AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL CONTINUATION
by M. Stauss et al with passages, which can be found also in project descriptions on this site.

Hans – Christoph von Imhoff (HCvI), author of the text “Markus Stauss – Biography” speaks in “The Adventure Music” on two issues that I work on strongly since 1998.

“Quote HCvI: THE ADVENTURE MUSIC BECOMES MORE AND MORE EXCITING …”
1998: The desire for a quartet, without rhythm section feat. bass & drums, suddenly appears. An encounter with Hans Anliker, whom I know from my GeZeitenOrchester (1984/85), the desire to make music again with Pit Kayser a longtime companion (WITCHCRAFT, STAUSS QUARTET, ÜBERFALL), the idea to start a project with Olivier Vogt, who gathered much experience with the Avant Garde Music of the 20th century, playing with Basel Sinfonietta, lead to the quartet STAUSS-ANLIKER-KAYSER-VOGT (SAKV).
At the same time Jean Chaine is more and more on tour with an Archguitar ensemble, so consequently concerts with ULTERIOR LUX hardly can take place. Suddenly I become aware of all the reasons why Jean Chaine has played in most previous trios for 10 years. Without him, my interest in sax – bass – drums trio outfit fades to zero.
1999 is the release of SAKV’s CD “Echoes” (Fazzul Music FM 0817).

“Quote HCvI: [HE] PREFERS TO INVEST HIS ENERGY MORE INTO THE PROCESS OF MUSIC MAKING AND COMPOSING, AS INTO THE SEARCH FOR CONCERT PROMOTERS AND PLACES WHERE DOING GIGS IS STILL POSSSIBLE.
I work a lot on the SAKV compositions and after the release of the CD “Echoes” I want to play this music live and therefore I invest much energy into the search for gigs nonetheless.
2000: Not a single organizer will book this formation.
2002: Completely unimpressed by this annoying experience that not a single organizer is interested in Stauss Music, I go on: After the release of SPALTKLANG’s CD “Alpenglühen” (Fazzul Music FM 0818) I search in vain for gigs again and finally I realize: Who wants gigs, needs a proper management, good contacts from the time of the study or otherwise any lobby. Furthermore, it could be useful if I would adapt my music to the expectations of a intended audience again. But that does not meet my musical ideas: “to write compromise controlled music” or to produce “as it is usual”, are not a exciting adventures. That’s why I follow since 2002 consistently the path that I have chosen even earlier: composing, rehearse with an ensemble, produce a CD, send PR and see what happens and take what comes, continue to compose.

SPALTKLANG (2001 – 2010)
2001 I initiate a quartet with Rémy Sträuli. Rémy asks the electric bass player Stephan Brunner (SB), who shows interest and Olivier Vogt sees this quartet as a continuation of our previous cooperation. My long-term idea to orchestrate a Broken Consort (a late medieval instrumental ensemble consisting of wind, plucked and stringed instruments and percussion) with contemporary instruments is finally realized. SPALTKLANG, a kind of translation of “Broken Consort”, is selected as name. We play pieces which have been performed by my earlier formations often, but have never been released on CD and if so, in a “low budget” trio version only.
Soon the arrangements get changed, polytonally expanded, improvisation concepts adapted and new compositions arise. So the pieces from the 1st and 2nd SPALTKLANG CDs (Fazzul Music FM 0818 & 0821) are different from all previous versions.
2004 I drop the idea of playing compositions of previous projects with SPALTKLANG. Apart from a few quotations, only new pieces can be heard on the 3rd and 4th CD (Fazzul Music FM 0822 & 0826).

PROJECTS WITH CHRISTIAN WEBER
2001 I meet the bassist Christian Weber in the project MUSICAL INTERMEZZI by Urs Röllin. Christian and I play during the next few years with Dieter Ulrich (dr) as a trio called “Hands up!” exclusively free improvised music.
In 2008, we start as a duo called “IF YOU CAN NOT TAKE THE HEAT, STAY OFF THE KITCHEN”.
2010 changes happen with Spaltklang (see details below)
2011 I play in Christian’s project THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.

TRANK ZAPPA GRAPPA IN VARESE? (Part 1)
2002 I come in contact with hard core musicians from Basel. I’m starting a group under the old name TRIO INFERNAL.
2003 we call ourselves TRANK ZAPPA GRAPPA IN VARESE? (TZGIV). As soon as it goes forward, there are problems with the line up and because I find no suitable musicians in Switzerland, I look around abroad.
2004 I hear from interested musicians in Italy. I travel to Tradate (Italy) for a session with the keyboardist Paolo “Ske” Botta. Although the meeting runs promising, I decide to suspend TZGIV.

BASS SAXOPHONE SOLO
Since I play bass sax solo concerts, I think of making a solo album. And yet, year after year I move this plan for several reasons.
In 2004 I worked a period of 4 months on compositions, improvisations, miniatures and electroacoustic concoctions for bass sax solo and bass sax with live electronics. The recordings, made in the Salle d’exposition of sculptures d’Oscar Wiggli the Fondation Oscar & Janine Wiggli in Murieux (Switzerland), appear as CD Markus Stauss (bass saxophone solo & Extras) “Neolithicum” (Fazzul Music FM 0819), which get very different comments: from horror to the most massive enthusiasm you may hear everything. Thanks to this CD, I get in contact with the guitarist Francesco Zago (FZ) from Milano.

YUGEN, KURAI & SKE
In 2005 I meet Paolo “Ske” Botta again. FZ also plays at this session, and soon he and I decide to work as “Neolithicum Duo” together (for details see the ZAUSS section below). FZ also told me about his YÜGEN project. I convey the SPALTKLANG bassist SB and clarinetist Peter A. Schmid (PS). This cooperation leads FZ to the idea (as a complement to Yügen project) to construct an electro-acoustic music with improvised elements: “Kurai – The Dark Side of Yügen”.
2006 YÜGEN CD “Labirinto d’acqua” appears (AltrOck ALT 001), with among others, PS, SB, Ske & myself.
2009 CD Kurai appears (AltrOck ALT 008) with the trios Schmid-Weber-Stauss and Maurizio Fasoli (p) – Giuseppe Olivini (perc) – FZ plus Enrica Di Bastiano (harp).
2010 I am invited to participate on the YÜGEN CD “Iridule” (AltrOck ALT 013) and on Ske Bottas first CD “1000 autunni” (Fading Records FAD 003).

TRANK ZAPPA GRAPPA IN VARESE? (Part 2)
2005 I meet on the net via a ProgRockSite guitarist Michel Delville (MD). I travel to Liège (Belgium), to play with musicians that MD has invited for this meeting. The result is a new STAUSS PROJECT.
2006 the name changed to TRANK ZAPPA GRAPPA IN VARESE?
In 2008, the CD “More Light” (Fazzul Music FM 0824) appears without Zappa pieces.
2009 The CD “Live in Waremme” (EP, 25 min) will be released as (Fazzul Music FM 0825) exclusively with Zappa pieces.
2011 we are invited to play at the Jazzfestival Saalfelden.
2012 MD is musically very busy with his own projects and he leaves TZGIV. Since then TZGIV is on “standby”. Whether or how it continues is currently open.

ZAUSS
2005 FZ and I play the “Neolithicum” program as NEOLITHICUM DUO.
2006 is the “Neolithicum” program in the background and we improvise freely. A session will be recorded and released as a CD “neulich neben der Grenze” (Fazzul Music fm 0823) under the new band name ZAUSS.
2008 we play with the guests’ Ske “Botta (key), Valerio Cipollone (cl) and Christian Weber (b).
2010: Recording session at Ton-Art Studio Basel.
2011: The recordings got released as CD ZAUSS “überall in terra straniera borders beyond” (Fazzul Music FM 0829)
2012 we meet for a recording session in the Fazzul Music room. From these recordings arises the CD ZAUSS “nocturne leise im Wind” (Fazzul Music FM 0830).

GUESTPERFORMANCE w/ FINNEGANS WAKE
009 I get the offer from Henry Krutzen to play Bass Sax for the next CD production of his band FINNEGANS WAKE
2010: Release of CD “The Bird and the Sky Above” (Fazzul Music FM 0828)
2011: Release of CD “Red” (Ilse 9)

SPALTKLANG (since 2010)
In 2010, the double bass player Christian Weber replaces the electric bass player SB.
2011: The Quartet expands to a 6-tet (sax, b, viola, dr, el-guit & tp) to rehearse new compositions for the 5th CD.
2012 I must recognize that the project fails due to the size of the group and a number of other reasons. I dissolve the 6-tet and take a time out to think: the end or new beginning with whom, what instrumentation? Shortly before the end of the year I write the 6-tett program quite new for a 5-tet. Rémy and Christian are still on board, trumpet and guitar have to been filled.
In he first half of 2013 rehearsals and recordings take place with Richard Koch (tp), Francesco Zago (el-guit), Rémy, Christian and MS. In September is the release of the CD “in between” on the AltrOck label.

SCHAUB – UITTI – STAUSS
2012 Alex Schaub (el. bass, percussion, sampler), Frances-Marie Uitti (cello) and I (tenor, soprano sax) play a concert with free improvisations. The concert will be recorded and may be published as a CD in the future.