Bio of Luc Ex’ Assemblée

Posted on January 10, 2014 by admin

Luc Ex’ Assemblée
Ingrid Laubrock – tenor, soprano saxophone
Ab Baars – tenor saxophone, shakuhachi
Hamid Drake – drums
 Luc Ex – acoustic bass

Assemblée is a group put together by Dutch bass player Luc Ex. (The Ex, Sol 6, Roof, 4Walls).
It was his dream to create a ‘jazz quartet’, though by no means a traditional one. This quartet would clearly bear his own signature .
So it’s a quartet that uses such classic ‘jazz-style’ elements as specific melodic lines and syncopated rhythms, and where free or soloist roles are welcomed. But it’s also mixed in with his own background, introducing a variety of different pop- and noise arrangements and passionate and energetic rhythms .
All compositions for the quartet are written by Luc Ex.
Assemblée toured in November 2013, playing at London Jazz Festival, Jazzdor Strasbourg, the Bimhuis, and several venues in the Netherlands, France, Austria and Slovenia.

Ab Baars (NL) and Ingrid Laubrock (D) are two of Europe’s finest saxophonists. Ab Baars’ sound and style are unrivalled. You might have heard him as longstanding member of the famous ICP orchestra and his own Ab Baars Trio. Ingrid Laubrock has always created her own unique and wonderful world. She can take you along in lyrical solos or grab you by the throat in an abstract context. Nowadays she plays a lot with her own groups – Sleepthief and Anti-House – as well as being part of several of Anthony Braxton’s groups.
Hamid Drake (US) almost needs no introduction. He is currently America’s most in demand avant-garde drummer. A master percussionist who can make you feel the essence of music with just one single hit, right on the spot. Over the years he has played with such musicians as Don Cherry, Herbie Hancock, Peter Brötzman , Pharoah Sanders and David Murray .
Luc Ex was one of the driving forces behind The Ex for almost 20 years.
During that period, he became acquainted with the variable dynamics of heaving punk rock venues as well as gigantic theatres in the United States. He also played with jazz greats, world musicians, and well-known rock bands. He increasingly focuses on the implementation of his own musical composition concepts. This development can be traced through the groups that he initiated from the 1990s onwards: Roof (with cellist Tom Cora), 4 Walls (with vocalist/trumpeter Phil Minton), Sol 6, and Sol 12.