A brief History and Discography of the Reform Art Unit and its offsprings
as provided by Fritz Novotny
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1957-1964 Early experiments in improvisation by Toni Michlmayr with music students and soloists created the beginning of a Viennese School of Free Improvisation. Also in Vienna, visual and performing artists Harun Barabbas and Padhi Friehberger experimented together in their own way, as did the musician and fine artist Fritz Novotny with political writer Rolf Schwendter. 1961 The Richard Ahmed Pechoc Trio with Karl Anton Fleck, Walter Malli and Richard Ahmed Pechoc did the new thing in Graz and Vienna. 1963 It all led to the founding of the Masters of Unorthodox Jazz (MOUJ) with the Grazer musicians Alaeddin Adlernest and Walter Malli joining together in Vienna with Harun Barabbas, Toni Michlmayr and Richard Ahmed Pechoc. 1965 The founding of the Reform Art Unit (RAU) by Fritz Novotny (ss) with Sepp Mitterbauer (p,tp) and different drummers: Günther Gafton, Fritz Kotrba, Marijan Pakar 1966-1967 Various concerts and sessions in and around Vienna 1968 MAY "Trio-Sextet" RAU, MC: GR 68401/RAU 1000 (unreleased) MAY-JUN Double concerts and joint sessions with MOUJ and RAU feat. Kent Carter, Don Cherry, Ambrose Jackson, Sunny Murray SEP Radio: Reform Art Trio "Song for Kent" Archive: 2 tapes 1969 APR "On the other side" RAU at the Museum of 20th Century, Vienna MC: GR 69401/ RAU 1001 "Overground" MOUJ, LP: HGB 1001 (out of print) Archive: several tapes (feat. Peter Wolf, etc.) 1970 JAN "New Jazz from Vienna" RAU, LP: ESP 2002 (unreleased) MAY "Conversation" RAU, MC: GR 70401 / RAU 1002 JUN "Darjeeling" RAU with Ram Chandra, LP: WM 20011 (out of print) TV: Movie "Arena 70" 1971 MAY "Vienna Jazz Avantgarde" RAU and MOUJ, LP(2): WM 20019 (out of print) JUL Radio: RAU meets Ram Chandra and Barre Phillips at "Musikforum Ossiach" 1972 JAN TV: "RAU with Carla Bley" feat. Ram Chandra and Mike Mantler JUN Radio: "Live in Ljubljana" RAU Session with Jack Monterose (ts,ss) in Ljubljana Archive: Film Ljubljana / Klagenfurt 1973 JUN Radio: "Live in Altena" RAU meets Ram Chandra and Franz Koglmann Archive: Film "Altena" 1974 OCT Radio: "Steirischer Herbst" RAU meets Ram Chandra and Peter Kowald Archive: 11 tapes 1975 DEC "Railway East" RAU, LP+MC: GR 75401 / RAU 1005 Archive: 12 tapes 1976 MAR Radio: "The Improvising Orchestra" with Xavier Breteau, Paul Fields, Franz Koglmann, Peter Kowald, Paul Lovens, Walter Malli, Jouk Minor, Sepp Mitterbauer, Fritz Novotny, Evan Parker, Günther Rabl, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Josef Traindl MAY TV: "Bewegungen" RAU with Elly Naschold AUG Concert with Justus Neumann Archive: 13 tapes 1977 SEP "Impulse Maria Schutz" Three Motions (TM), LP: KKM RAU 1006 "RAU with Alaeddin Adlernest", LP: KKM RAU 1007 1978 "Athanor" MOUJ and Josef Traindl, LP: HGB 1002 (unreleased) JAN "Project of Art" Mitterbauer Quartet, MC: GR 78401 SEP "Suite for Clifford" TM meets Clifford Thornton in Nickelsdorf, MC: GR 78402 /RAU 1008 OCT "Impressions" TM meets Anthony Braxton and Clifford Thornton in Krems, LP: KKM RAU 1010 Radio: "The Improvising Orchestra" with Paul Fields, Heinz Jäger, Franz Koglmann, Walter Malli, Sepp Mitterbauer, Fritz Novotny, Giselher Smekal, Clifford Thornton, Josef Traindl Archive: 9 tapes 1979 AUG "Popular Dreams" TM meets Beate Bekay, MC: GR 79401 / RAU 1009-1 OCT "October in Lower Austria" RAU, MC: GR 79402 / RAU 1009-2 "Gorilla" George Brown meets Walter Malli, LP: Message Records 002 (out of print) Archive: 3 tapes 1980 OCT "Live at Opus One" The Sunny Murray - Fritz Novotny Four, LP: GR 80401 (unreleased) Archive: 6 tapes 1981 MAR Radio: "Jazz Festival Wien - Eternal Unit" at Sophien-Saal with Ram Chandra and Linda Sharrock JUN Radio: "Three Motions with Linda harrock and the Chamber Music Ensemble" at the Museum of 20th Century, Vienna NOV Tour: Andrew Cyrille - Fritz Novotny Duo Archive: 5 tapes 1982 MAR "Pannonian Flower" TM, LP: KKM RAU 1011 NOV Tour: Burton Green - Fritz Novotny Unit Archive: 6 tapes 1983 SEP "To James Joyce" Paul Fields - Fritz Novotny Duo, LP: JFR 84501 / RAU 1012 MC: GR 83402 / RAU 1012 1984 MAR Radio:"Wide Fields" Film music "Up and down" by Fritz Novotny for a Jörg Eggers Movie APR Tour: Andrew Cyrille - Fritz Novotny Duo MAY Radio "The Improvising Orchestra" live at Szene Wien, 24 Soloists incl. Richard Isaiah, Walter Malli, Sepp Mitterbauer, Fritz Novotny, Niko Polymenakos, Mario Rechtern and Linda Sharrock AUG "1984" Wide Fields meet Linda Sharrock MC: GR 88406; CD: GR 94004 Archive: 13 tapes 1985 JAN "Jazz for Thinkers" Tasten meets Niko Polymenakos and Linda Sharrock, LP: KKM RAU 1013 MAR "For Africa" TM with Louis Moholo, MC: GR 85406 / RAU 1015 APR TV: 2 video clips with Paul Fields and Fritz Novotny JUL "Live at the Jazz Summit" Wide Fields, MC: GR 85407; CD: GR 94004 AUG "Ensemble" Fields - Karner - Klaffenböck, LP: GR 85504; MC: GR 89404 Archive: 9 tapes 1986 JAN Workshops with Poet Hermann Schürrer Archive: 14 tapes 1987 FEB "Babel" Acting Seven and Clan Music Overdrive, LP: KKM RAU 1016-1; CD: KKM RAU 1016-2 JUN "Somateme" Giselher Smekal and Mia Zabelka, LP: RZ 10002 JUL "Human Dates" Part of Clan, LP: GR 87101 (out of print); MC: GR 87408 Archive: 12 tapes 1988 JUL "Music Overdrive" The Clan, LP: GR 89106; MC: GR 88404 Archive: 14 tapes, 1 video 1989 JUN "Live at the Gymnasium" RAU, MC: GR 89401/RAU 1017 SEP "Department of Cats" Acting Ensemble with writer Rolf Schwendter, MC: GR 89402 DEC "Eastern Journey" World Music Orchestra introducing Leena Conquest, MC: GR 89403 Archive: 13 tapes 1990 JAN "Something about..." World Music Quartet feat. Bleda Elibal, MC: GR 90403 JUN "Motions of Europe" TM meets guests, MC: GR 90405/RAU 1018 JUL "World Music Orchestra" at Vienna City Hall with Brian Abrahams, Leena Conquest, Bleda Elibal, Paul Fields, Dill Katz, Rabih Abou Khalil, Fritz Novotny, Jim Pepper, Mohammad Tahmessebi and Levent Tarhan MC: GR 90408 "Vrhunec" Malli - Dafeldecker Duo, CD: EX 128 CD Archive: 2 tapes, 1 video 1991 JAN "Future here and now" RAU, CD: ITM 1460/GR 91001/RAU 1019 MAY Radio: "Live in St.Gerold" RAU Archive: 11 DAT, 1 video 1992 JUL "Illumination" RAU live at Jazzfest Vienna, CD: IRJ 009 401S (released 1995) AUG "Possible fruit" Mia Zabelka´s Duets with Leena Conquest, David Moss, Fritz Novotny, John Zorn etc. CD: EX 172 CD Tour: Sunny Murray - Fritz Novotny Unit Archive: 5 DAT, 2 videos 1993 FEB "55 steps..." RAU, CD: GR 93001/RAU 1020 SEP TV: "Circa 55 Schritte durch Europa" with Leena Conquest, Paul Fields, Gerhard Fritsch, Georg Graf, Karl Wilhelm Krbavac, Attila Lörinszky, Sandro Miori, Sepp Mitterbauer, Sunny Murray, Sainkho Namtchylak, Fritz Novotny, Mario Rechtern, Christian Salfellner, Walter Schiefer, Giselher Smekal, Mia Zabelka, Othmar Zechyr and Reinhard Ziegerhofer Archive: 11 DAT with RAU and strings 1994 MAR "Unit with Monika Stadler(harp)" MC: GR 94403/RAU 1023 Movie: "Artist in Residence" Walter Malli MAY "Fritz Novotny & Sunny Murray" Acting Ensemble, MC: GR 94405 MAY "Weigelsdorf" CD: GR 94006 1995 JAN "Human closely" RAU Extended at Alte Schmiede, Vienna CD: VOVES CD 90001/RAU 1002 MAY "Fritz Novotny & Sunny Murray" Acting Ensemble, MC: GR 94405 Archive: 16 DAT, 14 videos 1996 JUL Release "The Reform Art Unit - For John Coltrane and Pablo Picasso" RAU, CD: VOVES 90001 / RAU 1002 1997 JUN "Millenium" Live at the Kreuzstadel/Neumarkt/Raab, CD: GR 2000 06 1/2 DEC "Homage to Arnold Schönberg and Anton von Webern" Reform Art Quartet, CD: GR 98011/RAU 1030 1998 JUN Reform Art Quartet / RAU live in Praha DEC Release "Suite Prague" Reform Art Quartet, CD: GR 98012 1999 JAN "Homage to Josef Mathias Hauer" Reform Art Quartet JUN Release "Homage to Josef Mathias Hauer" Reform Art Quartet, CD: GR 99001 SEP "Kunsthalle Krems Minoritenkirche" Reform Art Unit, CD: GR 99002 OCT "Alban Berg-Salvador Dali-Thelonius Monk" CD: GR 99003 2000 JAN "Charisma-Xperiment" CD: GR 2000 01 DEC "Light and Shadow Suite" CD: GR 2000 07 DEC "Hommage to Bela Bartok and John Cage" CD: GR 2001 0 06 2001 DEC "Fontana for John Cage" CD: GR 2001 0 06 2002 JAN "Xperimental live at the Porgy and Bess" CD: GR 2002 0 03 JAN "Heute live at the Porgy and Bess" CD: GR 2002 0 04 JAN "Reform Art Unit live at the Porgy and Bess" CD: GR 2002 0 05 JAN "Reform Art Unit live at the Hamerlingsaal Zwettl" CD: GR 2002 0 06 APR "Live at the LDM St.Petersburg" CD: GR 2002 0 30 APR "Live at the Dom Moskau" CD: GR 2002 0 31 NOV "Live at the Millenaris Park/Fogado Budapest" CD: unreleased Trio East DEC "RAU West live at the Alte Schmiede" CD: unreleased 2003 FEB "Live at the Magyar Nemzeti Museumban Budapest" CD: unreleased APR "Live at the Alte Schmiede" CD: unreleased APR "Live at the Mücsarnok Budapest" CD: unreleased Trio East JUN "Live at the CIK Klagenfurt" CD: unreleased Quartet East JUN "Live at the Evangelische Kirche - Halleiner Stadtfest" CD: unreleased Quartet East SEP "RAU live at the Porgy & Bess" CD: unreleased
For detailled, extensive information see: Andreas Felber: Die Wiener Free-Jazz-Avantgarde: Revolution im Hinterzimmer Contact: Records: Artwork ©Fritz Novotny |