Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin

“This is music that throbs with a pulsating dynamism that’s almost hypnotic...it sweeps you along with its deft twists and turns.”—Observer (London)

Swiss composer and pianist Nik Bärtsch’s impressive new band is reinventing jazz fusion for the 21st century, and its sound will intrigue fans of bands like Tortoise as well as adventurous jazz lovers. What Bärtsch calls “Zen funk” takes off from an imaginary point where Miles Davis’s grittier electric period meets Steve Reich’s minimalist trance music. Ronin’s mostly acoustic five-piece ensemble creates a wholly original sound that taps into realms of mystery with driving, interlocking rhythms. The band takes its name from the legendary samurai warriors who served no master. A new CD on the European powerhouse label ECM Records is expected in conjunction with this tour; meanwhile, pick up Stoa, Ronin’s 2006 debut.