Meinrad Iten Quartet
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“Meinrad Iten (1867 – 1932 Unterägeri, Canton Zug) is my maternal great-grandfather – A prolific Swiss portrait and landscape artist who painted over 2000 paintings. In 2006 I received a box set of 4 DVDs containing photographs of Meinrad’s 2000 paintings and a commission from the Swiss Gemeinderat and Burgerkanzlei of Unterägeri to compose a suite, setting some of the pictures to music – for which I chose the following 11 pictures.
- 1. Wilhelmine – Meinrad’s pencil portrait of Wilhelmine his wife (My great-grandmother)
- 2. The Man With The Gun He Tangos – It’s as if the man’s doing a strange backward tango, with a gun for his dance partner!
- 3. Snow Scene – ice-cold harmonies with the cool breathy sounds of wind through the snow.
- 4. Das Mädchen – Reminiscent of the playful woodland dances my mother taught me as a child (The portrait is of Meinrad’s eldest daughter, my great aunt).
- 5. Unser Vater – a friendly portrait of an Archbishop who was known to Meinrad, with a pencil drawing of Adolf Menzel (Meinrad’s most favourite artist) on the wall behind.
- 6. Meinrad – A self-portrait of my great grandfather, with the austere expression we all seem to have inherited (somethings are definitely genetic!).
- 7. Der Onkel – Meinrad’s maternal uncle (my great great great uncle!) who raised him as a child.
- 8. Der Soldat – staring into the distance, as if haunted by memories.
- 9. Der Weg – A processional dance with Ägeri’s woodland spirits.
- 10. St Jost – the home of a Catholic hermit who encouraged Meinrad’s study of art and where Meinrad and Wilhelmine (my great grand-parents) were later married.
- 11. Der Tal: Wir Bleiben Zusammen – While Meinrad was dying he told his wife (my great grandmother) and their three children to always stay together. When I walk through this part of Ägerital I feel the family’s presence (past and present) and the echoes of his wishes”
THE PLAYERS:
Issie Barratt is not only one of Meinrad Iten’s seven great grandchildren, she also composes, plays baritone and directs the Meinrad Iten Quartet. She’s also an internationally active composer, arranger, conductor, baritone player, record producer and educator who has performed at a majority of leading concert halls, jazz clubs and festivals in Britain, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, south east India, central America and the east coast of Canada, and was ranked #38 in BBC Radio 4’s Women in Music Power List 2018 (comprising the top 40 most influential women in the music industry) See full biog here.
Rowland Sutherland is a UK based flautist, composer and educator who enjoys an international career in many different fields of music. He regularly performs in some of the UK’s leading new music ensembles, jazz bands, symphony orchestras, various non-Western groups, pop outfits and as a soloist.
As a band leader Rowland currently has 4 projects
- MISTURA: Rowland’s Brazilian influenced jazz band has an album out called ‘Coast to Coast’ on the FMR label.
- ROWLAND SUTHERLAND SEXTET: Performs Caribbean and Brazilian influenced contemporary jazz
- CREATIVE FORCE: features Orphy Robinson on vibes and electronics and performs Caribbean and UK nu jazz.
- MYRTLE: Trio with Alwynne Pritchard (voice) and Thorolf Thuestad (computer) performs songs and free improv.
As a freelance orchestral musician Rowland has played with the Philharmonia, Bournemouth Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, London Philharmonic, BBC Concert, European Community Chamber and City of London Sinfonia
He has also played and recorded with various new music ensembles and dance companies in Britain, including Lontano, Icebreaker, New Music Players, Colin Currie Group, notes inegales, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Ixion, Phoenix Dance and Rambert Dance.
Jazz, world and improvised music artists that Rowland has performed with include Frank Wess, David Murray, Flora Purim, Henry Threadgil, Carla Bley, Ali Ryerson, Manu Dibango, Airto, Joyce, Paulo Fresu, King Sunny Ade, Olodum, Rebirth Brass Band, Evan Parker, Nitin Sawhney, Courtney Pine, Jean Toussaint, Orphy Robinson, Issie Barratt, Zoe Rahman,Byron Wallen, Cleveland Watkiss, Alec Dankworth, Dennis Rollins, Nikki Yeoh, Mark Lockheart, Filomena Campus and London Improvisers Orchestra.
Rowland has recorded for a diverse range of pop artists such as Incognito, George Benson, Joss Stone, Us3, Fightstar, Keziah Jones, Guillemots, Omar, William Orbit, Marc Almond and MC Solaar.
Rowland has taught at the Royal Academy of Music, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Northern College of Music, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Leeds College of Music, Universities of Kent, Wales, Sussex, Bristol and Bath Spa, the National Youth Jazz Collective, the Brighton Festival, Flute School London Oxford Flute Summer School, Aldeburgh Music, Flutes in Tuscany, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA and a number of schools in London.
Rowland often gives classes and workshops for classical flute students, taking them through many of the vital elements of jazz.
Rowland has been involved in various types of contemporary composer workshops with such contemporary classical ensembles as Lontano, Icebreaker, notes inegales, New Music Players, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Ixion, Chroma and Uroboros. These have taken place with such organisations and at such venues as British Music Information Centre, Society for the Performance of New Music, Dartington International Summer School, Reggello International Festival Italy,Gaudeamus Amsterdam, Sound and Music, Universities of Kings College London, Birmingham, Surrey, York, Bristol, Durham, Bath Spa, Southampton, Royal College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire, and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, among others.
ROWLAND’S PRESS QUOTES
“…a gifted flute player… Sutherland shines throughout…” John L Walters – The Guardian
“I was most impressed with Rowland Sutherland’s playing… we heard the full range of flute colours, and were spoilt by his sensitive and dreamy pianissimo playing. He was superb throughout the concert.” Aleks Szram @Musical Pointers
“Rowland Sutherland was exceptional; his playing encompassed controlled legatos, seemingly impossible high notes and percussive effects from the keys“Live Wire Listings
MICK FOSTER is a UK based saxophonist, clarinettist and composer. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) and has since worked extensively in the fields of jazz, commercial and classical music, appearing with many ensembles – including the big bands of John Dankworth, Stan Sulzmann and Mike Garrick; the Back to Basie Orchestra; The Humphrey Lyttelton Band; The Syd Lawrence Orchestra; Ginger Baker’s “Air Force”, Swing Out Sister, The BBC Concert Orchestra, English National Opera, The London Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Issie’s 21 piece jazz orchestra and Meinrad Iten Quartet – and is in demand as a session musician, having played for many film and TV soundtracks.
Mick has worked with a variety of artists – including Cleo Laine, Jacqui Dankworth, Trudy Kerr, Mark Lockheart, Guy Barker, Digby Fairweather, and has recorded three albums under his own name including Four Views and Ocean Dances
As a composer Mick has written for various ensembles, including the London Jazz Orchestra, Quartz Saxophone Quartet, Docklands Sinfonia and Onyx Brass. His music has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3; some of his pieces are published by Saxtet Publications and are included on both the ABRSM and Trinity College London exams syllabuses.
Mick is active as an educator, teaching at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Goldsmiths College; he is also a tutor for the National Youth Jazz Collective.
TOM HEWSON is a UK based pianist, composer and educator.
Tom is in demand as a pianist of dexterity, musicality and originality. Working with improvising jazz musicians, singer-songwriters and solo his performances as leader have ranged from the Ronnie Scotts, The Purcell Room, Pizza Express Soho, Kings Place and numerous London Jazz Festival appearances to Jazz clubs across the country and abroad.
He was winner of the Nottingham International Jazz Piano Competition in 2014, and has released two acclaimed albums (Treehouseand Essence) with European Jazz label CAMJazz, the second a collaboration with Bösendorfer pianos. His playing has featured on radio stations from BBC Radio 3 to Jazz FM as well as Italian, French and other European national Radio stations.
For Essence– CAMJazz, 2017
“Exhilarating” **** – Jazzwise Magazine, UK
“Indispensable” – Les Inrocks Magazine, France
“A recording with confirms Tom Hewson’s artistic value, and his valued presence in the international jazz scene” *****– Pianosolo Magazine, Italy
“Reason to name Tom Hewson as a the great ‘up-comer’ in Jazz” ****– Written In Music, The Netherlands
As an educator Tom has worked with the National Youth Collective since 2010, with a focus on core musicianship, improvisation and ensemble playing. In addition he has worked with young composers on the Sound and Music Summer School since 2009 and taught workshops at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Leeds College of Music, all focused on the performance of new music and improvisation.