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Mar. 14 - Mar. 21, 2004 |
Kaeshammer's Strut
New Toronto resident releases his fourth jazz album
By Kerry Doole
Originally Published: 2004-02-15
The Toronto music community is thrilled about a new member in its ranks. Much-acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Michael Kaeshammer relocated here from Victoria last month, as he told Tandem recently.
"The move is very recent and very exciting for me. All the people I work with, my management, my agency, my record label, all live here. Before, they had to wait 'til noon to call me on the West Coast. I've spent a lot of time here in the last year, so it's a nice change."
Much of that time was spent writing and recording his fourth album, Strut. It's nearing its official release, and a February 28 concert at The Jane Mallett Theatre should focus more media attention upon this accomplished yet still developing talent.
Kaeshammer reports that "I'm very happy and proud of the album. For me, that is what matters most. It turned out exactly the way I had it in my head before we recorded it. The way it was done was a little different. We rented a little cottage and a big barn up at Stoney Lake [near Peterborough]. We set up a studio in the barn, brought the piano in and just spent the week recording. I think the feeling was a lot warmer, rather than having a studio where musicians come in and leave. It was a wonderful experience and I think that's why it sounds like a band. We did it all live off the floor, with a few takes of every song. Nobody could kick us out, so we could stay up til 4 a.m. if we wanted. It was like playing at home."
Michael credits his producer, Peter Cardinali, with "stopping us from getting too laidback!" Cardinali also runs ALMA Records, Michael's label, and this marks the third album they've made together. "When we did the first record, our relationship was very businesslike, but in the last few years, we have become personal friends too," says Kaeshammer. "That means no pressure in the recording, as you can say what you think without offending anybody. That helps to throw ideas around."
Kaeshammer burst onto the Canadian scene in 1996 with his debut, Blue Keys, a solo piano record that showed his prodigious technique on versions of jazz and blues classics. Prior to that, the classically trained Michael had, by age 16, established himself in his native Germany as a popular attraction in clubs, concerts and festivals.
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