Tag: Improvised music

SHEPHERDS OF CATS and MARCUS WENNINGER

Posted on by joshblack in New Releases

In February 2016, Shepherds of Cats performed extraordinary concert with Markus Wenninger that included premiere of Naturalinee 2 video scores by American composer Joe Pignato, video art by VJ Pietrushka and live archery. Priori to that event, the band met with Marcus in the studio over the weekend to record material for an album that awaited daylight until now. Marcus Wenninger is a German flutist and clarinettist, as well as didgeridoo and shakuhachi player and archer. Founder of The Nora Volkova Ensemble, he is orientated on unconventional and avategarde artistic collaborations. Using plethora of woodwind instruments, didgeridoo, cello, clavichord, darbuka, drum, gongs, singing bowls and daily objects, Marcus and Shepherds of Cats made improvised recordings which selection of found their way to this atmospheric album.

https://fanfarefanfare.bandcamp.com/album/shepherds-of-cats-and-marcus-wenninger

artwork: dark projects

There Was Something In The Cookie

Posted on by joshblack in New Releases

The year 2021 was significant on many levels. Shepherds of Cats spent a year improvising virtually. During one of the weekly rehearsals, this song came about completely by accident. This became our contribution to the collection of Christmas-themed music. We secretly hope that it will conquer the charts – as Last Christmas once did.

Improvised Opera BY YASHASHWI SHARMA & SHEPHERDS OF CATS

Posted on by joshblack in New Releases

If we told you that this recording should be considered one long piece rather than 6 pieces, you would quite possibly accept this. But, similarly, if we said it is six independent pieces and not one long piece, you would probably accept it maybe even more readily, especially as it is separated into 6 different pieces. However, if one of us Shepherds says you should listen to it as one piece and another says you ought to listen to it as six different pieces, where does that leave you? But then again, don’t listen to us, listen to us.

So, here you have the latest release from Fanfare Records of long awaited album and the only improvised opera, colaboration between Yashashwi Sharma and Shepherds of Cats available now on Bandcamp.

That is not all! Vj Pietrushka created promotional videoclip of the album:

BUTOH TECHNO JAPAN TOUR 2020

Posted on by joshblack in Uncategorized

Dear Friends, 

We are very happy to announce that our Butoh Techno project will have its continuation in February 2020. This time we are taking the spectacle to home of Mushimaru Fujieda and Aya Ogawa. Shepherds of Cats together with Matylda Gerber and VJ Pietrushka will join Mushimaru and Aya on series on performances in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Oita. 

Hera are details of the Japan Tour 2020

10 February 2020 Tokyo:  Koiwa BushBash

13 February 2020 Kyoto: Urbandguild

15 February 2020 Hiroshima: Cafe Teatro Abierto

16 February 2020 Oita: AT HALL

2018 TOUR

Posted on by joshblack in Concerts

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SHEPHERDS OF CATS & VJ PIETRUSHKA AND OUR SPECIAL GUESTS, 2018 TOUR
Günter Heinz, Matylda Gerber, Paweł Sokołowski and Lena Czerniawska

29 September: 
Shepherds of Cats + Matylda Gerber
Ośrodek Postaw Twórczych, Działkowa 15, 50-538 Wroclaw, Poland
https://www.facebook.com/events/1917896198232935/

30 September
Shepherds of Cats
Dragon Mały Dom Kultury, Zamkowa 3, 61-768 Stare Miasto, Poznań, Poland
https://www.facebook.com/events/269755000524098/

02 October
Shepherds of Cats & VJ Pietrushka + Pawel Sokolowski
6 dzielnica, Piotrkowska 102, 90-004 Łódź, Poland
https://www.facebook.com/events/251398542184138/

03 October
Shepherds of Cats & VJ Pietrushka + Günter Heinz
Kirche Kleinwaltersdorf, Zum Herrenweg, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
https://www.facebook.com/events/1925020654250751/

04 October
Shepherds of Cats & VJ Pietrushka + Günter Heinz + Lena Czerniawska
Petersburg Art Space, Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 101, 10553 Berlin, Germany
https://www.facebook.com/events/2164076933880400/

05 October
Shepherds of Cats & VJ Pietrushka + Günter Heinz
Punctum, Krásova 27, 13000 Prague, Czech Republic
https://www.facebook.com/events/286370678826259/

06 October
Shepherds of Cats & VJ Pietrushka + Günter Heinz
Künstlervereinigung blaueFABRIK e.V., Eisenbahnstraße 1, Dresden-Neustadt, Germany
https://www.facebook.com/events/292985744813121/

07 October
Shepherds of Cats & VJ Pietrushka
Tkalnia, Fabryczna 13A, 65-001 Zielona Gora, Poland
https://www.facebook.com/events/2053363161660537/

SHEPHERDS OF CATS + VJ PIETRUSHKA & GÜNTER HEINZ ON TOUR, OCTOBER 2018

Posted on by joshblack in Concerts

We have been quiet for a while only to come up with some new recordings and put together our third tour. Yes, early October 2018, we are teaming up with VJ Pietrushka who will create spectacular live video landscapes to be filled with Günter Heinz’s  roaring trombone and Shepherds of Cats’ unearthed sounds. We will give series of audio visual performances in Freiburg, Berlin, Dresden and Prague. While we are finalising the details of the tour, you can enjoy this short video, excerpt from “Rehearsal” animation prepared by Shepherds of Cats.

BUTOH TECHNO SPECTACLE 2018 TICKETS

Posted on by joshblack in Concerts, Uncategorized

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Dear friends, butoh enthusiasts, improv fans, cats’ lovers, uninteresting objects users that can turn their rather useless toys into something unpredictable and everyone else who i sadly have not mentioned, here is the the rather rare opportunity to see something once in a lifetime – Butoh-Techno spectacle. Heart breaking story about ups and downs of human beings and the fights against the odds of life. The story in one act told by the butoh dancer performing within the abstract scenery of improvised music mixed with techno beats and layers of moving images.

There are two spectacles that will take place in Wroclaw on 18th and 19th April in Osrodek Postaw Tworczych: https://opt-art.net. We will also perform third spectacle on 20th April in Prague in Punctum Krasovka: http://www.punctum.cz

Now, we know that you know that we do not know what you know so do not leave it till the last minute, suspend your disbelief, hold your breath or closed your eyes if that helps and follow your intuition and the link below for the tickets:

https://opt-art.net/sklep/kategoria-produktu/bilety/

Butoh Techno spectacle 2018

Posted on by joshblack in Concerts

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Filip Zawada and Jan Fanfare directed last year spectacular performance of Butoh Techno, putting together sonic, light and dance worlds together: https://shepherdsofcats.com/portfolio/butoh-techno-spectacle/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq2lDAGt_Rg

We are very happy to announce that Butoh Techno spectacle is back in April 2018 and will be performed in Wroclaw and Prague. This year Ayako Ogawa (vocalist/pianist) is coming with Mushimaru Fujieda (butoh dancer, choreographer, director) who will be joined by Matylda Gerber (saxophone), Maciek Piatek (VJ Pietrushka) and Shepherds of Cats.

Book you dates:

Wednesday, 18 April 2018 – OPT, Wroclaw

Thursday, 19 April 2018 – OPT, Wroclaw

Friday, 20 April 2018 – Prague

MUSHIMARU FUJIEDA
Mushimaru Fujieda hails from Aichi, in central Japan. Utilizing movement in relationship to breath and rhythm he has created his own style of dance, referring to the body of his work as “Natural Physical Poetry” (Tennen Nikutai Shi), a name that occurred to him after collaborations with Allen Ginsberg. Originally working as an actor, producer, writer, and director – first with the avante-garde theatre Ishiha” in Osaka, then with solo performance unit “Mushimaru Dokugi” – in 2002 he formed the Butoh dance group “The Physical Poets. He has performed internationally for more than 20 years, in Japan, Europe, South Korea, New York, China, Taiwan, Phillipines, Hong Kong, and India.

http://thephysicalpoets.wixsite.com/tpp-official

http://www.notus.dti.ne.jp/~mushimal/E.top.htm

AYAKO OGAWA
Pianist, educator and artist Aya Ogawa lives in Hakodate, Hokkaido. She has played the piano since 1968, has been involved in theatre since 1970 and while working as an educationalist has continued to write songs, organize poetry readings and publish original picture books. These experiences inform her improvisations, which include work with Sabu Toyozumi, Peter Brotzmann, Deku Ogawa and Butoh dancers Hal Tanaka and Tukasa Kamidate.

https://www.ayaogawavoicepiano.com/english

https://soundcloud.com/aya-ogawa-3

https://fanfarefanfare.bandcamp.com/album/ogawa-gerber-webster-zawada-fanfare

MATYLDA GERBER
Composer and saxophone player from Wroclaw, Poland. She is a regular to the jazz scene in her hometown as well as London, where she participated in projects such as London Improvisers Orchestra, Skronk and Exploratorio. Matylda also spearheads two musical projects in London, which focus on mixing compositions with free-jazz improvisations. In 2015, Matylda played at the esteemed Jazztopad Festival in her native city after which she was featured in the music portal All About Jazz. Establishing her career with the band Kolega Doriana, the group released an album in 2015 to positive reviews from The Free Jazz Collective as well as Redbull Tour de Polonia.

https://soundcloud.com/matylda_gerber