A few key words are in order: presence, humor, clarity. Desire, curiosity, and communication would also be appropriate. And, naturally, a pinch of vanity – artists need a taste, otherwise they wouldn’t have such a need to be heard. In addition, add variety, contrast, some friction, spontaneity, and immediacy for good measure. Now we have a description of Bachar Khalifé’s, Pascal Schumacher’s, and Francesco Tristano’s music. It is so multifaceted that it can be interpreted differently, depending on who is listening. Those who are used to listening to classical music will detect the appropriate gravity; among his many musical talents, Francesco Tristano is known for his Bach interpretations. Jazz fans will be gratified by the improvisations; Pascal Schumacher is a master in dealing with freely-explored musical spaces. And then there is Bachar Khalifé; with his roots in the Arabic musical culture as well as the French scene’s rhythmically colorful sound world, he stands for the acoustic moments that mirror faraway places.
It’s a wild combination, and the consequences surprised even the musicians themselves; the recordings were made because they had become necessary. Originally it was just a conceptual idea. Up until this recording, their music existed solely as live concerts, and Khalifé, Schumacher, and Tristano were often asked how one could experience the uniqueness of the evening. The joy of playing metamorphosed into the challenge of retaining the immediacy of the live concerts in the studio. The trio took their time with the microphones, experimented, and found a middle-ground between familiar motifs and spontaneous ideas. Much was born out of the moment, grew into structure and certitude in which the musicians defined their intuitive borders. Songs came into being, were put into perspective, or reinterpreted from other musical standpoints – a process that created a consolidated expression.