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For this collection, I have gathered pieces from our November 2024 tour of Mexico. Tworecent compositions, written after the tour but inspired by that journey, complete the
selection of songs on this album. Art is an expression of human feeling, thought, and
action, that emerges through a process guided by the heart. What ultimately becomes
perceptible to the listener takes shape in the act of creation itself, during which the
individual artist is continually making decisions. The human struggle to give form to
what we experience and feel—and to communicate through this work—is a fundamental
need within us. The search for artistic expression can therefore be understood as an
attempt to transform through the creative act what has been experienced, felt, and
reflected upon. In this transformation, empathy plays a central role.
With Transformation, I present four “composed interpretations,” whose point of
departure is songs from the Great American Songbook. Many of these remarkable
songs—drawn from nearly a century of musical history—have grown very dear to me
through years of engagement with them. It has long been my wish to honor selected
works from this repertoire and to pay tribute to their significance in my own way.
One of the pieces in this collection is a composition by the young pianist and composer
Anna Maurer, which I first encountered through my work with the Upper Austrian Jazz
Orchestra.
Completing the album are three of my own original compositions. I would like to thank
my musical companions for the valuable time we spent preparing this project, as well
as for the two days we spent together recording in the studio. As a collective, the
ensemble succeeds in presenting even complex musical ideas with clarity and
transparency, filled with personal inspiration and the commitment of each individual
musician.
Lineup:
Manfred Paul Weinberger - trumpet, flugelhorn
Christian Maurer - soprano saxophone
Andreas Lachberger - tenor saxophone
Jürgen Haider - baritone saxophone
Peter Nickel - trombone
Kurt Erlmoser - guitar
Helmar Hill - piano
Christian Wendt - double bass
Ewald Zach - drums
