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- ANDREAS WILLERS -
- started
out as a blues- and avantgarde guitarist, first outing in 81 on the FMP
label (Hier & Als Auch, Gitarre Solo),
- studied el.guitar and composition in Los Angeles, Hamburg and Banff
(Canada),
- has played and/or recorded with Paul Bley, Louis Sclavis, Enrico
Rava, Bob Stewart, Marvin Smitty Smith, Dave Liebman, Trilok Gurtu,
David Murray, Mark Dresser, Bobby Previte, Mark Feldman, Jim Black,
Steve Argüelles, Dominique Pifarély, Marc Ducret, Anders
Jormin, Tom
Rainey, Phil Haynes, Lauren Newton, Rita Marcotulli, Elvira Plenar,
Kent Carter, Petras Vysniauskas, Gabriele Hasler, Frank Köllges,
Matthias Schubert, E.L. Petrowski, Theo Jörgensmann, Uwe
Kropinski,
Jörg Huke, Volker Schlott, Dieter Manderscheid, Lu Hübsch,
Claudio
Puntin, Dieter Ilg, Hans Lüdemann, Dirk Raulf. Frank Schulte a.o.,
the
Duo Ullmann/Willers, the groups Out To Lunch, Minimal Kidds, Jazz
Baltica Ensemble,
- toured Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia/New Zealand and
Southeast Asia for the Goethe Institut, - festival appearences include
Vancouver, Berlin, Vienna, Salzburg, Melbourne, Jakarta, Istanbul,
Wroclaw, Managua, Münster, Moers, Köln, Leverkusen,
Vilshoven, Kiel,
Viersen, tours throughout the USA and Europe,
- has
composed for the Jazz Baltica Ensemble, the NDR Bigband, different New
Music ensembles,
- Several
scholarships and awards,
- founding
member of the musicians cooperative Jazzfront
Berlin-Brandenburg, was member of the Initiative Kölner Jazzhaus,
- taught electric guitar at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler,
Berlin, from 1991-96.
- 'The
German guitar player A.W. is certainly one of the most interesting
voices in Europe.' allaboutjazz.com
- '....combines contrasting techniques, worlds of tones and traditions
into a singular, easy-to-identify sound.' the RoRoRo Jazz Lexicon
- 'Willers style is well-rounded; especially attractive is his
classical
guitar work where we can hear his fine touch most clearly. He also
posesses an unusually wide intervallic sense, rarely does one hear a
guitarist who sounds so much as if hes listened to Eric Dolphy.'
Chris
Kelsey (CADENCE Mag., USA)
- 'Bizarre. Baffling. Enticing. Exiting. Ultimately Unique. .. All we
can say is this is one of the most ambitious Hendrix projects we have
ever come across.' (VOODOO CHILD Mag., USA )
- In the article Enja - 30 years on duty for jazz for Jazzthetik
magazine Rolf Thomas includes The Ground Music by the Andreas Willers
Octet in the ten quintessential Enja albums
- 'EXPLOSIVE MIXTURE. When guitarist Andreas Willers gets going, some
musical TNT is blowing up - hes that precise in developing and
focussing his ideas. And he is able to move completely througt the
enormeous stylistic bandwidth at his disposal without stirring up any
doubt in his individuality.' (JAZZTHING Mag., Germany)
- '...Obviously having fun using (studio & electronics) he does so
in a remarkably tasteful fashion often close to modern classical music
and then turns around to deliver guitaristics. Homogenous, discerning
taste is at hand, winning musicality and a knack for the well-dosed
shock.'
A.Schmitz (in the book Jazz Guitarists, Oreos)
- 'Willers could easily be the most influential european guitarist
would
he not always put the strictest intellectual judgement on his own work
at all times.' Reclam Jazz Lexicon
- 'A.W. seems always able to astound himself and others musically.'
Frankfurter Rundschau
QUOTES:
- Paul Bley: 'I work with the best and Andreas continues the lineage.'
- John Abercrombie: 'Some of the most original music Ive heard in a
long time. Excellent!' (about The Private Ear)
- Roger Dury (Editor JAZZIS Magazine, USA): 'Andreas Willers sounds
unlike anybody Ive heard. He should be famous.'
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