MARKUS BECKER  KIEV CHICAGO

Markus Becker
Kiev - Chicago

Pictues at an Exhibition &
Jazz Improvisations

Markus Becker - piano

catalog number 21085

This is not a crossover album! Two musical worlds are juxtaposed to shed new lights upon one other: 'Kiev' stands for the Russian Romanticism of the late 19th century, 'Chicago' for the cosmos of Jazz. How do these two vastly different worlds relate? When I was considering the concept for this album I found two aspects of the relationship between these worlds very interesting: one ‘external’, such as the 'groove' in some of the 'Pictures at an Exhibition' or the somewhat jazzy harmonies in the Scriabin Préludes. I was especially interested in the ‘internal’ connections between 'Kiev' and 'Chicago': it is the compositional or improvisational freedom, colours, generosity, temperament, potential for surprise and sensuality, which is the bridge between both parts of the programme.