Vienna Art Orchestra – Nightride of a Lonely Saxophoneplayer, Part 2 (CD2055)

The second half of the night. In October 1985 the Vienna Art Orchestra under Mathias Rüegg toured Switzerland, playing Le Locle, Hunziken, Geneva and Basel. Part 2 completes the live recordings from that tour, and this is where you’ll find the title track.

“Nightride of a Lonely Saxophoneplayer” appears in two parts that frame the album. In between are some of Rüegg’s strongest pieces: the epic “Black Roses”, the playful “Harmonic Sightseeing in a Strange City” and the moving “Tears in Atlanta”. There’s also the melancholy “Valse lente et très triste” (“slow and very sad waltz”) and “Mutzerl”, Rüegg’s cheeky big band arrangement of Mozart. That’s the VAO at its best, with sharp writing, lots of space for the soloists and a lot of humour.

The 15-piece orchestra features Lauren Newton on vocals, Wolfgang Puschnig, Harry Sokal and Roman Schwaller on saxophones, Herbert Joos, Bumi Fian and Hannes Kottek on trumpets, Christian Radovan on trombone, Jon Sass on tuba, Andy Manndorff on guitar, Uli Scherer on keyboards, Heiri Känzig on bass, Joris Dudli on drums and Tom Nicholas on percussion. Released on Moers Music. When you buy here, you’re buying directly from the label, and we only sell originals.

The Side Story

The title says it all: the “lonely saxophone player” at night. With three great saxophonists in the band, Rüegg had plenty of candidates for the role. The piece was a highlight of the VAO’s live shows in 1985. At a concert on this tour on October 16, 1985, the orchestra played it alongside “Harmonic Sightseeing in a Strange City”, “Mutzerl” and the pieces from Part 1, after a first set with Rüegg’s Minimalism of Erik Satie.

“Mutzerl” had a life beyond this album. The orchestra also played it at the Jazzbühne Berlin 1985 in what was then East Berlin, and that concert came out on the East German state label AMIGA. Mozart stayed a theme for Rüegg: in 1983 the Vienna Art Choir recorded From No Art to Mo(z)art, and in 1991 he made the BBC film Mozart’s Balls.

Part 1 (CD2054) and Part 2 together give you the complete concert programme of the 1985 Swiss tour.

Tracklist

1. Nightride of a Lonely Saxophoneplayer 1 – 5:45

2. Black Roses – 11:45

3. Harmonic Sightseeing in a Strange City – 6:40

4. Nightride of a Lonely Saxophoneplayer 2 – 8:30

5. Tears in Atlanta – 9:40

6. Valse lente et très triste – 10:30

7. Mutzerl (after W. A. Mozart) – 5:15

All compositions and arrangements by Mathias Rüegg. Total running time: approx. 58 minutes

Personnel

• Mathias Rüegg – conductor, composer, arranger

• Lauren Newton – vocals

• Hannes Kottek – lead trumpet

• Herbert Joos – trumpet, flugelhorn

• Bumi Fian – trumpet

• Christian Radovan – trombone

• Jon Sass – tuba

• Wolfgang Puschnig – alto saxophone, flute

• Harry Sokal – soprano & tenor saxophone, flute

• Roman Schwaller – tenor saxophone, clarinet

• Andy Manndorff – guitar

• Uli Scherer – keyboards

• Heiri Känzig – bass

• Joris Dudli – drums

• Tom Nicholas – percussion

Details

• Format: CD

• Label: Moers Music

• Catalog no.: CD2055

• Recorded: Live, October 1985, Le Locle, Hunziken, Geneva and Basel (Switzerland)

• Price: €14.00