Breaking Free

"I first met Lionel Haas at a Jam Session at a Berlin club. There, he struck me by his technical-harmonic, solidly worked out and original piano-style.
His creative interests in combining solo traditions with experimentation is reflected in his compositions and arrangements on this CD. There, he expresses himself through instrumentation and harmonization, connecting different styles of the past decades with the Spirit of some FITZ GORE - compositions from the 1970s and also includes some modern Jazz harmonization's. His solid quality as a jazz pianist and Interpreter of jazz standards can be found in the excellent solo feature of the ballad We'll be together again (play MP3), stunning the listener by his harmonic creativity and melodic consistency. Monk-and Mingus-influences are present throughout the CD.

In both of his two FITZ GORE - interpretations (Blues forStephanie and Musication), Lionel Haas features brief and excellent solos by the sextet-musicians in a combination of collective improvisation passages with carefully worked-out horn-arrangements as shown in Musication and Smooth Moments.
Lionel Hass's desire to include several styles such as groove-music and modern elements and his attempt to create atmospheric themes and diversity in his improvisation becomes clear in his original tunes, such as Swindle. At the same time, he upholds the Bebop tradition, as can be heard in his composition Breaking ln / Free."

Thomas Donecker is a jazz-Pianist and composer. Sesides playing in one of Beriin's reno'wned jazz-septets, he leads various musical projects including string quartets, operas, and chamber music. One of his great achievements is his musical transcription of Goethe's poetry.

Titles:

Breaking in / Breaking Free, Tracks 1and 8 - Different takes of the same tune. Written By Lionel Haas
Double-meaning of the title:
a)'Breaking in' -the context of introduction into thefollowingselection'Breaking Free'-the last tune, the 'outro' out of the CD
b) 'Breaking Free' in the context of freeing oneself from any form of restraints, In this case, musical stylistic restrains.
Rolf Behed is to be commended for his stunning drum-solo feature.

The " Tribute to FITZ GORE "- Sectlon
"I included two of Fitz's tunes basically as a show of appreciation for several things: His friendship, talent, musicality, his knowiedge and his experiences. I first met FITZ GORE, an extremely talented and distinguished Jamaican-Born tenor-saxophone player, in spring of 1998. We immediately got along. Since then, he has played a significant role in my Progress as a pianist, by attending many of my gigs, giving me useful pointers for improvement and providing me with tons of older jazz-recordings from his collection for me to studyfrom. A lot of my musical Inspiration come from these recordings. Listening to some of Fitz's old recordings, I realized that I had run into a musician unlike any I had ever heard before. When hearing his interpretation of wellknown ballads, one immediately recognizes FITZ GORE'S characteristics: he gives his horn everything it has, with its expressive, thundering, melodic, meditative and soulful Sounds. He blows the sax like there is no tomorrow, each solo sounds like it's going to be his last. That's why I was particularly honored when Fitz allowed me to write new arrangements of Blues for Stephanie and Musication, granting me a lot of freedom in my own interpretations".

Blues forStephanie Written by FITZ GORE, arranged by Lionel Haas
FITZ GORE dedicated that tune to his daughter Stephanie. The tune's characteristics: different sections. compliments to Max Schaaf's solid introductory bass-groove. One section has collective impro played by the horns, leading into a tenor lax solo over a blues form in swing -just like an explosion. After that piano takes over. Then the head is played again, the ending consists once again of collective impro by horns. That's where the rhythm section fades out, leaving the horns to complete the tune.

Musication Written by FITZ GORE, arranged by Lionel Haas
I absolutely wanted to include that tune after hearing the original version by Fitz, a recording from the mid 70s. I was especially fascinated by the simplicity of the melody and, at the same time, its expression. It gives a lot of room for soulful and bluesy soloing by very talented alto lax player Wolfgang Klüfer as well as by e-piano, trading bars and working towards a climax that leads into the bridge of the head. At the end, there is a cool-off section, once again leaving the horns blowing the final chord.

It's been a Long Time Written by Lionel Haas
The melody of that slow ballad is outstandingly interpreted by tenor saxophonist Thomas Heck who approached it with an impressive amount of dedication and respect. Before playing the tune, he would fully place his mind into the meaning of the music, coming up with the story of a man who wakes up early in the morning with a pounding headache, after boozing the night before. That feeling came across very well in his playing.

Swindle Written By Lionel Haas
To be honest, I have no idea what the title means. Sometimes I write music and spend hours finding a suitable title. In this case, my musician friend, Thomas Kiimmerle came across the world 'Swindle' in a news magazine. So I said, 'hell, let's use that as a title for this trio selection,' and didn't give it much further thought. Drummer, Rolf Behed, once again demonstrates his virtuosity by giving the dynamic tune a final shove.

Smooth Moments Written by Lionel Haas
As a contrast to the 'smooth' character of the head, we bear witness to Richard Nyberg's expressive and screaming trumpet-work, battling with Thomas Heck's firm tenor sax statements. Then the alto takes charge, has the final say, as if wanting to mediate.

We'll be together again (Fisher, Lane)
Just a solo piano feature. What is a Jazz CD without at least one solo-feature and one jazz standard, just to show that Iactually have a standard's repertoire, like any decent jazz musician.

I'd like to thank all the talented musicians for their spontaneity and enthusiasm, the recording - and mixing technicians for a great job and their Patience, and family and friends for their support and encouragement.

Lionel Haas

We'll be together again :: Blues forStephanie :: Musication :: Smooth Moments :: It's been a Long Time :: Swindle :: Breaking in :: Breaking Free