Duo Demierre-Leimgruber

Urs Leimgruber, soprano saxophone
Jacques Demierre, amplified spinet

The experience of stillness forms the ground upon which the work of Swiss duo Urs Leimgruber (on soprano saxophone) and Jacques Demierre (on spinet) is based. Through a process of continuously filling and emptying the sound space, the two artists allow their music to mani- fest itself in an inimitable manner. It is a listening proposition that immerses the instrumentalists and their audience in a fascinating movement of sonic transformation.
What at first glance appears to be a “restriction”, as it were, of musical possibilities to two instruments is, in fact, deceptive. As well as opening up their own individual universes of sound, both instruments in combination expand the listening experience into new dimensions. The audience might at times get the impression it is listening to a synthesizer, or a Japanese koto, or field recordings.
A quick word regarding Jacques Demierre’s instrument, which, by combining old and new, delicate and forceful, acoustic and electric, blows apart any possible preconceptions about how a spinet is supposed to sound.
It was made in 1771 in Marseille and is a replica of a model by Bas, the last of its kind, which these days is part of a private collection in Switzerland. Precise craftsmanship gives the instrument its individual character, which ac- quires a further dimension through careful amplification. It is a truly exquisite counterpart to the soprano saxophone of Urs Leimgruber, who is almost alone in his revolutionary approach to playing this example of the woodwind family. Utterly spellbinding!

Hannes Schneider Offene Ohren, München
Übersetzung: Owain Davies, Leipzig

it forgets about the snow

CD 1  Studio
1 snow 1 10:15
2 snow 2 06:16
3 snow 3 11:35
4 snow 4 07:05
5 snow 5 09:35

Total time 44:48

CD2 Live
1 snow 6 10:31
2 snow 7 05:18
3 snow 8 07:06
4 snow 9 07:32
5 snow 10 08:38
6 snow 11 05:21
7 snow 12 07:36

Total time 52:04

All music by Urs Leimgruber and Jacques Demierre (SUISA)

Studio recording May 28th, 2020 in Geneva and Lucerne, live recording September 5th, 2020 by Robi Schmelcher and Hannes Schneider, Munich
Concert organized by Offene Ohren e.V. at MUG im Einstein (Kulturreferat der LH München, APPLAUS Preis), Munich

Mixed and mastered by Blaise Favre November 12th, 2020 at Vietnet Studio, Yverdon-les-Bains
Art design by Velvet Creative Office, Lucerne

Liner notes Hannes Schneider, Offene Ohren e.V., Munich
Booklet photos by Ralph Kühne, Lucerne and by Max Kellenberger, San Francisco

Executive producer Mike Wider, Creative Works Records, Root
Creative Works Records #1067/1068