FRANK WITTE is a composer, musician and visual artist from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Born in 1951, he has been engaged in various forms of expression since early childhood. Witte studied at the Tilburg Conservatory of Music with Jan van Dijk (composition), Marinus Kasbergen (music theory) and Pieter van Veen (recorders). As a musician, he toured extensively with Airport, Bonfire, Black Business and Leonardo da Vintage, in the last two ensembles collaborating with his son Onno, a percussionist and sound engineer. Witte has composed for a wide variety of instrumental and vocal combinations, ranging from progressive jazz rock and avant-gardistic works, to electronic and tape music. Sources of artistic inspiration include the incomprehensibility of nature with all its contradictions: the sun and moon, silence versus noise, humor and horror, people and animals, with all their peculiarities. He currently lives and works in Noord-Brabant, a province in the south of the Netherlands. Tracklist: 1: Andante al Dente The idea for this piece originated during a residency in Italy. It breathes the atmosphere of the rebellious and turbulent interbellum period. 2: Machine II In search of a musical perpetuum mobile, a modulating atonal sequence has been integrated with the characteristic sounds of a machine. 3: Minimalarno alias Nostalgia III Childhood melodies of the composer, transformed into minimal music motifs, take the listener on a contemplative journey to an unknown destination. 4: Lamentatione Scored for the unusual combination of solo voice, banjo, viola and cello, this persistent, tragic movement conveys a passionate expression of sorrow. 5: H Arno H Banjo ●●●● ●▬ ●▬● ▬● ▬ ▬ ▬ ●●●● ▬●●● ●▬ ▬● ●▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ The title, written in Morse code, was used as the rhythmic basis for this composition, consisting of a dodecaphonic theme that develops into a cacophony of banjo melodies. 6: Longing for More II Intricate banjo rolls, sophisticated percussion work and a cello improvisation are the ideal ingredients for an enjoyable musical piece that leaves one craving for more. 7: Thinking of Finland This tranquil musical imaginary landscape is an atmospheric description of a land one never saw. 8: Wrong A profound fascination for the thin line between “wrong” and “right” has led to this energetic electro-acoustic creation, which is based on a Musique Concrète approach using prepared tapes and deconstructed sounds. 9: Requiem for a Space Banjo The basis of this “galactic” elegy is a morphed recording of “Stung!”, composed and performed by Arno Hagenaars. 10: Triptych Three confluent cinematic themes tell a haunting story that slowly builds up in tension and ends with an appropriate hint to Paganini’s “demonic” Caprice No. 24. 11: Stable Instability The apotheosis! Black Business assumes no responsibility or liability for any physical or mental damage this album may have caused.