My Choice Theo Bleckmann

• 1Running up That Hill06:37
• 2Lord Is It Mine02:54
• 3Happiness04:39
• 4Pinwheel06:35
• 5And Dream of Sheep04:50
• 6Under Ice03:33
• 7In the Mornin'04:32
• 8The See'r04:31
• 9At the River06:10
• 10The Cage02:47
• 11Las Vegas Rhapsody - Prologue03:37
• 12You Better Go Now03:17
• 13Ich hab dich ausgetragen02:21
• 14Mein Sohn, was immer auch aus dir werde02:43
• 15If Only02:38
• 16So La so Mi04:34
• 17All the Love06:03
• 18Love and Anger03:54
• 19Row, Row, Row Your Boat03:18
• Total Runtime01:19:33

Info for My Choice

On the occasion of its 35th anniversary [10 years of JMT from 1985 to 1995 and (since 1996) 25 years of WINTER & WINTER] WINTER & WINTER releases a series called "My Choice". Producers Mariko Takahashi and Stefan Winter ask the core musicians to create a "director's cut" of their work. Each album »My Choice« hold surprises, make you sit up and take notice, and offer a most interesting look at contemporary interpretations of key works from the world of composed and improvised music.

Theo Bleckmann: When I listen to my own recordings, I sometimes cringe and other times I brace for impact and it’s: »not that bad!«. The entire experience of listening to myself depends on my mood and mind-set at that moment, and I have yet to figure out when and where is best moment to do so [or if at all]. This is a selection of music from a decade of collaborating with producer Stefan Winter on a myriad of projects. I most always feel good about these tracks, no matter what mood or day it is and so this is »My Choice«.

In my over 10 years of working with Winter & Winter, there has always been a sense of adventure and excitement for each project. Some of them came about because I wanted to record a living, existing band or project of mine [Refuge Trio, Hello Earth - The Music of Kate Bush, I Dwell in Possibility, 12 Songs by Charles Ives…e.g.], others were initiated by Stefan, and/or his wife Mariko, [Der Kastanienball, Mother Goose’s Melodies…e.g.] and some projects just seemed to happen like magic [The Four Seasons e.g., Schumann’s Bar Songs…e.g]. There was a lot of magic, particularly in the beginning stages:

Stefan’s skills as a chef are possibly equal to his producing. His taste buds are as finely tuned as his ears. Stefan, Mariko and I would sit in their kitchen of their lovely apartment in Munich, discussing far-flung philosophical connotations and musical implications for each project. We went over ideas in how to actually realize this music, all the while eating Stefan and Mariko’s most incredible cooking. Of course, wine, really good wine, was involved. There was a sense of refinement every step of the way, every aspect of the Winter & Winter aesthetic was considered and fine-tuned, from the music to the record covers, to their beautiful store and the food we ate while planning our adventures for days on end. The fourth pillar in each of our projects was Regine Vetter, who held down the fort in the office and often cut through red-tape and copyright issues with the persistence and clever genius of a needle-point artist. Amazing what a single person could get done, arrange and hold together all by herself. ...

Theo Bleckmann, vocals
Henry Hey, keyboards
Caleb Burhans, five string e-violin, e-guitar
Skúli Sverrisson, e-bass
John Hollenbeck, drums, percussion
Gary Versace, piano, accordion, keyboards

Kneebody:
Ben Wendel, tenor saxophone, bassoon, melodica, effects
Adam Benjamin, keyboards, effects
Shane Endsley, piano, accordion, keyboards
Kaveh Rastegar, acoustic and e-bass, effects
Nate Wood, drums

Fumio Yasuda, piano

Kammerorchester Basel
Bernd Ruf, conductor

Todd Reynolds, violin
Courtney Orlando, violin
Caleb Burhans, viola
Wendy Sutter, cello

Theo Bleckmann.
A jazz singer and new music composer of eclectic tastes and prodigious gifts, GRAMMY NOMINATED Theo Bleckmann makes music that is accessibly sophisticated, unsentimentally emotional, and seriously playful. His work provokes the mind to wonder, but connects immediately with the heart.

Singer.
Bleckmann has released a series of gorgeous and irreverent albums on Winter & Winter, including recordings of Las Vegas standards, of Berlin kabarett, and of popular “bar songs” (all with pianist Fumio Yasuda), a recording of newly-arranged songs by Charles Ives (with the improvisational jazz/funk collective Kneebody), his Solos for Voice and Toys, where Bleckmann brought just his stunning vocal technique, his emotional commitment, and his suitcase full of oddly evocative voice-altering gadgets to the project of recording delicate songs and poems alone at a monastery in the Swiss Alps. In his newest project Bleckmann takes on the songbook of the British pop recluse Kate Bush: 'Hello Earth' - the music of Kate Bush is scheduled to be released in the winter of 2011.

Collaborator.
In addition to his work as a soloist, Bleckmann loves to mix it up with other musicians. He maintains an ongoing creative relationship with guitar phenomenon Ben Monder, generating a series of performances and a pair of albums that wreak beautiful havoc with standard expectations of jazz and rock. With John Hollenbeck and Gary Versace, he makes up Refuge Trio, a project exploring and reinventing the work of popular singer-songwriters as well as generating provocative original work. With singers Peter Eldridge, Kate McGarry, Lauren Kinhan, and Luciana Souza, he forms Moss, a collective that plays in the sandbox of jazz, folk, and rock, building new ideas and compositions for voices. Bleckmann has additionally collaborated with a remarkable roster of contemporary musicians and composers, including Laurie Anderson, Uri Caine, Philip Glass, Sheila Jordan, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kenny Wheeler, John Zorn, the Bang on a Can All-stars, and, most prominently, Meredith Monk, with whom Bleckmann worked as a core ensemble member for fifteen years. His uniquely flexible and colorful voice has also inspired compositions by, among others, Michael Gordon, Phil Kline, David Lang, Ikue Mori, Kirk Nurock, and Julia Wolfe.

Composer.
Bleckmann's joyous, mischievous sensibility is also manifest in his compositional work, which leaves listeners feeling as if their usual chair had been moved over a few inches when they weren't looking - familiar things look fresh and strange again for a moment. He has composed for a range of instruments from piano, violin, and kalimba to chimes, Glockenspiel, toy microphone, and sewing machines, setting exquisite poems by Rumi, Emily Dickenson, and Kurt Schwitters as well as building ineffable soundscapes with just his voice and a loop pedal. His most recent compositional achievement is an evening of original work for voice and the JACK String Quartet, commissioned by the Slought Foundation.

Mad Genius.
Bleckmann's approach to music and performance is unusual and provocative. His taste for risk-taking, coupled with rigorous technique, is clear in his unusual and varied ability as a sound improviser - an ability which is sufficiently in demand that he was commissioned to create the space alien language for Steven Spielberg's Men in Black. Bleckmann confesses to a love affair with performance art that informs his playful approach to music-making. Concerned that all senses be honored, he crafts each aspect of stage presentation (including expressive physicality and fabulous clothing choices) to create a context that completes and highlights the music. His thoughtfulness and articulacy about music and performance have led to recognition in unusual quarters, including a Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross and an article on vocal technique solicited for John Zorn's Arcana series, Volume III. Bleckmann's adventurous and extravagantly beautiful choices have led his work to be described as “from another planet” (New York Times), as “magical, futuristic,” (AllAboutJazz), “limitless” (Citypaper, Philadelphia) “transcendent” (Village Voice) and “brilliant” (New York Magazine), and left one critic wondering, “does he eat people food?” (AllAboutJazz). He has a gift for creating sounds listeners have never heard before, but pine to hear again.

In 2010, Bleckmann received the prestigious JAZZ ECHO award from the Deutsche Phono-Akademie in his native Germany and appeared on the David Letterman show with Laurie Anderson.

Booklet for My Choice