The Inventory of Caspar Hesselager

Everyone that plays music has had moments where your path suddenly changes after being introduced to an artist, a song, or a piece. It’s like something just grabs you and then puts you back down some place you never knew existed. I remember feeling that way after listening to Keith Jarrett’s Sun Bear Concerts. A monumental 6 cd boxset of completely improvised hour-long pieces performed live in concert over the course of a couple of weeks in November 1976, I must have been 16-17 when I came across and to this day I listen to it and and find it awe-inspiring. So much of it informs and has affected my own playing, writing, the way I approach harmony, melody, form, etc. Still, I haven’t heard anyone come close to what Keith Jarrett accomplishes alone at the piano. Whether you’re an improvising pianist, or ‘just’ a listener then, well, solo piano starts and ends here.  It’s a journey encompassing centuries of tradition and styles, ranging from the blues to modern jazz, over drone-like minimalism and lyricism to Shostakovich and beyond. One of the greatest musicians to ever walk the earth, and one I’ll never stop listening to.

I discovered the paintings of Mati Klarwein while searching for album artwork, and was blown away by how powerful they were.

They really strike something in me, and I feel a kinship to them in some way. To paint like that, you must have an open mind and always be looking for something new. A virtuoso surrealist and ‘disciple’ of Dali, he also made paintings for album covers, probably most famously for Miles Davis’ iconic ‘Bitches Brew’. “I like to paint paintings I haven’t seen”, he said. A very profound and at the same time simple statement. I feel the same about making music. Let’s hear, see, taste something new. In a way, that’s all you need to remember.