THE ERIC VON TUTRI FOUR
is an online working avant-garde rock band of improvising and composing musicians from around the globe communicating via facebook -
established Jan 1, 2021 by Thomas Zunk

feat.
Thomas Zunk/Berlin - Sampling Keyboard Mellotron, Theremin
Daniel Weltlinger/Berlin - Violin, Synthesizer
Marlen Stahl/Rennes - Guitars, Electric Bass, Cello
Lars Nicolaysen/Bødø - Drums, Synthesizer

with thanks to our special guests:
Alan Wilkinson/London - Alto Sax, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Vocals;
Steve Schofield/Berlin - Sopranino Sax, Trumpet;
Shuji Morita/Aichi - Tenor Sax

all music recorded by the musicians involved
at their locations between January and June 2021
edited and premixed by Thomas Zunk
mixed and mastered by Lars Nicolaysen
produced by Thomas Zunk, Marlen Stahl and Lars Nicolaysen


We are working with a special concept - influenced by statements of John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Heiner Goebbels (see also below):

Each of us four regular members is composing or improvising in turns a basic track for a new composition.
The three other members (and the guests as well) use this basic track as playback and record their contribution to the piece.
Only when all instruments have played their voices the end result will be disclosed to the musicians.

The idea is to avoid Monkey Business, Mickey Mouseing and too much adaptation to what the other players contribute, because that would inevitably lead to a musical expression as we already know it and are familiar with. But we want to come up with something new.

In our band each member plays as if he was alone with the basic track. He plays as a true soloist and not as part of a group indicated expression.


Here is what a short time member thinks about it who had been with us during the production of our first piece:

"I thought this was going to be way more experimental than it is. I listened to what has already been done and to me it kinda stands in the middle of an uncanny valley between proper "normal" music and assumed experimental. The original concept is a good one, but the music that it produces doesn't really make sense to me. I really enjoyed the performance of the saxophonist on your track though."


Three statements influencing our style:

“In most jazz compositions I hear an improvisation that resembles a conversation. One musician answers another. So, rather than each one doing what he wants, he listens with all his might to what the other one is doing, just to answer him better. I advised them not to listen to each other, and asked each one to play as a soloist, as if he were the only one in the world. And I warned them in particular: “If you hear someone starting to play loud, don’t feel that this obliges you to play louder yourself.” I repeated to them that they should be independent, no matter what happened. Well, at the rehearsal, everything went along quite well. It was what you might call successful free jazz! And they were very pleased with what happened.”
John Cage

„Das utopische Moment liegt in der Form, die ohne Hierarchien auskommt und die Regel der Gleichzeitigkeit autonomer Stimmen verfolgt.
Diese radikale Art von demokratischer Struktur oder Gleichberechtigung vermittle, moderiere, ja komponiere ich dann – in einem sehr weit gefassten Kompositionsbegriff, zu dem eben auch das Eigenleben der Elemente gehört.“
Heiner Goebbels

„Auch für uns, die wir diese sogenannte Neue Musik entstehen lassen, also uns Komponisten, ist sie unheimlich, neu und unbekannt“
Karlheinz Stockhausen

Another influence is the collaboration of british jazz musician Keith Tippett and members of his Group with progressive rock band King Crimson 1970/71.


cover art:
PROTON V
bronze sculpture
with kind permission by the artist:
Lucianne L Lassalle
www.luciannelassalle.com
Thank you so much!