"This band pursues the idea of a utopia".
- Julius Windisch, bandleader, immerweiter
Standing still has never been an option for Berlin bandleader, composer and jazz pianist
Julius Windisch: "For me, the process of making music should always continuously evolve
and never stagnate." After having lived in Berne, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, Windisch
is happy to finally having found a place where he feels comfortable artistically: Berlin. In its
own pace is the output from his current working band, after Windisch has already recorded
three albums with trio and quartet formations.
Both the album title and the name of the formation are to be understood programmatically:
carried on by a strong community spirit, which convinces on the recording and live through
virtuosity, intensity and complexity. All the musicians in the ensemble are committed to an
organic growth process, fair feedback rules and a constructive approach to their own
strengths and weaknesses. The effort demanded by Windisch's diverse and difficult-toplay
repertoire and the mutual unconditional trust in each other lead to creative flights of
fancy in which no individual is the focus but rather the overall sound:
"We have grown very much together as a band. We always reflect on what we liked
and didn't like. In the same way, we are forced to give our absolute best every time
and listen very carefully to each other. this feels fulfilling and brave, which is what I
love about my work." - Julius Windisch
Windisch's work as a bandleader, composer and pianist is political: topics such as antidiscrimination,
climate justice, and the dismantling of hierarchies drive his creative work,
which is directly expressed in the attitude with which he composes his pieces:
"As a musician, unfortunately, I have no choice but to vote every now and then and
otherwise write music that expresses my emotions. Many of the pieces express this
great urgency to act politically." - Julius Windisch
The album's five core pieces are recorded in quartet formation, including the piece Ode,
which creates a melancholy mood with its cantabile melody. In this piece, Windisch
reflects on the resignation and bewilderment he feels when the necessary action to solve
our global crises fails to be taken. At the same time, in pieces like Schweben (Levitating),
he expresses his desire to create a latency for himself in which calmness is possible
despite feelings of panic and powerlessness.
On four tracks the band is joined by violinist Maria Reich - for example on Coming to a
conclusion. In this track, a decision-making process is musically reflected by means of
various rhythms until an audible conclusion is reached. For the first time on the album
Windisch also sings: I feel like I know you is an intimate monologue that encourages the
listener to face the critical process of self-reflection "always further" (immer weiter in
german) so that self-awareness and inner growth become possible. Thus, the track has
the function of a condensed overall statement of the album.
Immerweiter are Julius Windisch (piano, synth, composition) Pascal Klewer (trumpet),
Sofia Eftychidou (bass) & Marius Wankel (drums).