I'm Not There

Of the many second- and third-tier composers of the early and middle German Baroque, Johann Philipp Förtsch (1652–1732) ranks among the more obscure, though in his case it is due not to the quality of his music but to the fact that for him music became an Read more Kapellmeister of Schleswig in1680 by one of the opera’s cofounders, Duke Christian Albrecht of Holstein-Gottorf. The Duke was embroiled in political conflicts with neighboring Denmark, and was forced to flee to Hamburg in 1683, at which point Förtsch resumed his medical practice, obtaining a licentiate from the University of Kiel and setting up a practice in Husum.

The Berlin weekly journal Die Woche, issued from 1899 to 1944 by the publisher August Scherl, announced a composition competition in 1903 with the aim of encouraging new songs 'im Volkston' (in the style of folk music). Prominent composers of the time were approached by the publishers for this competition and asked to send in an appropriate song. Of the songs submitted, thirty were selected and published in a special issue that was available in shops. At the first performance of the songs of this first competition, however, it became clear that many of these songs were indeed in a folk-music style, but due to their complexity they were rather closer to the genre of the art song.

Many collectors think of this German band as a short-lived project by Kraut-Jazz veterans, but the truth is Gebärväterli had a quite long career, starting in 1973 in Nuernberg with an original line-up of Friedel Pohrer on bass, Norbert ''Slog'' Kirchner on guitar, Yogo Pausch on drums, brothers Reinhold und Dieter Weberpals (keyboards and flute respectively) and Gerd Ackermann on wind instruments. Gebärväterli's sole work has this charming Kraut/Fusion style, led by interesting interplays and plenty of abstract solos, which somehow end up to be not only listenable, but also even more rewarding than the structured themes at moments…

There are women that drive the passions of man, that speak to those emotions most central to their being. This release is dedicated to our celtic Queen Guinevere, the Queen of the board on which we play.