Hi Bill is a small homage to the 1980s and the endless hours I spent in grubby, smoky clubs and practice basements... (I.t.Sch.)
“As the title Bass clarinet suggests, the music on this CD is dominated by the low woodwind instrument. Volker Hemken, solo bass clarinetist in the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra since 1992, presents his instrument with a sequence of both attractive and demanding contemporary works.
Iris ter Schiphorst’s Hi Bill! is ‘a little homage to endless hours in smoky clubs and rehearsal rooms.’ The rhythmic-melodic force field is enriched with screaming, singing, hissing and flapping noises, evoking impressions of jazz. One is sometimes reminded of Eric Dolphy’s improvisations.” (Das Orchester 11/2006)