Composer-pianist Bärtsch likens the linked-mind interplay inside his unique group to a school of fish moving across a coral reef with lightning speed.
 
Compositions can evolve strangely, too, he points out. With this in mind Ronin keeps casting its nets in the same ocean, finding forms that defy expectations immediately or manifest their mutations slowly.…
 
The three previous albums from this group have been recorded in-studio. Following extensive touring, Nik Bärtsch and producer Manfred Eicher decided it was time to record the band live, hence this new double-CD which perfectly showcases the band’s hypnotic and dynamic performance. Pulsating rhythms, motoric pulses seduce the ear.
 
“As the band’s composer, I precisely set down most of the pieces in notation, but in performance it becomes at some point impossible to tell what is composed, interpreted or improvised. The band has to discover the right tension and the suitable dramatic structure for a piece on the spur of the moment. The band-organism thus outwits not only the composition, but itself.”
 
Nik Bärtsch piano
Sha: bass clarinet, alto saxophone;
Björn Meyer/Thomy Jordi: bass
Kaspar Rast: drums
 
Percussionist Andi Pupato and Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin have mutually agreed to end their cooperation. Nik Bärtsch and his band Ronin thank Andi for his musical and technical expertise and contribution, his support for the band, as well as his dedication to the music. Nik and the band wish Andi the very best for the future.