European Groups

I have been playing with European musicians for decades and forging strong musical alliances. Each unit brings out a different aspect of my playing and has contributed to my aesthetic offering other ways to look at improvising.  

-WORLD VIEW TRIO with Jean Paul Celea, Wolfgang Reisinger

-DUTCH TRIO with Eric Ineke, Marius Beets

-ALL STAR INTERNATIONAL GROUP with Bobo Stenson, Daniel Humair, 
 Jean Paul Celea

-ITALIAN TRIO with Roberto Tarenzi, Tony Arco, Paolo Benedettini

-DUBLIN PROJECT with Ronan Guilfoyle, Conor Guilfoyle, Mike Nielsen

-DUOS (separate) with drummer Wolfgang Reisinger and Indian percussionist  Ravi Magnifique

WORLD VIEW TRIO WITH JEAN PAUL CELEA(bs), WOLFGANG REISINGER(drms)

This trio harkens back to my first formalized music with the “Open Sky Trio” featuring my first jazz buddy, drummer Bob Moses from the early 1970s. The music with this group is quite free but with a strong jazz undercurrent at the same time. Bassit Celea has one of the biggest sounds I have ever encountered on the bass. We have two records released on the French Label Bleu titled “World View” and “Missing A Page” as well as on “Ghosts” on the Nightbird label, also from France.

DUTCH TRIO WITH ERIC INEKE(drums), MARIUS BEETS(bass)
 
Eric is one of the most swinging drummers around having worked with all American ex- pats over the decades, often with Marius on the bass. With this trio, it is Sonny Rollins time, sticking to arrangements of special composers. We have three records out on the Daybreak label, “Lieb Plays Alec Wilder” -- “Lieb Plays Kurt Weill” --“Lieb Plays Blues A La Coltrane.”

ALL STAR INTERNATIONAL GROUP WITH DANIEL HUMAIR(drums), BOBO STENSON(piano), JEAN PAUL CELEA(bass)
 
Along with Jean Paul Celea and two icons of European jazz, Bobo Stenson and Daniel Humair, this group probably best exemplifies the European spirit with a lot of freedom combined with lyrical, expressive compositions. This group plays mostly original music balancing the Scandinavian ECM approach with out and out intensity.

ITALIAN TRIO WITH ROBERTO TARENZI(pno), TONY ARCO(drs), PAOLO BENEDETTINI(bs)

This Italian trio is the best straight ahead true “jazz” rhythm section I play with, doing standards and my more traditional originals. I have a great time with them playing in the language. We have two records on Universal (Verve in the US) “Negative Space” and “Dream of Nite.”

DUBLIN PROJECT WITH RONAN GUILFOYLE(bs), MIKE NIELSEN(gtr),CONOR GUILFOYLE(drms)

One of my longest relationships is with these fantastic Irish musicians who specialize in two extremes, free jazz and metric modulation. It is always a challenge to play with them putting instant composition and spontaneity high on the agenda. We did two records for their own label in Dublin, “Tomorrow’s Expectations” and “After Dark.”

DUOS (separate) WITH DRUMMER WOLFGANG REISINGER AND INDIAN PERCUSSIONIST RAVI MAGNIFIQUE

I have always loved playing in duo with drummers, coming out of the Coltrane-Elvin model. Wolfgang is an artist who plays beyond the drums, employing a vast knowledge of all music and as well, a good understanding of electronics and the use of the computer to generate percussive sounds. We play a lot of textures offset by burning jazz in the tradition. Rave is from India and plays all kinds of hand drums as well as traps, specializing as you could imagine in odd meter music.

               With Wolfgang Reisinger                                                          With Ravi Magnifique