Philipp Wachsmann
Member of: Iskra 1903
Balance (LP)
Rare Incus original edition from 1973 with white labels of the sole album by the Balance group composed of Ian Brighton, Frank Perry, Radu Malfatti and Philipp Wachsmann.
Marsh Gas (LP)
Original 1977 edition on Bead of the first Brighton album basically featuring the Balance group (with Radu Malfatti and Philipp Wachsmann) plus Marcio Mattos and Roger Smith, a narrative strange mix of improvisation and composition.
Epiphany (2LP)
Original 1982 double-LP set with gatefold sleeve on Incus featuring improvisations by various combinations of a large group of who's who of the international free improvisation scene, including Derek Bailey, Fred Frith, Akio Suzuki, Keith Tippett, George Lewis, etc..
Iskra 1903 (2LP)
Rare second pressing with white labels from 1983 in original 1972 gatefold sleeve of one of the very early Incus releases from 1972, the revolutionary and monumental album by Barry Guy, Derek Bailey and Paul Rutherford.
February Papers (LP)
Very rare original 1977 edition on Incus of superb classic album of British improvisation with electronics, featuring Ian Brighton, Barry Guy, David Bourne and Philipp Wachsmann.
Drawn Inward (CD)
Excellent 1999 CD-only release by the Enseble featuring a.o. Philipp Wachsmann, Barry Guy, Walter Prati and Paul Lytton. With slipcase.
Free Improvisation (3LP box)
Landmark release on Deutsche Grammophon from 1974, an amazing 3LP box set with booklet with the cream of European improvisation: New Phonic Art (Carlos Roqué Alsina, Jean-Pierre Drouet, Michel Portal, Vinko Globokar), Iskra 1903 (Barry Guy, Derek Bailey, Paul Rutherford), Wired (Karl Heinz Böttner, Mike Lewis, Michael Ranta, Conny Plank). Fundamental and ever re-issued on either CD or LP as a set.
Especially For You
“Repeated listening discovers more and more nuances in the subtle interplay and the clever and endless sonic games of these pioneers of European improvised music.” - Eyal Hareuveni, Salt Peanuts
The Way We Speak
"It is one of the finest documents of how improvisation is made that this listener has heard, on par with the two astounding The Life of a Trio albums (by Paul Bley, Jimmy Giuffre and Steve Swallow)" - George Grella, New York City Jazz Records
Chapter one: 1970 -72
Much needed reissue of Emanem 4301, a classic concert and studio performances from '70-'72 by the innovative trio of Paul Rutherford (trombone, piano) Derek Bailey (guitar) and Barry Guy (double bass), which was a much expanded reissue of the early and legendary Incus LP of the same name. "What a feast! A three-CD set (totaling more than 190 minutes) compiled from six concerts featuring three of the leading British free-jazz improvisers of the 20th century: trombonist Paul Rutherford, guitarist …
South on the Northern
Two concerts from an eight-year gap in the published recordings of the Iskra 1903 trio of Paul Rutherford (trombone), Philipp Wachsmann (violin & electronics) and Barry Guy (bass & electronics), masterful improvisation blending acoustics and electronics.
Goldsmiths
A previously unissued 1972 concert by the original version of Iskra 1903 - Paul Rutherford (trombone), Derek Bailey (guitar) and Barry Guy (double bass) - extraordinary performances, plus 2 short extracts from another concert. "Iskra 1903 was one of my favourite groups. I cannot remember hearing a performance that I did not enjoy, although inevitably some were better than others. The previously unissued concert on this CD was arguably one of their best.I first heard this recording about ten year…
Chapter Two 1981-83
PAUL RUTHERFORD (trombone, euphonium & electronics), PHILIPP WACHSMANN (violin & electronics), and BARRY GUY (double bass & electronics). The first time some early recordings of this trio have been issued. The bulk of the music in this set comes from a late 1983 tour of England - 4 concerts in 6 days - during which this trio used more electronics than before or since. The music in each concert moved in a different direction, so it all had to be included. There are also two slightly earlier perfo…
Buzz soundtrack
One of my Iskra's favourite album " The slow motion unfolding of these pieces isolates the beautiful sounds embedded in even their most cantankerous outbursts. The luminosity of Rutherford's long tones, Guy's glissandos and Bailey's pedal-enveloped chords are undiminished despite a marginal mono recording. At times, the music is almost too inviting and too accessible, given Iskra 1903's revolutionary aura. Buzz Soundtrack will force enthusiasts who thought they knew this trio inside out to liste…
Frankfurt 1991
Outside of Peter Brotzmann and Derek Bailey, I am not certain there are many players, European or otherwise, that maintain such sustained reverence from their peers as Paul Rutherford. And deservedly so, since I know of very few musicians as uncompromising as the British trombonist.While the trombone has languished in mediocrity over the past three decades, with the exception of a select number, on American shores, the European improvisers who call the trombone their home have continued its forw…