Live at Birdland New York

Description

23 May 2017. This is the date when Richie Beirach will celebrate his 70th birthday. He has played with Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Dave Liebman, etc. May 23 is also the birthday of his faithful partner, violinist Gregor Huebner, who will turn 50. The two musicians have been playing together for over 20 years. "Richie always tells me that we play together in the same way as when we exchanged our first notes in New York in 1996 in my small apartment on Spring Street. Our musical bond has developed and deepened, but it is true that we still play with the same joy and spontaneity as during our first meetings," says Huebner. Recorded following a week-long residency at Birdland in the Big Apple, the thematic material is varied. Huebner continues: "The music of certain composers is more conducive to improvisation than others. For example, Bach was a formidable improviser and you can hear it in his music. This is the case with other romantic composers or even Bartok. The mix of repertoires in this album is typical for us; jazz, classical, compositions, Bach, Coltrane...; each piece adds its stone to the edifice but all are connected to improvisation." Notable are the high-flying musicians surrounding the duo: Michael Brecker, and the formidable rhythm section composed of George Mraz and Billy Hart. 20 years of collaboration admirably celebrated throughout this album.