“Dream Machine” (Costa, Niggenkemper, Schlegelmilch)
“Saturnismo” (Costa)
“The Valenti” (Schlegelmilch)
“Let’s Go, I Don’t Know” (Niggnekemper)
“Moth” (Costa)
Minerva JP Schlegelmilch - piano Pascal Niggenkemper - bass Carlo Costa - drumshttp://jpschlegelmilch.com/index.htmlhttp://www.pascalniggenkemper.com/home.htmlshapeimage_8_link_0shapeimage_8_link_1
Drummer Carlo Costa, bassist Pascal Niggenkemper, and pianist JP Schlegelmilch join forces in a trio which explores the boundaries between composition and improvisation. Their music ranges from areas of static minimalism to dense and dynamic gestures, embracing both stark dissonance as well as open-hearted lyricism. Minerva recorded a full-length CD entitled Saturnismo in August 2010 that was released on Between The Lines Records in May 2011. It features compositions from all three band members as well as collective improvisations.http://www.betweenthelines.de/en/main/index.shtmlshapeimage_9_link_0
Saturnismo (Between the Lines Records)http://www.betweenthelines.de/en/main/index.shtmlshapeimage_10_link_0
Here are some excerpts from Saturnismo
JP Schlegelmilch is a Brooklyn-based pianist, accordionist and composer. Current projects he's involved with include the experimental instrumental rock group NOOK with Kenny Warren, Jeremy Viner, Ben Gallina and James Windsor-Wells; the jazz quartet Old Time Musketry with Adam Schneit, Phil Rowan and Max Goldman, the power-organ-trio Put a Motor in Yourself with Jonathan Goldberger and Juan Pablo Carletti and his latest project the avant-jazz quartet Two of Anything Band. http://jpschlegelmilch.com/index.htmlshapeimage_14_link_0
“Saturnismo is a fine record, ten pieces – some composed, other improvised – where each member suggests, listens attentively and receives a definite quantity of significant information to push an initial impression towards development. An admirable will to circumvent the stereotypes of jazz is manifest, the work informed by a welcome non-resemblance to models. "  (Massimo Ricci - review on Touching Extremes, March 26th, 2011)http://touchingextremes.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/carlo-costa-minerva-%E2%80%93-saturnismo/http://touchingextremes.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/carlo-costa-minerva-%E2%80%93-saturnismo/shapeimage_15_link_0shapeimage_15_link_1
Press quotes and reviews of Saturnismo
click here to buy Saturnismobuy_records.htmlshapeimage_17_link_0
1 Saturnismo (Costa) 7:36 2 Blossoming (Costa, Niggenkemper, Schlegelmilch) 2:33 3 The Valenti (Schlegelmilch) 4:43 4 Dream Machine (Costa, Niggenkemper, Schlegelmilch) 4:26 5 Let’s Go, I Don’t Know (Niggenkemper) 6:40 6 Plateu (Costa, Niggenkemper, Schlegelmilch) 3:24 7 Nocturnal Patterns (Costa) 10:28 8 Moth (Costa) 6:12 9 Clessidra (Costa, Niggenkemper, Schlegelmilch) 3:17 10 Battle Cry (Schlegelmilch) 3:54
"One thing that is apparent is that these guys know about pacing and the drama using each note just right. (...) I've heard and reviewed a number of fine piano trio dates over the past few years but none that sounds quite like this one." (Bruce Lee Gallanter - review on Downtown Music Gallery, April 22nd, 2011)http://search2.downtownmusicgallery.com/lookup.cgi?item=2011_04_20_18_20_00shapeimage_19_link_0
“Jazz trio Minerva’s new album Saturnismo is a lot of fun: it’s headphone music. Drummer/bandleader Carlo Costa is a first-class colorist. (...) Compositions, such as they exist here, provide a somewhat skeletal architecture for conversations, slow crescendos and subtle dynamic shifts; the chemistry veers from conspiratorial to friendly jousting.” (Alan Young - review on Lucid Culture May 2011)http://lucidculture.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/minerva/shapeimage_20_link_0
Here are some videos of our CD release concert on May 17th, 2011 at the Cornelia Street Café in New York City:
Videos
“The Valenti”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO-ILa1Kado&feature=relatedshapeimage_23_link_0
“Nocturnal Patterns”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epi4RlFrYxI&feature=relatedshapeimage_24_link_0
“Moth”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bBGPZxGIWc&feature=relatedshapeimage_25_link_0
“Battle Cry”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFQZ-Tez-Mk&feature=relatedshapeimage_26_link_0
“An impressively cohesive avant-jazz trio” (Time Out New York, June 2011)http://newyork.timeout.com/things-to-do/own-this-city-blog/1610697/tuesdays-must-see-concertsshapeimage_27_link_0
“Album difficile da districare, per certi versi anche coraggioso, pronto a stupire a ogni suo passaggio e buono soprattutto per chi ha voglia di risolvere rebus affascinanti.” (Roberto Paviglianiti, recensione su All About Jazz Italia, 6 Luglio, 2011)http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=6741http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=6741shapeimage_28_link_0shapeimage_28_link_1
“Ascoltando il CD alcuni elementi risaltano immediatamente: innanzitutto l’empatia instauratasi fra i tre. (...) Il linguaggio è informale, tutt’altro che facile, ma sempre in perfetta coerenza con l’idea portante.” (Gerlando Gatto, recensione su A proposito di jazz, 30 Giugno 2011)http://www.online-jazz.net/wp/2011/06/30/i-nostri-cd-42/3/shapeimage_29_link_0
Italian press:
Minerva press kit.pdfMinerva_files/Minerva%20press%20kit.pdfshapeimage_31_link_0
“The trio manages to create a wonderful synthesis of styles, grounded in jazz, but leaning towards modern classical with lots of improvisation. (...) To Costa's credit, and also the band's, is the great interplay and the coherent musical vision, with the drummer often pushing himself away from the attention, emphasizing and coloring and shading in the way of Paul Motian, but so are the piano and the bass, this is not about fast runs on the keys or uptempo pyrotechnics, but about mature music, woven lightly but solidly out of thin sounds. Really strong. **** ” (Stef Gijssels - review on Free Jazz Blog, July 16, 2011)http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2011/07/carlo-costas-minerva-saturnismo-between.html?spref=fbhttp://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2011/07/carlo-costas-minerva-saturnismo-between.html?spref=fbshapeimage_32_link_0shapeimage_32_link_1
“... Minerva is just one of a number of chamber- improvised trios and duos that are his outlets, but it’s a very strong group that includes bassist Pascal Niggenkemper and pianist JP Schlegelmilch. (...) The music is sparse yet active and all three players use a diverse range of colors on their instruments (...) All three partners in Minerva tend toward gradations in the density of their lines and jabs and together that makes a pulse that is ever shifting though consistent. And a partnership is what this trio is, much more than a piano trio or ‘chamber improvisation’.” (Clifford Allen, The New York City Jazz Record, September 2011)http://nycjazzrecord.com/shapeimage_33_link_0
Pascal Niggenkemper is a French-German bassist and composer who is gaining recognition as a sought-after sideman and with the various projects he leads: the Pascal Niggenkemper trio with Robin Verheyen on saxophones and Tyshawn Sorey on drums, Pascal's Newfield with Scott Dubois on guitar and Jeff Davis on drums, Vision 7 a septet of European improvisors and Upcoming Hurricane a trio with pianist Simon Nabatov and drummer Gerald Cleaver. http://www.pascalniggenkemper.com/home.htmlshapeimage_34_link_0
Here are links to the rest of the set:
About the members of Minerva:
“Appare intrisa di un’espressività indefinibile la musica di questo cd firmato dal batterista romano Carlo Costa (...) Il mosaico che ne scaturisce brilla per originalità e per l’esclusiva identità e nel contempo affascina perché imbevuto di una costante attività di ricerca che i tre perseguono incondizionatamente.”  (Giuseppe Mavilla, recensione su Scrivere di Jazz, 24 Febbraio 2012)http://scriveredijazz.blogspot.com/shapeimage_37_link_0
“Il trio Minerva propone una musica di radicale, algida astrazione. (...) La coerenza e la coesione sono indubbie” (Farné, recensione su Musica Jazz, Aprile 2012)http://www.musicajazz.it/shapeimage_38_link_0