2023-09-25 12:31:00
Almost four years following the release of the debut “Aliens On Board” the Austrian jazz bassist BEATE WIESINGER (including Duo 4675, Luchs, Kammerer OrKöster) released last summer with their band project ECHO BOOMER released their new album “Timeless Warrior” (JazzWerkstatt Wien). As on the debut album, the native Upper Austrian and her top-class band celebrate musical openness in all its facets in a truly gripping way. In an interview with Michael Ternai, BEATE WIESINGER talks regarding the basic idea behind her project ECHO BOOMER, her great passion for research and the important role that her fellow musicians play in the creation of the pieces.
ECHO BOOMER is In many ways musically it’s a little different than what you usually do. How can the basic idea of ECHO BOOMER describe?
Beate Wiesinger: The basic idea of ECHO BOOMER is that all things that somehow captivate and touch me are allowed. There are different paths you can take when writing music. One way is to focus on a specific style and delve deeply into it. Another would be – and that’s the one ECHO BOOMER practiced – that you don’t limit yourself to a single style, but use elements from a wide variety of directions and try to combine them with each other. And in a way that they wouldn’t have been connected before.
The music of ECHO BOOMER It’s hard to attach a stylistic label. The sound is made up of elements from many genres. How do you create a piece?
Beate Wiesinger: For me, on the one hand, I’m always looking for melodies and motifs that are – at least for me personally – catchy and offer a certain point of reference. On the other hand, I am particularly interested in the rhythmic theme. For me it usually starts with a basic riff or idea, from which I develop all sorts of variations. And then I stick with the variant that particularly captivates me.
The nice thing regarding the album is that – no matter how different the individual songs may be – everything sounds as if it were made from a single piece. You don’t suddenly feel like every song is on a different album.
Beate Wiesinger: I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I thought very carefully regarding who I wanted to implement the project with. Of course you have your own style when it comes to how you write songs, but what the others in the band contribute is just as important. You have just as big a share in it.
Can you say that ECHO BOOMER is a kind of musical playground for others too?
Beate Wiesinger: The goal of ECHO BOOMER is that it invites musicians to express themselves with the knowledge that they are irreplaceable. I believe that, just like in relationships, you need to feel like you are a unit and doing things together. Of course there are stumbling blocks here and there. But the feeling that you belong together should be the driving force. And I very much hope that those who take part also perceive it that way.
„For me it is therefore also very important to allow things to develop in alternative ways.”
The people in your band all bring very different styles and approaches. Even if you leave a lot open, how do you prevent it from becoming too much?
Beate Wiesinger: That is indeed the challenge. Finding this balance is sometimes not so easy. I believe that some direction and guidance is necessary, but it is equally important to give people space to develop within ideas, to take the whole thing in a direction that you may not have seen before. For me it is therefore also very important to allow things to develop in alternative ways. This often leads to surprising moments.
Does that mean that when you’re writing the pieces you can never actually say in which direction they will ultimately develop?
Beate Wiesinger: On this album I even left a lot open on half of the tracks – probably to the chagrin of our producer David Furrer. This way of working was probably already at the limit [lacht]. For example, in one piece there was initially only a basic fragment. I simply let the others improvise. Then I tried to put something together from what was there. Of course, with such an approach you also run the risk of thinking: “Oh God, this is going in a really terrible direction.” On the other hand, this is precisely how you come up with many other ideas and can also make the musicians’ personal style more visible. And sometimes it just takes a process like this to get to the essence of a piece. But of course there were also pieces whose idea was more concrete.
What are your main sources of inspiration when writing the pieces?
Beate Wiesinger: That’s a good question. This can be very different. At the moment I have a bit of a feeling that I need external stimuli once more to bring something out. But then there are times when I don’t need them at all. Of course, something can arise from a feeling like sadness, for example. For me, however, it is often either an interest in specific musical things, such as processing a certain rhythm, or dealing with certain sounds that give me ideas. It’s rare that emotional processes inspire me to write; it’s more the desire to research.
ECHO BOOMER is definitely your poppiest project.
Beate Wiesinger: In any case. At ECHO BOOMER Anything can happen. This openness is very important to me. If you study jazz, as I did, it can happen that you get stuck in the perception of jazz. However, my own roots don’t actually lie that much in jazz. During my childhood and youth, pop music was always a big part of me, as was improvisation. I see improvisation as the opportunity to look at things from different perspectives. For example, a pop piece doesn’t always have to follow the same pattern; you can also break through the shape of such a thing and dismantle it. It really fascinates me that things don’t always have to be set in stone.
You are active in various band projects. But I assume that ECHO BOOMER is your heart project.
Beate Wiesinger: In my dream world I would wish that ECHO BOOMER is really my only project and I can invest all my time into it. I hope I can get there someday. However, the current structural conditions under which we musicians work are completely contrary to this. Each of us has several projects running at the same time, which of course requires very precise planning. This also leaves less time to really devote yourself creatively to a single project. In the long term, I find this situation to be extremely counterproductive. So one of my most important realizations with this album was how I actually want to work in the future. The project was created during the Corona pandemic and there were repeated interruptions because we mightn’t record together and everyone had already planned out their coming year. For me, the important question is how I want to implement my ideas in the future and in what form of work. Actually, the processes that arise are the beauty of it. The outcome is cool too, but I’m just as interested in it as the process itself.
Thank you very much for the interview!
Michael Ternai
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ECHO BOOMER
Alois Eberl: trombone
Astrid Wiesinger: reeds
Beate Wiesinger: basses, voice & composition
Clemens Sainitzer: cello
Florian Sighartner: violin, flute
Philipp Jagschitz: e-piano, synths
Michal Wierzgon: drums
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Links:
Beate Wiesinger
Echoboomer
Echoboomer (Facebook)
Echoboomer (Instagram)
Jazzwerkstatt Records
1695746602
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