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Christoph Irniger

Christoph Irniger, geb. 1979, ist ein Schweizer Saxophonist, Komponist und Bandleader; laut der NZZ am Sonntag zählt er „zweifellos zu den grössten Talenten seiner Generation“. Irniger hat sich in den letzten Jahren in unterschiedlichen Formationen zwischen Jazz, Rock und verwandten Musikstilen profiliert. Als Musiker einer Generation, die viele stilistisch heterogene Projekte verfolgt, betreibt er eine Reihe von Vorhaben, die sehr unterschiedlich und überraschend daherkommen. Jazz N More (CH) schreibt: „Stets schafft er etwas Neues, indem er ausgetretene Soundpfade verlässt. Nicht nur ein wenig links und rechts schaut, sondern sich weit in die Büsche schlägt.“ Als Instrumentalist mit solider Ausbildung und Komponist mit künstlerischen Visionen hat er immer wieder neue Ideen, die er mit seiner Passion für die Musik stets umzusetzen vermag. Jazzthetik (DE) über Irniger: „Leute, die über Jazz Bescheid wissen, werden bestätigen, dass er zu den größten Versprechen gehört, die der zeitgenössische Schweizer Jazz im Moment gibt.“

Irniger ist Leader der Bands Pilgrim (mit Dave Gisler, Stefan Aeby, Raffaele Bossard & Michael Stulz) und seinem Trio (mit Raffaele Bossard & Ziv Ravitz), von welchen bis anhin insgesamt vier Tonträger erschienen sind. Zwei Trio Alben - “Gowanus Canal“ (Intakt Records 2013) und „Octopus“ (Intakt Records, 2015) – sowie zwei Alben von Pilgrim – „Mt. Tongariro“ (Between The Lines, 2011) und „Italian Circus Story“ (Intakt Records, 2014). Letzteres war gleich in drei Bestenlisten 2014, unter anderem im Cadence Magazine (USA). Jazzwise (UK) schrieb darüber: „a homegrown rising young sax star’s quintet!“ Irnigers Debut-Aufnahme „Chat Noir“ erschien 2008 bei Brambus Records.

Irniger liebt Jazz. Sein Spiel ist stark in dieser Tradition verwurzelt und von deren Exponenten beeinflusst. Dabei interpretiert er diese Musik nicht als einen bestimmten Sound oder Inhalt. Viel mehr sieht er es als eine Art und Weise, wie man Musik machen kann. Dazu meint er: „Jazz ist für mich jene Musik, welche die Musik ihrer Zeit verarbeitet. Es geht mehr darum wie man spielt, als was man spielt.“ Die Inspiration schöpft er dabei aus allen Musikstilen wie dem Leben als solchem. Dabei stehen seine Heimat, der Zürichsee, die Berge, die Familie, die Menschen, das Reisen (v.a. New York) und verschiedene Kunstformen im Vordergrund. Sie geben den Inhalt und nähren seine Passion für die Musik. Die Melodie stellt Irniger dabei über alles. Auch in der Dichte und Komplexität, sowie im freien Kontext sucht er den Moment und versucht den Melodielinien der verschiedenen Instrumente Gewicht zu geben. Über seine Kompositionen schreibt der Journalist Peter Haffner: „Die Stücke sind Tondichtungen, die zeigen, dass die eingängige Melodie und eine komplexe Klangwelt einander nicht ausschliessen müssen, sondern erst richtig zur Geltung bringen können.“

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Multiple Reviews

Christoph Irniger's Open City: Retracing The Tenor's Evolution On Intakt Records

Read "Christoph Irniger's Open City: Retracing The Tenor's Evolution On Intakt Records" reviewed by Friedrich Kunzmann


A sound poet of sorts, Swiss tenor saxophonist Christoph Irniger has gained quite a reputation for his lyrical tone and creative penmanship, more often than not responsible for the majority of the memorable repertoire he records and performs. The poetic nature of his music is owed not only to the artists that have influenced him over time, but also to the life events that inspire his musical creativity and the things that surround him in everyday life, such as his ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Audio Cave Artists

Read "Audio Cave Artists" reviewed by Maurice Hogue


This episode hones in on some of the fine artists recorded by Audio Cave, an independent label based in Krakow, Poland. They've been in operation since 2012, releasing a mix of genres. Much attention is paid to the finished products' sound, as you'll hear in the music from the likes of the Oles Brothers, Mark Alban Lotz, the Silberman Quartet, synth guru Tadeusz Sudnik, and the very impressive new saxophone voice of Wojciech Lichtański. New recordings this episode ...

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Take Five With...

Take Five with Christoph Irniger

Read "Take Five with Christoph Irniger" reviewed by Christoph Irniger


About Christoph Irniger: Christoph Irniger, born 1979, is a Swiss saxophonist, composer and bandleader. According to the Sunday edition of the Neue Zuercher Zeitung he is “undoubtedly one of the greatest talents of his generation." In recent years, Irniger has made a name for himself in a range of line-ups, playing jazz, rock and related musical styles. Irniger is leader of the band Pilgrim and the Christoph Irniger Trio which between them have released several albums, mostly on Intakt Records. ...

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Album Review

Christoph Irniger Pilgrim: Big Wheel Live

Read "Big Wheel Live" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Here's a young European jazz outfit that has a distinct personality. Led by Swiss tenor saxophonist Christoph Irniger, the quintet's upfront deportment is consummated by interweaving progressions and climactic pieces riding above variable currents. One of many outwardly enticing attributes is how sublime choruses often feel like they are on the verge of exploding into impacting sojourns, even when they don't. Irniger and top-flight guitarist Dave Gisler are strong foils and are undoubtedly a near-flawless match, here, on the quintet's ...

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Take Five With...

Christoph Irniger e il Questionario di Proust

Read "Christoph Irniger e il Questionario di Proust" reviewed by Paolo Peviani


All About Jazz: Il tratto principale della mia musica. Christoph Irniger: Cerco sempre di suonare un brano e di rimanerci legato. Anche quando diventa molto complesso, o quando suono free. AAJ: La qualità che desidero nei musicisti che suonano con me. C.I.: Mi piacciono quei musicisti che sono anche dei veri amici. Questo è molto importante. Mi piacciono quei musicisti che sanno tuffarsi nella musica ed impegnarsi con ogni parte del corpo e ...

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Album Review

Christoph Irniger - Pilgrim: Italian Circus Story

Read "Italian Circus Story" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Young Swiss saxophonist, composer Christoph Irniger is one to watch. His blossoming stature on the European jazz scene is partly due to his invigorating and meticulous compositional approach. With this second incarnation of the Pilgrim band, he continues his methodical and climactic buildups; chock full of emotive sentiment, often formulating an incandescent standpoint, toggling between and peaceful and harrowing textures. Here, guitarist Dave Gisler generates some high heat while adding a jazz fusion dimension to these works that also skirt ...

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Album Review

Christoph Irniger / Pilgrim: Mt. Tongariro

Read "Mt. Tongariro" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Whether by default or intent, Europe's Pilgrim communicates an artistic portraiture of progressive jazz. Framed on the sensibilities of travel and alluding to New Zealand's Mt. Tongariro as a core premise for the underlying themes, this quartet led by saxophonist Christoph Irniger pursues a signature sound and methodology. With ethereal overtones, budding passages, and succinct treks into the free jazz realm, the program encompasses blustery textural components, as the soloists' detail-oriented exchanges are modeled with authority and poise.

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Website

All About Jazz Top 10 Songs: January 2023

All About Jazz Top 10 Songs: January 2023

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz features a free song every day spanning all genres of jazz, and of the songs featured in January, these ten represent our reader's favorites as indicated by total listens. Musicians and record labels can submit full length MP3s for consideration here. Enjoy! Top Songs Big Daddy Randolph Noel From: Elements And Orbits 05:53 Frankenfanny Tobin Mueller From: Best of Tobin Mueller, Volume 1: JAZZ Originals (remastered)

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Recording

Free MP3 Download: Christoph Irniger's "Mania" from Chat Noir

Free MP3 Download: Christoph Irniger's "Mania" from Chat Noir

Source: All About Jazz

Download “Mania," a free MP3 from Christoph Irniger's latest release Chat Noir.

Download: Mania Christoph Irniger Quartet 5:43 From: Chat Noir

About Christoph Irniger Christoph Irniger, born in 1979, began his musical career with the age of 11. From 2000 till 2004 he studied at the Jazzschool of Zurich with Christoph Grab, Thomas Grnewald and Rtus Flisch, as if from 2004 till 2006 at the Jazzschool of Lucerne with Nat Su, John ...

"Young Swiss saxophonist, composer Christoph Irniger is one to watch. His blossoming stature on the European jazz scene is partly due to his invigorating and meticulous compositional approach. Pilgrim is a high-achieving unit, as the end results prove to be immensely satisfying." All About Jazz “People who know about jazz will confirm that he is one of the most promising musicians in contemporary Swiss jazz.” Jazzthetik (DE) “A homegrown rising young sax star’s quintet!“ Jazzwise (UK) on Pilgrim "This music was recorded in the winter of last year and has something of a lacerating quality of a masterpiece

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Primary Instrument

Saxophone, tenor

Location

Zurich

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Ghost Cat

Intakt Records
2023

buy

The Music of Pilgrim

Nwog Records
2022

buy

Open City

Intakt Records
2020

buy

Crosswinds

Intakt Records
2019

buy

Big Wheel Live

Intakt Records
2016

buy

Octopus

Intakt Records
2015

buy

Where is Walter

From: The Music of Pilgrim
By Christoph Irniger

Open City

From: Open City
By Christoph Irniger

Chasing Dreams of Mt. Tongariro

From: Mt. Tongariro
By Christoph Irniger

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