Compass

Compass is a voyage at many levels: through music and text, with images evoking the freshness of sea air and the colours of wildflowers. A voyage through polar extreme of jazz from Chick Corea to Sun Ra, through folk song in the slipstream of Luciano Berio, through poetry of James Joyce and William Carlos Williams.

Also a journey through subtly undulating chamber music, improvised and otherwise. Through it all, Susanne Abbuehls cool, undemonstrative-yet-strangely-mesmeric voice is the unifying factor. She sings and speaks and whispers directly into the listeners ear: an intimate, interior voice, singing like thinking aloud. Recorded 2003 and 2004.

Personnel: Susanne Abbuehl (voice); Christof May (clarinet, bass clarinet); Michel Portal (clarinet); Wolfert Brederode (piano); Lucas Niggli (drums, percussion)