RTL Today - "What music comes out...comes out": A chat with the brilliant Pascal Schumacher

Sol Album Release Stream

If anything, it is a relief for the award-winning jazz musician Pascal Schumacher to have finally released this new album, Sol. "It has been a long process," he says, "twice we had to postpone the release date, we added two more single releases, to bridge the gap. The recordings happened more than a year ago, it really is time to get SOL out!" Now the album is out there, ready for critique and enjoyment Schumacher is a little more relaxed and, despite the current environment being as it is, the multi-instrumentalist is positive about the future.

"The main theme of Sol is solitude. Being confronted with myself while composing the music, the process as been an intense one", Schumacher states. "While recording and now while playing, it is still so intense and I definitely got addicted to this strong feeling."

Sol - Teaser

Schumacher is of the opinion that compositions "never stop evolving." It is through this process that his music reveals its truest form. "When the recordings are complete, you have period of post-production on the album, I love that period. After that, the album is what it is. Of course, the compositions never stop evolving. Every concert brings them to a next level."

With that in mind, was the pandemic delay a blessing in disguise? "I mean, thanks to being able to stream concerts from home, I kept on working on the material which allowed me to let some of the compositions grow."

Schumacher, as many of the country's population also did, felt a bit of the streaming fatigue. RTL Today had many online, first as means to entertain confined audiences, and then also as a way to help Luxembourg's artists be heard. We too had to cut back when it became a bun fight and there was little space to stand out from the crowd.

We had actually spoken about Schumacher doing an exclusive one with us before settling on the streaming of his album release.

Especially due to the fact that the outside situation was changing.

It was the right decision maintains the prolific composer. "There were three moments. First I was afraid of doing it, then I started having fun, and then I felt it was enough," Schumacher says, "Now there is this last one; the release concert. Then I really want to go back to real concerts. Let’s cross fingers that there will not be a second wave."

The official release of Sol will be streamed across a number of partners and will be housed at MUDAM and we ask Pascal how this setting specifically complements his vision for the record. "Well, playing alone in museum for no audience backed by a beautiful installation (Portland Mirrors by Robert Morris) consisting of four mirrors was a fantastic experience. I felt extremely inspired by the room, its scenery and of course the natural light drifting through, and you have the fantastic main hall of MUDAM as a backdrop, it was really very special."

Coronavirus' global sweep meant a significant alteration to the direction of promoting and touring Sol, something that the musician has had to take in his stride; "we had to postpone the release date twice and add two extra single releases. Ideally you aim for a promotion period of three-four months."

Obviously the Luxembourg lockdown meant it was a touch longer, "I had six months which is the absolute maximum! Touring was completely canceled. Some of those canceled dates have been re-booked for autumn. Some not."

The exact details of any Autumn tours still remain uncertain, but Pascal maintains a focus on the future, while having one foot rooted firmly in the past. "The major highlight up until now was playing the music of SOL in Tallinn, Estonia in the very famous St. Nicholas Church. This church is often used by the great composer Arvo Pärt to record vocal music."

The search for ongoing development of sound has taken Pascal to new places and adjustments and inspiration often take him by surprise. "In fact, this church has a very special reverb that gave wings to my vibraphone that I’ve never experienced before. But I believe that there are many more highlights to come for this project!"

Sol Full Video

How much of a companion piece is this to “Drops and Points”, the sublime segue into ambient electronica, we wonder? "There is a little connection, the ‘Drops & Points’ show had one track called Bubbles where I played solo for a couple of minutes. Every night I really enjoyed that passage very much. It somehow gave me an appetite to dig deeper into exploring solo performance."

Revealing some influences during lockdown Schumacher doesn't stray too far from what you might have expected, Brian Eno’s album ‘Vrioon’ was a constant feature, and "I listened a lot to my own handpicked Spotify playlist ‘…waiting for the sun…’ It’s a playlist with different moods. I keep on updating it. I was never really into playlists but now having my own and curating these lists is something that I am enjoying a lot."

We ask him how hard it is to create something truly original in this day and age. "I just do what I have to do. The music that comes out comes out. I am a very intuitive person. Right now, my aim is to play as many concerts as possible with this new album."

Outside of music studios and stages, you'll find Pascal Schumacher cycling or running, even then, it's likely his mind will be in constant motion just as his body will be continually moving.

Sol's album release streaming session from MUDAM will be available on RTL Today's website, Facebook Live as well as on other media channels.

Be sure to catch this unique experience from 9pm on Friday 5 June.