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Meinrad Kneer

Double bass player and composer Meinrad Kneer operates on the borders of jazz, improvised, ethnic and contemporary music. Born 1970 in Munderkingen/ Germany, after school years and civil service he studied Biology at the University of Tübingen. From 1995 till 1999 he studied music and double bass at the conservatories of Hilversum and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Ever-since he is present and active in the Dutch music scene and abroad.

He co-led the quartet and septet Dalgoo together with reed player Tobias Klein between 1998 and 2005. He was awarded the prestigious ‘Jur Naessens Music Award’ in 2002 with the septet Dalgoo - New Anatomy, a project around the work of Russian absurdist and writer Daniil Charms. Currently he is involved as a (co-) leader in the groups: President of the Globe (a project around the work of Russian futurist writer Velimir Chlebnikov), the piano trio van Veenendaal/ Kneer/ Sun (“...one of Holland’s most interesting contemporary jazz groups” - Ken Vos in www.draaiomjeoren.nl, 6th March 2007), RAAM 5 (where dialogues from comic-strips meet improvised music) and an new exciting string- quintet (see groups).

As a sideman in demand he plays with groups such as: Bite the Gnatze, Play Station 6, the Joost Buis Tentet, The Gravitones, I Compani and Spoon 3. He has played with a wide variety of Dutch groups and projects such as Barana & Co, the AXYZ-Ensemble, the bigtet Tetzepi, the Ab Baars Quartet, Roomtone and the Henneman String-quartet.He has performed with among others, Najma Akhtar, Han Bennink, Fred Frith, Tobias Delius, Tristan Honsinger, Denise Jannah, Anne la Berge, Paul Lovens, Tony Overwater, Michael Vatcher and Corrie van Binsbergen.

In the past years he has been touring Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Moldavia, Bulgaria, France and Germany. Since 2001 his work as a composer has been supported by the ‘Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst‘.

In 2006 he co-founded together with pianist Albert van Veenendaal the independant label Evil Rabbit Records. Together with flutist Mark Alban Lotz he organizes a creative music series for free improvisation: u-ex(perimental) in the SJU Jazzpodium in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

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Album Review

Julie Sassoon Quartet: Voyages

Read "Voyages" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


As on a high speed, downhill slalom chase, listeners are suddenly, nakedly and without poles hurled into “Missed Calls"; the opening burst of sublime energy and groupthink cracks Voyages wide open, sets the mad, determined pace and tone for a craftily organic, six-song, free-jazz adventure which never lets up. It is breakneck rhythm churning, keening, into whiplash waves, a wake up call of massive proportions. “Missed Calls" busts Berlin-based, British pianist Julie Sassoon and her henchmen from isolation and double ...

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Album Review

Julie Sassoon Quartet: Voyages

Read "Voyages" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Not all voyages involve smooth sailing. Indeed, pianist Julie Sassoon's Voyages opens on a blustery note. It is a quartet outing--as opposed to Sassoon's 2021 solo set, When You Can't go Outside...Go Inside (Jazzwerkstatt), with the pianist joined by reedman Lothar Ohlmeier, bassist Meirad Kneer and drummer Rudi Fischerlehner. The opener, “Missed Calls," sounds like a prelude to battening down the hatches in its blustery beginning section, before Sassoon take an introverted solo during a lull in the squall.

Album Review

Andreas Willers 7 of 8: The Goldman Variations

Read "The Goldman Variations" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro


Disco composito, felicemente irregolare, questo del sestetto (in un caso settetto) diretto dal sessantatreenne chitarrista tedesco Andreas Willers, con le stimmate dell'opera largamente meditata, fortemente intenzionale, nella concezione così come nel gesto che ne accompagna la messa in pratica. Partenza al fulmicotone nel breve “Case of Need" e poi momenti più riflessivi, quasi sfuggenti, ma sempre con quelle nervature intestine che ne testimoniano la grana, lo spessore, l'urgenza creativa. Tutti lavorano ottimamente, sia negli insiemi, mai amorfi ...

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Take Five With...

Meinrad Kneer e il Questionario di Proust

Read "Meinrad Kneer e il Questionario di Proust" reviewed by Paolo Peviani


All About Jazz: Il tratto principale della mia musica. Meinrad Kneer: La mia musica è un mix di diverse influenze, provenienti da diversi stili musicali AAJ: La qualità che desidero nei musicisti che suonano con me. M.K. : Autenticità, pazienza, che abbiano buone orecchie e sappiano quando piazzare le loro affermazioni musicali. Buona capacità di raccontare storie. AAJ: Come musicista, il momento in cui sono stato più felice. ...

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Recording

Mark Alban Lotz & Meinrad Kneer CD Release "U-Ex(perimental)"

Mark Alban Lotz & Meinrad Kneer  CD Release "U-Ex(perimental)"

Source: Mark Alban Lotz

Holland based multi flutist Mark Alban Lotz and German bassist Meinrad Kneer released a new CD with 26 tracks of extreme textures and atmospheres with both established, as well as emerging new talents of the Dutch improvised scene. An example of the present-day developments and diversity of free music in Holland. u-ex(perimental) is an improvised music concert series, based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. a platform for spontaneous encounters of improvising musicians in concert. Evil Rabbit Records ERR17. Musicians include: Mark ...

... Needless to add that the phenomenal bassist Meinrad Kneer (here represented also in the guise of author) and the eclectic drummer Yonga Sun move on an absolutely even plane with the pianist. (Luca Canini, http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php? id=1687, 21 may 2007)

... Kneer is the perfect glue... (His) sophisticated contribution holds their stream of ideas together and thus creates an overview for both the band and the public. (Micha Andriessen, Jazzenzo / 5th March 2007)

... Van Veenendaal and Kneer write gripping compositions that take a whimsical course and reach a lot further than the typical theme-solo-theme setup found in most jazz music. (Jazzflits, Herman te Loo, 11th February 2007)

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Voyages

Jazzwerkstatt
2021

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The Goldman Variations

Jazzwerkstatt
2020

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Modern Primitive

Evil Rabbit Records
2011

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The Munderkingen...

Evil Rabbit Records
2007

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Videos

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