Release

TAKATSUKI TRIO QUARTETT FEAT. SILKE EBERHARD

AT KÜHLSPOT

Silke Eberhard: Alto saxophone

Rieko Okuda: Piano, voice

Antti Virtaranta: Double bass

Joshua Weitzel: Guitar, shamisen

Recorded in Berlin in 2020

Release: November 5, 2021

Total time - 38:54

Catalogue number 5874

Sculpture by Siegfried Kühl

Graphic design by Sergio Vezzali
577Records, New York City.

As the world tentatively emerged from the pandemic in the summer of 2020, under the strict impositions of COVID regulations, Berlin-based Takatsuki Trio Quartett celebrated by organizing a monthly concert series at Kühlspot Social Club in Berlin. The Takatsuki Trio Quartett is comprised of three core members, Rieko Okuda (Piano, Voice), Antti Virtaranta (Bass) and Joshua Weitzel (Guitar, Shamisen) but they exclusively play as a larger ensemble, inviting other musicians to lend energy to their improvisational dynamic. Playing under the name, the “Berliner Quartette,” this album documents their performances with two influential figures in the German improvised music community. The first track, an experimental 30-minute collaboration with Axel Dörner (Trumpet) makes space for Dorner’s bold command of his instrument alongside the track’s other avant-garde components. It gives way to the second track featuring Tobias Delius (Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet), an upbeat reprise with warm swingtime melodies and competing tensions. These short experimental projects precede a larger collaboration between the Takatsuki Trio Quartett and Silke Eberhard, available on 577 Records on November 5. Berliner Quartette will be released in CD and digital editions on October 16, 2021.

creditsreleases October 16, 2021

Tobias Delius – Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet 
Axel Dörner - Trumpet 
Rieko Okuda – Piano, Voice 
Antti Virtaranta – Double Bass 
Joshua Weitzel – Guitar, Shamisen

Recorded on June 25 (track 2) and September 24 (track 1), 2020 by Antti Virtaranta at Kühlspot Social Club, Berlin
Mixed and mastered by Antti Virtaranta

All music by Tobias Delius (BUMA/STEMRA), Axel Dörner (GEMA), Rieko Okuda (GEMA), Antti Virtaranta, Joshua Weitzel (GEMA)

Artwork by Christoph Kühl
Album design by Mark Smith

Orbit577 is part of 577 Records
Brooklyn, New York
www.577records.com/orbit577

Alfred 23 Harth / Nicola L. Hein / Joshua Weitzel

Schraubensuche in Tokio

Alfred 23 Harth - Bass Clarinet, Clarinet
Nicola L. Hein - Guitar

Joshua Weitzel - Guitar and Shamisen

digital, Off - Record Label (Japanese Series), Belgium, 2021

Civil disobedience - လူထုမနာခံမှု
part 3/4

Solidarity Sampler for Myanmar, featuring 89 artists from all over the world.

digital, Syrphe label, 2021. Compiled and produced by C-Drik Fermont.

https://syrphe.bandcamp.com/album/civil-disobedience-part-3-4

Walk My Way - Volume Four

Featuring Janet Feder, Martin Vishnick, Ikbal Lubys, Edward J. Gibbs, Joshua Weitzel, Guram Machavariani, Eric Wong, Garth Erasmus, and Bill Horist

Released in April 2021 by Orbit577, New York City.
CD + Download

Takatsuki Trio Quartett
Live in Hessen with Matthias Schubert and Dirk Marwedel

Matthias Schubert - Tenor Saxophone
Dirk Marwedel - Extended Saxophone
Rieko Okuda - Piano, Viola, Voice

Antti Virtaranta - Double Bass

Joshua Weitzel - Guitar, Shamisen

Recorded in Kassel and Wiesbaden in 2019.

CD, Creative Sources, Records, 2020

20_20
degem-cd 18
Compilation of the German Association for Electroacoustic Music (DEGEM)
Curated by Stefan Fricke

Contributions by Marc Behrens, Gerald Fiebig, KedArY, Jörg Lindenmaier, Nicola L. Hein/Joshua Weitzel, Clemens von Reusner, Maximilian Marcoll, Wolfgang Motz, Monika Golla, Peter Kiefer, Klarenz Barlow, Julia Mihály, Ralf Hoyer and Johannes S. Sistermanns.

Massimo Magee / Joshua Weitzel / Tim Green

Live at Salon Villa Plagwitz

Massimo Magee - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet
Joshua Weitzel - Guitar, Shamisen

Tim Green - Drums

released by Orbit577, New York City, 2020.
https://www.577records.com

PEAKS

Massimo Magee - Sopranino and Alto Saxophone, Electronics, Compressor Pump
Joshua Weitzel - Shamisen
Ken Ikeda - TX7 Synthesizer

Recorded at Oto Project Space, London.

Kassel Experimental Music Productions 2020

Link:
https://kasselexperimentalmusicproductions.bandcamp.com/album/peaks

Elektro-Akustik

by Interrogation Duo

Massimo Magee - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet

Joshua Weitzel - Electric Guitar and Laptop

Kassel Experimental Music Productions 2020

Link:
https://kasselexperimentalmusicproductions.bandcamp.com/album/elektro-akustik

Contemporary Shamisen Duo
Genpatsuryoku

Saito Ryota - Shamisen
Joshua Weitzel - Shamisen

CD-R

Label: Kendra Steiner Editions, San Antonio, TX

Mastering: Joshua Weitzel

Sleeve Artwork by M.P. Landis

©️2018

https://kendrasteinereditions.wordpress.com/

"In terms of the intimacy and almost-telepathic duo-union of the players, I can only compare this music to the FACE TO FACE-era Spontaneous Music Ensemble duo recordings, though Saito and Weitzel bring very different cultural backgrounds to the table than the SME. The five beautiful and languid pieces of sound sculpture are full of textural variety and tension, and the many kinds of extended techniques used on the shamisen (which starts with blowing, scraping, bowing, etc. and goes way beyond) will have you thinking there are more sound sources than two shamisen instruments." - Bill Shute

Re-Released on KEMP:
https://kasselexperimentalmusicproductions.bandcamp.com/album/genpatsuryoku

Illegaler Grenzübertritt

Online-Release on KEMP, 2018.

A unique collaboration of Göttingen improvisation pioneer Ove Volquartz on the deep clarinets and the young Kassel-based improvisers Sven Krug on double bass and Joshua Weitzel on guitar. Versatile improvisations shifting between melodic sensitivity and abstraction.

Ove Volquartz - Bass- and Double Bass Clarinet
Sven Krug - Double Bass
Joshua Weitzel - Electric Guitar

Live at Kulturhaus Dock4, Kassel. August 11, 2018.
Recorded by Ove Volquartz and Joshua Weitzel. Mixed and Mastered by Joshua Weitzel.
All Compostitions by Ove Volquartz (GEMA), Joshua Weitzel (GEMA) and Sven Krug.

Bandcamp:
https://kasselexperimentalmusicproductions.bandcamp.com/album/illegaler-grenz-bertritt

#Fluteshamisen
FV01
Ulrike Lentz - Flutes
Joshua Weitzel - Shamisen

CD
Label: Factor Vac, Brisbane AUS
Mastering: David Stockard

Sleeve Artwork: Rachael Archibald
©️2018

Charette/Contrafact

Dave Stockard, Mirei Yazawa, Ross Lambert, Tom Wheatley, Joshua R. Weitzel, & Massimo Magee

CD-R

London (2015)

Sleeve Artwork By Montse Gallego

Mastering: David Stockard

Available upon request at info@joshuaweitzel.com or at Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson St., London E2 8JD