Gina Schwarz & Multiphonics 8 – Way To Blue

Way To Blue

Artists: Daniel Manrique-Smith (flute, alto flute, bass flute), Annette Maye (Bb-clarinet), Mona Matbou-Riahi (Bb-clarinet), Steffen Schorn (contra-a,lto clarinet, saxophone), Thomas Savy (bass clarinet), Lucas Leidinger (piano), Mahan Mirarab (guitar), Dirk-Peter Kölsch (drums), Gina Schwarz (bass, composition, arrangement)

Homage to Nick Drake
In 2020 & 2021 bassist & composer Gina Schwarz had the privilege of being invited to the Multiphonics Festival Cologne as Composer in Residence. The starting point for her new compositional ideas was the music of the British folk singer, guitarist and composer Nick Drake (1948 – 1974).

The depth of his music, the desperate melancholy, the tender hope and his extraordinary lyrics in songs like Time Piece, Way to Blue, Riverman, Clothes of Sand, Strange Meeting II, Blossom, Fruit Tree, Come Into the Garden, Things Behind the Sun & Three Hours were inspiration for her music. Just as Drake sometimes structured his albums as a story, her new compositions can also be interpreted as an independent cycle.

In July 2020, she started composing the day after her father’s funeral. In her new music she used childhood stories from the 70’s as an inspiration – as a dedication to her father.