ORT007 : Vansina Orchestra / Morning Forest aka Nose up Bottom Down

ORT007 : Vansina Orchestra / Morning Forest aka Nose up Bottom Down

Bruno Vansina (38) has been active in the Belgian scene for some years now. He's regularly seen with his own projects Vansina-Verbruggen-Gudmundsson trio, Vansina Quartet (ft. Steve Nelson) as well as other bands like Rebirth Collective and Flat Earth Society.
This new project features the 'Bruno Vansina Quintet' and a large horn ensemble. The music consists of compositions by Bruno Vansina arranged for large ensemble by Dre Peremans (Rebirth Collective), a young talented Belgian composer, arranger and trombonist. For his arrangements he gets to work with a full colour pallet: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, 2 tenors, 1 alto, 2 trumpets and 2 trombones plus a large rhythm section: piano, guitar, bass, drums and percussion. A total of no less than 17 musicians!
Bruno's choice of horns for the large ensemble is reminiscent of Gil Evans/Porgy And Bess and of Charles Mingus/Mingus Mingus Mingus. And more recent inspiration derived from Wayne Shorter's recordings on 'Alegria' and his collaboration with the 'Imani Woodwind Ensemble'.
The music drives on grooves that appeal to Steve Coleman but also brings to memory the modal music of John Coltrane. Written in a intuitive way yet rhythmically quite evolved, it focuses heavily on color, atmosphere and contrast. The compositions have a worldly feel to them, at times exotic and meditative, like mantras. This feeling is amplified by the beautiful playing of Kobe Proesman on percussion and above all Magic Malik’s (FR) flute playing, largely featured on the newly recorded 'Morning Forest aka Nose up Bottom down' .
Let's not forget to mention the amazing and unique clarinet playing of John Ruocco (USA), featured on the opening track 'Dark Night' and more fantastic improvisation by Steven Delannoy, Carlo Nardozza, Christian Mendoza, Bert Cools .... 

"Ain't heard this brand of madness before. It was so much fun doing it! " John Ruocco.

Here Live in 2015:

Personnel

Bruno Vansina (alto saxophone), Christian Mendozza (piano), Bert Cools (guitar), Stefan Lievestro (bass), Teun Verbruggen (drums)

Personnel on tracks 1,2,4,5,7

Malik Mezzadri (flute), John Ruocco (clarinet & tenor saxophone), Kristien Cueppens (oboe), Kensuka Taira (bassoon), Bart Indevuyst (french horn), Steven Dellanoy (tenor saxophone), Wietse Meys (tenor saxophone & clarinet), Carlo Nardozza (trumpet), Jeroen Van Malderen (trumpet & flugelhorn), Frederik Heirman (trombone), Tom Verschoren (trombone, bass trombone & euphonium), Kobe Proesmans (percussion on tracks 2, 4, 5)

Recorded by Walter de Niel on January 29, 30 & 31, 2014 at Studio Toots, VRT, Brussels.

Mixed by Walter de Niel and Bruno Vansina on February 18, 19, 20, 21 & March 5, 2014 at Studio Toots, VRT, Brussels.

Mastered by Uwe Teichert on March 27 at Elektropolis, Wemmel.

Artwork by Bruno Vansina and Katrien Vandergooten.

Additional artwork and layout by Afreux, Antwerpen.

All songs written by Bruno Vansina.

Tracks 1, 5, 7 arranged by Dree Peremans.

Track 2 arranged by Bruno Vansina and Dree Peremans.

Track 4 arranged by Bruno Vansina.

The album (RAT027) is already released and on sale here.

Original digital release on Off on the 30th of June 2014, now in Bandcamp.

Track Listing:

1. Dark Night (10:31)

2. Fiesta Festivo (12:31)

3. Morning Forest aka Nose Up Bottom Down (5:21)

4. Ploink (11:31)

5. Groove Along (13:09)

6. Symphony Of The Fried Bananas (8:45)

7. Bike Insprivation (11:11)

8. Morning Forest aka Nose Up Bottom Down (4:30) - alternate mix bonus track ( digital release only)

In Bandcamp:

OVD004 : Pierre Vervloesem / Home Made (Remastered & Augmented)

                                             Original cover by Reflex design, remodeling by Kiekebiche

OVD004 : Pierre Vervloesem / Home Made (Remastered & Augmented)

First in a chronological series of 11 digital only remastered releases (6 solo (5 augmented with bonuses, lives and remixes), 1 duo, 1 unreleased duo and 3 pots-pourris (with absolutely every tunes possible ever recorded by Pierre and never released)) and coming at the pace of one every month is the fabulous first solo album from Pierre Vervloesem: Home Made ( 1994).

The album has been remasterd and augmented with no less than 11 bonuses and demo songs.

Review by Dave Lynch in All Music:

For his first solo album, crazed Belgian guitarist Pierre Vervloesem (bio) got together with bassist Paul Belgrado and a home eight-track recorder in late March of 1994. A couple weeks later, they emerged with Home Made, and whether Vervloesem still had friendly relations with his neighbors probably depends on whether they plugged their instruments directly into the line inputs or whether they sometimes used amplifiers that blasted out into the room. It's hard to image that they were able to keep the volume down to zero at least some of the time on this often blisteringly high-energy outing, particularly when Vervloesem and Belgrado's bandmates from X-Legged Sally were invited over to contribute sax, clarinet, trumpet, and piano (not to mention Luc Henriet's "human chicken") on "Bon Courage." At least they had the good sense to record the drummers in a studio. As for the final product, Vervloesem almost has more ideas than he can comfortably manage on Home Made's 20 tracks. He is a master of electric guitar technique and all the ways the instrument can be sonically manipulated with technological gadgetry; Vervloesem also has a finely tuned ear for multi-track arrangements, at times overdubbing himself into, if not a guitar army, at least a fairly sizable battalion. He could be viewed as either an avant-prog guitarist with heavy metal guitar shredder leanings or vice versa; stylistically Vervloesem invites comparison to Doctor Nerve's Nick Didkovsky. The concise tunes here (all instrumentals) also reveal the influences of Frank Zappa (definitely a Vervloesem hero), Fred Frith (from his dance-oriented Gravity LP), guitar fire-breathers like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, and, on "Le Fleuve," even a bit of Mike Oldfield's folk-prog leanings. Vervloesem loves to cut loose over pounding drum-and-bass vamps; he also throws in tight thematic arrangements, abrupt changes in tone and tempo, and scattered zany noises and effects, guitar-generated and otherwise. And he isn't above poking a bit of fun at the excesses of guitar pyrotechnics either, interrupting an extended shredding episode on "It's Back" with a voice that seems to be trying to get a word in edgewise before finally shouting "Stop!" Home Made isn't a stunningly original recording, at times seeming more like a catalog of influences than a strong personal statement. Nevertheless Vervloesem, Belgrado and friends sound like they had a blast recording it, and their energy and high spirits are captured quite effectively on the disc. For all the fun and games, the CD does end on a serious note, however -- the last track is a minute of silence, and its title is the date that Zappa died. 

Digital release only on the 16th of June 2014.

Original covert art:

Pierre circa 1994:

Track listing:

1) Phillip

2) Big

3) Le Fleuve

4) Nullo Problemo

5) Dukass

6) Surf Ensemble

7) Holiday out

8) Koniec

9) Fet

10) Bon Courage

11) Something In Italian

12) Christmas In New Jersey

13) Zozorro

14) Flakatakata

15) No Way

16) It's Back

17) Ski Chase

18) Man With A Stammer

19) Fringe

20) 04/12/93

Bonus tracks:

21) Zozorro ( Live )

22) Bon Courage ( Live )

23) Pillip ( Demo )

Bonus tracks Bandcamp release only:

24) Flakatakata (with Anne Fontigny)

25) Fet (with Anne Fontigny)

26) Pim Pam Poum (with Anne Fontigny)

27) Le Fleuve (with Anne Montigny)

28) Dukass (with Anne Fontigny)

29) J'ai oublié le titre (with Anne Montigny)

30) Koniec (with Anne Fontigny)

31) Nullo problemo (with Anne Fontigny)

Bandcamp of the album with Anne Fontigny (only) - OVD004 bis:

And in Bandcamp (complete + 8 bonus tracks):