Gestalt et Jive were a multinational

avant-rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

group founded in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

in 1984 by

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...

Alfred Harth Alfred Harth, now known as Alfred 23 Harth or A23H, is a German multimedia artist, band leader, multi-instrumentalist musician, and composer who creatively mixes genres. Career Harth founded a free improvisation band, Just Music (1967 to 1972) ...

, comprising

Steve Beresford Steve Beresford (born 6 March 1950) is a British musician who graduated from the University of York He has played a variety of instruments, including piano, electronics, trumpet, euphonium, bass guitar and a wide variety of toy instruments, such ...

( UK),

Anton Fier Anton Fier (June 20, 1956 – September 14, 2022) was an American drummer, producer, composer, and bandleader. Family Fier, known as Tony, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Ruthe Marie Fier and Anton J. Fier Jr., a former Marine and electrician. ...

( US),

(FRG), Peter Hollinger (FRG), Ferdinand Richard ( F) and Uwe Schmitt (FRG). In 1980 Harth produced the LP ''Es herrscht Uhu im Land'' on JAPO/ ECM with the idea of integrating punk rock,

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...

and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

and followed this design throughout the 1980s in the groups

Cassiber Cassiber were a German avant-rock group founded in 1982 by German composer and saxophonist Alfred Harth, German composer, music-theatre director and keyboardist Heiner Goebbels, English drummer Chris Cutler from Henry Cow and German guitarist ...

Duck and Cover "Duck and cover" is a method of personal protection against the effects of a nuclear explosion. Ducking and covering is useful in offering a degree of protection to personnel located outside the radius of the nuclear fireball but still within su ...

, ''Gestalt et Jive'' and

Vladimir Estragon Vladimir Estragon were an avant-rock group founded in West Germany in 1988 by German composer and reed player Alfred Harth with FM Einheit, Ulrike Haage, and Phil Minton ( UK). In 1980 Harth produced the LP ''Es herrscht Uhu im Land'' on JAPO/E ...

. During the years 1984 – 1988 ''Gestalt et Jive'' performed on many festivals including the

Moers Festival The Moers Festival is an annual international music festival in Moers, Germany. The festival has changed from concentrating on free jazz to including world and pop music, though it still invites many avant-garde jazz musicians. Performers at Moers ...

, Jazz nad Odrą, Musique Action festival in Vendouvre-les Nancy and

Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville The Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville is an annual international music festival held in Victoriaville, Quebec that showcases contemporary music. The festival is known for its small scale (usually no more than 20 performan ...

in Canada. After Beresford, Fier and Schmitt had left the group in 1985 ''Gestalt et Jive'' continued to work in trio with Harth, Hollinger and Richard.

Name

''Gestalt et Jive'' 's name refers to the group concept of intensively improvise song forms and using

postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

strategies. It also refers to the group's multinational origin.

Members

– piano, farfisa organ, synth, guitar, vocals, trumpet, trombone *

– drums,

Simmons Drums Simmons is an electronic drum brand, which originally was a pioneering British manufacturer of electronic drums. Founded in 1978 by Dave Simmons, it supplied electronic kits from 1980 to 1994. The drums' distinctive, electronic sound can be foun ...

- tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone, mouthpieces, vocals *Peter Hollinger – drums, objects * Ferdinand Richard - bass guitar, six string alto guitar *Uwe Schmitt – drums

Discography

*'' Nouvelle Cuisine'' with

, Ferdinand Richard,Uwe Schmitt (LP,

Moers Music Moers Music is a German jazz record label that was founded by Burkhard Hennen in Moers, Germany. The label started in 1974 under the name Ring but was changed three years later due to a conflict with a Canadian record label that had the same name. ...

, 1985) *'' Gestalt et Jive'' with Alfred Harth, Ferdinand Richard, Peter Hollinger (LP,

Creative Works Records Creative Works Records is an independent Swiss record label. History The label ''Creative Works Records'' was founded in 1983 by Mike Wider in Root (canton of Lucerne). Wider, who at that time had helped build up a recording studio in Lucerne a ...

, 1986) *''Neowise'' with Alfred Harth, Ferdinand Richard, Peter Hollinger, Steve Beresford, Al Maslakh, Lebanon 2020

References

*Christoph Wagner: ''Brüche und Kontinuität'', Alfred 23 Harth, in “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik”, Schott Music, Mainz, Germany, 6/2007 *Christoph Wagner: Steve Beresford in “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik”, Schott Music, Mainz, Germany, 2007 *Jürgen Schwab: ''Der Frankfurt-Sound. Eine Stadt und ihre Jazzgeschichte(n).'' Frankfurt/Main: Societäts-Verlag, 2005, with 2 CDs, *Repecaud, Dominique. ''Musique Action''. Vandoeuvre, France: CCAM, 1993. *Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Canada

External links

Massimo Ricci's review on ''Nouvelle Cuisine''
{{Authority control German progressive rock groups Musical groups established in 1984 Moers Music artists