Coco Rouzier, vocals
Jürg Wickihalder, tenor sax
Werner Tian Fischer, guitar
Roberto Domeniconi, piano & hammond
Fredi Meli, double bass
Gabriel Schiltknecht, drums & percussion

Music arranged by Werner Tian Fischer & Travelogue

Recorded Oct. 6/7, 2015 by Patrik Schwitter @ Gabriel Recording, Stalden

Produced by Werner Tian Fischer & Patrik Schwitter

TRAVELOGUE featuring Coco Rouzier: The Light Is On
Catalog Nr.: PBR J300
PBR Jazz – A division of PBR Record S.A. (Ltd)
Pré-de l’Oie 9
CP 60
CH – 1852 Roche
Tél.: +41(0)24 466 80 05
Fax: +41(0)24 466 80 07
www.pbr-record.com
info@pbr-record.com

1. Smack Dab In The Middle (Rouzier)
2. Baltimore (Newman)
3. Wait On Love (Rouzier)
4. A Gentle Breeze From Chinese Soul (Fischer)

Transcendental Suite
5. Part I: Everything Must Change (Ighner)
6. Part II (Travelogue)
7. Part III: Step By Step (Fischer – Krohn)

8. Kepler 452-b (Fischer)
9. Rescue Me (Rouzier)
10. Wrong Song (Fischer – Krohn)

A Summer’s Tale
11. Part I: Summertime (Gershwin – Heyward)
12. Part II: Summer Ends (Fischer – Krohn)

13. Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul (Mapp)
14. Bringing It All Back Home (Fischer)

Well, read the impressive technical recording details:
All microphones wired with Vovox Sonorus Sound Conductors
Microphones by Brauner, Sennheiser, Royer, Peluso, AKG, SE Electronic/Neve and custom made ribbon mic’s mit Lundahl trafos
SPECIAL!: vocal mic: Myrinx (Vovox) Brauner VM1 and Millennia Media HV3 C mic pre-amp
recorded on an analogue Cadac Class A 52/48 mixing desk from 1980 in high resolution 24bit / 88.2 kHz in the Gabriel Recording Studio, Stalden
mixed and mastered by patrikschwitter.com in his certified purum studio (strictly wired with Vovox)

“Smack Dab In The Middle” drops the listener right in the middle of the action. Blinded by the spotlights of a train taking off, you get carried away by the unstoppable playing mood of the well-rehearsed sextet, driven by the relentless swing of the rhythm group which inspires the guitarist to a first stunning solo.

The christening gift of the brand new jazz branch of the West Swiss label PBR Records SA is the third album of Werner Fischer’s Travelogue and the first with the superb singer Coco Rouzier (USA) on board.

Impressive how disciplined the musicians roll out their original compositions as well as the classics: Like a flock of fully trained racehorses, they gallop on, sheering out individually from time to time until their boisterous fervor is held back right on the beat by the strong hand of the bandleader, transferring their concentrated power to the stunned listener.

Following the kick-ass start, Randy Newman’s gloomy ballad “Baltimore” introduces a quieter stretch. Rouzier’s wonderful melancholic timbre and the relaxed attitude of the train attendants transform the grim view of the lyrics into an experience you can’t get enough of.

Our gut-feeling after the first two songs is expressed in a compliment to the band by stormproof entertainer Coco on “Wait On Love”: “The groove is just – wow – I mean it’s tight.” We agree.

A skillful instrumental revealing Fischer’s flirtation with Chinese culture is followed by the three-part “Transcendental Suite”: A deeply felt version of the 70ies classic “Everything Must Change”, followed by a brief free interlude which is dissolved by the soothing balm of “Step By Step” – a pleasant breathing exercise guided by Rouzier’s relaxed voice and accompanied by Fischer-Tian’s filigree Gibson. The suite ends with a respectful salute to the “thin white Duke” with the line “Say goodbye to ground control.”

Getting off the Transamerican Express, we hop into the waiting Space Shuttle as the pilot takes us for a ride to exoplanet Kepler 452-b, stirring our hopes for a better world. We are welcomed by the bitter sweet “Rescue Me”, a smooth bossa nova, spiced up by Jürg Wickihalder ravishingly blowing his heartache into the night.

Yet another retro flash hits us in space: After an intro resembling a slow-motion version of “Walking On The Moon“, the “Wrong Song” turns out to be a hypnotic reggae of the lasciviously intoxicated kind.

Planet earth comes within sight and we land in “A Summer’s Tale” – the continuing story of a wonderfully timeless summer, an acapella version of “Summertime” merging seamlessly into the wistful late summer-tune “Summer’s End”. Expect to hear a silver moon rise above the deserted beach club behind Roberto Domeniconi’s enchanted piano.

After the heartfelt confession of the singer, that “Jazz Is Nothin’ But Soul”, the grandiose album closes with a roguish Hammond organ on “Bringing it all back home”. The light-hearted conclusion of a wonderfully enriching journey leaving us with lasting impressions and the wish to grab your bags and start again.

Werner Tian Fischer:
It was in late 2010 when I played my first jazz gig at Beijing’s legendary cd blues café. It featured Coco Rouzier, the gutsy and soulful songstress from Washington D.C. who had travelled half of the world singing in five star hotels and on cruises. She not only proved to be a first rate jazz singer but also a resourceful entertainer who turned the joint into a boiling pot on that blessed Sunday evening. What started out as a nonchalant classy jazz gig turned into a rambunctious party that lasted until the wee hours of the next morning. Coco probably knew what she was in for when in the middle of her second set she called on the band to play Hernandez’ Hideaway, a tango. She had probably heard of the Finnish affinity for that dance – as the joint was packed with the remainder of a choir from Turku who fully lived up to their reputation. It was not before long that everybody was served severe shots of vodka that had lasting effects on the band as well as the crowd – but I knew then that someday we would record an album together…
While on tour with ‘Big John’ Zhang ling in summer 2014 we met again in the city of the north and decided that now was the time to put our plan into action. So we proceeded with the preparations over the course of a whole year: exchanging ideas, carefully selecting the songs we wanted to record, chatting and planning. Fortunately, my fab Travelogue bandmates were game for our endeavor and we were finally to spend two industrious yet magical days of recording in October 2015. overseeing us and the music in the making was Patrik Schwitter, our never-tiring engineer and co-producer who meticulously put everything into its right place for the finished album you are now about to hear.

contact Werner Tian Fischer

the album can also be downloaded in high-resolution studio master quality (24bit): go to download

Gabriel Schiltknecht became internationally known in his 20s as the drummer of Schildpatt, of Rene Bardet and Urs Blöchlinger. He played at various festivals such as Montreux, Zürich, Berlin, Sidney and Miami as well as at the world exibitions of Tsukuba (Japan) and Sevilla. He resided from 1991 to 1998 in Ghana where he played and recorded with African artists (e.g. Alain ‘Dodzi’ Apaloo, Atongo, Bernard Woma). In 1999 he went together with his brother Roland on tour in Bolivia and in summer 2004 to a series of concerts in Iran. He has worked continuously with Werner Fischer since 2003 and accompanied him on several concert tours to China.

Jürg Wickihalder lives as a saxophonist and composer in Zurich. Lucerne Jazz School 1989-92, Berklee College of Music 1992-95. Working with Steve Lacy, Joe Viola, George Garzone, Irène Schweizer, Pierre Favre, Hans Koch, Ulrich Gumpert, Evan Parker, Barry Guy, Lucas Niggli etc.
Winner of numerous prizes, including composition and soloist prizes of the Dienemann Foundation, admission to the Dean’s List of Berklee College of Music, 18th Annual Student Award of the U.S. music magazine “Downbeat”, Nomination for “Selmer Paris Artist”. Numerous publications and concert tours.

Roberto Domeniconi (Berklee alumni) has played in concert with Saheb Sarbib, Mark Whitecage, Hans Koch, Bruno Amstad, Fredy Studer, Melvin Butler, Matthew Garrison, Makaya Ntshoko, Bruno Spoerri, Jan Schlegel, Achim Escher, David Boato a.o. Worked for theatre (Ohio Theatre, Woosterstreet Manhattan) television (Swiss Italian TV, 3Sat) and movies (Carac Film).

Fredi Meli was educated at Jazz schools in Zurich and St. Gallen and at Berklee College of Music (1995-98) and lives in Sleepy Hollow (New York, USA). He performed with Lionel Loueke, Christoph Grab, Daniel Schenker, Elmar Frey and Adrian Pflugshaupt among many others. Current projects: KJ Denhert (award winning urban folk-jazz artist), Ray Blue Trio, Travelogue, Neal Spitzer’s Rockwood Rhythm Band, Duke Baxter Band, The Blacktails.

Coco Rouzier

Coco has been pouring out her own special brew of Straight-Ahead Swinging Jazz in Soulful way for audiences around the globe for almost 20 years. Previous Residencies at various 5 Star hotels/venues have included The Shangri-la China World Summit Wing Hotel in Beijing, CJW Jazz & Blues Bar in Shanghai, The Jazz Bar in Edinburgh, Scotland, as well as festivals and private events around the globe!
Some say it started at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York City where many of the legends of Soul music made a name for themselves. However, there is only one name that truly mattered to her… Ella Fitzgerald! Others say it was the talent competitions and pageants she entered in as a young girl that gave her the stage confidence she needed allowing her to win the biggest pageant of her lifetime. Coco was crowned Miss H.D. Woodson Sr. High School Queen of 1984!
However, those that knew her growing up in the capitol city of the United States of America – Washington, DC as Debra Worsley, knew by the tender age of 4 that she would be a star.
She began simply by imitating the sounds that came from her talented mother – who inspires her daily before hitting the stage.
She joined the Concert Choir in Jr. High school and worked most summers in Musical Theater. That prepared her for a new chapter in her career – CABARET! The Concert choir taught her harmony. Musical Theater taught her acting. Cabaret taught her how to have an intimate relationship with audiences. New York was also the place where Coco discovered Jazz. She was hired as the Lead Female Vocalist with The Jerry Kravat NY Orchestra (Tribeca Rhythm) for New York’s high society weddings and corporate events in Manhattan’s most prestigious hotels, restaurants and landmarks. After receiving offers to sing in Europe, she began a great adventure that would lead her to some of the countries where Jazz legends and Soul singers performed decades before her. Labeled “The Soulful Songstress” has never lost her way in the music. Coco has been Steady, Soulful, Sassy, Sophisticated and S’wonderful!

Hans Ermel

education:

• Jazzschule Luzern (Heiri Känzig)
• New School for Social Research New York City (Reggie Workman, Buster Williams, Mark Helias, Steve Neil)
• Unterricht für klassischen Kontrabass bei Béla Szèdlak
• Verschiedene Workshops im In- und Ausland (u.a. Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Miroslav Vitous, Bruce Gertz (Umbria Jazz-Clinics ’93), Marc Johnson, Steve Coleman, Ray Anderson, Dave Liebman)

past projects:

• Singers of Berne (u.a. mit Polo Hofer, Bubi Rufener, Helena Danis, Christin Maho, Dänu Bömle, Pascal Dussex)
• Four Blondes (mit Peter Schärli, Peter Horisberger, Oli Kuster)
• Hans Ermel Quartet (u.a. mit Arnie Lawrence) in New York
• Jazz Experience (mit Marco Figini und Lukas Bitterlin)
• Pop-Rock- Band Starfish
• LouCHe (Alte Schweizer Lieder in neuem Kleid, u.a. mit Peter Schärli und Robert Morgenthaler)

current projects:

• Padre Padrone
• Die Vier Tenöre
• Fahrt ins Blaue
• Frank Sinatra Tribute Band
• 007 Only
• Hip Hop Dance- and Music-Company Slick Minority
• Musikalisches Konzept und Komposition für die Theaterproduktion Die Nashörner (Eugène Ionesco) mit Livia-Anne Richard (Regie)