xAYb v8v dYAx Reza Askari & ROAR Quintet

• 1 404 05:56
• 2 0 YxY 0 05:29
• 3 ADHS 07:19
• 4 Maining Part Three 09:24
• 5 H 21 Z 106 08:10
• 6 X A VwV A X 06:11
• 7 Maining Part Four 07:49
• 8 The Eye's Man 05:45
• 9 I OOO I 06:53
• 10 xAxDx 05:41
• Total Runtime 01:08:37

Info for xAYb v8v dYAx

The music of Reza Askari’s xAYb v8v dYAx is obviously inspired by his background in avant-garde jazz, but it also carries the physical intensity and structural aggression of some less apparent influences: metal and punk. Despite these genres tending towards abrasiveness and being hard-sounding in nature, the instrumentation on this most recent LP is fully acoustic, and comparatively soft. For this reason, it might be a challenge for listeners to pick up on his nostalgic cues so immediately.

In Reza’s own words: “Imagine an improvising ensemble haunted by the logic of extreme metal: asymmetrical or symmetrical cycles, collapsing forms, obsessive repetition, abrupt ruptures, and overwhelming physical force, all rendered acoustically with no amplification wall to hide behind. The music draws equally from modern creative jazz, reductionism, noise, chamber music, and the psychophysical impact of bands like Meshuggah, Car Bomb, the Melvins, the Dillinger Escape Plan, etc. The result is not a crossover, but a transformation of metal’s architectural and emotional language into a highly detailed improvisational context.”

For this fifth round, ROAR sees the return of Reza’s “long-time superheroes” Stefan Karl Schmid on clarinets and tenor saxophone, as well as Fabian Arends on drums. The outstanding Christopher Dell is also back for his third album with the group on vibraphone, and the band expands even further into a quintet with the addition of the amazing Lina Allemano on trumpet. Reza talks about the powerful essence of this constellation: “For me, this release feels not like presenting polished compositions, but more like documenting a group of my favourite musicians pushing against their own limits together. That energy is what makes me excited about it.”

This is the first record Reza has made since becoming a father and a professor, which has left him with little time or mental space to compose. He credits his wife and her family for being so supportive, and creating the space he needed to keep working on the music whenever possible. Fusing rebellious influences of the past with the present day, the album’s scribbly cover art is drawn by the greatest little punk in Reza’s life, his two year-old daughter. “She teaches me so much about myself, how to never grow up and stay independent and free - definitely some of the greatest aspects about being punk.”

When asked to describe the sound of the music to someone who had never heard it before, Reza reflects; “It’s a form of communicative weirdness where glimpses of order constantly emerge and collapse, shaped by dynamic contrasts and structural chaos.” Perhaps this chaos can be echoed in the albums cryptic title “xAYb v8v dYAx,” and the strange and occasionally palindromic song names: “404”, “0 YxY 0” and “xAxDx." The only way to decipher the code? By listening to the music, of course…

Stefan Karl Schmid, saxophones, clarinet
Reza Askari, double bass
Fabian Arends, drums
Sebastian Mueller, guitar, FX (track 11)

Recorded June 2014 at Loft Cologne by Christian Heck and Hannes Plattmeier
Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtle Tone Studio NYC

Reza Askari
was born in Fulda in 1986 to an Iranian father and a German mother; he began his musical training on the piano at the age of five. At eleven, he discovered the electric bass and launched his musical career early on in local punk and jazz bands.

After graduating from high school, Askari began his music studies in 2006, majoring in electric bass at the University of Music and Dance Cologne under Marius Goldhammer, and later studying double bass with Dieter Manderscheid and Sebastian Gramss. He completed his studies in Cologne with distinction in 2012. Subsequently, Askari pursued a Master’s degree in Improvising Arts at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen under Robert Landfermann, graduating in 2014—once again—with *summa cum laude* honors.

From 2007 to 2010, he was a member of the Hessian State Youth Jazz Orchestra; from 2010 to 2011, he played with the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra and the European Masterclass Big Band under the direction of John Ruocco.

Askari has collaborated—in both festival and club settings—with artists such as Marc Ducret, Lee Konitz, Marc Ribot, Benny Golson, Hayden Chisholm, Jeff Hamilton, Barre Phillips, Mark Dresser, Peter Herbolzheimer, Mike Herting, Philip Catherine, Ramesh Shotham, Frank Haunschild, Thomas Rückert, Frank Gratkowski, Heiner Wiberny, Gerd Dudek, John Hollenbeck, Jiggs Whigham, Gary Versace, Max Herre, Clueso, Sophie Hunger, Max Mutzke, Götz Alsmann, Wolf Biermann, and Carolin Kebekus. Performing with various ensembles, he has toured countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the USA, Canada, Colombia, Panama, and many nations across Europe.

With his ensemble "ROAR"—comprising Stefan Karl Schmid, Fabian Arends, and Askari—he released two albums as a trio in 2017 and 2020, followed by two albums as a quartet featuring vibraphonist Christopher Dell in 2022 and 2024, serving as the bandleader.

Since October 2023, Reza Askari has been Professor of Jazz Bass at the University of Music Würzburg.

This album contains no booklet.