Composition and its performance can have an organic relationship, a balance between written and the improvised. Muriel Grossmann’s wide compositional and performing talents are clearly reflected in four-voice pieces such as Diversity and Quintessence, suite-like compositions such as Flügel and Echo, as well as brisk, energetic works like Andrew. The quartet composed of Radomir Milojkovic on guitar, David Marroquin on upright bass, and Marko Jelaca on drums, has become a sound lab — a group where compositional ideas can be worked out, developed, and eventually recorded.

Austrian alto and soprano saxophonist and composer Muriel Grossmann states that her music started to move beyond harmony — melodies themselves became more independent — strengthening the idea of improvising phrases rather than clichés. Grossmann weaves lines with phrases drawn from the theme; she spins developments from new motifs with hard-driving rhythmic figures, making each interpretation an exciting and propulsive experience.

The opening piece Andrew is a clear dedication to the late Andrew Hill; as Muriel Grossmann puts it: Hill’s Blue Note sessions were very important in my musical education, and the tune that i wrote is a last goodbye to one of my favorite composers.

Flügel came out in a funny way: one night I could not sleep because mosquitoes were trying to bite me. I jumped out of bed, started to play the saxophone, and this piece came out.

With Diversity I tried to capture one of my daughter’s dances; it leaves a lot of space for everybody to express themselves.

When I was thinking about the ballad for this set, I was going through the pieces, and Bella Donna fit well with the rest of the compositions. Any kind of tune that I perform or compose, I always have John Coltrane in mind as my main inspiration.

Echo was written in two periods of time. First I composed the middle and the last part of the piece, but I kind of missed the introduction, so at one point this African rhythm and theme came to my mind.

Quintessence also has that 60s flavor. I wrote this one for my previous release Here & Now (DreamlandRecords DR 02 CD). Since, for me, songs don’t have an expiry date, I found a way to arrange this tune as a canon. It’s always possible to add something new to each song you record and perform again.

All these pieces were written during the quiet Ibiza winter, watching my daughter sleep. I was thinking of composing voices for each instrument. One of the things that helped and inspired me was the opportunity to play sessions and live shows with Joachim Kühn, one of the greatest piano players and composers of all time.

Muriel Grossmann’s music is complex, calling for a similar depth of emotional response from the listener, yet at the same time it is deeply swinging, moving the body as well as the spirit. This music provides the proof of her singular force of emotion and musical imagination. Although Grossmann’s music strongly reflects her own temperament, it is nonetheless sufficiently open to allow other individualist to be themselves within it. As a saxophonist and composer, Muriel Grossmann is building a very personal, substantial style and body of work. There is a strong sense of motivation in Grossmann’s music, along with a desire to continually discover who she is and to shape her music through that deepening knowledge.
— J. L. THOMPSON

TRACKLIST :

1.Andrew 06:35

2.Flügel 09:27

3.Diversity 07:37

4.Bella Donna 08:02

5.Echo 07:04

6.Quintessence 08:13