Jørgen Emborg & Steve Swallow - Over the Rainbow (Remastered 2021) May 7, Storyville Records

This 1992 set showcases the work of the Danish pianist/composer Jørgen Emborg with a quintet including his specially invited guest, the American bass-guitarist Steve Swallow. The leader (born in Frederiksberg on March 29 1953) had already packed a lot of musical experience into his career. Bursting upon the scene as early as 1975 at the famous Dunkerque Jazz Festival, he had become a permanent member of the Danish Radio Big Band, alongside working with such varied visiting artists as Eddie Harris, Red Rodney and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Now described as probably the most important composer of contemporary Danish jazz, he created two significant albums incorporating vocalist Mona Larsen (Ships In The Night and Face The Music) and Moonsongs with Susanne Palbol in 2005.

The career of Steve Swallow (born October 4 1940) has been equally broad-based. Taking up the bass only at the age of 18 after studying piano and trumpet, he soon joined Paul Bley and, with Bley, the free-jazz edition of the Jimmy Giuffre trio; at the other end of the stylistic spectrum, he played later in the 1960s for Art Farmer, Gary Burton and, with Burton, the Stan Getz quartet. An early champion of the writing of Carla Bley, he became her sideman (and eventually her partner) while also developing his own skills as a composer; later, he also became a successful free-lance producer, working on albums by John Scofield, for instance.

Most significantly, beginning in the 1960s, he has taken the bass-guitar from being an instrument only accepted in rock or fusion contexts to one which, through his mobile lines and veiled, singing tone, has helped to set the standard for bass playing in even acoustic jazz groups. Interestingly, Swallow’s acceptance of the JAZZPAR invitation to appear as the guest of Jørgen Emborg was, as it turned out, chronologically linked in with another guest appearance he made on a recording project by the great Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. And it’s appropriate here to mention the inclusion in Emborg’s group of drummer Alex Riel who, although he had previously collaborated with Emborg, first became widely known as NHØP’s colleague in the house rhythm section of Copenhagen’s Montmartre Club in the 1960s.

Riel had preceded Emborg in being selected as one of the JAZZPAR featured artists in 1990, as had the young saxophonist Fredrik Lundin who, as composer, contributed one of the works for Lee Konitz’s performance with the JAZZPAR Nonet, also recorded as part of JAZZPAR’s 1992 celebrations.

The history of the JAZZPAR AWARDS constitutes, in retrospect, a significant development in the recognition of jazz by international arbiters of taste, and by distributors of monetary recognition. Set up by the Danish Jazz Center and sponsored by Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni, it was the first award in the jazz field to offer an international nominee not only the exposure of a concert series, but the donation of a statuette and a significant cash prize (amounting to 200,000 Danish kroner). Between 1990 and 2004, the award was made to several American performers but also, reflecting the history of the music itself, to six Europeans (Tony Coe, Django Bates, Martial Solal, Marilyn Mazur, Enrico Rava and Aldo Romano). 

1. Uneven Thinking

2. Waltz In Four

3. Forgotten Truth

4. Over The Rainbow

5. My Kind Of Blues

6. On The Second Day

7. Some Other Time

8. Password

9. Say After Me Please

10. Sweak Spedish

11. One Step At A Time

12. Impatience

13. Temporary Agreement

Jørgen Emborg - Piano

Steve Swallow - Bass Guitar

Fredrik Lundin - Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone

Alex Riel - Drums

Lisbeth Diers - Percussion

Recorded at Sun Studio in Copenhagen, March 28th and 29th, 1992

Pre-order

Steve Kuhn Trio - To and From the Heart (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS 2018)

Having just celebrated his 80th birthday, pianist Steve Kuhn has continued to get to the heart of things with his long-standing trio of bass guitarist Steve Swallow and drummer Joey Baron. The ensemble’s deeply resonant relationship can be heard on their new recording, To and From The Heart, a poignant collection of pieces that showcases these masters’ highly wrought abilities in wringing emotion from the ether. 

The legendary Kuhn has been a notable exponent of jazz’s adaptability and creativity since his professional debut nearly 60 years ago. His early work with the leaders of jazz’s vanguard, including Coleman Hawkins and Chet Baker, along with his forays into the avant-garde with John Coltrane, Gary McFarland and Pete La Roca, amongst many others, have solidified his credentials. 

The past few decades have found the pianist focusing more and more on the expressivity of the piano trio format. Kuhn has worked with a number of different amalgamations of musicians of the highest caliber, including Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Buster Williams, etc. But it has been his most recent trio roster that he has found most comfortable over the last two decades. 

Bassist Steve Swallow is a perfect foil for Kuhn, as he can be a supportive part of the rhythm team or highly tuneful solo voice. His remarkable ability as a composer is also highlighted on To and From The Heart, as it features two of his original compositions. Drummer Joey Baron is the heartbeat of this body, as he can be a font of energy or a cool stabilizer. 

To and From The Heart was recorded at the illustrious Sear Sound Recording Studio in New York in September of 2017 with the assistance of producer Artie Moorhead and engineer Katsuhiko Naito. 

The program begins with Swallow’s “Thinking Out Loud,” a bright but introspective piece that allows for thoughtful solos from Kuhn and Swallow. Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newly’s waltzing “Pure Imagination” floats in a tide of nostalgia and calm. Swallow’s “Away” is quietly devastating with its simplicity and beauty. The heartrending continues with Raymond Evans and Jay Livingston’s touching “Never Let Me Go,” which leads to Michika Fukumori’s upbeat and lively “Into The New World.” The recording concludes with a long rumination on two of Kuhn’s original pieces, “Trance / Oceans In The Sky,” providing a sweeping and dramatic close. 

Over his career, Steve Kuhn has fashioned his music into a conduit for emotion. His new recording, To and From The Heart, with his grand trio of Steve Swallow and Joey Baron encapsulates his ethos of wearing his feelings on his sleeve and to express them with the most reciprocative of bandmates.

Steve Kuhn - piano

Steve Swallow - bass guitar

Joey Baron - drums

1. Thinking Out Loud 07:49

2. Pure Imagination 06:15

3. Away 06:00

4. Never Let Me Go 04:38

5. Into The New World 05:29

6. Trance/Oceans In The Sky 16:29

Mike McGinnis - Singular Awakening (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS April 27, 2018)

Mike McGinnis realized his dream of recording and releasing an album with two of his musical heroes in 2017. The recording, Recurring Dream, featured the saxophonist/clarinetist/composer alongside two legends of jazz and creative music (also his mentors and friends), pianist Art Lande and electric bassist Steve Swallow. Both Lande and Swallow are well known for their compositional expertise, so McGinnis made sure to include original compositions from them both. 

The three musicians also have a penchant for thoughtful and eclectic approaches toward improvisation. McGinnis wanted to capture the both sides of this trio, the formal compositional and the more free, but equally focused, improvisational identities. The trio’s new recording Singular Awakening was culled from the same session as the original recording but features eight brilliant improvised pieces bookended by compositions written by either Lande or Swallow. 

McGinnis’s own musical aspirations began within the jazz tradition; he then moved on to classical saxophone, which led him toward more experimental music. In graduate school, he was introduced to the remarkable music of the Third Stream of the 1950s and 1960s, which blended classical and jazz repertoire. From there, the connections were made with two other musicians of similar temperament who helped McGinnis bridge that divide in his own music, namely, Lande and Swallow. McGinnis was able to get the former collaborators together for a weekend of performing and recording in Brooklyn in 2016. 

Each musician in the trio has a wide breadth of musical interests and knowledge. Their strengths in a variety of genres also have enabled them to make music that goes beyond category. Lande has long provided an ethos of openness and willingness to play anything that McGinnis has witnessed from the pianist and his protégés. Swallow’s career has spanned from the Benny Goodman Orchestra to the avant-garde to fusion via many paths. The range and rapport of the trio is a function of their histories together and apart. 

Going into the session, McGinnis knew that he wanted to begin with some improvisations to get the creative juices flowing. He decided to roll tape through the entire process, which included the free playing to test the room and the eschewing of monitor headphones. Because of each musician’s talent at compositional development, the improvisations took form in a way that many listeners probably wouldn’t be able to tell if the tracks were composed or not. 

The aim was to let each musician play whatever he wanted and the rest would try to make something of it, a freeing process that allows for extreme reaches of creativity and problem solving. The music that came out was inspired and highly listenable, highlighting the purest element of the trio’s identity: creativity. The group played as if they were of one mind and many pieces came out as if they were written. 

The recording begins with a couple of composed pieces from Swallow and Lande to get the program off and running. Swallow’s “Here Comes Everybody” is a compact, jazzy piece that is fun and challenging to play, while Lande’s “Shining Lights” is a ruminating, folk-like piece that moves through sections and is dedicated to his students. 

The eight improvisations each have their own personality and style, showing the vastness of the collective’s comfort level regardless of genre or character. “Insist on Something Sometimes” is a laid back piano led dialog. The quietly introspective “A First Memory” shows incredible restraint, while the slightly more insistent “Mini’s Can-Do Club” highlights a special low-key swagger. “PolterGinnis” has the trio at their most esoteric and captivating. 

“O’Flaherty Decides to Play Jazz” has a slightly Celtic clarion clarinet and a winding rhythm section. Led by a pressing bass line, clarinet and piano weave around each other on the bluesy “Beau Nivea.” The appropriately named “Shockinawe” showcases the far ranges of McGinnis’s soprano saxophone and a pointillistic development. The singing tones of Swallow’s bass and floating piano are dramatic in their simplicity on “Slow Dance in a Whisper.” 

The program concludes with two more composed pieces. Lande’s lovely “For Elise” is an elegy to a friend’s stillborn baby, which is composed of three counterpoint parts working off each other until they extinguish. Throwing down the gauntlet, Swallow’s tricky “Bite Your Grandmother” closes with a bang. 

Mike McGinnis knew that he was putting something special together when he convened this trio with Art Lande and Steve Swallow. On their Singular Awakening, the trio shows their incredible capacity for fascinating, conversational group improvisation.

Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, Bobby Previte with Iggy Pop - Loneliness Road (RareNoise Records 2017)

Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte first joined together in 2012, producing “The New Standard” (also on RareNoise), an album of first takes with ‘classic’ songwriting and jazz trio roots. On “Loneliness Road” they return for another disc’s worth plus a little extra: vocals by Iggy Pop on three of the tracks.

Now, however well-established and respected RareNoise is – and it is – this is undoubtedly going to result in a new level of media attention, all under the banner of ‘Iggy Sings Jazz’ but… beyond the surface novelty, does it work?

Yes. Oh yes.

For a start, the combination of vocal and instrumental tracks is well-balanced. If Iggy had featured on all of them, it would likely have been too much, losing the precious rarity value of the half-sung words (that said, I could have enjoyed one or two extra songs… who was it said, always leave ‘em wanting more?) As it is, attention alternates between his naked and well-worn voice and Saft, Swallow & Previte’s effortless invocations of time past through a present lens.

On the three vocal tracks – Everyday, Don’t Lose Yourself, and Loneliness Road – Iggy Pop’s voice is heard probably more up close and personal than ever before. You can hear the breath vibrating in his throat in these simple, evocative songs of love, loss and strength with lyrics that are sentimental but not sugary; a sparse, stripped-back charm.

Yet lest the vocalist pull all the focus… the music (either with words or without) is exquisite, unhampered by cliché, timeless with a myriad of fresh and uncluttered detail. There’s no sentimental nostalgia or re-hashed forms here, just new compositions that draw on a deep well. Take Henbane as an exemplar. From a mellow start, Saft’s piano tickles you into the tune, spells out the melody, and then soars with dramatic sweep. Listen beyond the keys and Swallow and Previte lay down a marvellous locked-but-loose rhythm, with a short, bubbling solo from Swallow. Henbane is not unusual.  

And don’t forget, like the first disc, “Loneliness Road” is all first takes, from all four musicians.

New Standard is no misnomer – instantly ‘familiar’ piano trio jazz tunes with a rolling fluidity; each threatening to embed themselves in the wrong drawer of your memory; the illusion of long existence.

Late night introspective fare, with more than a few surprises, pour yourself a glass of good red or a smoky malt and let it carry you away.

Ten Nights

Little Harbor

Bookmaking

Don't Lose Yourself

Henbane; Pinkus

The Barrier

Nainsook

Loneliness Road

Unclouded Moon

Gates

Everyday

Jamie Saft: piano

Steve Swallow: bass

Bobby Previte: drums

Iggy Pop: vocals (4, 9, 12)

John Scofield - Country For Old Men (2016) IMPULSE!

Country for Old Men is released on 23rd September

LONDON JAZZ NEWS

The clue is in the title: Country For Old Men is John Scofield's take on country music. He may have tackled pieces of the genre before, but this is his first album dedicated to country. 

Whilst he may be paying homage to some of his influences, he is by no means in thrall to them. Some of the tunes he takes pretty straight - such as the opener, George Jones' Mr Fool - others are country through a jazz prism, and the jazz wins through.

The result can be slightly disconcerting, though not unpleasantly. With Steve Swallow on bass, Larry Goldings (organ and piano) and his regular drummer Bill Stewart, Sco makes the tunes his own. So whilst the opening chorus of Dolly Parton's Jolene might make one hesitate, the quartet settle down into an upbeat waltz, Goldings taking a fine piano solo which grows and grows before its resolution. 

Goldings' atmospheric organ on Bartenders' Blues emphasises the tune's gospel roots. His piano playing helps bring out the blues on the traditional Wayfaring Stranger. On both these Scofield plays the theme with a typical country "twang", reverting to his more usual sound for the solos. 

Elsewhere, the tunes sound pure jazz. Hank Williams' I'm So Lonely I Could Cry is barely recognisable: taken at a cracking pace, Swallow's walking bass and Stewart's energetic, swinging drumming pushing the tune along. 

Jazz has long appropriated other genres' material and made them its own. Most jazz standards were old show tunes; Coltrane took My Favourite Things and recast it to his needs. Hearing Scofield do the same for country is both enjoyable and illuminating.

01. Mr. Fool

02. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

03. Bartender Blues

04. Wildwood Flower

05. Wayfaring Stranger

06. Mama Tried

07. Jolene

08. Faded Love

09. Just a Girl I Used to Know

10. Red River Valley

11. You're Still the One

12. I'm an Old Cowhand

John Scofield: guitar, ukulele (12)

Steve Swallow: bass

Larry Goldings: piano (1, 5-6); Hammond organ (2-4, 7-11)

Bill Stewart: drums

Dave Liebman, Steve Swallow, Adam Nussbaum - We 3 (Live) 2016

Although this program is very much played by a trio whose members are of equal importance, Dave Liebman is the first among equals, being the lead voice much of the time. The music is often respectful and more conservative than expected, performed mostly at a quiet volume and with subtle interplay. Only the closing "BTU" gets especially heated and, even there, Liebman's tone is fairly mellow. Liebman (heard on tenor, soprano, and flute), bassist Steve Swallow, and drummer Adam Nussbaum had played together previously in many different settings and their familiarity with each other's improvising styles is apparent for they communicate very well, making even the more spontaneous performances sound a little planned out and logical. This intriguing set is worth several listens.

01. Up Too Late (Live) 10:47

02. Viscous Consistency (Live) 10:10

03. What Time Is It (Live) 8:08

04. Cycling (Live) 13:14

05. Bend over Backwards (Live) 10:18

06. Get out of Town (Live) 8:36

07. Tommy's Hut (Live) 7:43

08. Viscous Consistency No. 2 (Live) 8:35

09. Sure Would Baby (Live) 6:32

10. Bend over Backwards No. 2 (Live) 11:10

Dave Liebman, tenor, soprano sax and flute

Steve Swallow, bass

Adam Nussbaum, drums

Carla Bley Andy Sheppard Steve Swallow - Andando El Tiempo (2016)

Label:

Source: Allaboutjazz - Karl Ackermann

 Genre: Modern Creative Jazz

GAB's Rating: ★★★★★

There are few figures in modern music that are truly more iconic than Carla Bley. Her list of accomplishments are impossible to chronicle in this limited space, but suffice to say that her influence traverses genres, styles and generations, in a way that perhaps no other artist has approached. Her early crowning jewel—the jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill (JCOA Records, 1971)—featured a who's-who of music including Jack Bruce, Linda Ronstadt, Don Cherry, Don Preston, Charlie Haden, Michael Mantler, Karen Mantler, Roswell Rudd, Gato Barbieri, Karl Berger, Leroy Jenkins, John McLaughlin, Paul Motian and Enrico Rava. Though it was clearly a joint effort, it helped establish Bley as a creative force to be reckoned with and she has never looked back.

Bley, once the spouse of the late Paul Bley, has had her compositions recorded by an equally impressive list of artists including her former husband. Phil Woods, Jaco Pastorius, Arturo O'Farrill, Eberhard Weber, Jan Garbarek, George Russell, Jimmy Guiffre and Tony Williams just scratch the surface of those who've recorded Bley compositions. Bley and Charlie Haden broke new ground with the Liberation Music Orchestra who recorded four unusually provocative albums from 1969 through 2005. From their self-titled debut, the group featured politically-charged music including pieces inspired by Che Guevara and the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The final LMO album, Not In Our Name (Verve, 2005) was a direct anti-war response to U.S. policies in the Middle East.

With almost two-dozen recordings as a leader and more dozens as a collaborator, Bley has taken on almost every conceivable formation, even tackling a couple of vocals on her I Hate to Sing (WATT, 1984) while playing a keyboard assortment of organ, glockenspiel and piano. Always considered a stellar band leader, Bley's skills as a pianist were often underrated and her preference for larger ensembles hasn't shone a spotlight on her solo work. Still her WATT/ECM duo albums with Steve Swallow, Duets (1988), Go Together (1993) and Are We There Yet? (1999), displayed a gifted—if less than flamboyant—pianist. Those more intimate setting tend to be the exceptions for Bley, but with her ECM debut Trios (2013) and now, with Andando el Tiempo we are again treated to her more personal and familiar approach as she reunites with Swallow and saxophonist Andy Sheppard.

The melodic, but curiously off-kilter, "Sin Fin" features the gentle serpentine web of Sheppard's tenor working around Bley's understated melody. Swallow supplies a beautiful solo on the mesmerizing "Potación De Guaya" where Sheppard seems to float in and out of the body of the piece. The bassist provides a supple lead on the Latin flavored "Camino Al Volver"; Sheppard and Bley coming along later to fill in with light but sophisticated content. "Saints Alive!"—despite the excitable title—is a low key work with the soprano and bass dialog being prominent. "Naked Bridges/Diving Brides," written for Sheppard's wedding, is influenced by German composer Felix Mendelssohn and poet Paul Haines (of Escalator... fame). This, the closing piece of the five lengthy compositions, has strong impressionistic qualities that are both ceremonial and idyllic.

Because Bley works under so many different musical umbrellas, it's difficult (and perhaps, meaningless) to generate some hierarchy of quality in individual projects. But as the release of Andando el Tiempo coincides with her eightieth birthday, it seems appropriate to place the recording in the scheme of Bley's long and impressive career. To that end, the collection is as fine a small-group recording as Bley has produced in her career. While she has mastered all characteristics of musical narrative, here she has minimized the levity and occasional excesses in favor of warmth and class. It is a beautiful album. 

Sin Fin
Potación De Guaya
Camino Al Volver
Saints Alive!
Naked Bridges / Diving Brides

Carla Bley: piano
Andy Sheppard: tenor/soprano saxophones
Steve Swallow: bass 

BUY IT @

 

 

Steve Kuhn Trio - At This Time (2016)

Source & Label: Sunnyside Records

Any chance that one has to hear a master musician in his or her preferred setting is a gift. For all the one-offs and ensemble by committee type of gigs that spring up, it is the reunion with familiar collaborators for a stint of a few nights that really becomes integral for the best performances.

On his new recording, At This Time, pianist Steve Kuhn found himself just in the right time and place to record a trio record that feels timeless and truly inspired. The ensemble, which features legendary bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Joey Baron, was happy to find itself in an extended engagement at Birdland Jazz Club in New York in September 2015 and found time to get into the recording studio before heading to Europe on tour.

Of course, Kuhn has been one of jazz’s foremost pianists for over half a century. He has been fortunate to accompany some of the most important voices of his generation, including John Coltrane, Sheila Jordan and Kenny Dorham, but it is his work in the trio setting that has been where he has made his name.

Kuhn’s current trio features a contemporary, and an important innovator of a later generation. Steve Swallow has been at the forefront of contemporary music for decades. Whether performing alongside Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Bley or Carla Bley, Swallow has been one of the most important figures on both the acoustic and electric bass. Though twenty years younger than Kuhn and Swallow, drummer Joey Baron has cemented himself as one of the most well rounded musicians, at home in the most classic of jazz ensembles and in the most raucous of the avant-garde.

The material for the recording came from the recent set lists from Birdland. The songs comprise a good mix of standards and a couple of Kuhn penned originals.

The recording begins with an exuberant rendition of the Arlen and Mercer classic “My Shining Hour,” which is followed by Al Cohn’s “Ah Moore,” tastefully done by the trio. Quincy Jones’s “The Pawnbroker” is a perfect example of nuance in performance, as is Kuhn’s “All The Rest Is The Same,” which also accelerates in a mid tempo Latin bounce. The pianist’s “The Feeling Within” is a rich and brilliant solo piece.

The trio’s take on Duncan Lamont’s “Carousel” is leisurely paced and has a great solo feature for Swallow. Bernstein’s “Lonely Town” is subtle yet poignant, while the Weill chestnut “This Is New” is an upbeat swinger. The program closes with Gil Fuller’s “I Waited For You,” a lush and mellow ballad performed with great beauty.

Fortunately for the jazz world, Steve Kuhn and his fantastic assemblage found the time to record At This Time, a testament to the importance of dynamics within an ensemble and tasteful performance.

01．My Shining Hour   6:28
02．Ah Moore   9:19
03．The Pawnbroker   6:10
04．All The Rest Is The Same   7:33
05．The Feeling Within   5:47
06．Carousel   5:51
07．Lonely Town   5:46
08．This Is New   5:44
09．I Waited For You   6:07

STEVE KUHN (p)
 STEVE SWALLOW (b)
 JOEY BARON (ds)

BUY THIS ALBUM 

 

Fulvio Sigurtà - The Oldest Living Thing (2015)

Back from the intriguing experience of “SPL” (in trio with Andrea Lombardini on bass guitar and Alessandro Paternesi on drums), a modern record with surprising turns, Fulvio Sigurtà is back with a more classically jazz album. Supported by Steve Swallow’s stunning bass guitar and Federico Casagrande’s refined acoustic guitar, Sigurtà’s trumpet and flugelhorn weave soft, enchanting melodies. You may let yourself be lulled by the first song and title track on this album, written by the band leader, and Casagrande’s “Sorrows And Joys Of A Lamb”. The two regularly alternate as writers of the nine original tracks on “The Oldest Living Thing”, composed by one or the other in more or less equal measure. The only virtual guest here is Ennio Morricone, who is involved thanks to an appealing reinterpretation of the theme from “Nuovo Cinema Paradiso”.  Sigurtà and his fellow travelers have looked for (and actually found) dazzling melodies throughout this fifty-minute long recording.

From a musical idea unfold outstanding plots by the three instruments, with horns and guitar that often alternate with one another in leading the dance and Swallow’s bass that supports it all with valuable skill and excellent taste, watching the scene from behind the lines and emerging here and there with sophisticated virtuosities and a voice always utterly recognizable. Although the temperament and uniqueness of the sound of the powerful bass player from New Jersey is no surprise, one can rightly be a little amazed by the continuous growth of Sigurtà and Casagrande: the former has mastered a variety of timbres that would make many players envious (the intro to “Sunday Snow Flakes” is a case in point), while the latter invents sounds and harmonies that perfectly combine with the band leader’s ideas (“Travel Back”). This steadily evolving leader showed four completely different sides of his musical personality in his past four albums on CAM JAZZ: one of the talents among the new generation of Italian jazzmen who is worthy of being listened to most attentively.

Fulvio Sigurtà (Trumpet, Flugelhorn)

Steve Swallow (Electric Bass)

Federico Casagrande (Acoustic Guitar)

The Oldest Living Thing

Sorrows And Joys Of A Lamb

Helichrysum

Marmotte

Sunday Snow Flakes

Travel Back

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

The Olive Tree Of Noah

Loft

The Oldest Living Thing (Duo)

BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

JAVI