arche
L to R: Asger Nissen, Steve Saunders & Jeff Williams
Press Biography
UK guitarist Steve Saunders (Xhosa Cole, Paul Dunmall) and Berlin-based saxophonist Asger Nissen present arche (ar-kay), a bass-less trio featuring legendary New York jazz drummer Jeff Williams. Arche have worked throughout the UK and Europe at venues ranging from the prestigious Birmingham Symphony Hall Stage to Donau115 in Berlin, where Asger and Steve worked with rising German drummer Marius Wankel. The group perform original compositions collaboratively composed by Asger and Steve, exploring contemporary music techniques within an open, improvisatory framework. The result is an original, unified language in which compositions and improvisations blend seamlessly together, demonstrating diverse influences from classical figures such as Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter and serialists Morton Feldman and Milton Babbitt, all whilst drawing upon the depth of the jazz and improvised music tradition.
An open instrumentation set forth by the great Paul Motian, the group provides a contrasting and contemporary take on this unique ensemble configuration whilst keeping in tradition with its legacy.
arche - Process/Camoflague/Autumn in Neukölln
The above video is taken from the trio’s filmed and recorded performance on the Birmingham Symphony Hall Stage, UK, hosted by B:Music. It features three compositions by the band:
Process - Asger Nissen
Camoflague - Asger Nissen/Steve Saunders
Autumn in Neukölln - Steve Saunders
Members
“Rapidly becoming one of the most exciting improvisers in the city”
STEVE SAUNDERS
Working regularly throughout the UK and Europe, Birmingham-based composer, improviser and guitarist Steve Saunders has already established a highly individual musical voice. This is most exemplified in his work as a band leader, which includes leading a performance of his six-movement, large ensemble work Abstract Visions of a Foreign Land on the coveted Birmingham Symphony Hall Stage, a work which merges the techniques of contemporary composers, most notably ‘spectral’ composers Tristan Murail and Gérard Grisey, with the language of modern jazz circles. He was the recipient of the ‘B:Music Jazz Commission’ in 2022, for which he developed arche.
Steve’s ensemble work includes regular performances as a core member of leading British jazz figure Xhosa Cole’s quartet ‘Rhythm-a-ting’, with which he has recently completed a 40-date UK tour performing at venues such as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, alongside a live album recording in Birmingham and performances in Belgrade and Austria. He has also worked in in various bands led by legendary improvising saxophonist Paul Dunmall, including on the albums Cosmic Dream Projection (featuring Percy Pursglove) released by FMR Records (2021), and World Without released by 577 Records (2023), amongst others. Steve recently featured on Dunmall’s 70th birthday concert at the Vortex, performing with Paul’s main quartet alongside such improvising giants as Evan Parker, John Edwards and Mark Sanders.
ASGER NISSEN
Asger Nissen is a Danish saxophonist from Elsinore. He moved to Berlin in 2017 to study at the Jazz Institute Berlin (Berlin University of the Arts). During his time in Berlin, Asger Nissen has developed a strong personal sound, combining complex rhythms and agile melodic structures with emotional expression and raw aesthetics.
In the past years, Asger Nissen has become an active part of the European jazz scene mainly touring on the German- and Danish Jazz Scenes as well as touring in Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Poland. Here, he has obtained knowledge and experience from working with artists such as Jim Black (as a member of ‘Jim Black and the Shrimps’ he is featured on their most recent recording Ain’t No Saint), Jeff Ballard, Phil Donkin, Petter Eldh, Loren Stillman, Christopher Dell, Jonas Westergaard, Philipp Gropper, Otis Sandsjö, Uli Kempendorf, Jonas Burgwinkel etc.
In late 2019, he formed his own group, Nissen Mosh, consisting of some of his closest musical peers; Valentin Gerhardus, Marius Wankel and Thorbjørn Stefansson. Nissen Mosh is gaining relevance touring through Germany and Denmark; recently in Berlin, Cologne and at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2022, and released their debut album Precious in March 2023.
In 2020 Asger Nissen was awarded the JIB Jazz Prize as Outstanding Soloist.
“Nissen is an excellent improviser who knows how to combine abstraction with singable emotions. Especially his composing is a strong trademark of his, with long dramaturgical arches that reveal a certain spiritual closeness to Tim Berne”
JEFF WILLIAMS
Born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Jeff began his professional jazz drumming career in New York in 1971. By '72 he was playing with Stan Getz, followed by Dave Liebman and Lookout Farm through 1976. His other associations include Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Paul Bley, Bill McHenry, Ethan Iverson, Tony Malaby, Leo Genovese and a host of others. Since making a second home in London some years ago Jeff has performed with Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Martin Speake, Nikki Illes, Olie Brice and more, in addition to leading his own bands, whose members have included Phil Robson, Kit Downes, Finn Peters, Josh Arcoleo, Sam Lasserson, John O'Gallagher, Duane Eubanks and John Hébert. Jeff has recorded six albums for the Whirlwind Recordings label showcasing his original compositions.
His previous release, Bloom, features Carmen Staaf-piano and Michael Formanek-bass while Jeff's latest album, Road Tales - Live at London Jazz Festival, features long-time associates John O'Gallagher, Josh Arcoleo and Sam Lasserson. Both are available in CD and LP formats.