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Steve Klink
Felix Lamouroux has talked to Steve Klink about his past as
sideman-pianist and his future as solo-artist at the Café Berg in
Cologne, Germany.
05-14-99
What do you think about today's music, compared to the
past?
Right now, what we have experienced in the last 100 years and more
specifically in the last 50 years is the influence of African music
on European music. That is one of the most important things that
have happened in this century for music.
You can talk about western classical and its influence, but for me
the influence of African music is the hippest thing that has been
happening.
But, do you like classical music?
I love classical music and I specially love Mozart and Bach. There
are also some more modern things, from this century that I like. But
I like the old-fashioned music.
You have grown up in many different countries. Has this
influenced your way to play music?
I grew up partially in Poland and partially in Germany, but mostly
in America.
What influenced me most when I got into Jazz and Blues, was
listening to the music all the time. Listening to recording has
certainly influenced me more than being in different places. But for
sure, being in different places can open up any person's mind.
What is important to you when you are playing?
The most important thing to me when I go on the stage is that there
is a certain space of emptiness. When I am playing my best I don't
remember what I played. It is if somebody else was playing.
Afterwards I can't remember a note I played, these are my best
performances.
When I am playing I try to think about nothing, if you think about
anything you can destroy everything. It's hard to be in this state
all the time. It is a state of being, where you are interacting with
the other musicians, with the audience and where you are interacting
with something above.
What do you think is particular in your way of playing
piano?
I love the blues. I have always loved the blues. For me the
blues, the swing and the groove -aspect of jazz is for me much more
important than all the influences of Debussy and all the harmonic
possibilities in jazz.
Also it's nice to have to play a lot of notes, you can go with one
note and let this one note say everything. Do you can say that the
special about me is the blues influence and the rarity of notes.
You have already had a great career as sidemen, now you
recorded your first solo-album. What's the difference for you?
For a number of years I have had my own band and I have been
composing for a long time. I have now many compositions waiting in
my wine-cellar, becoming richer like a old wine.
The difference is: As a sideman your job is to make the person who
is the leader sound good. That is what I was trying to do as a
sideman.
As a leader it's more my baby, there are my composition and I picked
the compositions I want to play.
Who has influenced you most in your career?
For sure a lot of blues-players, like Wynton Kelly, Ray Charles.
Also I played with a drummer for a long time, he told me a lot of
things.
You dedicated your album to Wynton Kelly, why?
He was the first musician that I was really listening to. I
feel a closeness with Wynton Kelly he was a very special musician.
So I dedicated my first album to the first musician I listened to.
What is special about Blue Suit?
I have worked for many years on the compositions. I have
been working with Henning Gailing for about four years new. We have
done a lot of concerts and that is very special. We have a long
history together. Another thing that is special is the fact that we
went to the studio with Gregory Hutchinson and it turned out very
well. It was a very good atmosphere. It's nice to play with someone
you never met before, you never worked with before.
What is to you the best song on this record?
Maybe I'll name three. One of them is Mountain Blues. The A-Part of
this song I wrote on a one time during one visit to a certain
mountain and the B-Part I wrote on another visit to the same
mountain. It's a nice combinations of bluesy and ringing sounds in
one composition.
Skuffle is the baby I have been working on for years. And also
Bishop's Place is very nice, it's dedicated to Chris Bishop at the
Metronome in Cologne. We used to play there all the time.
Your CD Blue Suit is your first step as solo-artist in the
jazz-scene. What will be your next step?
The next step will be another CD. Maybe I have enough material for
three CD, but unfortunately or fortunately there will be one CD
coming out, if everything goes well. The material is sitting in my
wine-cellar waiting for the right moment to take out. Maybe next
year, but only one step at a time.
And I am also planning a tour in Europe in autumn.
So these will be our next steps.
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