GEORGE HASLAM / STEVE KERSHAW / OUTWARD BOUND trio live in HERAKLION, CRETE
Outward Bound trio was born in Crete in 2001 and initially started as a duet with Antonis Tsikandilakis (piano) and Dimitris Neonakis (guitar) which developed to its current form in 2007 with the addition of Yiannis Iliakis (drums). Since then, their free jazz music has been warmly welcomed by critics and was "adopted" by the British company Slam Productions. The band has participated in the International Jazz Meeting Kostas Kouvidis 2010, in the European jazz festival of Athens 2010, Zante Jazz Festival, and has performed in numerous jazz clubs and theatres of Greece and England. They have released 2 albums:
-Outward Bound, (Triple Bath, 2009)
-The Path, (Slam productions, 2011)
George Haslam and Steve Kershaw are two of the most active free jazz musicians internationally, with a long and important discography. Haslam is the founder of Slam Productions, one of the most important labels that counts hundreds of releases featuring musicians such as: Μax Roach, Mal Waldron, Han Bennink, Evan Parker, Bernard Purdie, Vojtech Havel.
In this concert, the internationally acclaimed musicians George Haslam (baritone saxophone, tárogató) and Steve Kershaw (contrabass) meet the minimalist soundscapes of Outward Bound trio. This musical meeting is characterized by a mix of introvert and lyrical improvisations and expressionist "explosions" that transcend the limits of traditional jazz.
“…improvisers reveal that the cradle of Western civilization still swings …an ultra-minimalist aesthetic, favoring modal canvases of subdued chord colors(often shifting minor triads), meditative drones and restrained, back-of-the-mix percussive shadings”.
Tom Greenland, THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD
“…But if you have style and a broadly defined one at that, then Outward Bound will really blow your mind and in a way you didn't think possible.”
Kent Manthie | Heathen Harvest | issue 70
“The music is largely introspective, shot through with space and dynamically quite varied, which is refreshing in itself given a lot of "free" music's penchant for fire.”
Marc Medwin/ Squid’s Ear
“In the end there is a free-form ambience somewhere between classic ECM sorts of ambient music and the total float of Open Graves. They are recognizably lyrical and spaced out in a personal sort of way and that's not very common. Let it go its way and you might find yourself pleased and occupied with its stories in sound.”
Grego Applegate Edwards / Cadence