"Susanna Gartmayer is an Austrian composer and bass clarinet and sax player working in the fields of experimental rock music, multi idiomatic improvisation, jazz and contemporary music. She is especially interested in the sound possibilities of the clarinet and the theory and practical implications of working together in bands cnd collcetives.

Christof Kurzmann is a performer, musician, composer and curator. After a seccessful start with his first band Extended Versions he continued his work in experimental electronic music. He has worked with people like Luc Ferrari, Fred Frith, John Butcher, Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark, and has released more than 30 CDs.

Smaller Sad is the first album by this duo and was recorded in various locations at various times. Gartmayer and Kurzmann create an often fragile music somewhere between jazz, songwriting and improvisation. Susanna plays bass clarinet, Christof plays ppooll, rubber band and sings. They first performed together at an open session in 2014 and play together regularly since 2018 as a duo. Although the music is improvised, they always focus on melodies, too."-Klanggalerie

"One of the first things you notice about Smaller Sad, the new album by Susanna Gartmayer and Christof Kurzmann is how roomy it feels. I'm not saying there is enough space to house a 10ft sofa, couple of armchairs, a pool table that doesn't encroach on a Persian rug, but there is definitely more space than your first room at uni. With this space, Gartmayer and Kurzmann can give their compositions room to move and grow. If the songs were tightly packed, claustrophobic things a lot of the enjoyment from them would be lost.

The standout tracks are 'Little Rage'. Despite its name there is nothing little about this one. Opening with Gartmayer played a fantastically distressed bass clarinet while Kurzmann just builds the tension in the background is a masterstroke. As the tension swells, so does the bass clarinet. The phrases get longer and raspier Kurzmann's vocals start. They sound like an incantation from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but more glitchy. As they progress, they start to take on the inflexions of the bass clarinet until its hard to tell the two apart. This is one of the most enjoyable portions of the albums, and one I didn't want to end. As it gradually mutates before our ears the sound of a needle stuck in a records runout starts to kick in. This rhythmic loop adds another level of texture. All the while Gartmeyer has been playing a slightly gentler phrase that gets more abrasive as we reach the song's conclusion. The end of 'Little Rage' sounds like an emergency vehicle siren. But this leads to a question. Is the siren to warn us that it is approaching or that the song is coming to an end?

'Smaller Sad' is an enchanting album full of twists and turns. Each track offers up a kaleidoscope of sound and texture. Due to the improvisational nature of the recordings sometimes Gartmayer and Kurzmann get stuck in a corner and it takes a while before they figure a way out and back to more interesting avenues. A third of the way through 'Smaller Forms' it all feels a tad stagnant. The same clarinet motif is repeated too many times with either little variation from Kurzmann. These moments aren't unenjoyable but to do throw you off a bit. Saying that, once they get back to the good stuff all is forgiven as the music is glorious."-NR, Vital Weekly

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