One of the most important parts of the last year’s Ad Libitum festival was a celebration of the 70th birthday of one of the most significant improvisers in modern music – Barry Guy.
While Guy is well-known to the Warsaw-based festival audience through his work with bigger ensembles, the last year’s residency was focus around smaller, more intimate collaborations.
And so the celebration began with Barry Guy’s duet concert with Agusti Fernandez, followed the next day, by a trio which included the legendary pianist Marilyn Crispell and a renowned drummer Paul Lytton. Finally, on the last day of his residence, and for the first time in the history of improvised music, Barry Guy performed a duet with none other than Joelle Leandre.
Fortunately, all of the performances have been recorded and now we can enjoy a three-CD box documenting Barry Guy’s birthday concerts at the Ad Libitum festival. The album is published thanks the Listen Foundation, mixed and remastered by one of the most prominent sound engineers – Ferran Conanglia, and enriched by the liner note written by Ken Waxman himself.
