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Henning Sieverts: Bassolo

Release 9.Feb 2024 at „GLM/Edition Collage“ (180g Vinyl, CD, download & stream)

More Infos under: Uwe Kerkau Promotion

Listening without ears (Master Eckhart)

Picking up my bass, I like to play freely for a while, without goal; opening my heart, my inner and outer ears for what is to come.
Often, an idea appears: a small melody, a bass line, a rhythm – germ cells growing into new compositions – sometimes in minutes, sometimes taking weeks of detailed work.

The recording of this music took place in the Ressurection Church in Munich, capturing beautifully the sound of my bass – clear and wide.
The entire recording is without overdubs, most pieces written down tone for tone on manuscript paper, others with improvised sections or completely free.

I recorded most pieces pizzicato. They can be played arco as well. Therefore, I wrote down two versions of each piece. Indicated hints (fingering, position, articulation) are only suggestions. Of course, you can play it differently!

Most pieces are inspired by a concrete idea:

  1. Aix: contemplation with the interval of the fifth
  2. All in One: played across the four strings in one fingering position
  3. Solar: gentle modulation of three keys
  4. Le Carré: lyrical arpeggios with descending fifths
  5. Saint James Infirmary: little suite with arco, harmonics and singing!
  6. Be open: pentatonic contemplation in B natural and the four open strings: E-A-D-G
  7. Just Friendly I: improvisation on the harmonies of the jazz standard „Just Friends“
  8. Miniatur I: short string rattling
  9. Racing Thirds: played entirely in the interval of the third (and sometimes in the complementary interval of sixths)
  10. Looking Up: groove meditation on A
  11. Line Of The Day: widening the melodic range
  12. Zwölfbach: based on a twelve tone row of three times BACH: The original B (Bb)-A-C-H – tone row and the two modulations of it: D-C#-E-Eb and Gb-F-A-Ab
  13. Open Hands: gentle tribute to the healing tradition of „Open Hands“
  14. Miniatur II: short pizziccato sound scape
  15. Kraftruhe: arco meditation with fingered and flageolet tones
  16. Just Friendly II: another improvisation on „Just Friends“
  17. Thirty Six: based on the complementary intervals of the third and sixth
  18. Alone Together: the bass and me – alone together!

New CD out: „Henning Sieverts – Symmethree: Triple B“

After the highly successfull CDs „Symmethree“ (2012) and „Aerea“ (2018), „Henning Sieverts Symmethree“ takes a bow to the timeless art of Johann Sebastian Bach, with its third CD production „Triple B“, together with internationally renowned trombonist Nils Wogram and 7-string-guitarist Ronny Graupe.

Since my early childhood, Bach has been a constant companion, with church concerts, cantatas, passions and – above all – the six suites for violoncello solo. Obviously I´m not the first (jazz) musician to deal with Bach but we are following an unusual, highly personal approach.

While Jacques Loussiers „Play Bach“ preserves the barock originals, only underlaying them with a swinging beat, „Henning Sieverts – Symmethree“ creates its own music using mainly Bach´s name: the four note motif B(b)-A-C-H which appears in various forms: melody, bass line, chords,etc. Within the octave, the B(b)-A-C-H motif can be transposed two times: to D-C#-E-D# and to F#-F-G#-G. With these three four-tone-motifs, we get a great variety of twelve tone rows –Triple B(ach) in deed!

In addition, „Triple B“ recalls, in an ironic sense, the language of rating agencies, grading the creditworthiness of states. While „Triple A“ means best mark, „Triple B“ is already junk level. What a promising grading!

Beside B(b)-A-C-H, the trio pays tribute to a few Bach masterpieces like the „Sarabande“ from the fifth suite for violoncello solo in c minor. In general, we try to transmit the „special mood“ of Bachs music into our own: not only Bachs clarity, swing and structuring but also his severity, and beyond all this remains pure beauty!

We’ve been together since 2011 and thus have had time to grow together. Symmethree’s unusual trombone, guitar and bass/cello instrumentation allows for some compelling possibilities. We take up each other’s roles when it comes to musical functions. Every time we play it’s an adventure, every time it’s different. We not only surprise the listener, we surprise ourselves.

Video „Recording Session Triple B“:

Video

More videos from „Triple B“ and other recordings on my youtube channel:

Youtube Channel

More infos about „Henning Sieverts – Symmethree: Triple B“:

More Infos

On the „Sounds“ page you can listen to some samples of „Henning Sieverts – Symmethree: Triple B“ and to samples of more CDs.

CD orders (15 Euro) can be made here (button).


All concert dates for „Henning Sieverts – Symmethree“ (and for all other projects of mine ) can be found under „Live“!

Here are a few other recent CDs:

„Henning Sieverts – Symmethree: Aera“

„Aerea“, a beautifully balanced flight of symmetrical exploration trough air (“aer”) and space (“area”), together with trombonist Nils Wogram and guitarist Ronny Graupe.

Symmethree’s unusual trombone, guitar and bass/cello instrumentation allows for some compelling possibilities. The compositions and arrangements are mine, but there’s a continual give-and-take between the three. We take up each other’s roles when it comes to musical functions. We’ve been together since 2011 and thus have had time to grow together. Every time we play it’s an adventure, every time it’s different. **We not only surprise the listener, we surprise ourselves.**

Link to a „Recording Session“:

Video

more infos „Henning Sieverts – Symmethree: Aerea“:

Read More


All concert dates for „Henning Sieverts – Symmethree“ (and for all other projects of mine ) can be found under „Live“!

„Henning Sieverts: Bach´s Blüten“

„Henning Sieverts: Bach´s Blüten“ – Suite for Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Quartet“ had it´s premiere in November 2016 with concerts in Cologne, Wuppertal and Darmstadt.

Commissioned by „EOS Chamber Orchestra Cologne“ (with 7 wind instruments and 11 Strings) under the (fantastic!) direction of Susanne Blumenthal. The (equally fantastic!) Jazz Soloists: Sylvain Rifflet (ts, clar), Bastian Stein (tp), Fabian Rösch (dr) – and myself on bass and cello.

„Henning Sieverts: Bach´s Blüten“ is a full length suite with 18 movements. It deals with the musical Bb-A-C-H-Row and in general with Bach´s great music in all its fine structures, ramifications and splendid flourishing! All this is related to patterns of growth and blossoming you can find in nature. A keyword here is the „Fibonacci Sequence“ (1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,etc) which is found i.e. in many plants; how the petals are arranged or appear in the shape of an snail shell.

Here, you can find two videos of the first performance of „Henning Sieverts: Bach`s Blüten“ in Cologne:

A longer video including interviews:

Watch Video

A shorter video:

Watch Video


I hope for many more performances of „Bach´s Blüten“ in the future and I would be grateful for any advise or ideas in this direction!

A special tip for bass players: I will teach and perform at the „Bavarian Bass Days“ in Mühldorf (october 28-30, 2017), an international meeting with bass soloists in Classical Music, Jazz and World Music, with master players from Germany, Italy, France, Australia, Mexico, USA and many others. Come by! Press here for further informations (also for application): www.bavarian-bassdays.com

„Henning Sieverts: Double Quartet“ is now available!

An international octet with eight fine musicians from USA, France, Luxembourg and Germany.

It works as double quartet and also sometimes as two „twin pairs“: two saxophones (Loren Stillman: as, ss and Sylvain Rifflet: ts, clar), two harmonie-instruments (Florian Weber: p and Pascal Schumacher: vibes, marimba), two bass-instruments (Francois Thuillier: tuba and Henning Sieverts: b, cello) and two drums (Jochen Rückert and John Hollenbeck).

„Henning Sieverts Double Quartet“ came to life at the „Tonspuren“-Festival 2014, led by myself as „composer in residence“.
While researching over 600 years of this former Benedictine Abbey`s history, I unearthed a Mass composed in 1614 by monks specifically for the Abbey´s festival of St.Benedict.


I chose two elements from this festive Mass: a Cantus Firmus and a hexachord – they permeate my Irsee music as „leitmotif“ in many creative forms.
On the Double-CD „Hexacor“ from 2015, two „Tonspuren“-Concerts are documented, the third Programm with completly different music appears now on this CD „Henning Sieverts Double Quartet!


CD orders (15 Euro) can be made here


On the „Sounds“ page you can listen to some samples of „Henning Sieverts: Double Quartet“.


Further information on „Henning Sieverts: Double Quartet“ can be found here:

Read more

„Henning Sieverts’ Hexacor“

A double CD with concert recordings from the "TONSPUREN“ festival 2014 at Kloster Irsee (Bavaria), in which I participated as "Composer in Residence". Also involved: a "dream team" of jazz soloists (Loren Stillman, Sylvain Rifflet, Florian Weber, Pascal Schumacher, Francois Thuillier, Jochen Rückert, John Hollenbeck) and 18 strings of the "Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Augsburg". "Henning Sieverts’ Hexacor" was released by the label "petit paquet records" and costs 19 euro.

Further information - see above under „Henning Sieverts: Double Quartet“



CD orders can be made here

or on www.tonspuren.de


On the "Sounds" page you can listen to a sample of "Henning Sieverts’ Hexacor" or to many other of my CDs.


Further information on the music of "Henning Sieverts’ Hexacor" and the "TONSPUREN" festival can be found here:

Read more



A fantastic documentary about the „Tonspuren“-Festival was recently released!

The DVD „Tonspuren – der Film“ shows the three festivals of 2013, 2014 and 2015 in all their colourful variety, interesting for everyone who visited the „Tonspuren“ festival and also for anyone who will then notice what they´ve missed...



„Henning Sieverts: Vibes & Strings“

An exciting Live CD with my new quartet from the famous Munich jazz club „Unterfahrt“: with New York vibraphonist Tim Collins, Australian guitarist Peter O´Mara and Matthias Gmelin on drums. This cd was released as part of a new series in collaboration with „Enja Records“ - it´s a big honour to be the opening group for the „Edition Unterfahrt“!

Further information - see above under „Henning Sieverts: Double Quartet“

„Henning Sieverts: Vibes & Strings“ springs to life through the appealing combination of crystaline vibraphone and warm strings. The compositions are mostly groovy with a striking beauty arising from this unique instrumentation.


CD orders (15 Euro) can be made here


On the „Sounds“ page you can listen to some samples of „Henning Sieverts: Vibes & Strings“.


I continue enjoying my job as moderater of „Jazztime“ at the Bavarian Public Radio. Information on the individual broadcasts can be found under "Radio".
Since summer 2019, I have a permanent post as jazz bass teacher at the Academy of Music in Munich. This is really fun as well giving numerous workshops for bass and composition in other places (f.e. Bern, Luzern, Würzburg, Nürnberg, Köln or Leipzig)!

Last, but not really least: The best is and remains playing on stage, with great colleagues and for a great audience! Individual concert dates can be found under "Live"