Recorded live by Hrólfur Vagnsson on Nov 1 - 3, 2001 during the TOTAL MUSIC MEETING @ Podewil Berlin
Mastered by Hrólfur Vagnsson (Tonstudio Vagnsson Hamburg)
Booklet-Photographs: Roberto Masotti
Produced by Helma Schleif (a/l/l - A division of FMP FREE MUSIC PRODUCTION Distribution & Communication)
©2002

was both the motto and aspiration of the first TOTAL MUSIC MEETING of the new millenium, presenting over a period of three days a multitude of international musicians from three generations of improvisers; for some of them this was their first performance in Berlin.

This sampler, ´AUDIOLOGY - 11 groups live in Berlin´, the first in the long history of the festival, highlights the body of work achieved over these three days, and also represents a culinary-musical tour d'horizon, conveying the extraordinary vitality and wealth of ideas, aesthetic positions and creative methods within the field of improvised music. Never before has there been such a multitude of highly differentiated musical styles, all rightfully co-existing and allowing each other space - a unique process in the more or less hierarchically structured music history.

Improvised music is often regarded as being ´difficult´. The actual difficulty may be the ´access´ to this kind of music because if it were more present in the public ´ear´ this ´problem´ quite likely would not exist. Granted - this music is no musical ´Fast food´. It does require certain kinds of cultural techniques in order to enjoy it - not very different from a meal with a number of courses. But this is really where the pleasure starts ...

Within the framework of the TOTAL MUSIC MEETING 2001 we also presented - for the first time in the form of an exhibition - the ´visual´ works of improvising musicians (Dixon, Floridis, Gumpert, Johansson, Kowald, Lytton, Oxley, Parker, Reichel, von Schlippenbach, Zingaro) and the cycle of photographs ´Diario dal Sud´ (Diary of the South) of the photographer Roberto Masotti from Milan, impressions from the European Jazz Festival in Noci, which opens up a new way of ´seeing´ through its genuine figurative language. Masotti was also our TMM ´01-festival photographer; some of the pictures taken on the 3-day session can be found in this booklet, for more check out our website at free-music-production.de.

We would like to thank all the musicians and artists for their solidarity and support. Without them it would not have been possible to set up this kind of international programme under such extremely reduced financial conditions.
We would also like to thank our sponsors, the institutions involved and the individuals who helped realize the project, last but not least the "Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kultur" (Senate Department for Science, Research and Culture) and the Podewil.

The TMM ´01 committee (Schleif/Fuchs/Schlippenbach) struggled hard for the continuation of this festival. The TMM´02 committee (Schleif/Fuchs/Margull) continues in this work with great determination. We will need your help again this year in order to succeed.
Keep music (a)live !

Helma Schleif