Diegesis Bastian Stein

• 1 New West 06:02
• 2 In Honor of a Friend 04:06
• 3 Gladiolus Tristis 06:00
• 4 Sung Fang Ching 05:10
• 5 Chiva 05:02
• 6 Without Words 06:01
• 7 The Quest 06:54
• 8 Con Alma 04:51
• Total Runtime 44:06

Info for Diegesis

Diegesis: Music that counts. Trumpeter and flugelhornist Bastian Stein lets the music speak for itself - and he has a top-level cast of characters to help him do it: pianist Pablo Held, bassist Matthias Pichler, and drummer Tobias Backhaus.

You can play music. But you can also let it speak. Or better yet, have it say something. Play in a way that it tells stories. Jazz musician Bastian Stein was born in Heidelberg, Germany in 1983, and now lives in Vienna, Austria; with Stein it is immediately apparent how well he commands the ability to tell stories through the music. The lines, the melodies that he configures as soloist or as part of a band sound like “sentences”. You could imagine him sitting with friends at a table, deliberately and decisively recounting something interesting that he has witnessed or experienced. And then he gives the floor to someone else in the group; and then he’s all ears. Stories come and go as they follow one another. But in these “story telling rounds” the “words” are sculpted sounds coming out of the bell of a trumpet or flugelhorn, the body of a bass or concert grand piano, and the skins and cymbals of a drum set—and they are en- thralling. They are rhetorically gripping and subtle at the same time. And because Bastian Stein has included other three other storytellers as colleagues in his quartet, the album is all that much more exciting to follow. Everyone involved is motivated to react to the “storytelling” rather than to just the musical phrases. This a top-flight group of young stars — Pablo Held on piano, Matthias Pichler on bass, and Tobias Backhaus on drums — and as leader, Bastian Stein presents his Pirouet debut: Diegesis. And the title is as philosophical as it is appropriate.

Diegesis is an ancient Greek word. Its derivation goes back to the time of Socrates and means the telling of a story by a narrator; an event is described and discussed from the viewpoint of the characters. This is in contrast to the acting out of the story, as in the theater, which is called “mimesis” in Greek. Stein explains, “The music that I wrote for the band and then recorded in Munich on two days in July of 2012 is also a manner of narrative communication. It wasn’t changed or embellished; rather, it is a musical testimony to what we all had to say on those two days.”

There was a lot to talk about, and it wasn’t just enthralling private conversation between buddies. Far from it! The stories quickly grab you, invite you in to sit down and let your mind wander. As Stein says, “The music is going to mean something different to each person. As long as it triggers something in the listener, I’ve reached my goal.” The music definitely triggers something. It has an alluring strength. The way in which the musicians “recount” their stories has an incredibly natural feel. The listener is caught up in the clearly contoured insistency of the horn voices in New West, in the veiled beauty of the cantilena in In Honour of a Friend, and the descriptive melancholy in Gladiolus Tristis, an homage to a beautiful white-flowering plant belonging to the Iridaceae family known popularly as the ever-flowering gladiolus. The flower is characterized by its special elegance, as is the piece of the same name, which is everything but monochromatic.

From time to time these musical narratives are delicate and subtle—especially on Chiva. Stein says the piece is dedicated to “someone who accompanied me for 17 years, and died last year...” He declined to reveal any more details. This subtlety continues with Sung Fang Ching, a piece that magically intensifies while maintaining its tranquility. No wonder—Stein relays that the title comes“... from a book on breathing exercises as a precursor to meditation. It is a type of autogenous training that has influenced my playing. The word means relaxation, tranquility, quietness.” Tranquility and quietness play a big role in Bastian Stein’s music. Everything is thoroughly thought out—but that doesn’t make it any less vibrant. The introverted version of Dizzy Gillespie’s Con Alma is also in the same mold as Stein’s original compositions. Con Alma—“with soul”—in- spires through the measured stateliness of the “narration”. It works especially well here.

Bastian Stein, trumpet, flugelhorn
Pablo Held, piano
Matthias Pichler, bass
Tobias Backhaus, drums

The colleagues that Bastian Stein has gathered around him come from different parts of the globe, but musically they are a good fit. Pianist Pablo Held was born in 1986 in North Rhine-Westphalia. He is strongly represented on Pirouet by the award-winning trio CD Music and the large ensemble recording Glow, which was lauded by the critics and the press. Stein first met Held at a workshop some ten years ago when Held was a young student. Stein once again became aware of Held through the pianist’s trio. Stein states that Pablo Held “brings the right amount of demanding abilities into the band. At the same time he is totally supportive.” Born in 1981 in Tirol, Matthias Pichler is Stein’s Austrian compatriot. He and Stein have often played together; “Matthias has great ears, and he tries to round out the moment.” Tobias Backhaus was born in 1984 in Darmstadt, Germany. Stein met him when he was on tour three years ago. Stein says, “For me, the best drummers are those that you don’t really notice at first, but on the second listening you realize that they have everything under control. That’s Tobias!”

Everyone in the quartet is interested in the overall sound, not some individual momentary glitter, but rather something the listener can immediately sense. These musicians develop a completely organic connection. Bastian Stein brings an elastic sense of storytelling into play: “When someone’s playing is totally awesome, but isn’t communicating, then the players who are accompanying him are imprisoned.” That is something no one in this quartet wants. They all want to be able to move freely and give each other the opportunity to play. Or, in the sense of Diegesis, they want to give free rein to their imagination with respect to the “narration”.

Bastian Stein — to borrow from his own metaphor — has not taken on any prisoners; instead, he has found musicians to converse with. Here are instrumental conversations in which each listener can project his or her own story. These are appealing, stimulating tales for the listener who enjoys captivating music and at the same time likes to keep a clear head.

This album contains no booklet.