Solo music from the bassist who defines the sound of modern jazz in Chicago today.

10 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Free Jazz, JAZZ: Bebop



Details:
KARL E. H. SEIGFRIED
CRIMINAL MASTERMIND
Imaginary Chicago Records 002
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Bassist Karl E. H. Seigfried is a rising star on the Chicago jazz scene today. He has performed duets with Bobby McFerrin, Henry Grimes, Fred Hopkins, & Peter Kowald. He has played in ensembles led by Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewis, & Bertram Turetzky. He has led groups featuring Jeff Parker, Nicole Mitchell, & Ernest Dawkins. Now, for the first time, he steps forward on his own with an album of solo bass music. The ten tracks run from Delta blues to Gregorian plainchant to open soundscapes to hip hop intensity to speaking in tongues to a séance with the spirit of Charles Mingus. Featured is a tribute to Malachi Favors, written on the passing of the Art Ensemble of Chicago bassist (the last three tracks of the cd make up "The Malachi Favors Suite").
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âOne of the Midwestâs most exciting free bassists...a long-time figure in the cityâs improvised-music scene.â
-Time Out Chicago

âAmong the best and the brightest from the Chicago avant-gardeâs new generation.â
-Chicago Reader

âSeigfriedâs got a clear, ringing tone and executes ideas exuberantly.â
-Madison Isthmus

âKarlâs a tremendous bassist--heâs versatile, technically adept and a very emotional player.â
-Wisconsin Public Radio
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REVIEWS OF "Boykin, Seigfried, & Reed"
(Imaginary Chicago Records 001)

âWhat makes their music so strong--aside from their obvious gifts as individual players--is a tight trio empathy that exults in the sounds of their respective instruments. Seigfriedâs dry, woody tone, combined with his vast harmonic reach, reminds me of Sirone. Thereâs a group mind focus at work here thatâs not unlike that found on the first couple of Revolutionary Ensemble records. This oneâs well worth seeking out.â
-Cadence (USA)

âMusic that is communally, racially, and cosmically conscious. Self-released by Boykin, propulsive bassist Karl Seigfried, and swinging, coloristic drummer Mike Reed, it charts a course from abstraction to purposeful flight.â
-Signal to Noise (USA)

âEven in a city known for its vibrant free jazz scene, Chicagoâs Boykin, Seigfried & Reed have established a strong presence. Individually, their resumes boast tenures with a whoâs who of AACM all-stars. Their well-oiled empathy takes them through unexpected changes on seven improvised performances. Chewy multiphonics and buzzy highs flit around Seigfriedâs muscular bass to open â7:40.â He then takes an extended bass meditation, thoughtfully generating variations.â
-All About Jazz (USA)

âThis sound is the true definition of the Chicago avant-garde. Their music sometimes floats calmly like a river and sometimes swings with great violence.â
-After Hours (Japan)

âThe groupâs sound resembles nothing so much as the terrific trios that Sam Rivers led in the 60s and 70s. They can blow free with the best groups, explore sound and texture in a manner inspired by Roscoe Mitchell, and can move into a hard swing that is unrivaled. Karl Seigfried (pronounced sEYEg-frEEd) is a rock solid bassist with a big tone and lovely melodic ideas.
âThough there is danger in a sax trio of the horn player dominating the proceedings with bass and drum accompaniment, this does not happen with BSR. They are a true collective. Each member moves to the foreground and recedes with ease. The sum makes up more than the considerable talents of each of its parts.
âBoykin, Seigfried and Reed are worth catching live if you can. They are a very exciting group, one of the best Chicago has to offer.â
-Cosmik Debris (USA)

âThere's no question that this is a group rather than horn with accompaniment. Seigfried's worth hearing more of; he uses a similar vocabulary to Grimes/Sirone.â
-Demon (England)