El Infierno Musical

Featuring: Dave Rempis, Ken Vandermark, Christof Kurzmann, Lia Kohl

By inevitable coincidence, a street vendor in Buenos Aires became an instrument of providence, when he compelled attention of Christof Kurzmann, sitting outside a coffeehouse. His merchandise were small books of Hispanic writers, and the chosen one that ended up in the buyer’s pocket some eighteen years ago was a collection of poems by Argentinean poet Alejandra Pizarnik. Her works abound with music and sounds or absence of it, appreciating silence. For Kurzmann, this served as a sufficient reason to dive into her writings, which resulted in releasing El Infierno Musical: a tribute to Alejandra Pizarnik in the fall of 2011.

El Infierno Musical was a quintet started back in 2008 thanks to a wild card given to Kurzmann as a birthday present by the organizers of Music Unlimited festival in Wels, Austria, which hosted its official premiere. For the 50th day of death of Alejandra Pizarnik Kurzmann brought „El Infierno Musical back to life again, worked on new material and changed the line-up of the band in which only he himself and Ken Vandermark are left from the founding formation. Dave Rempis - long time friend on saxophone, as well as Chicago Symphony Orchestra member Katinka Kleijn who together with another great Chicago-Scene musician Lia Kohl share the role of the cellists in the band. And to round the fresh line-up off, young drummer, percussionist Lily Finnegan completes the newly created Sextet.

The music brings a clear structure filled with improvised parts, masterly played by perfectly coordinated musicians, who take advantage of their miscellaneous musical histories and styles.