Recorded live in the Ljubljana Jazz Festival (Slovenia), the Carate Urio Orchestra isn’t really a big band – and indeed it can sound like one – but a septet. One piece can go from the most sweet pop song format (all the musicians sing) to extreme noise music, with several shades in between, covering a multitude of trans-idiomatic situations, be it psychedelic rock ambiances, Mingus-like orchestrations or something else yet to define. Coming from different European origins, the musicians involved – Joachim Badenhorst, Eirikur Orri Olafsson, Sean Carpio, Brice Soniano, Pascal Niggenkemper, Frantz Loriot and Nico Roig – go through all those metamorphosis with the same naturalness and savoir-faire. The message is self-evident: in today’s creative music, every vocabulary and process is not only permissible but also desirable. If jazz is an inclusive music genre since its start, that’s what you have here, taking that principle to the last consequences.

1) P. Niggenkemper | 2) N. Roig | 3) J. Badenhorst, B. Soniano / C.U.O. | 4) E. O. Olafsson, N. Roig, F. Loriot | 5) Lin Chui Li  arranged by S. Carpio | 6) J. Badenhorst | 7) F. Loriot | 8) S. Carpio | 9) C.U.O. | 10) F. Loriot

This music was constructed on June 30 and recorded on July 1 without- and July 2 with audience at Cankarjev Dom on the Ljubljana Jazz Festival 2015.
This album follows the same setlist as the concert on July 2nd, but some of the chosen takes are from the day before without audience.

Recording, mix and master by Luis Delgado | Design and layout by Travassos| Cover photo by Jailbeit | Group photo by Nada Zgank
C.U.O. sends the biggest thanks to Bogdan Benigar of Ljubljana Jazz Festival en Pedro Costa of Cleanfeed for inviting us over to work, perform and record this album. Also to Katka Pohar for taking good care of us, to Nada Zgank, Jailbeit, Luis Delgado and Travassos.

The cover photo was taken in Ljubljana’s Tivoli park, on a sweaty stroll during the days we recorded this album. It was a beautiful time.