Schweizer-Ziegele-Ntshoko
Iréne Schweizer-p
Omri Ziegele-sax
Makaya Ntshoko-dr
Iréne Schweizer and Omri Ziegele are a pair as perfectly opposite as Monk and Johnny Griffin: she is a mercurial, superior architect at the piano, with a presence one can only admire; he is an existential virtuoso with an independent imagination of a kind that is becoming ever harder to find. Here they are together on a CD with their ‘little favorites,’ unpretentiously presented as if they were sitting or standing in front of the home crowd at Cafe Casablanca in Zurich; everyday music, which easily includes Monk and Don Cherry, the blues and the Great American Songbook, lovingly worked out and, in its fragmentary perfection, generating unexpected associations. The “Africa’ of the title refers to an historic club in Zurich called ‘Africana’ where many historic gigs took place, before it closed in the mid seventies. South African expatriate legends like Dudu Pukwana, Johnny Dyani, Louis Moholo and Dollar Brand were all at home there. So too, Swiss pianist extraordinaire, Irene Schweizer also played many a fine set there. Omri Ziegele plays alto sax and sings and is some 20 years younger than Irene, who continues to play wonderfully well into her mid-sixties.. Both are big fans of Africa music, as well as classic jazz and here the duo cover some five songs by Don Cherry, three by Monk, plus some Ellington, Kurt Weill, Rodgers & Hart and Dudu Pukwana tune. What’s interesting is how straight Irene plays these songs, never taking them very far out. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was someone else, like Dollar Brand perhaps. Omri also has a fine, warm tone on sax and sings nicely as well on a couple of these songs. An unspoken and heartfelt tribute to those South African legends, the Blue Notes.
Bruce Galanter, Down Town Music Galery, New York, March 2005
This duo outing, featuring saxophonist Omri Ziegele and Swiss pianist Irene Schweizer, thrives on the contrasts of the two artists’ styles. Schweizer’s approach is joyous and ribald, a loose and free-flowing love affair with her instrument. Alto saxophonist Ziegele has a robust tone, a bit raw-edged, intense and imaginative. On Where’s Africa the duo dives into five tunes by Don Cherry, three Monk compositions, Duke Ellington, Kurt Weill, and Johnny Mandel’s “Suicide Is Painless” (the “Mash” theme song), and Rodgers and Hart’s “Isn’t It Romantic.” The set has a relaxed feeling to it, exploratory, like a kicked-back after hours session played for the pure joy of making music. Schweizer’s solo on “Isn’t It Romantic” rollicks and rolls, with Ziegele’s horn searing anguished notes into the pianist’s free-flowing ideas. The Monk tunes—”Monk’s Mood,” “Jackying,” and “Ask Me Now”—are especially interesting, with Ziegele soaring on “Ask Me Now,” as Schjweizer embellishes and plays with Monk’s ideas, wrapping them in ebullient notes. Ziegele sings on Rodgers and Hart’s “Isn’t It Romantic” and the closer, “Ntyilo, Ntyilo,” and he’s not Tony Bennett, and doesn’t pretend to be; it’s a singing in the shower mode: spirited and unself-concious, untrained, and a nice counterpoint to his sax style. An unpretentious, upbeat set of jazz sounds. By Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz, USA, March2005
After they successfully toured as a duo, Irene Schweizer and Omri Ziegele decided to broaden their musical idea to more rhythm based and started their cooperation with drummer Makaya Ntshoko. Mayaka Ntshoko came to Switzerland with Dollar Brand and decided to stay. Since then he is an active part of the Swiss Jazz scene and well-known for various cooperations.