Available as CD, Vinyl (incl. Download Card) or Download exclusively at:
Hi everybody! This is the new album by my Trio. I am really happy with this record. If you are interested, get your copy at my label Klaeng Records. It's an order directly from me. No Spotify, Amazon, iTunes etc....directly from me to you. If you would like to support my work without buying the album send your donations via PayPal to: tobiashoffmannmusik@gmail.com
Tobias Hoffmann Guitar
Frank Schönhofer Bass
Etienne Nillesen Drums
1 Skipper
2 Leaf
3 Jimmy
4 Spring
5 Green
6 Fall
7 Relief
8 Ship
9 Book
10 Skipper (cools down)
11 Gone
Total: 53.57
All Compositions by Tobias Hoffmann
Recorded & Mixed by Jan Philipp, janphilipp.net
Recorded at Sunshine Studios Cologne, January 26th & 27th 2024
Mastered by Alex Kloss, alexkloss.com
Photos by Frank Schönhofer, Jan Philipp & Tobias Hoffmann
Design by Nane Weber, blickheben.de
Liner Notes:
If you have followed the trio since our beginning in 2011, you may have noticed that Etienne Nillesenʼs drum kit has gradually shrunk over the years. First, he let go of the toms, then the hi-hat disappeared, and eventually, even the cymbals were gone. What remained were snare and bass drum. I take pride in the fact that our trio was the last band where Etienne played the bass drum because over time, he focused solely on the snare drum as his only instrument. He is now primarily known and sought after for this. From free improvisation to commissioned compositions for solo snare, he enjoys great respect in the contemporary music scene, and I highly recommend experiencing these unique sounds. Given this progression, it was no surprise when Etienne informed me in the summer of 2023 that the last bass drum hit was to be played and that he could no longer be part of our trio. But we agreed on doing one more recording session to capture the final phase of our trio. For all the years, we had focused exclusively on interpreting famous compositions from jazz, blues, and pop. That was the concept - essentially a classic “standards” trio. However, during concerts, we had recently started including some of my own compositions. Since I had gathered even more material, I wanted to record an album of entirely original pieces for our final session.
To keep things as fresh as possible, we didnʼt rehearse at all. Only Frank and I met twice to run through chord changes and general arrangements. We also agreed on trying to weave our two guitars together even more than before, trying to create the sound of one big guitar. Frank plays so beautifully on this record. He is a unique bass player and a good friend, since so many years. I canʻt imagine doing this without him.
For recording we scheduled two days with producer Jan Philipp. Jan is also a drummer; we play together a lot, and we collaborated on my last album, „Italy“. I was eager to have him record and mix this session because I love the sound he creates and how tastefully and subtly he contributes to the process. It always feels great to play guitar when Jan is involved.
We recorded a series of my new pieces, many of which are simple, with repetitive, trance-like riffs or meditative chord structures. Thatʻs my thing! Iʼm so happy that I finally found a way to blend my love for blues, early jazz, modal jazz of the ʻ60s, extended jams, and emotional, pop-like sound collages.
I am very proud of this album and the atmosphere we created. It is certainly our most original work out of all our albums. And so, this recording is both an end and a beginning. Thank you, Etienne, thank you, Frank, thank you, Jan!
I would like to dedicate this album to guitarist, composer and educator Ralph Beerkircher. Ralph was my guitar teacher when I was eighteen and had a major influence on my development as a musician. Later, we became colleagues and friends, playing in bands together and exchanging a lot, of course about guitars and music, but also about family and life in general. I was always looking up to him. At the time of this recording, he had been seriously ill for a long time. On the first day of our session, we learned that he had just moved to hospice. We ended the session early that day to visit him. A few weeks later, he passed away at the age of 57. Thank you for everything, Ralph! I miss you deeply.