Kunstverein Husum und Umgebung e.V. präsentiert: Absolutely Sweet Marie
Stefen Faul – Trumpet
Anke Lucks – Trombone
Alexander Beierbach – Tenor Saxophone
Gerhard Gschlößl – Tuba
Lucía Martínez – Drums
The ensemble, founded in 2012 as a quartet, has been playing as a quintet since spring 2022. Five instrumentalists, rooted in jazz and improvised music, interpret the extensive works of Bob Dylan in their own way. With the instrumentation of four wind instruments plus drums, a spectrum of sound colors and grooves emerges: delicate, chamber-music moments are replaced by dense collective improvisations, and brass band sounds contrast with a battle of polyphonic overlays. Some of the selected Dylan songs are arranged in their entirety for the ensemble by ABSOLUTELY SWEET MARIE, transferring the songs into a purely instrumental form. However, often only fragments of a specific Dylan recording or interpretations by other artists are taken and serve, placed in a new musical context, as raw material for independent compositions. The album “Wherever You Roam,” released in 2020, is the band's third CD (then still in a quartet, without tuba) on the musicians' own label TIGER MOON RECORDS and compiles pieces from various phases of Dylan's creativity. Alongside arrangements that are relatively new to the program, there are some pieces that the band has repeatedly played and worked on in numerous concerts. This way, “Wherever You Roam” is a successful snapshot and testimony to the lively and risk-taking playing attitude of the ensemble ABSOLUTELY SWEET MARIE.
Press reviews of Absolutely Sweet Marie
“Press reviews of Absolutely Sweet Marie
‘The Berliners collectively known as Absolutely Sweet Marie, named for Bob Dylan’s song from the deliciously notorious Blonde on Blonde album, are at it again. Thankfully. The quartet, all devotees to Dylan, are free jazz musicians and thinkers who delight in reconstructing the melodies of the master folk poet, reimagining them within the scope of a unique lineup of brass, reeds and drums.’ John Pietaro on ‘Wherever You Roam’ (The New York City Jazz Record)
‘The three brass players and the drums burrow like moles through the branched, delicate arrangements, layering polyphonic overlays in brass band style and allowing each other enough room for improvisations. Those who thought the idea of tenor saxophonist Beierbach and his fellow players to build a monument to the master would eventually become exhausted are pleasantly disappointed by ‘Wherever You Roam.’ Once again, four dedicated Dylan fans pour their heart and creative potential into the mix. There’s hardly a Nobel Prize for this, but perhaps the long-overdue attention.’ Reinhard Köchl on ‘Wherever You Roam’ (Jazzthing)
‘Every solo played here, every free-spirited interpretation of song material, breathes a completely appropriate and never borrowed authenticity. It is precisely the polyphony in the approach, the convergence of determined appropriation and respectful homage, of wordlessness and spiritual richness, of precision and playfulness, that enhances the joy of the music. That ‘Wherever You Roam’ is the quartet’s third Dylan album does not lead to increasing smoothness, but to an ever more intense awareness in dealing with the material.’ Hans-Jürgen Linke on ‘Wherever You Roam’ (Frankfurter Rundschau)
‘… What also speaks for this album: One will listen to it multiple times, with increasing enjoyment. It is a work that honors Dylan's compositions in an independent and willful, musically compelling way. Very successful.’ Andreas Montag on ‘Wherever You Roam’ (Mitteldeutsche Zeitung) 'With the freedom of fools and the musical genius to transform guitar into brass music, in reflections of fragments, with improvised twists and bold new perspectives. ‘With God on Our Side’ and empowered by Dylan’s motto ‘If dogs run free, then why not we.’ … If I wasn’t already addicted to brass, I would be hooked.’ Rigobert Dittman on ‘Wherever You Roam’ (Bad Alchemy)
“Now, it is always a challenge to translate Dylan into jazz, … . But with more fun, smugness, and dedication than these four musicians have displayed, the implementation of this ambitious task is hardly possible. … This is exhilarating, entertaining, and never flat. A tribute that deserves the name.” Wolf Kampmann on ‘Another Side Of Blonde On Blonde’ (Jazzthing)
‘… The arrangements sound great… successful arrangements, joy of playing and the necessary pinch of disrespect… ridiculously good and funny grooves.’ Angela Ballhorn on ‘Another Side Of Blonde On Blonde’ (Jazzthetik)
“Just how fruitful Dylan's work can be for the four young jazz musicians was already shown on the first CD ‘Roads, Doves And Other Stuff’. That there can be even deeper dives into the American’s creative cosmos, that new facets can always be discovered that are worth being processed, transformed, and reborn in a new form, is now shown by ‘Another Side Of Blonde On Blonde’. Martin Laurentius on ‘Another Side Of Blonde On Blonde’ (Jazzthing)
Entry: 8:00 PM
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
