Many wonderful things to experience
Laia Genc is
definitely a lifeaholic, like the
title of the closing track of her latest album with her band LiaisonTonique
entitled Talisman (2013, WismART),
but mainly she’s a magnificent composer and piano performer. She lives and
works in the rich Cologne music scene and plays all around the world with her own
projects as well as a side performer. Laia graduated her studies in jazzpiano
at the conservatory in Cologne/Germany. During her studies Laia lived in Paris
for one year and studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et
de Danse de Paris. Her talent has been recognized by many European solo pianist
prices and also jazz ensemble prices along with her project LiaisonTonique with Markus Braun on Bass and Etienne Nillesen on Drums, which
is the heart of her work since 2005 having recorded and released three albums: Strandgut (2008, JazzHausMusik), Polyfangastronosia
(2009, JazzHausMusik), this one under the name of Laia Genc LiaisonTonique 5,
and finally the latest and already mentioned Talisman. The career of Laia Genc has many other ways and the proof
is the recently released FOCUS (2014,
konnex) under the name Duo Mattner / Genc along with the German tenor-soprano
saxophonist, composer and arranger Stephan Mattner. As she says, she is “always
interested in combining ideas, combining different styles of music and to grow
them into something special”.
Why a LiaisonTonique?
For me this name indicates a "strengthening
relation". Back when I founded my trio, I called it „Laia Genc Trio“. Very
simple. I have a for me very important mentor. Honestly I don´t know where I
would be now artisticly, if I never met him: Georg Ruby. He also released my
first CD on the local Cologne label „Jazz Haus Musik“. And before we finished it
and got it out to the world he said: „Hey, think about a more poetic name for
your band!“ And so I was thinking, wanting something with an L in the
beginning, I was living in Paris at that time, and here we still are now: With
LiaisonTonique. For me it means that this is the one band I express my musical
visions with. In this constellation it´s the most powerful the most authentic
me.
And what’s
your talisman?
The new album is my and the band´s TALISMAN.
The LiaisonTonique is my talisman.
Where does
your love for music come from?
I have no idea, it´s just have always been
there. This passion, enthusiasm, this great love. I was always fascinated with
music. I could always feel that urge to experience as much as possible about music.
As a kid I had this one tape and there was this John Miles song: „Music was my
first love“. I could not speak english back then, but I tried to sing along this
song every time I played it and it still moves me every time I hear it.
And why did
you choose jazz music?
As a possibility to create a very personal
language. My second piano teacher Gernot Reetz got me in touch with jazz music
when I was searching, gave me recordings to listen to. From the very beginning
when I first got in touch with this art form, I am so fascinated how everyone in
this field developes his / her very own way of expressing his musical visions. I
just love the interplay in between rules, tradition, very complex structures,
the constant research and the freedom of contributing your own sight of things.
Your first
album with the trio was Trilogien released
in 2005. How do you see your artistic evolution since then?
Oh well, I was part of a lot of projects, I
collected a lot of musical and otherwise important experiences. I sharpened my
understanding of what I think I might really be. I sharpened my „tools“. I feel
now that I have more understanding of where I want to go, though this process
will never end. I learned so many things since then, I still do. I feel that
with my latest album „TALISMAN“ I again came closer to a sound, that I was
searching for so long. Maybe this question is better answered by someone with
an objective view...
Your
repertoire focuses mainly in your own compositions. What are your main musical
references?
I try to stay open minded and eared - so I have
many influences! Originally I was very much influenced by the work of the great
Bill Evans. His recording „You Must Believe in Spring“ was my first very favourite
record. I think this Michel Legrand song is a very important talisman for me.
...Here is an insider information: My second name is Bahar, meaning spring.
Then Keith Jarrett, I just adore his playing, John Taylor was my professor in
Cologne and is a huge source of inspiration. Wow, there are SO MANY, a countless
number of artists that I keep on exploring every day. I am still amazed how the
world sounds now, sounded back then. I could do a long list of names that have
and had impact on me. But the three I mentioned were maybe the most important
keys to get me going. Apart from that, we all stand on the shoulders of giants
as we know.
I guess the
title of the debut album was because the band is a trio. What’s the role of the
band on the composition process?
Exactly yes. The role of the band: It´s my
instrument. I write down my ideas, but only during the work we do together the compositions
finally become what they are. A lot of details come when we rehearse together. I
still find out during rehearsing, how I exactly can play the tunes. So, the
themes, the compositions are there, I made them up, I think about where I want
solo spaces, what kind of solos, I think of atmospheres I want to create. But
then everyone has to feel comfortable with the music. So it´s a natural
process. It´s maybe comparable to a made to measure suite: It´s clear what sort
of suite I want, but bringing it perfectly in shape is only possible with the
individual measures. If you change one of the players, the band sounds
different. It´s always astonishing.
Where’s the
space for improvisation: only in the creative process or even in the recording
sessions?
There is always a lot of space for
improvisation, every time we play our program it will sound a bit different.
That´s the fun about it. Would we record the CD now anew, it would sound
different. I try to work very flexible. We play our repertoire, but the way it
evolves can be very diverse. I have a stock of compositions by now for the
band. When we play, I try to follow the energetic line that the situation offers
us. A concert is always a happening as well, a performance. Some experience you
share with everyone else in that particular situation. I see a recording a bit
different though: It should work as well at home. When people choose to put it
on. When there is only the recording, no concert situation. At home, the CD is
more like an extract of our music, condensed to its core. Still, when we
recorded it, there really was space for the unknown. It always is an undertaking
to make a new recording, until it´s finally done, you don´t know how exactly
it´s gonna be, I mean it´s final character.
In 2006 you
released the duo album Handle with care along
with Annette Maye. The name Pyroman duo is because you think creativity is like
fire?
I think creativity can have a thousand faces,
an endless number of ways to get there. For me it´s true: I often feel my energy
like a fire, a vulcan inside. The name Pyroman Duo came up also for another
reason: There is a scale called Roman Caz in Turkish music. There are also
tunes called Roman Caz. As we were also referring to mediterranean music in
that project, we thought this name was fitting to us, involving a part of that
aspect in the name „Py-roman“. Annette Maye already had worked with wonderful
Turkish musicians and kind of introduced me to this world back then. Together
as players we were a very powerful setting, full of fire as well.
The second
album of the trio was titled Strandgut, like
the closing piece. Where did the inspiration come from?
”Strandgut“ is a particular German word for all
the things, „the goods“ you can find on the sea shore, all the things the ocean
would bring to the sands we walk. I asked English native speakers and there is
a term like flotsom & jetsom, I hope I remember it right. Our German word
though is also to be understood metaphorical. Like things that come up to your
sight, the ocean of your life is washing up certain things, beloved people, situations
to your life. It´s all there, right in front of you, you just have to see it, realize
it, recognize the beauty of it. And actually I love the sea very much, I just
love to be at the sea front, watch it, listen to it, walk the sands, so to me
it means both: The concrete walk at the sea side and the metaphorical one.
In the
album Polyfangastronosia the band
became a quintet.
Well, yes. I decided to call every project of
mine as a bandleader „LiaisonTonique“ - not to confuse people to much ... That
part didn´t work out too well. And in the beginning it was my original trio
plus two great musicians from France: Daniel Casimir and Alban Darche. In the
end my original bass player went to NY and I was very happy that Sébastian Boisseau
accepted and got on board. I still love the work we did then together, I
consider this album to be very felicitous and I am still so proud these guys
worked with me!
How do you
see the jazz scene right now?
Ouh, what a big question! I don´t know, if I
can answer this. What I know is, that there are so many really great things
going on, so many great musicians, all over the world, that are involved and /
or related to this music. More than ever before I would say. Bringing the music
further. „The Jazz scene“ is a difficult term anyways. Jazz has become a huge
field of so many stiles, voices, visions. What I can see is many many brave
musicians, all so capable of what they do, it´s a pure joy to follow, there is
so much going on, that you cannot follow everything. It might be comparable to
the world of fashion. There is hardly any longer such a thing as a style that
you choose in order to express a certain membership. You can mix, the 50ths with
the 80ths, punks, hippies. It´s more about your personal way to handle all
these informations. So maybe my answer is: The Jazz Scene is open, as the other
genres are. Good music is good music is... Go find out!
Are you a Lifeaholic?
I hope so! I try to be. We all know that the balance
of what we do is the important part. I am balancing, at times successful, at
times struggling, everybody knows that feeling I guess.
Could you
tell us a dream?
This may sound idealistic, rare and a bit far
from reality, but: My dream clearly is paradise on earth. Peace, happiness,
healthyness for every single being. I strongly believe and dream on that it is
possible. That there is a place for everyone. Our mothership earth offers us so
much beauty, there are so many wonderful things here to experience in our
lifetimes. Why not focus and work on this as the main subject?
Laia Genc | Videos here
An interview by Juan Carlos Romero
Laia Genc website www.laiagenc.com
Photo courtesy of Laia Genc
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