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Musicians: Stephan-Max Wirth ts,voc, Martin Speight p, Konstantin Wienstroer b, Christoph Hillmann dr
Recording date: 4.-6.: September 1998
Recording place: Topaz Studio, Köln
Jazz and Chanson - two styles which have a lot in common although they are handled very different by the cultural scene and the retailers. Chanson means feeling, soul and heart, melancholy, expressiveness, demand, satire and scorn - all which also belong to the basic character of jazz. So it is an exciting challenge to pick up this theme. For his new project tenor sax player, composer, and arranger Stephan-Max Wirth has taken on this idea und solved this difficult exercise in an absolutely artistically way. To emphasize the jazzy elements of the chanson art Stephan-Max Wirth started the idea of „Jazzchanson - 20th Century Suite“, which demonstrates the spiritual association of these both styles and adds some new individual subleties. With inventive skills he presents well-known songs and melodies in totally new interpretations. Tunes like „Koffer in Berlin“, „Non, je ne regrette rien“ or Jacques Brel’s „Ne me quitte pas“ sounds in new light and colours. It’s a repertoire which takes up an important role in European music history and which seemed to be untouchable for a very long time. But this was no hurdle for Stephan-Max Wirth - it was spurring him!
To give this project the right musical setting, Stephan-Max Wirth formed a top class rhythm section. Pianist Martin Speight is a long-standing friend and musical partner of the leader. He already was an important part of the first three recordings of Wirth. His soft sound and excellent solo playing are once again indispensable for this new project. On the last album „MYTHOS“ (Bos. Rec. 19.5/SUNNY MOON) drummer Christoph Hilling joined the quartet for the first time. He studied together with Wirth at the University of Arnhem/Netherlands and won a lot of european jazz awards. He played with well-known giants of the european jazz scene like Eric Vloeimans, Nils Wolgram, Peter Weniger and many more. He is an old hand on the jazz stages. Bass player Konstantin Wienstroer is a new element in the Stephan-Max Wirth Quartet. He studied in Germany with giants like Ziroli Winterstein and got a lot of experience on stage and in the studio. His unobtrusive and sensitive play give the swinging and relaxing foundation to the ten pieces of „Jazzchanson“.
The opener „Koffer in Berlin“ and the great Piaf-classic „Non, je ne regrette rien“ are the introduction to this versatile suite which shows a lot of variety. There is the dreamy ballad „Seidendunft“, bluesy and very cool sounds the old hit „Honey, wenn du Geburtstag hast“, mysteriously interpreted is the famous „Parole, Parole“, speedy and very rhythmical are the original „Sans chat“ and the Hollaender-inspiredtitle „Lola“, and Charles Aznavour can be proud of Wirth’s interpretation of his warm-hearted „Vivre avec toi“ with a very special bass solo. „Jazzchanson - 20th Century Suite“ is the right follow-up to „MYTHOS“, the last recording of the Stephan-Max Wirth Quartet which was highly acclaimed by the German critics. While the concept for the former album was the new interpretation of German evergreens of the 20’s an 30’s, the new project is more risky, fantastic and with more indiviual character. „Jazzchanson“ is not only a trademark of the virtuos artist Stephan-Max Wirth but an intimate homage of two border-crossing cultures in his own personal language: the music!
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