Nik Bärtsch book Listening: Music Movement Mind to be published in May

A new book by the pianist-composer Nik Bärtsch is to be issued by Swiss publisher Lars Müller in May.

Based on Bärtsch and his wife Andrea Pfisterer-Bärtsch's background as performers in live music and as aikido practitioners, Bärtsch, quoted by the publisher, comments: “Imagine a composer as an engineer, listen with all your senses like a martial artist, train your sense of tempo, time and timing like a drummer, act with a partner like a unit.”

Listening: Music Movement Mind, a series of illustrated essays, interviews, exercises and games Müller note also ''documents the stages of Bärtsch’s musical development.''

Ahead of publication Bärtsch solo piano album Entendre is to be released by the ECM label on 19 March.

Enter and throw: Nik Bärtsch, top. Photo: nikbaertsch.com

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AstroFuturism? Yes. A twist on the AfroFuturism that is the essence of the dreamy mixtape from Marquis Hill, the Monk-winning trumpeter who provides a featherbed of a companion piece to 2020's spoken word-angled Soul Sign. For download, Soul Sign Instrumental works particularly well loungin' because its essential sound ranges through modal to an understated rhythm blend. Hill's, oh, Wallace Roney-type horn approach is attractive for its timbral agility and warmth throughout but this is about the mix not about acoustic bop. Beyond soundscapery Hill does not just play groove all the time. Grrr: expect a lion roar or two, or is dat a pussycat? And even a phone chirrup or two. The album ''underscores resilient elementals, energies in terms of fire, water, air, and earth”. The Marquisite requisite is 'Libra - I Balance - Venus' because of the guitar part and vocal piquancy that marks a step change at the point in the record and where Hill's part is particularly blissed out. SG. Download from Bandcamp

Nik Bärtsch book Listening: Music Movement Mind to be published in May

Marquis Hill, Soul Sign Instrumental