No Tango Quartet
Christina Fuchs – saxophones, clarinets, composition
Florian Stadler – accordion
Ulla Oster – double bass, composition
Christoph Hillmann – drums, percussion
No Tango is clearly a cohesive unit, in part because the same four
musicians whostarted the group over 10 years ago continue today. Their
unique, focused sound isenhanced by original compositions from Christina
Fuchs and bassist Ulla Oster.The music of No Tango dances around and
navigates through tricky rhythms andmelodies, always distinctive without
being pigeonholed in any single style.
The music of this Cologne based ensemble doesn’t belong in the hands of
analysts, but in the ears of people, who enjoy music. No Tango—is it jazz
or tango?Clearly, it’s jazz, but with a little bit of tango and a lot of
improvisation. The artisticcentre is found around Christina Fuchs’
saxophone playing and FlorianStadler’s accordion, which one will find
characteristic throughout the variety ofthe original compositions.
Video live @ PENG Festival 2017
The Musicians
Christina Fuchs - Saxophones, Clarinets, Composition
During the past 20 years saxophonist Christina Fuchs has developed an instantly recognizable sound and a unique language as a composer. Her large-ensemble work is most frequently performed now by her Large Ensemble ‘Soundscapes Orchestra’ or earlier with the United Women's Orchestra, which she led with Hazel Leach. She has also conducted performances by the NDR Radio Big Band, which has commissioned her compositions. Other large groups, such as the Blue Art Orchestra, also play her work regularly.
Fuchs' primary small ensembles include a quartet and a duo. The Christina Fuchs Quartet released its CD "NoTango" and as an extension with string quartet ‘No Tango & Strings’. Her long-standing duo KontraSax, with contrabassist Romy Herzberg, is her most intimate forum for musical communication. This duo has released three CDs, has scored several documentary films, and has worked in innumerable settings over the past decade and a half.
Fuchs' work includes traditional concerts as well as collaborations with other art forms, such as dance, visual arts, literature, spoken word, movies, and theatre. What is common to all of these settings is Fuchs' emphasis on blending written and improvised music.
Her originality has been felt in just about every corner of the German jazz scene, including concerts, radio broadcasts and TV productions. Fuchs has received awards and scholarships at German national funding ‘Initiative Musik’ for No Tango Quartet 2011/12 commissions from Landesmusikrat NRW 2009/2010 Künstlerhaus Ahrenshoop/Germany 2007 NDR Radio Big Band commission/Germany 2005 Nairs/Art in Engadina Bassa/Switzerland 2004 Art Omi Music Program NY 2003 Julius Hemphill Composition Awards for Large Ensemble U.S.A. 2002 Jazz a r t -New Music in the 21st century- composition award NRW/Germany 2001 BMI composers program NYC with Jim McNeely, Michael Abene 1999/2000 Banff Centre of the Arts/Canada 1997/98.
Florian Stadler - Accordion. Stadler studied at the Hermann-Zilcher-Konservatorium Würzburg, Germany with Stefan Hussong. He completed his artistic studies with international master classes with Professor H. Noth (Trossingen, Germany and Prato, Italy), J. Macerollo (Toronto, Canada) and M. Brunello (Brescia, Italy). His artistic focus lies in contemporary music and improvisation.
Florian Stadler has worked as accordionist within a diverse collection of ensembles. Starting in 1999 he has played with the klezmer ensemble “Colalaila”, in duo with the sound poet Mitch Heinrich, and with the cellist Sue Schlotte in the project “Herbal Essence”. He has been a member of the Christina Fuchs No Tango Quartet since 2001. Stadler has also been part of many productions. including dance, theatre, performance, CD recordings, and concert tours.
Ulla Oster - Double Bass. Oster studied at the Cologne Conservatory. Starting in 1980 she has worked with many bands in a variety of styles. She also leads her own projects, such as ”Beyond Janis” and “Abaptations”. Oster has played Festivals in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, and Russia. She has worked for the major German Radio Stations on CD recordings, radio productions, and television productions). She also writes music for theatre and film. In 2002 she was awarded a prize for composition for Jazz orchestra called “Jazzart - aktuelle Musik im 21. Jahrhundert”. Since 1994 She has also worked with electronic music for almost 20 years.
Christoph Hillmann - Percussion and Electronics. Hillmann is one of the most prolific sidemen in the new German jazz scene. He worked live and in studio with Norbert Stein, Dave Liebman, Charlie Mariano, Frank Speer, Nils Wogram, Angelika Niesciers. and Hans Lüdemann. Hillmann’s concert tours have taken his to such locations as Maroco, Australia, Indonesia, Great Britain, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Poland, and the United States. Hillmann has also worked with Kenny Wheeler, the European Jazz Ensemble and ARFI (Lyon). He has performed for many other radio , television, and CD productions. In addition to the traditional drum set Hillmann performs on exotic percussion, invented instruments, samplers, and DJ equipment.
Press
Jazzthetik 06/12
“Cologne-based saxophonist Christina Fuchs and her quartet No Tango celebrate clever, effervescent music on their second album. Among the bandleader’s many compositional techniques is creating intricate rhythmic patterns…."
JazzPodium 06/12
"Whether intentional or not, accordion— tango music’s instrumental voice — is the dominant character in No Tango’s third album. It takes only a few notes to trip switches in the listener’s head that open the mind to the melancholy sound streams that characterize tango. But the ‘No’ clearly indicates that there is just no tango here ... "
The New York City Jazz Record 3/12
„...Oster also lent solid support to Christina Fuchs' quartet NoTango, the leader's various reeds (curved soprano, tenor, bassclarinet) complemented by FlorianStadler (accordion) and Hillmann (drums), who busily shifted tempos and suitable rolls as if manufacturing waves over which his bandmates could happily surf..."
Laurence Donohue-Greene
Neue Passauer Zeitung 09/08
"...everything's a game. A game with sounds, voices, traditions, ideas, and words...This evening the audience remained still and focused for two hours without interruption."
Lübeck-Kunst&Kultur 08/08
" ...No Tango has found a unique sound, outside of all traditions, without ignoring them.”
JazzPodium 05/08
"...strong, free grooves...although steadfastly energetic, it is still a music full of lightness...It feels as there is no end to the stories they can tell through the beauty of improvised music."
Melodiva 01/08
"...the combination of woodwinds, percussion, bass and accordion is really fresh, mindful, and creative music."
Jazzthing 11/07
"Certainly the title of the album, which also is the band's name, wants to provoke. And certainly there is some Tango, but not the authentic one...these four musicians play a game with expectations.."