Conference Call

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Gebhard Ullmann (tenor sax, bass clarinet) Uwe Oberg (piano) Joe Fonda (double bass) Dieter Ulrich (drums)

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Conference Call can be as balanced and beautiful as an intricate organism, and just as soon rage with holy fire. The quartet perpetually weaves in all three dimensions, as well as in time—its own, and music history's. Together since the late '90s, the group is going strong, burning away but losing no energy, relating jazz past and political past to hard and fast present moments—and spiriting these, in turn, into a future history—forging sound new documents bound to have permanent place in the history of music. Whether that sound is a cry from the streets, a cry of a people, or the cry of a sole saxophone, Conference Call captures it, reporting straight from the scene of stage or studio. After 10 CD releases and more than 20 tours on both sides of the Atlantic ocean Conference Call is considered by many one of the leading working units in contemporary jazz.

Since 2021 Uwe Oberg is the new pianist with Conference Call.

'From the onset, it becomes easily discernible that the musicians' karma equates to a magical session. 4 1/2 stars.' (Downbeat)

'Dieses Quartett ist von einer bemerkenswerten Souveränität.' (Jazz Podium)

' ... das Quartett 'Conference Call' stellte sich in einem inspirierenden Konzert in der Romanfabrik vor ... Einzelne Abschnitte der Werke wirkten wie Skulpturen, gewissermassen von allen Seiten durchhörbar und greifbar.' (Wolfgang Sandner, FAZ)

'When the Free Jazz idiom is wielded with such authority and prowess as demonstrated by Gebhard Ullmann and Conference Call it seems clear that a transformation (of the idiom) is underway ... it is difficult to envision a better exhibition of ability, creativity and group cohesiveness in this idiom.' (Music Reviews, USA)

'Selten geht man nach einem Jazzkonzert hinaus und stellt überrascht fest: besser geht's nicht. Gebhard Ullmann hat in der Unterfahrt mit dem Quartett Conference Call diese Leistung vollbracht.' (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

'If it's possible to have a super-group in a musical form as marginalized as contemporary, left-field jazz, then Conference Call is a pretty good contender ... the quartet sounds like a band with one foot firmly in the Paris/Chicago axis of the late-60s BYG avantgarde sound and another keeping up to date with the tuneful, exploratory freedom of Wayne Shorter's recent celebrated quartet. Ask yourself this: is there anything about that equation that doesn't sound like a good thing ?‘ (One Final Note, USA)

'So und nicht anders wünscht man sich die Essenz des Jazz des neuen Jahrtausends. 5 Sterne.' (Jazzthetik)

'Conference Call is one of the most important ensembles on the scene today.' (Jazzreview.com, USA)