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| Photo by Erich Werkmann FFM |
- What is your greatest joy in improvised music?
For me, improvisation is a wonderful way of dealing constructively with
freedom and the indeterminate. It allows me to realize anything I can
imagine. Of course, it requires work on the imagination, through intensive
engagement with the processes and passion for the music, otherwise it
wouldn’t be possible.To quote a phrase from Adorno: The question was no
longer ‘how can musical meaning be organized, but how can organization be
meaningful.’ -
What quality do you most admire in the musicians you perform with?
That they are able to create meaning and are open to all experiments. That
they are open to every new question to which there is not yet a direct
answer. So that they are truly free to create free music that enables
connections to the future. -
Which historical musician/composer do you admire the most?
I cannot limit myself here, there are countless names from all areas of
history and cultures.To name a few: Xenakis, Ellington, Coltrane, Monk,
Stockhausen, Webern, Berg, Shorter, Parker, Wyschnegradsky, Feldman,
Taylor, MF Doom, Grisey, Berio u.v.a………. -
If you could resurrect a musician to perform with, who would it be?
I can’t really answer that either, because the outward impression is less
and less sufficient for me to be able to imagine something that might fit.
I would have loved to work with: Charlie Parker, Cecil Taylor, Mamady
KaÏta, Iannis Xenakis, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and Max Roach. From the 50s and 60s I would have liked to exchange ideas and
learn from Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, Iannis Xenakis, Luigi
Nono. -
What would you still like to achieve musically in your life?
More music and music processes from different continents and countries such
as Africa, India, Japan, and South America. -
Are you interested in popular music and – if yes – what music/artist do
you particularly like?
Sure! There are always very refreshing productions from, for example:
Tyler The Creator, Beyonce, Rihanna, Busta Rhymes, Justin Timberlake,
Michael Jackson, Aphex Twin, Little Simz, MF Doom, Earl Sweatshirt u.v.a.
It comes and goes to me. -
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would have started with music and philosophy much earlier. -
Which of your albums are you most proud of?
That is difficult! The greatest pride doesn’t exist for me, as it has its
own time. I will only name a few here:- DLW Grammar II (plaist)
- Open Form for Society (plaist)
- Open Form for Society LIVE (plaist)
- Konus (plaist)
- Antumbra, Penumbra (plaist)
- Supermodern Vol.II
- Beats I & II by DLW (plaist)
- Second Reason of my ensemble Grund (clean feed)
- The first Grünen album (clean feed)
- Amok Amor (boomslang)
- Umbra II (intakt)
-
Once an album of yours is released, do you still listen to it? And how
often?
Very irregularly! Very often during the production process, of course, and
every now and then afterwards. -
Which album (from any musician) have you listened to the most in your
life?
That is also very difficult! But of course there are also classics like- A Love Supreme, John Coltrane
- Boulez Structures I & II (Kontarsky/Kontarsky),
- Piano Sonata 2, Morton Feldman for Bunita Marcus,
- The Viola in My Life I-IV (ECM), Morton Feldman
- Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
- [Live At The] Plugged Nickel and Kind of Blue,Miles Davis
- Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Wu-Tang Clan
-
What are you listening to at the moment?
Can’t remember right now:)! -
What artist outside music inspires you?
Also the one I just thought of, here. Let’s also add writers:
Thomas Bernhard, Sigmund Freud, Joseph Beuys, Theodor w. Adorno, Bruce
Lee, Jean Tinguely, and of course many more I can’t think of right now.
Christian Lillinger on the Free Jazz Blog:
- Two Gems from Gordon Grdina
- A L`armé! XII Finale (Day 1)
- Novara Jazz, 21st edition – June 2024, Novara, Italy
- Moers Festival 53rd Edition, May 17-24, 2024
- New Old Luten Trio – Something New, Something Renewed
- Dell, Lillinger, Westergaard (DLW) – Beats II (Plaist, 2023)
- Stemeseder & Lillinger – ANTUMBRA (PLAIST, 2024)
- Great Sakata Trio – Siren, Sticks & Circus (Euphorium, 2023)
- Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky – Luten at Jazzwerkstatt Peitz (Jazzwerkstatt, 2023)
- Euphorium_Freakestra – Free Acoustic Supergroup (Euphorium Records, 2022)
- Luis Lopes: Mingling Control and Chance
- Jazzwerkstatt Peitz 50th Anniversary (April 27th – 30th, 2023)
- New – Danish – Horizons for the Piano Trio
- Dell Lillinger Westergaard & Maneri – Monuments (edition niehler werft, 2022) ****
- Irene Schweizer and Intakt Records – a Celebration
- Elisabeth Coudoux – Emißatett: Earis (Impakt 2021) *****
- Clean Feed @ 20: Reviews (part 1 of 2)
- DLW (Dell Lillinger Westergaard) – Beats (PLAIST, 2021) ****
- Arthur Hnatek Trio – Static (Whirlwind 2020) ****
- Petter Eldh and Christian Lillinger: Quantum Mechanics with Sudden Interruptions
- Ronny Graupes SPOOM – Bridge Ices Before Road (Shoebill, 2020) ****
- Grünen – Disenjambement (Trokaan Records, 2020) ****½
- Petter Eldh – Presents Koma Saxo (We Jazz, 2019) ****
- Petter Eldh – Presents Koma Saxo (We Jazz, 2019) ****
- Big Bad Brötzmann Quintet – Karacho! (Euphorium) ****½
- Dell Lillinger Westergaard – Grammar II (Plaist, 2019) ****½
- Jazzfest Berlin 2019
- Christian Lillinger – The Meinl Sessions (Plaist, 2019) ****
- A L’ARME! VII Day 2
- A L’ARME! VII Day 1
- Christian Lillinger’s Open Form For Society – Open Form For Society (Plaist, 2019) *****
- Kaja Draksler/Petter Eldh/Christian Lillinger – Punkt.Vrt.Plastik (Intakt, 2018) *****
- Unlimited 32 Festival, Wels, Austria, Nov. 9-11, 2018
- Schnell – Live at Sowieso (Clean Feed, 2018) ****
- A L’arme Festival VI, Day 3. Berlin. 8/3/2018
- Dell Brecht Lillinger Westergaard (DBLW) – Boulez Materialism (Plaist/Soulfood, 2018) ****½
- The New Old Luten Project
- Christian Lillingers GRUND— COR (Plaist Music, 2018) *****
- Amok Amor – We Know Not What We Do (Intakt, 2017) ****
- 20 years of zeitkratzer
- Samo Salamon Sextet – The Colours Suite (Clean Feed, 2017) ****½
- A’Larmé! Festival Vol. V – Day 2
- A’Larmé! Festival Vol. V – Day 1
- Christian Lillinger/Tobias Delius – Dicht (Relative Pitch, 2017) ****
- Olie Brice / Achim Kaufmann – Of Tides (Babel Label, 2017) *****
- Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden
- New Old Luten Quintet – Krawall! (Euphorium Records, 2016) ****
- Rotozaza – Zero (Leo Records, 2016) ****
- New Old Luten Quintet – Tumult! (Euphorium, 2015) ****
- Luis Lopes Lisbon Berlin Trio – The Line (Clean Feed 2014) ****
- Piano Trios
- Guitar Week: Trios (Day 3)
- Die Glorreichen Sieben: Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World (Boomslang Records, 2013) ****
- Christian Lillinger’s Grund: Second Reason (Clean Feed, 2012) *** ½
- Lisbon Berlin Trio (Clean Feed, 2011) ****
- Wanja Slavin 5tet – Scirocco (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010) ****
- Hyperactive Kid – Mit Dir Sind Wir 4 (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010)
- What happens when they stop beating the drums?
- Rolf Kühn & Tri-O – Close-Up (Jazzwerktsatt, 2009) ****
- Christian Lillinger’s Grund – First Reason (Clean Feed, 2009) ****
- Hyperactive Kid – 3 (Jazzwerkstatt, 2008) ****