Thompson/Pirro/Ber/Wouters
For this ensemble one body of work has been created thus far called Transforming Photograms which was recorded in February 2024. The work focuses on the transitional process of improvising between two sound objects. Here the performer is improvising variations of a composed object whilst simultaneously seeking to slowly introduce a new composed element. A photogram is photographic technique that produces a negative shadow image. The transformation of a real object into a shadow is analogous to the transformation from a composed sound object into an improvised variation.
The ensemble
This ensemble features Samuel Ber on drums, Piergiorgio Pirro on piano and Nathan Wouters on the double bass.
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Samuel Ber is a Belgian drummer whose activity revolves around, composition, improvisation and performance. His current projects include Pentadox, the trio Malaby/Dumoulin/Ber, a new duo with American guitarist Todd Neufeld and the interdisciplinary performance “Scaphandres Party” (work-in-progress).He also plays with KARTET, Benoît Delbecq & The Multiplexers, the European quartet of Michaël Attias, Antoine Viard’s Park’R, Laurent Blondiau’s Mâäk and MikMâäk, Bo Van Der Werf’s Mantra Magnets, Susanne Abbuehl, Soet Kempeneer’s Dream Tree trio with guest Magic Malik, Richard Bonnet quartet with Michaël Attias & James Carney, Jordi Cassagne’s Nouroog and Sol Léna—Schroll’s Der Baum trio; and has performed with Michaël Attias, Miles Perkin, Simon Jermyn, Guillaume Orti, Marc Ducret, EveRisser, Antonin-Tri Hoang, Antonin Rayon, Aymeric Avice, Sylvaine Hélary, Felix Henkelhausen, Matthieu Michel, Nicolas Thys…
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Piergiorgio Pirro is a Brussels-based pianist, composer, educator and music scholar. His musical interests gravitate around various forms of jazz, supported by a long-lasting love for classical music and an acquaintance with Brazilian music. In recent years he has been studying the connections between spectral music and jazz performance and enriching his instrumental palette with the use of electronics and tactile digital instruments. He is currently Assistant Researcher at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel and PhD candidate at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in jazz music.He graduated with a Master of Arts at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel in Jazz Music (magna cum laude). He attended several jazz workshops, and studied with Kenny Werner, Phil Markowitz, Stefano Battaglia, Paolo Birro, John Taylor, Franco D’Andrea, Danilo Rea, Mark Turner, Stefano Zenni, Francesco Martinelli, Achille Succi, Piero Leveratto, Omer Avital, Ettore Fioravanti, Antonio Sanchez, Kevin Hays, Aaron Goldberg. Among his awards there are the Horlait-Dapsens Foundations scholarship for the Arts (2018) and the Siena Jazz Scholarship (2008).
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Nathan Wouters began at the age of 10 to attend classical bass lessons at the Academy for Music, Drama and Dance in Merksem. In 2004, he won the first prize in the “Music Live competition” organised by Jeunesses Musicales Flanders which enabled him to make a concert tour in Croatia. He completed his Classical bass training before continuing his education at the Jazz department of the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp. In 2009 he received the 'Oranjebeurs’ granted by The Dutch Community Antwerp. Nathan studied his last year at the University of Gothenburg with Anders Jormin and finished his Master degree with greatest distinction.
He has worked with several notable musicians such as Mark Turner, Dave Douglas, Hilmar Jensson, Aki Takase, Rudi Mahall, Alexi Tuomarila, John Ruocco, Kurt Van Herck, Dré Pallemaerts, Bert Joris, Erwin Vann, Ben Sluijs, Jeroen Van Herzeele, Joachim Badenhorst, Nicola Andrioli, Erik Vermeulen, etc. He has performed on the main Belgian stages and also abroad in China, Chili, Mexico, Japan, Croatia, Ukraine, Sweden, Germany, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Italy.
