So far, the Viennese jazz pianist MARTIN LISTABARTH has appeared with two highly acclaimed solo albums. With “Postcard” (Listabarth Records; VÖ: 2.6.) he is now releasing his first with a band line-up. Together with his longtime musical companions GIDI KALCHHAUSER (double bass) and ALEX RIEPL (drums), LISTABARTH embarks on a wonderfully atmospheric musical journey of discovery and in his pieces visits places that have impressed and inspired him in the long term. In an interview with Michael Ternai, MARTIN LISTABARTH talked about the concept behind the album, the difference between solo and trio, and what music outside of jazz inspires him.
After two solo albums, “Postcards” is your first album in trio formation. And like on your previous releases, you gave this album a theme. Whereas on your last album it was personalities whom you value for various reasons that inspired you to make music, now it’s postcards from different places. In your pieces you visit, among other things, a metro station in Madrid, midnight Istanbul or a cemetery in Paris. Are these places you’ve actually been to?
Martin Listabarth: That is very different. There are places that I’ve actually visited that inspired me so much that I really wanted to write plays about them. But there are also pieces about places that have fascinated me for a long time, but to which I have only traveled in my head so far. Books, maps and also the stories of others who have already traveled to these places have inspired me to do this.
“Postcard” is also your first album with a trio line-up. Your previous two releases were solo albums. How different was it for you to record with a band for the first time?
Martin Listabarth: I have been playing together with my two colleagues Gidi Kalchhauser and Alex Riepl for many years. I just felt that now was really the time for me to write pieces explicitly just for this trio. The biggest difference to the previous albums was that I had to think a lot more things than usual in the composition process. The other instruments, the personalities of my fellow musicians, what my two colleagues could do well, where our common strengths lie and how we can best bring them to bear together. At the same time, it was also about developing everything further together. It’s not like I come with finished pieces. These are rather rough concepts that we then develop and refine together. I simply find this type of cooperation very enriching.
That means you see the trio as a community project and not just as a project of yours.
Martin Listabarth: It’s certainly not like I’m the main actor and the others just accompany me. Everything is very balanced for us. It’s also important to me that the others contribute ideas and stand behind the pieces musically just as much as I do.
If you listen to the pieces, you realize that the three of you have been playing together for a long time.
Martin Listabarth: These pictures really help a lot. They guide and are the inspiration for the compositions. That’s also what I pay most attention to when we’re in the studio and I’m listening to the recordings of the different takes we’ve done. I then always look for the takes that best convey the mood I want to have. And there, in the rarest of cases, takes are chosen that have the most spectacular solos. It’s about where to get to the point, what mood is to be captured.
What I really like about your pieces is that they never get lost in their complexity. The challenge can be heard, but not felt. You, or in this case you, are really impressive at making difficult things accessible.
Martin Listabarth: I’m glad you feel that way. And it’s actually important to me, both when writing and when playing, to get to the point and make statements. So I think postcards are a very nice metaphor for this album. The postcard is the given framework, which in itself conveys a certain mood. And this framework is then filled anew at the moment through improvisation, through what you actually write on it by hand. Ultimately, however, the postcard remains the same postcard.
Even if the basis of your music is jazz, many other genres also resonate. What other musical corners do you get your inspiration from?
Martin Listabarth: I am someone who is constantly looking for music that excites and fascinates me. In jazz, it is mainly musicians who have very strong melodies in their pieces. These are also often musicians who incorporate elements from their folk music into their own music. That reminds me, for example, of the pianist Tigran Hamasyan, who is very strongly influenced by his Armenian origins and keeps going back to the melodies he has known since childhood. For me he is a great example of how to combine high complexity with clear melodies that create a connection.
For me, the two Israeli pianists Shai Maestro and Omer Klein fall into the same category. I also listen to a lot of classical music. And here it is above all Impressionist composers such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel who inspire me.
In pop, it’s bands like Radiohead, which I really like to hear. And that since my youth. I find the harmonies they use in their pieces very exciting, as well as the way they structure their songs.
“I think the two solo albums were definitely important for my musical development.”
You have developed your very own musical language throughout your albums. And this works in a solo context as well as in a band.
Martin Listabarth: I think the two solo albums were definitely important for my musical development. Since I could only focus on myself and my instrument, it was easier for me to find my own language. Now that it’s more defined, it’s easier for me to continue pursuing this style with my fellow musicians, who in turn enrich it with their input.
Your music does convey a lot of mood indeed. She doesn’t need words to be understood. How is the audience responding to them?
Martin Listabarth: I feel the music is well received because it conveys images that all of us are familiar with. This also makes it easier for the audience to find access. I always find it exciting the feedback I get after a concert. I love it when people say they heard this and that, and when what they heard are the things I thought about writing and playing the tracks. But I find it just as exciting when it’s exactly the opposite and they interpret something completely different. I just think it’s nice when music can be a stepping stone into another world.
Your debut album was released in 2019. You now play concerts all over Europe and get a lot of encouragement from the audience. You made a name for yourself in the scene. It seems like things went uphill pretty quickly for you. Could you have imagined this development back then?
Martin Listabarth: No of course not. When I recorded my first album, I didn’t really think too much about where it was all going to lead. It was more like when I first felt ready to record my own music. I just wanted to have something in my hands to share. But without any thought of what to do with it. Over time, a lot of nice things have developed from this, which in turn have motivated me to keep at it and to develop myself further. Not only musically, but also in terms of looking for chances and opportunities to play my music live as well.
The album will be released on June 2nd. It will be presented on June 16th RadioKulturhaus. Are there any other concerts planned?
Martin Listabarth: I’m only in the booking phase. I can’t present many concrete dates yet, but I do plan to set up a few concerts for autumn. And I’m also confident that we’ll be able to get something going.
Thank you very much for the conversation.
Michael Ternai
++++
Martin Listabarth Trio live
13.06. Radiokulturhaus, Vienna, album release show
23.09.Village Jazz Festival, Stattegg
14.10. Emailwerk, Seekirchen
++++
Links:
Martin Listabarth
Martin Listabarth (Facebook)
Martin Listabarth (Instagram)