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Biamp Portland Jazz Festival: Nik Bärtsch's RONIN
The following description was submitted by the event organizer.
With the zen-funk quartet RONIN, founded in 2001, Nik Bärtsch continues working on his RITUAL GROOVE MUSIC together with Kaspar Rast (drums), Jeremias Keller (he replaced Thomy Jordi in 2020, who replaced Björn Meyer on the bass in 2011) and Sha (bass/contrabass clarinet). Percussionist Andi Pupato joined the band from 2002 to 2012. Their music consistently follows the same aesthetic vision under various instrumental guises: creating the maximum effect by minimal means.
Despite the band’s multiplicity of influences, Ronin’s music always possesses a strong individuality. They incorporate elements of disparate musical worlds, be they funk, new classical music or sounds from Japanese ritual music. However, these forms are never merely juxtaposed in a post-modernist fashion but instead amalgamated into a coherent new style. Ultimately, these sounds and rhythms are highly idiosyncratic. The music consists of a few phrases and motives, continually combined and layered in new ways. Ronin thus creates a consistent aesthetic across all levels of musical expression. Composition, phrasing, sound structure, performance, and musical form combine to form a system of interrelated elements.
The Biamp Portland Jazz Festival is a ten-day multi-venue celebration of jazz presented in Portland, Oregon. The Festival is dedicated to evolving America’s art form and features recognized jazz masters and rising stars alongside local jazz heroes.