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<< PreviousNext >> Motion Trio means globalisation of accordion - Jazz Forum
29.04.2004 Autor: Asia Wojdas Jazz Forum Translate: Marcin "MART" Krzywicki
- Many bands say that they have started their career on the street - says Janusz - that's trendy. Some make philosophy out of it- twice on the street and they mind themselves as a "street band".  | | photo Arch. |
Motion Trio is an accordion ensemble from Krakow: lider Janusz Wojtarowicz (Jasiek), Marcin Ga³a¿yn (Rudy) and Pawe³ Baranek (Dzidek). They play together since 1996 and have recorded four albums: "Cry" (1999), "Pictures From The Street" (1999), "Play Station" (2001), "Live In Vienna Sacrum & Profanum" (2002).
Prizewinners of Grand Prix on 4th Krzysztof Penderecki International Festival of Contemporary Music.
Appearing on stage with Bobby McFerrin, Tomasz Stañko and Micha³ Urbaniak.
PICTURES FROM THE STREET
- Many bands say that they have started their career on the street - says Janusz - that's trendy. Some make philosophy out of it - twice on the street and they mind themselves as a 'street band'. Rudy have played on the street for ten years, myself six. I have traveled across Europe alone.
We got to know music different than academic one playing on streets. There's nothing in it, maybe except the confidence that you are able to earn for a slice of bread. How much? A lot !
Marcin's story is different - I have played flamenco with guitarists (Que Passa). We've met many interesting people, strange ones sometimes. What's important is that one doesn't meet accordionists, a typical accordionist who play in music schools, but meets guitarists fascinated with the music of Paco de Lucia or John McLaughlin. Influence of such music changes the way one plays accordion. I think I have learned more on street than anywhere.
- Professors from Music Academy pass by and drop money - laughs Rudy. - We've played 3 years on the corner of Florianska Street and the Market in Krakow. This is very crowded place. Many familiar faces, they look at me sitting on ground with accordion on my knees - embarrassing. Having such experience nothing surprises before concerts.
PLAY STATION
- Our music is acoustic but we also play things associated with electronics. We don't do it in defiance - explains Marcin - we wish to extract new timbre from accordion. We search all the time. With the new instruments it is easier. We got them from Art Institute in Krakow and Ministry of Culture. Accordion Pigini Super Sirius Millenium has much more abilities than any other. We can utter sounds, effects ever achieved.
- "Play Station"? -Rudy picks up. -Compositions arising at that time reminded us computer games and we followed the direction. There were more and more of them, so we started to think how to name all the compositions under one name. And one day, I remember it was concert in Indigo Club, Jasiek came and said - listen, I have to tell you something. The title of the record would be "Play Station".
- This is the best album of ours, considering accordion, our beloved instrument - Janusz smiles gently - We've managed to free ourselves from experiments typical for ultra modern music. Finns and Americans have already used such means of expression as overdrives, midi or synthesizer. We referred to the modern playing something new and different
- Speaking of technical issues, we avoided reverbs - clarifies Marcin - we wished the acoustic sound to be synthetic so the music associated with electronics, something that's future. That's why the album is synthetic and consistent. People ask, 'Why the sound is so dry'? The sound gets right to the ear just like the accordion was right before your eyes like display.
- All that is spinning Motion is the accordion and the will to act with it differently than it was done already, change of the way of thinking of it. I wish in ten years someone say 'They were people who in a sense have revolutionized accordion. Gone to the whole, but without total revolution, which right from the first album changes everything, all stereotypes of accordion'. Without shock, easy we try to rethink accordion. The objective is globalization of accordion!
- Motion means motion, movement - Janusz returns to the question - people feels the pulse and the rhythm in Motion. Someone said it is compilation of words "Motion Pictures". Our music is our film. We did not wanted to have accordion in the name of the trio. Conversely. There was CPN and everyone knew it is about fuel, everyone knows PKS are the busses and communication and PKP are the trains. Motion means accordion.
That's why in ten years accordion would mean Motion and everything would refer to Motion. Considering playing accordion, acoustic playing with no additional effects, we are one.
Kimmo Pohjonen uses samplers and a whole battery of electronics. That is not in our optic. Maybe it is too early for us. Do we need samplers when we have wonderful instruments - 'acoustic samplers'? Accordion has these sounds within. Until Penderecki contest there was only one quite good number for three accordions - Yukka Tiensuu's Mutta - and nothing else. Accordion covers the scope of chamber orchestra! How many hands do we have! How many possibilities of harmonic playing!
MOTION WITHOUT LIMITS
- We are trendy not being trendy - laughs leader of Motion - because accordion is trendy. This instrument became very popular because is not shabby. We are children of its success. Kronos Quartet created many things, some bad, but first of all created the idea of classic ensemble enjoying non-classical music. Africa, Asia, contemporary music, film music. That's what Motion should be - totally open.
- Audience? - thinks Wojtarowicz - There is a tendency to play music at ease, without Romanism, without distinction between artist - sacrum and audience - profanum. It is not about the artist presenting the art to the audience who sits and listen - No! You need to get to the people with your music, don't close yourself in a bunker of difference.
- What delights are young people interested with our music - adds Rudy seriously - we want to get to them. We work on a new program for 'young and angry' who know music.
- Audience? - thinks Wojtarowicz. - There is a tendency to play music at ease, without Romanism, without distinction between artist - sacrum and audience - profanum. It is not about the artist presenting the art to the audience who sits and listen - No! You need to get to the people with your music, don't close yourself in a bunker of difference.
- Young people interested with our music delights us - adds Rudy seriously - we want to get to them. We work on a new program for 'young and angry' who know music.
Artists sometimes condemn themselves for niche - Janusz is sceptical. 'WE gonna sing, WE are so much different'. Motion thinks opposite, asking - 'Who are we?' First we are people, than musicians, than accordionists. Basing on these three we have to build the whole world. We write music by ourselves and now you need to find yourself, man! We take what life brings. We take and wait working. Events must reflect our musical consciousness and not the dictation of circumstance. We dress ourselves at tailors we trust. We set our image, photos, we set own sound and we produce our records. At the moment we feel that everything what comes out of us is a matter of Motion Team. Acordeonus Records gives us independence. We strive to acceptance of our way of thinking of music. It can't be other way, because Motion plays its music - this is our first and only 'god's commandment'.
RECITAL
- With "Play Station" we wanted to prove that first of all an artist should know how to play. If you can play - enjoy - points Janusz - artists who can't play mainly use experimental music, they search their place in music by scandal and coincidence. Motion is not coming shorts cuts. Just after "Pictures From The Street" was Penderecki contest, then recording of "Play Station". Grand Prix aroused respect for us and opened doors for experiments. We gained appreciation of people from fourteen countries. Educated ones, not like us 'relegated from the academy'. But this required a lot of job.
Who writes music for us? Marta Ptaszyñska (Chief of Music Dept. Of Chicago University, where we had an honor to lecture last year), Zbigniew Bargielski (lecturer of Gratz Music Academy), Gordon David (composer from Chicago University). Now we wish Krzysztof Penderecki to write for us. We're in contact with Marek Stachowski (Chancellor of Krakow Music Academy). We seek for composers. We collect material for a new album 'Recital' with contemporary music written for Motion Trio.
We wish to interest composers with accordion. Contemporary music in Poland is underestimated, elitist and not developed, when this music determines new directions. We know many people who have great music knowledge and create great things that are rearranged for more commercial versions by somebody else. We are such hyenas Somehow.
- There was a time when I brought compositions - recalls Wojtarowicz. - For some time now we compose together on rehearsals. That is more effective. No direct leadership. We derive one from another. We serve the music.
How do the compositions come up? We play rehearsals - Janusz scans his memory - Many numbers appeared coincidentally. Best ones least expectedly.
YOU DANCE
- Is the beat serious? - Rudy picks up - What's important is whether it is liked or not. We have played it everywhere, in clubs, churches in National Philharmony. Every time it stirs emotions. Masters of composition also appreciate it!
- We like techno - says Janusz. - same as we like heavy metal. Previously name for Seed II was Metal. This number sounds properly only when we treat it like we played only metal. It is the same with 'You dance'. It is breaking the pattern.
Now we sit here in Alchemia on Kazimierz. Klezmer music is associated with situation from II world war but the music is different. That is why we've took Jewish theme changed it to techno and called You Dance. We are always concerned about playing this number, but everybody wants it. Our music is not for laughs.
- It is not breaking tradition - oposites Janusz - we want to surprise at our concerts and be sound-extravagant.
For question 'what do you listen to' Rudy answers - I don't know. There's nothing like that. I listen to everything. Anything that is good and stirs up emotions. I listen to disco polo and heavy metal. That is not a joke. After a couple loud Saturdays it is great to see 'Disco Relax' in the morning.
- We love disco polo! - screams Janusz. - We are peasants somehow, you know. (laughter) We grew in the small towns where nothing was more exciting than going on the stadium for fiesta where nobody played ambitious music, but music you could dance to. It is all about places we were happy. We do not want to fight with anyone, don't want to create a Bohemy. Simply we want to play accordion, we love multitude. We are not interested in being trendy.
IMPROVIZATION
- There's a lot and little of improvisation - Janusz hesitates -We haven't finished any jazz school and jazz scales we know so-so, but from the other side 'Chechenya' is a improvised number, there are no specified written notes. However "Game Over" is based on one riff of Rudy and Dzidek improvises his game. It is his experience and four minutes of joy.
- We are improvisers, but in our music is no place for strict jazz improvisation - adds Marcin. - We don't play jazz sounds, generally our music is written in notes.
Wojtarowicz: - we want to play with such musicians like Tomasz Stañko or Bobby McFerrin, because they having a gift for genial improvisation could use our music and explore it's other areas. We can 'extend' our sounds, inspire. We would not play things like - now Rudy plays riff while Jasiek gives a solo improvisation - because that sucks. We work out our solos. We know music and in search inspiration in its variety. We draw inspiration from contemporary, classical, baroque music, jazz, rock, metal, techno, house, and disco polo, maybe not from folk. Than you take accordion and sounds flows and you do not know where is it from, but it's great.
WE'LL BE RICH
- We earn a living with accordion - admits Janusz - it is tough, but possible. We'll prove that one may live pretty good out of music. Motion would be very rich sometime. Rich not financially but because they've meet interesting people. We seek for things that fascinate us. From the other side lack of money determines people to seek for earnings, not acting in music. That's why Motion Team - professional background to manage the company of Motion Trio, mainly via Internet. Thanks to that we may go without management.
- What's next ? - sparks lit in Janusz's eyes - We play five concerts in Joe Zawinul's Birdland Club in Vienna on 21-25 September. First day: our church music - 'Sacrum Profanum', second day: contemporary music written for Motion, third day: street music - "Pictures From The Street" - on old accordions and in old cloths, fourth day with the star - maybe Tomasz Stañko, fifth day Motion with drums in cooperation with Artur Malik.
We want to play club concerts - standing audience and us.
This year we'll play in ten countries: Ukraine, probably the States, France, Russia (new music Alternativa Festival), Portugal. We wish to play on Warsaw Autumn. << PreviousNext >>
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MT & Michael Nyman & Michael Nyman Band in Barbican Center 12.11.2008 08. April 2009 findet In Barbican Centre in London ein außergewöhnliches Konzert statt. Motion Trio wird gemeinsam mit Michael Nyman (Klavier) und seinem Ensemble auftreten. Vorgetragen werden Werke des Meisters, Filmmusikstücke zu den Filmen Peter Greenaways sowie eine speziell zu dem Anlass erstellte Komposition als Erstaufführung von Motion Trio und Michael Nyman Band.
MT & Michael Nyman 12.11.2008 Der Besuch Morion Trio in London ist zu Ende. Die Begegnung mit Michael Nyman war ein weiterer grosser Schritt in der Entwicklung des Akkordeons und der Akkordeonliteratur. Die neue Komposition des Meisters wird von Motion Trio und Michael Nyman Band in Erstaufführung während des gemeinsamen Konzertes im londoner Barbician Center vorgeführt. Mehr Fotos aus dem Treffen.
Motion Trio in den Konzerten In Frankreich, Belgien und Italien. 21.10.2008 Die Herbstkonzerttour Motion Trio ist vorbei. Zusammenfassend: zehn Konzerte in drei Ländern, wunderbare Fans, großartige Leute und weitere Musikerfahrungen.
Neue Fotos 02.09.2008 Schaue die neue Fotosession mit Motion Trio an. Bilder von Iza Degardo
"Quebeck City Summer Festival" 13.07.2008 Schaue die Fotogalerie und Konzertfragmente an.
"Quebeck City Summer Festival" 04.04.2008 Drei Konzerte Morion Trio (u.a. während der Eröffnungszeremonie) werden die Kraft des Akkordeons in Kanada betonen. Unter den Interpreten: Charles Aznavour, Yes, Linkin Park.
"Morion Trio In Neukaledonien" . 19.03.2008 Von 01. bis 08. Mai wird Morion Trio In Melanesien (Westpazifik) auf der Insel Neukaledonien , im „Centre Culturel Tjibaou“ auftreten.
MT in Carnegie Hall 22.01.2008 Zum Abschluss des Abends gab es zwei Standovationen. Das Konzert in New York ist schon vorbei. Für die hervorragende Organisation sprechen wir an Herrn Janusz Sporek (Music Education Center) sowie an alle, die uns mit ihrer Energie unterstützt haben herzlichsten Dank aus. Das Konzert wurde mit Hilfe Akordeonus Records veranstaltet.
Morion Trio nochmals beim Maestro Krzysztof Penderecki. 03.01.2008 Am 03.01.2008 war Motion Trio wiederholt bei Krzysztof Penderecki zu Gast. Ziel des Treffens war eine Vorführung von „Ciaccona“ in memoria Giovanni Paolo II in Version für drei Akkordeons, vor der Erstaufführung in Carnegie Hall am 13.01.2008.
Morion Trio spielt Penderecki, Gorecki und Kilar In Carnegie Hall vor. 04.12.2007 Das Konzert in einem der weltberühmtesten Konzertsälen hat Motion Trio Andrzej Krzanowski – dem bedeutendsten polnischen Akkordeonist-Komponist gewidmet.
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