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Name: Gebhard Ullmann

Nationality: German
Occupation: Composer, improviser, saxophonist, flute player, clarinetist
Current release: Gebhard Ullmann is celebrating his 65th birthday with three new releases. Already out are For New Zealand with The Chicago Plan (NotTwo Records) and Transformations and Further Passages with The Clarinet Trio on Leo. April 7th 2023 will see the release of Andere Planeten with Das Kondensat via WhyPlay Jazz.

If you enjoyed this interview with Gebhard Ullmann and would like to find out more about his music, visit his official website. He is also on Facebook, and Soundcloud.  



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

For me it is a mix of different inspirations.

Very important are my personal extensive travels and seeing other cultures. Input from other music and composers is an important source, getting to know a certain instrument in depth can be one as well. Dreams, other art forms - such things are more part of the actual process of composing.

When improvising it is more the situation at hand that determines the creative process: room, art (like in a gallery), audience, my own mindset, how the instrument feels and – most of all – the musicians I create with.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

There are a concrete idea (let’s say a symphony or a special mood if it is a shorter piece) and some specific ideas (notes) I use on the way.

However during the process I may also try different tones (ideas / techniques) which I may find interesting. Sometimes, these work and even lead me further - sometimes they don’t.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

Usually it is all about my mindset. However I do have libraries of ideas that I may visit if I am searching for something specific.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Nothing like that.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

Yes, that usually takes longest.

Having a great melody – which is one of the most difficult things to have – helps a lot. I’d even say it is most important.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

Day by day ... til late at night. And when I have a first idea I may come back to it for weeks. Usually I do revisit after a year or so. Larger works I definitely revisit after the first performance.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I follow things. During the process I sometimes wake up at night with an idea I’ll write down and check the next day.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

I follow all roads and if I don’t see them in this specific composition I may put them in my library of ideas.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

From my youth on, I always knew how a (my) melody had to be, when it was finished. And so it is with larger works. I may come back to works later. However this won’t affect the original ideas. It is more a technical revisiting.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

I do get very involved in this process. I think it is most important when moving towards the final product.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

For me it is the opposite, one work is finished, time to start the next one.

Or go out and play music myself – with other musicians. Sometimes solo.