Nuss, Hubert

Feed The Birds

Label: Pirouet Country: Germany

"Cinderella, Olivier Messiaen, Colours and Light, Own Profile, the Church Organ, Stars, Scales and Chords, playing with Chords and Associations, Substance, Space...

A lot of different things came up when I talked to German pianist Hubert Nuss on the phone, curious to find out who this man is, whose newest CD- Release "Feed The Birds" I just had the pleasure to listen to.

Born in 1964, Nuss studied classical piano in Trossingen, Germany followed by intense jazz studies at the "Cologne School of the Arts" where he got tuition from the great John Taylor. Nuss is one of the finest examples, that there is a new generation of European jazz piano players who are very dedicated in developing their "own thing", at the same time having a lot of respect for the traditi- on and roots of the so called "Afro- American" Jazz music. He is one of the most in demand players in Germany, works a lot with the NDR and WDR Radio Big bands and teaches at the "School of the Arts" in both Cologne and Berlin."There is so much different trio music - as there are many different trios", Hubert Nuss says, knowing that this implies you have to find your own sound, your own stylistic statement, musical substance which makes you different from other piano trio formats. One of the biggest challenges for Nuss- and this becomes obvious immediately - is harmony. French composer Olivier Messiaen, one of the most important classical composers of the last century, has deeply inspired Nuss' pla- ying and writing in the last couple of years.

This piano trio has been in existence for almost 8 years now and Nuss was happy to go into the PIROUET Studio in Munich together with his "dream team", John Goldsby - since 10 years a resident in Cologne - on bass and New York drummer John Riley, who Nuss both met first in the above mentioned WDR Radio Big band.

Three originals and five standards, well arranged and already put in order the way the gifted pianist had heard them to be on the CD before they even were recorded, are the music one listens to.

On his earlier CDs Hubert Nuss only played originals - this time he had felt that "I was ready to apply my own personal harmonic and rhythmic language on to songs from The Great American Songbook." And again here his choices are special. The title song for this album "Feed The Birds" is from the Musical "Mary Poppins" - it's said to be Walt Disney's "all time" favourite song,"With a Smile and a Song" comes from "Cinderella", "You are my Lucky Star"- what a closer! - is from "Singing in the rain".

His own tunes are full of orchestral colours, well balanced, a complex world of sounds, " open for the listeners associations" as Nuss puts it with a friendly smile. Nuss' own personal world and feelings get reflected in the titles of his tunes. Some more obvious like the beautiful "Good Bye Sir Peter", which he had written after the great Peter Ustinov had passed by. Having asked Hubert Nuss what inspired him to write a tune and then call it "A Virtual Dream of the Nearest Thing To Heaven" he gently replies: " Just make up your mind. What's next to heaven everybody knows best for himself." "-Pirouet