CD of the month by STEREO, german HiFi Magazin

'Beauty Of The Night' - rarely since Frank Sinatra's milestone 'In The Wee Small Hours' has the beauty of the night between desire and longing been so beautifully captured in music as on the new album by Meeco.

Romantic, versatile, different, qualities that characterize the uniqueness of the music of Michael Christian Maier, alias Meeco. The pianist and producer knows exactly how to get the subtle interplay of feeling right. Meeco is a master of gentle tones and delicate accentuations. Not a hint of pathos in his compositions and yet they are full of feeling and intimate moments. Compositions that can't be pigeonholed into one of the usual style categories. The Brazilian cellist Jaques Morelenbaum puts it in a nutshell 'Meecos music is neither classical nor jazz'. Perhaps this is why it is so fascinating, both to the listener as well as for the musicians who participate. They, again in this new album, which is now his third, come from the premier league of jazz. For his album 'Beauty Of The Night', Meeco, born in Berlin but now Paris-based, brought together to the studio in New York along with prominent veterans like Buster Williams, Hubert Laws, Eddie Henderson, Benny Golson, Bennie Maupin and Victor Lewis, young lions like the vibraphonist Stefon Harris and guitarist Lionel Loueke. Added to these, some top-notch representatives of the contemporary Brazilian jazz scene: Romero Lubambo, Zé Manoel and Jaques Morelenbaum. All of them accepted his invitation gladly. Recordings with Meeco are like a 'family meeting with some of the best jazz musicians of all time. For a musician, it's pretty infectious, it's really inspiring' says singer Joe Bataan. Add to this the challenge for any musician of turning Meeco's compositions into actual music. 'This is no ordinary studio job, you're not just there to hang out,' says full of admiration pianist Kenny Barron who works with Meeco. This is because the host's motto is: every song is to be played live together. There are no overdubs. Not even a rehearsal! 'When you play a song too often you get stuck in a routine. The magic is lost. What I want to do is to preserve this element of freshness' explains Meeco. 'Music is a way of communicating between musicians. We play the ball into each other's court. This only works if you're all together in the studio.' 'All the musicians get the scores in advance. Once in the studio, I outline how I imagine the structure of the piece to be: tempo, pauses, volume, etc. There are usually a few hesitations in the first take, but everything comes to fit together in the second or third'. Meeco admits: 'You can only do that if you're working with such high-caliber musicians.'

But who is Michael Christian Maier who, as Meeco, always manages to bring together such renowned musicians to play his music? Born in Berlin in 1976, the son of a French mother and German father, he finds his own biography rather unspectacular. 'I've got nothing of a childhood spent in the ghetto to come up with' he laughs. He got his experience in music as a producer for various R & B and hip-hop artists before, frustrated by the 'dismemberment of songs to the point of soullessness', finding his musical path, which he has since pursued unwaveringly and with a clear goal in mind. 'I just want to make good music. Music that awakes emotions, like the music in films does. You hear this best with the musicians on my dear old jazz records.'

His debut album 'Amargo Mel' was released in 2009, followed in 2010 by 'Perfume e Caricias'. What counts for Meeco is not so much the perfection in playing, but rather the right feeling. 'There's so much music around that is, from a technical point of view, well made. But there is little music that really touches me, that awakes a feeling in me. This is the real essence of music; this is what it's all about, about emotions. I try to express a feeling in my music.'

His prominent fellow musicians appreciate Meeco's unwavering sense of composition: and his concrete picture of how his songs should sound. 'He doesn't belong to those who have to try everything possible first. What I like is he knows exactly what he wants' says Hubert Laws for instance, as does Eddie Henderson, who has to date worked with Meeco on all his albums and for whom the romantic element of this music brings to mind Henri Mancini. 'Meeco is an incredible romantic' is the opinion also of bassist Buster Williams. 'Each of his compositions has a romantic mood, and yet they are all different. This makes them so interesting. He has a gift for 'the beauty of simplicity'. I'd say he captures the essence of beauty in his music.' Legendary drummer Victor Lewis chooses the Portuguese word 'saudade' for this gentle melancholy only found otherwise in Brazilian music. 'Meeco's music comes from the heart. 'Corazon as they say in Brazil'. Another icon of jazz, saxophonist Benny Golson, who is working this time with Meeco says laughing: 'This is not the 'Blues in B Flat''.

What also impresses everyone is the professionalism with which their young colleague brings these first-rate musicians together, thrilled to put his ideas into practice while still leaving them freedom to improvise, and without losing sight of his goal. Regarding us working together, 'We mustn't forget, I am 35,' explains Meeco 'and I'm working with absolute legends, some of whom are over 70 with incredible experience and a lot more knowledge. I can't go around acting the boss. You have to go at things with feeling and tact. It is a very respectful approach. I have great respect for these musicians.'

Even if his own name figures at the top on the album cover, Meeco would rather stay in the background. 'I want to make music. It's not about my person. Otherwise I could play the piano myself and adorn myself with any known musicians. What I want to do is realize my musical visions and dreams. I am lucky to be working with musicians who come from another time. Of these, there are only a handful still around. To be able to work with these musicians is an incredible opportunity. Of course I'm proud to be able to say, I've recorded with Benny Golson. Who wouldn't be proud? That is simply a dream! If it were only about me, me decorating myself with big names, I wouldn't get the same feedback from the musicians.'

A top notch cast coupled with Meeco's clear ideas make for a remarkably short recording time. 'I've recorded six songs in one day. And then once had to do two sessions, each for one song. There is a legendary recording engineer in New York who in the 50s and 60s recorded all the Blue Note discs. I contacted him because I was thinking that this line-up merited being recorded by him. So I called him up. He said, yes, it sounds interesting. Even if he didn't at first believe that these people would really be joining me. He thought it was some kind of a joke people play over the phone. Later he did in fact call a few of the musicians, to ask them whether this was really true. He then asked me, OK, how much time do you need? I said, I would like to record six songs and this would take between six and eight hours. His reply was that he was he was really sorry, but that was impossible. It just wasn't feasible. In the firm belief that this was doable, I searched for another studio. And it was doable! It was long. But it was good, and it was pretty intense.

The quality of the songs, perfectly polished by mastering legend Bernie Grundman has not been affected in any way. On the contrary. The songs sound fresh and alive. 'Beauty Of The Night' is an album that expresses emotions and arouses feelings. Along with Meecos romantic chord progressions, we have on the album the Portuguese texts of Brazilian singer Eloisia, known from the 'Nouvelle Vague' band, whose enchanting poetry complements his music so fantastically. On the new album she is, for the first time, meeting English and French duet partners like the legendary crooner Freddy Cole, the Salsoul legend Joe Bataan, the actress and singer Jane Birkin and the highly acclaimed young American jazz vocalist Gregory Porter.
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Exciting remixes of the album 'Beauty Of The Night' are also provided by Ex-Terra Nova-member Marco Meister, aka Meister & Meister. From down-beat to up-tempo he has transposed Meeco's songs to the club context, without at the same time losing one drop of their soul and spirit.

Track Listing

• Refrao de amor
• Gotas de adeus
• Luzes de Flores
• Amor e encantos
• Sad Guy
• No fundo do teu silencio
• Ombres et lumieres
• Beleza da noite

• No fundo do teu silencio (Remix short Version)
• Gotas de adeus (Remix short Version)
• Luzes de Flores
• Amor e encantos (Remix short Version)
• Nua Solidao (Remix)
• Beleza da noite (Remix)
• Luzes de Flores (Remix aternate Version)
• No fundo do teu silencio (Remix extended Version)
• Gotas de adeus (Remix extended Version)
• Amor e encantos (Remix extended Version)
• Luzes de Flores (Remix extended Version)

Additional Details

Label: Timba

Genre: Jazz

Run Time: 106:52 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 07/02/13

UPC: 821895989726