Date: October 26, 2011
Venue: Joe’s Pub (NY)
Concert review by Dante Mann
Since Photo by Dante Mann
Since 1998 Swiss drummer and percussionist Mathias Kunzli has been all over the place in the New York music scene. He has been performing with artists and bands of many genres, such as Moby, Lauryn Hill, Yo-Yo Ma Silk Road Project, Vieux Farka Toure, Marc Ribot, John Zorn’s Electric Masada, The Paul Winter Consort, Keyhan Kalhor, Azam Ali, and many others.
On October 26 at Joe’s Pub, Mathias Kunzli celebrated the release of his first solo album Playground. The album is a live recording of a solo improvisational performance at the Fridman Gallery in NYC.
Mathais Kunzli seems to always have a trick up his sleeve. Using a loop station and with an arsenal alternate percussion, whistles, his mouth, and a drum kit, Kunzli builds musical landscapes with a surprise instrument waiting to be discovered around every corner.
Kunzli began by creating a serene beach scene whistling to create the likeness of a flock of seagulls, then creating a gentle ocean breeze and waves crashing the shore. Licking his finger and rubbing it across a large frame drum he created a foghorn like sound in the distance. Typical of this performance, the moment he established a soundscape, he then preceded to tear it down, changing the context. The peaceful beach scene became a storm, thunder clapping and wind intensifying until the bottom dropped out leaving Kunzli playing a lone mouth harp. Although this was a serious performance, I found myself laughing at transitions such as this one. At one point he even used a vintage child’s toy with the sound of a baby cooing.
Mathais Kunzli saved the best for last.
Photo by Dante Mann
Unbeknownst to the rest of the crowd, many of Kunzli’s musician friends were lying in wait. One by one they began playing and singing, slowly making there way to the stage until the stage was so full that Kunzli himself was obscured. The instrumentation ranged from recorder to violin. The show ended with all singing in unison “Every year the sun’s melting into the snow”.
What a great way to celebrate an album release and in Mathais Kunzli’s innovative spirit the album Playground was sold as a shaker with a digital download code printed on the bottom.
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