CD jw 234 MEINRAD KNEER QUINTET
DER ZWEITE STREICH
SEBASTIAN PISKORZ trumpet
GERHARD GSCHLÖßL trombone
PETER VAN HUFFEL alto saxophone
MEINRAD KNEER double bass
ANDREAS PICHLER drums

In 2013, I fulfilled my long-desired wish to put together a quintet consisting of trumpet, alto saxophone, trombone, double bass and drums.
To my ears, the specific sound of this instrumentation is reminiscent of a micro
big band, but without a harmony instrument, in order to obtain more musical freedom. For me, it was important to bring together different personalities, each of them adding their own musical background to the band.
Long before the first rehearsal, I somehow knew what this combination of musicians and instruments would sound like, and the compositions I subsequently worked out, offered them – above all – room for improvisational freedom.
My compositions combine influences from jazz, rock, blues, free jazz, free improvisation, ethnic music and contemporary music and ultimately serve as a starting and landing point for improvisations. The fluent transitions between composition and improvisation on one hand, as well as between the individual improvisations on the other, are characteristic of the ensemble’s concept. In addition, I’m very interested in – and give much room to – various forms of collective improvisation, either free or within a given framework. Furthermore my compositional style rarely repeats material one-on-one. It’s often kind of whimsical and therefore has more of a narrative nature.
The release of the quintet’s second album ‚Der zweite Streich’* marks 10 years for the ensemble, which has continued to grow together. Like all ensembles that work together long enough, the quintet has developed its own band sound, dynamics and style. Meinrad Kneer
* ‚The second prank‘, quote from Wilhelm Busch’s children’s book ‚Max and Maurice‘
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Der spezifische Klang dieser Besetzung erinnert in meinen Ohren an eine Micro-Bigband, allerdings ohne Harmonieinstrument, um mehr musikalische Freiheit zu erlangen. Für mich war es wichtig, unterschiedliche Persönlichkeiten zusammenzubringen, von denen jeder seinen eigenen musikalischen Hintergrund in diese Band einbringt.
Meine Kompositionen vereinen Einflüsse aus Jazz, Rock, Blues, Free Jazz, freier Improvisation, ethnischer Musik und zeitgenössischer Musik und dienen letztlich als Start- und Landepunkt der Improvisationen.
Mit der Veröffentlichung des zweiten Albums des Quintetts ‚Der zweite Streich‘ jährt sich das immer weiter zusammengewachsene Ensemble zum zehnten Mal. Wie alle Ensembles, die lange genug zusammenarbeiten, hat das Quintett seinen eigenen Bandsound, seine eigene Dynamik und seinen eigenen Stil entwickelt. Meinrad Kneer