Luise Volkmann & Été Large - The Stories We Tell

Cologne saxophonist Luise Volkmann is a passionate border crosser. It was with this maxim in mind that she embarked on the third album by her 13-piece band Été Large. The title is tellingly "The Stories We Tell". These stories are characterized by a new commitment to simplicity. Everything superfluous must be removed so that the passion can manifest itself all the more clearly. And the stories that need to be told. Luise Volkmann is a brilliant storyteller who realizes her stories with narrative force and poetic sensitivity. Music is not an end in itself. It is about something. Every note, every syllable triggers something in the listener, but also globally in the long term, because the energy of the songs often takes unexpected paths. The composer is aware of this responsibility, and this mission is palpable, even if it is conveyed here in an absolutely unobtrusive and unpretentious manner. "The Stories We Tell" marks the tenth anniversary of Été Large. With this album, the leader and her collective manage to concentrate on the essentials. In her arrangements, Luise Volkmann takes a very careful approach to the possibilities of a large formation. The sounds of the individual instruments are given plenty of room to breathe. It is also about the spaces in between, which only the listeners can fill with their imagination. This is music that doesn't stop when it has faded away, because Luise Volkmann's hymn-like tunes stick with you and enrich your experience with every new listen. Été Large is a band that you can listen to while being constantly amazed. That's why Luise Volkmann should have the last word here: "In times when polarization is becoming more and more noticeable, I want to give my music the power to juxtapose ambivalences with its stories. I can be angry or sad about different things at the same time and still show understanding for other feelings or attitudes. It is important to me to make the complexity of thought and action tangible and thus create the basis for an open dialog." Éte Large is currently nominated for the German Jazz Award in two categories (Radio Production and Large Ensemble of the Year).