[b]KLAPPER & TURNER[eb] (?eška/Danska, Velika Britanija)
[b]Martin Klapper[eb] - amplificirani objekti, elektronika v živo, igrače
[b]Roger Turner[eb] - bobni, tolkala

Dr. Eugene Chadbourne, star znanec tukajšnjih koncertnih odrov in festivalov, vsestranski glasbenik tveganja, organizator in črn trn v ličnicah sanjskega ameriškega orla je za navrh tudi duhovit pisec. �ivljenjepise svojih radikalnih kolegov in kolegic vsake toliko priobči na bogati spletni različici leksikona All Music Guide ([L]http://www.allmusic.com/[EL]). In v njih ni najti prav nič odvečnih hagiografemov. »Dobri doktor« za uvod, preden natanko obdela nenavadno kariero multimedijskega artista [b]Martina Klapperja[eb] (*1963), že domala 20 let češkega emigranta na Danskem, zapiše tele ljubke misli: »?e bi morali iz kakega vzroka svoje otroke zaupati enemu samemu improvizatorju z evropske celine, potem bi v logičen poštev prišel tale človek. Pa ne gre toliko za to, da je tudi sam predan oče, saj je takšnih na improvizatorski sceni kar precej. Ne, privlačnost je zapaziti v opremi, ki jo nosi s seboj, zakaj Martin Klapper je glasbenik, ki na oder ne prinese niti enega samega samcatega prepoznavnega inštrumenta. Namesto tega improvizira nad dvema mizicama za piknik, na kateri razmesti vse polno mehaničnih igrač, igrač-glasbil, vsakdanjih elektronskih naprav in širen arzenal doma narejenih zvočil (...)«

Klapper je mojster v izvabljanju čudaških zvokov, pravi godbeni čarodej, saj skoz navidez smešno, a strogo nadzirano prakso zmore iz še tako skrivenčenega predmeta izvabiti komaj znan zvok in ga v kombinaciji z drugimi zvočili prenesti na raven, kot bi rekli modno, »groovy izkušnje«. To pa še ni vse, saj je mož enako cenjen tako na posebni glasbeni kot tudi na posebni filmski sceni. Ne bi mogli ravno preprosto reči, da spada v svet animacije, prej ugotavljamo, da je – kakor v godbah, tako tudi v vizualijah – nekakšen ljubitelj kolažev, asemblažev, grobega materiala, ambulantnih fetišev, plastike, strasten obiskovalec smetišč, pa najsi bo arhivskih čumnat ali umazanih mestnih deponij. Zato ima poseben status in je zelo iskan vezni člen med tistimi, ki igrajo, in onimi, ki poleg tega tudi – se igrajo. Te podvojene ambicije pa je v improvizacijskih logih kar precej. Celo irše občinstvo bo takoj vedelo, o kom govorimo, če omenimo, da je Martin Klapper avtor tistega očarljivega spota »60 Clocks per Minute« za naročniški projekt One Minute Cinema, ki se je lep čas vrtel po MTV in v katerem se v eni minuti med obskurno zmontiranimi tiktakanji zvrsti 60 še obskurnejših številčnic, zveriženih ur, kronometrov, kukavic, čebul, vekarc ... Svojo posebno prakso je Klapper razvijal že konec sedemdesetih in bil – v najširšem pomenu izraza – panker. Tedaj saksofonist, član bolj ali manj nadrealističnih untergruntarskih zasedb A/64 (bend je dobil ime po popularni češki kremi za roke, ki so si jo hardkorovci mazali na kruh in z njo zadevali), AlfrA©d Startka in Der Die Das Elektische Messer ... Was, je v svoje delo že vnašal neznana glasbila in vizualno, tudi s tkim. odrskim dizajnom plemenitil dogodke, kolikor jih je pač sploh lahko bilo pod zelo represivnim režimom. Bilo je namreč še v tistem času, ko je bilo treba za vsak dogodek vsaj eno etrtletje vnaprej spisati več strani prošenj-obrazložitev, in to z vsem planiranim izgovorjenim in odigranim gradivom vred. Lahko si samo predstavljamo, kaj je to pomenilo za inštrumentaliste, ki so bili poleg tega večidel še improvizatorji. Druščina, ki so jo navduševale domače moči kakor nepogrešljivi The Plastic People of the Universe pa The Rock Jokes, Extempore Band, kilhetS, Svehlik, avdiovizualni umetniki Ladislav NovA!k, Milan Gryga?, Milan KnA­žA!k, in, seveda, obvezne mednarodne reference kot Frank Zappa oziroma Mothers of Invention, Can, Velvet Underground, King Crimson ... se je raje začela zbirati na skrivaj. Organizirani so bili v »jazzovski sekciji« češkoslovaške glasbene zveze – imeli seveda prav malo skupnega s tistim uradnim amerikanarskim jazzom, ki ga je (paradoksno!) veselo podpirala drobnoburžoazna klika iz vrst neostalinistične oblasti – in pripravljali svoje seanse na prostem, v glavnem na idiličnih lokacijah, ki so bile v rajonih med deset minut hoda pa tja do 50km daleč ven iz Prage. Znano je bilo zbirališče v vasi LibA©chov, kjer je bilo več ko deset zapuščenih kvadratnih kilometrov bizarne površine, na kateri so bile razmetane velike skulpture in reliefi, ki jih je med letoma 1840 in 1848 ustvaril upičeni kipar VA!clav LevA1. ?udna so bila torej pota, po katerih se je kalila vzhodna kreativna scena. Na teh potih se je Martin Klapper, že od svojega petega leta strasten zbiralec igračk, plastičnih aviončkov za sestavljanje, materinega zdravniškega materiala in vseh mogočih drugih objektov, za vselej – in to z vso kirurško resnostjo! – navdušil za smetišča. še danes pohaja po svetovnih mestih, tako da gleda v glavnem na tla in pobira primerne odpadke. Klapper je že na začetku osemdesetih intenzivno delal tudi s standardnim 8mm filmom. Danes duhovito razlaga, da si je bil spričo cenzure v ?SSR domač kvečjemu s historičnimi avantgardisti A• la Dziga Vertov, Luis BuA„uel, Fernand LA©ger, Hans Richter, poznal je sodobnika Jana švankmajerja, a je v bistvu »ponavljal tisto, kar sta pred desetletji že počela Andy Warhol ali Jonas Mekas«, s tem da, »žal«, ni vedel zanju.

V začetku osemdesetih je postalo zelo hudo. Režim je (1981) prepovedal delovanje 35 mladim češkim glasbenim skupinam, začel zelo od blizu spremljati delo »jazzovske sekcije« in naposled (1986) aretiral in spravil pred sodišče sedem njenih vodilnih članov. Martin Klapper je pravočasno (1984) pobegnil, se naselill na Danskem in tam tudi poročil. Po prvih razočaranjih »zaradi anemične in nič kaj izvirne danske scene« se je oslonil predvsem na hard core anglosaško improvizatorsko prizorišče. Njegovi prvi sodelavci so bili klaviaturist Pat Thomas in bobnarja-tolkalca Raymond Strid in Tony Buck. O nadarjenem Klapperju so fantje poročali samemu guruju Dereku Baileyju, in interna anekdota ve povedati, da je Klapper nekoč, ko je nastopil z Baileyjevo Company, domala spravil ob živce konservativnega amerikega klarinetista Dona Byrona. Sodelovanja so se širila – Tim Hodgkinson, Jim Denley, Chris Burn, Steve Beresford … Martin Klapper je postal tudi član danske improvizacijske skupine Ghost in the Machine in z njo večkrat (kar je dobro dokumentirano na CDjih) gostil angleškega pihalca Evana Parkerja. Nastopila pa je težava, saj vsi našteti pajdaši-velikaši nekako niso imeli posluha za Klapperjeva vizualna naprezanja. Vse tako, dokler ni srečal glasbenika, ki ima prav tako kot on sam veliko nagnjenje do odpadnega materiala. To je nenadkriljivi angleški bobnar in tolkalec [b]Roger Turner[eb], industrijski garač, ki ga poznamo z ljubljanskih (Gromka) in mariborskih (Satchmo) nastopov kar najreprezentativnejših svobodnih improvizacijskih skupin Konk Pack (+ Thomas Lehn, Tim Hodgkinson), Recedents (+ Lol Coxhill, Pat Thomas, Mike Cooper) in Tradition Trio (+ Alan Silva, Johannes Bauer). Turner – topot prvič gostuje v Slovenski kinoteki – ima na svoji klasični bobnarski bateriji pritrjenih nekaj impresivnih »odpadnih« kovinskih kosov, kaj pripravnih, da z njimi mojstri svojo redko kombinacijo klasičnega swingovskega glasbenika, ki se brez težav prepusti tudi rockerskim, eksperimentalnim in še prenekaterim drugim nagibom. Rokohiterc Roger Turner je rani gojenec plodne canterburyjske »šole« sredi šestdesetih, njegov profil pa se je mojstril v zelo raznolikih situacijah: ganski bobnarski ansambel Mask; Ritual Theatre; Nose Flutes; zasedbe, ki sta jih vodila Cecil Taylor in podcenjena britanska pianistka Annette Peacock; dveleten študij tolkal na pariškem IACP (Institut Art Culture Perception), ki ga vodi freejazzovski pionir Alan Silva; precejšnja kilometrina z domala vsakomer, ki kaj velja v sodobni improvizaciji. Tako deluje ta »always-busy British player« (zapisano po Chadbournu) še danes.

Roger Turner in Martin Klapper sodelujeta že dobro petletko. S svojimi koncertnimi ali avdiovizualnimi improvizacijami sta obredla Evropo, ZDA in Avstralijo, njun dokumentirani produkt pa je eden izmed najbolj iskanih in cenjenih albumov na polju svobodno improviziranih godb, pred petimi leti izdani Recent Croaks [L]http://www.info.net.nz/opprobrium/html/online/1/reviews/e1_reviewsK.html[EL], ki je prejel izjemne ocene (nahajamo ga, denimo, med 50 priporočenimi albumi leta 1998 po oceni revije Wire!), a je, žal, že dve leti razprodan. V Ljubljani se bosta Klapper & Turner predstavila z dvema nastopoma – na prvem v Slovenski kinoteki bosta v živo spremljala nekaj 16mm in 35mm »džank« filmskih stvaritev Martina Klapperja. Dan za Kino-ušesom, torej v torek, 9. septembra, pa bo duo Klapper/Turner v seriji Defonija izvedel še koncert v klubu Gromka in se s svojo »ustrezno smetiščno« godbo pridružil slavnostim ob 10-letnici AKC Metelkova mesto.

Zelo priporočljivo za prebivalstvo vseh starosti in za kaj raznolika filmskoglasbena nagnjenja.
-[b]Miha Zadnikar[eb] ([i]Kinotečnik[ei])


[b]Martin Klapper[eb]
If for some reason one had to leave one's children in the care of just one improvising musician from the European continent, the choice might logically be this man. It isn't so much that he is a devoted father himself, as there are many such people on the improv scene. No, the attraction would be the equipment he might be packing, as Martin Klapper is a musician who gets on-stage without a single recognizable musical instrument. Instead, he improvises with as much as two full picnic tables covered with mechanical toys, toy instruments, everyday electronic gadgets, and a variety of homemade instruments. His ability to coax an incredible array of weird sounds out of these devices, combined with a seemingly always-in-control manner of interplay with his fellow musicians, made him an in-demand player on the improv scene from the mid-'80s on, although he would hardly be the choice of a player looking to create mellow, groovy music. He was raised in what was formerly Czechoslovakia until the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and its satellite republics. Growing up in this intense, politically charged atmosphere with its tight grip on the creative arts had a profound impression on him. He developed not only into an experimental musician, but a filmmaker and visual artist; in every creative field he becomes involved in he seems to truly enjoy the feel of the raw materials in his hands. In his works involving collage or assemblage, he likes to use foam rubber, plastics, or natural minerals. And when creating music, he can frequently be seen intensely caressing a spring, for example, with a small rubber mallet while people in the audience attempt to figure out where the sounds are coming from. He was once praised as one of the only musical artists who could make a coat hanger and a clock spring sound like a bass solo by Jaco Pastorius. His musical beginnings actually involved a normal instrument — the saxophone — although his methods of playing it in the 1983 Czech punk rock band A64 were hardly in the mode of David Sanborn. The 1980 underground group Der Die Das Electische Messer ... Was had been his first semi-professional musical undertaking, although the activities of this ensemble were severely limited due to the repressive regime. He co-founded the experimental trio Alfred Starke in 1984 and this group created a series of cassette recordings. He moved to Denmark during this year, and from this new home base has collaborated with many European improvisers and some Americans as well. His partners often include other artists who combine instrumental playing with sound creations on electronic instruments or combinations of cheap devices or toy instruments such as Klapper, although nobody seems to show up at a gig with as much weird stuff as he does. These collaborators include British keyboardist Pat Thomas, Australian drummer and composer Tony Buck, and Swedish drummer Raymond Strid. He has also played with reed players such as Tim Hodgkinson and Jim Denley. British multi-instrumentalist Steve Beresford, who has also been known to tote toys on-stage, has performed with Klapper, as has pianist Chris Burn and electronic drummer Ikue Mori. Klapper was invited to one of British free music godfather Derek Bailey's Company events, where he apparently almost drove the conservative American clarinetist Don Byron out of his mind. When the Danish improvising group Ghost in the Machine went head to head with saxophone dervish Evan Parker for several CD outings, Klapper was added to the group lineup to make sure Parker wouldn't overwhelm the lot of them. Perhaps his most succesful playing partner is British percussionist [b]Roger Turner[eb], with whom he created the superb duo CD [i]Recent Croaks[ei] on the Acta label in the late '90s. In 1995, he performed in the United States, including a gig at the New York Knitting Factory. He toured Australia in 1998, including an appearance at a large-scale festival in Melbourne. In the following year, he performed and recorded in a trio with trumpeter Birgit Ulher and bassist Jurgen Morgenstern, creating the CD Momentaufnahmen. Since the mid-'90s, films created by Klapper have been shown at several Danish and European film festivals.
-[b]Eugene Chadbourne[eb] ([i]All Music Guide[ei])

[b]Roger Turner[eb]
This always-busy British player is a master drummer and collector of percussion equipment who plays modern improvised music with the panachA© of a classic swing drummer, reflecting his varied musical interests and involvements since he began playing as a young man. Roger Turner came out of the musically active and creative Canterbury scene and first improvised formally in front of the British Arts Council with collaborator Chris Biscoe in 1966. It would be more than a decade before this judging body would grant him several bursaries to continue his exploration into percussion and electronics, but in the meantime he moved to London in 1968 and began working in the Ghanian drum ensemble Mask. African music was an obvious point of grounding for any drummer, but Turner had also been closely following jazz. For several years, he toured with the experimental, innovative Ritual Theatre group but began focusing on developing an individual style as a player in the early '70s. He performed solo at the Bracknell Jazz Festival and the Bruxelles Festival of Percussion. His first recorded appearances as a member of the British free improvising scene happened around this time. The 1979 album Sunday Best, on Incus, was recorded in duo with tenor saxophonist Gary Todd, a far out player who was nonetheless highly influenced by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Turner continued such activity with a long series of ad hoc improvising combinations that have included such players as trumpeter Toshinori Kondo, guitarists Derek Bailey and his disciple John Russell, multi-instrumentalist Steve Beresford, violinist Carlos Zingaro, saxophonist Evan Parker, bassist JoA«lle LA©andre, and free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor. He received bursaries from the Arts Council in 1980 and 1983. Following the second of these grants, he took up a two-year workshop residency with bassist, keyboardist, and composer Alan Silva in Paris. Through studying with this respected figure from the American free jazz scene, Turner moved into a period of working with both rock music and song forms. None of these collaborations were particularly traditional, however, continuing what would be a trend for Turner to stay out on the edge of musical developments. He worked with songwriter and keyboardist Annette Peacock from 1983 through 1985, and with the band the Nose Flutes in 1986 to 1987. The latter combo was described as a post-wave band, which perhaps means one listens to their music following a day at the beach. He played in more jazz-orientated ensembles under the direction of Silva, as well as saxophonists Lol Coxhill and Elton Dean, a former member of the influential jazz-rock combo the Soft Machine. In the late '90s, Turner was the member of several bands. He continued working with Silva in the Tradition Trio also featuring trombonist Johannes Bauer. He played with Coxhill and guitarist Mike Cooper in the Recedents, and perhaps most successfully became a member of the co-operative Konk Pack ensemble with electronics player Thomas Lehn and lap guitar/reed player Tim Hodgkinson. The latter band performed at many European festivals and undertook a tour of the United States in the fall of 2001.
-[b]Eugene Chadbourne[eb] ([i]All Music Guide[ei])