quartet that recently released The Calling on Jazzaway, a duo that released the fine Somethin’ Holy on CIMP and a quintet release for CIMP, Premonition. Their latest group, the Tuba Project is, to these ears, their most satisfying recording yet. As one can glean from the title, the attention of this project falls on the tubist. And Ban and Harding are fortunate to have the best current practitioner on the instrument in Jazz on their side: Bob Stewart (although admittedly a case could also be made for Howard Johnson). Always an adventurous
player and an integral part of any group with which he’s a part, Stewart’s work on this disc is on a par with his stellar playing on the various Arthur
Blythe projects with which he’s been involved. It’s clear that Ban, who composed all pieces except for Harding’s “Spirit Take My Hand,” relishes having Front: Lucian Ban, Back: Alex Harding by Bob Rusch
this stellar player in his group and he gives Stewart challenging material with which to work. Of course Stewart does those amazing bass lines for which he is noted. Just listen to him pumping away on “Cajun Stomp.” But Ban’s compositions go deeper than that. For example, “Other Voices” is scored for the three horns and Stewart has some snaky contrapuntal lines that weave through the piece and he maneuvers them with ease. Stewart functions as both a front line instrument and a rhythm section instrument (as he did in Blythe’s ensembles) and
he is clearly enjoying himself. Harding’s big burly baritone is the other dominant voice on this disc. Often he and Stewart trade bass line duties. Harding is an exceptional player and usually a fiery voice in the mix. Here he seems a bit more restrained. But he’s no less effective
because of it. One gets full emotional resonance on his back-to-the-church feature “Spirit Take My Hand.” Tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen is somewhat overshadowed by the other two horn players but he gets some good solos, especially an expansive shouter on “Bluesness Suite.”
Ban’s compositions are the other high point of the date. Some take advantage of classic forms. “Cajun Stomp” draws from funky New Orleans rhythms and form. “Mexican Hat Dance” is a strong
Latin number. Others are good original ideas. “Other Voices,” scored only for the horns, contains intricate three-way passages of written music and improvisatory passages. “Bluesness Suite” takes
the Blues as its starting point but treats the form to original variations and provides substantial and interesting starting points for improvisations. Also, it was a masterstroke to follow the suite with
Harding’s spiritual. These two pieces work together and the spiritual works almost as an extension or coda to the suite.
Tuba Project is a strong session for all involved. Let’s hope this wasn’t a one-off deal. The group format and the playing by all involved cries
out for a second volume. And I imagine live, this group would be a great proposition. by Robert Iannapollo

” Excellent new downtown modern jazz quintet featuring Romanian pianist Lucian Ban, Alex Harding on bari sax, Erik Torrente on alto sax, Chris Dahlgren on acoustic bass and Damion Reid on drums. This is the second CIMP date for Lucian and Alex, their first was a duo disc and considering that I just met Lucian here at DMG recently, I am amazed relatively unknown [in the U.S.] piano great. Alex Harding I know from a number of fine bands like that sax quartet with Aaron Stewart and Hamiet Bluiett’s Baritone Nation and a couple of the cds Chris Dahlgren had out on Koch or Enja not long ago. The alto saxist and drummer are new names for me, but no less strong. “Harmology” opens with a hard swinging and memorable theme, which reminds me somewhat of one of those difficult Tristano-like tunes . . . . Without a doubt, one of the hottest CIMP dates yet!! This wonderful quintet played at Cornelia Street Café recently and our pal Peter Cox raved, so pulleaze check them out!! “

Alex Harding & Lucian Ban Quintet featuring Barry Altschul (drums), Jorge Sylvester (alto) and Chris Dahlgren (bass) voted ” One of the best shows of 2003″ by AAJazz NY.
Here’s the list: by Andrey Henkin All About Jazz NY

David Tronzo solo – Knitting Factory Old Office, January 10th
Sonny Fortune/Rashied Ali – Sweet Rhythm February 28th
Anat Fort Trio – Roulette, April 5th
Evan Parker/Alex von Schlippenbach/Paul Lytton – Tonic, April 20th
Alex Harding/Lucian Ban – Kavehaz, April 26th
Masada String Trio – The Center, Vision Festival, May 25th
Cecil Taylor Trio – Knitting Factory, July 12th
Flip Barnes Quartet with Matana Roberts – Tonic, August 7th
Dewey Redman/Joe Lovano Quartet – Birdland, November 6th
Charles Lloyd Quartet – Joe?s Pub, November 18th

“As band mates and musical brothers Lucian Ban and Alex Harding share the kind of synergy essential to a successful duet session. Both men evince highly emotive playing styles–and coupled with astute expertise in the language of jazz, it?s a pairing guaranteed to pay dividends. Harding is a regular member of Ban?s working group, which operates under the simple moniker of The Jazz Unit. Capitalizing on his deepening relationship with the CIMP family the baritonist secured this intimate date for he and his friend, the results of which show the two to be complimentary to a degree few musicians can muster. There?s a drenching pathos to their music that cleanses as it refreshes. Through their respective instruments and in near-telepathic collusion, Harding and Ban mean what they say . . . . The result of it all coalesces into a frothing current of sound that all but carries the listener away to realms unforeseen. In his usual notes Rusch makes tempting mention of a quintet date that coincided with that of the duo. Based solely on the music herein that release is certain to be a must hear as well.”

This is a group that looks to the past for inspiration but gives its bop and post-bop influences a modern, individual stamp. Lucian Ban and Alex Harding previously recorded as a duo under the CIMP imprimatur on Somethin’ Holy, and Harding has incorporated Ban’s compositions there and elsewhere. The present recording is a debut for this quintet, which is a better vehicle than the duo for Ban’s winding, lightly accentuated, often complicated lines . . . Lucian Ban’s deft hands, along with the sinewy fingers of bassist Chris Dahlgren and the skillful contributions of drummer Damion Reid, serve as both as a catalyst to the horns and as a primary counterforce.

With the exception of the title track the tunes on Somethin’ Holy where cut in one take. The disc “live” two track gives the music an arresting immediacy as you’re sitting in the studio with Harding and Ban, as close to being present at the creation as possibile. Ban plays with a fluency and sensibility that recalls Vladimir Horowitz as much as McCoy Tyner. Harding can break your heart with tenderness or shatter you with intensity, shouting and grunting to spur himself on, or venting his frustration over not getting enough notes out of his horn. By Terrell Holmes on former print AAJazz NY

“Lucian Ban (p) & Alex Harding (bari sax) Duo Those who have Alex’s first trio recording (CIMP 246) will notice that he plays, in part, the music of Lucian Ban. Now composer/pianist and baritone saxman come together in duo. The ambience of this date is reflective of Wilber Morris, whose spirit is referenced and imbues this session with a moving, soulful profile. It’s a low-down uplifting concert, and beautifully expressive. Recorded August 8, 2002.”

Kara Rusch’s catchy original cover art, entitled Holy Happenin’, attracts your attention from the outset by evoking a saxophone splitting a sea of piano keys. She properly captures the spiritual essence of the recording, for which the music is at least in part a memorial to the late bassist Wilber Morris, as evidenced by the dedication of the opening “Invocation to Wilber” that sets an introspective, if not somber, tone for the recording session. Ban calls this a “soulful ballad album,” which is as good a description as any . . . . Most of the pieces were written by the little-known Ban, whose classical music roots are evident in the structures and in his improvisations . . . . Somethin’ Holy is Ban’s first release as a leader on an American label (he has a couple on the Romanian label Green Records), and it reflects a sensitive spirit at peace with the world who is unafraid of confronting radical challenges. By Steven Loewy.

“Lucian Ban playing reminds of a great Bill Evans or Krystof Komeda “
Premonition – Lucian Ban/Alex Harding Quintet, cimp records 2002

“..a truly spontaneous elegy “
Somethin’ Holy – Lucian Ban/Alex Harding DUO, cimp records

” . . . . Influenced by the music of Ellington, Monk, Coltrane, Mingus, Abdullah Ibrahim and Randy Weston, in addition to the rich folk music of his native land, Ban has since blossomed into a highly regarded jazz pianist and composer. Jazz Unit’s follow-up disc From Now On (1999) was recorded at National Radio Studios in Bucharest and features guest artist Ferdi Schukking on soprano saxophone. Offering an intimate look at Ban the composer, this recording includes his own arrangements of Duke’s “Come Sunday” and Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” in addition to a pair of solo piano works inspired by the Transylvania of Ban’s childhood . . . .”

” . . . . Jazz Unit plays a contemporary modern jazz that’s truly at an international level . . . “