Qattara by CO STREIFF SEXTET with Tommy Meier, Christoph Gantert, Ben Jeger, Christian Weber, Fredi Flükiger

Intakt CD 078

After her successful duo album on Intakt Records with the pianist Irène Schweizer, the saxophone player Co Streiff presents her first CD with her own band: the Co Streiff Sextet. Co Streiff's experiences with the Circus Theater Federlos, with the group Kadash, with the Vienna Art Orchestra and in the duo with the pianist Irène Schweizer have bundled up into a fascinating musical mixture. The Egyptian desert landscape with its hot windy days and clear cold nights has not only given Co Streiff the name of her sextet's CD but also characterizes the music. It was not only since she lived the nomadic lifestyle with the Circus Theater Federlos or with Kadash that she has felt attracted towards North Africa. She likes Arabian folk music, the raw sound of the instruments, the barren, the unpolished, and original quality of the material. Co Streiff and her sextet love the change of worlds. They feel related to Sun Ra or the Art Ensemble of Chicago. With their roots firmly planted in jazz and inspired from the world of African music, the Co Streiff Sextet develops strong grooves and plays almost like a dance band: an extremely personal musical world.