Name: Paul Brändle
Nationality: German
Occupation: Guitarist, composer
Current release: Paul Brändle and his trio's new album Paul, Rick and River is out September 15th 2023 via Squama.  

If you enjoyed this Paul Brändle interview, and would like to find out more about his music, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram.

Over the course of his career, Paul Brändle has worked with a wide range of artists, including Matthias Lindermayr, and Simon Popp.

[Read our Matthias Lindermayr interview]
[Read our Simon Popp interview]



When did you first start getting interested in musical improvisation?

Coming from a musical family, I started to play the guitar at a young age. Improvisation was already a part of what I was doing then because I wanted to play with my parents (who played guitar and piano) and my older brother (who played drums). So in order to do so I had to listen to what they play and try to play along.

When I was 12, after a few years of lessons, I remember I played the song “Lady in black” with my dad and my brother at a music school recital. The head of the school heard me and put me into the big band. That became my first exposure to jazz.

Which artists, approaches, albums or performances involving prominent use of improvisation captured your imagination in the beginning?

After joining the school big band, a few different artists played an important role for me: First Carlos Santana, because we played “Black Magic Woman,” “Oye Como Va,” and “Evil Ways.” It’s rock music, but he really is a great improviser.



Second Jaco Pastorius. I think every high school big band plays “The chicken”, made famous by him.



So as a teenager, spending a lot of time on youtube, I watched all the videos of him and I learned about two of the most important jazz guitar players because he worked with them: Pat Metheny and John Scofield.

Through Sco I got to Miles Davis and worked my way backwards through jazz history. The album My Funny Valentine by Miles was a milestone for me, it was some of the first truly modern Jazz I heard.



Focusing on improvisation can be an incisive transition. Aside from musical considerations, there can also be personal motivations for looking for alternatives. Was this the case for you, and if so, in which way?

Yes, definitely. When I was growing up in our house there was a lot of music played and listened to with a focus on beauty, harmony and nice sounding chords ect …

As a teenager I really strove to get that dissonant sound I heard from Scofield on the guitar. Now, many years later this idea isn’t so strong anymore, but it still is there.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to improvisation? Do you see yourself as part of a tradition or historic lineage?

I think I can express two ideas that are key.

1: Telling a story. I try to do that on as many levels as possible, inside a phrase, inside a chorus (meaning a part of a solo), inside the whole solo, inside the composition, in the order of songs on an album …
2: Expressing a mood or a feeling. This can be more abstract. Creating a scenery for the listeners own imagination. On my Album Solo, the music is based quite a bit on the idea of space to imagine something as a listener.



All of the influences mentioned in the earlier answers are a part of the history that influenced me as an artist. But also what makes an artist is to try to find your voice. It this is a process, to me it is that process or journey that makes the whole thing worthwhile. It never ends.

What was your own learning curve / creative development like when it comes to improvisation - what were challenges and breakthroughs?

Just playing something on the spot was never the issue for me. But playing something that sounds good, interesting, that feels good and connects with your band mates and the audience is the goal.

One breakthrough for me, and it’s always a process, is to know which notes not to play.

Tell me about your instrument and/or tools, please. How would you describe the relationship with it? What are its most important qualities and how do they influence the musical results and your own performance?

Like many guitarists I am guilty of having quite a few guitars. Each of my instruments has a different character in the sound but also in the feel.

My main instrument in the trio setting is a Gibson ES 330, it cuts through the rhythm section and also leaves space for the other instruments. It is the only guitar I use on the upcoming recording Paul, Rick and River. It doesn’t sound as fat though a traditional jazz guitar.

When I play alone I recently gravitated to my Gibson L5 again, a guitar that I haven’t used on my albums. This guitar is really a classic jazz guitar. The charm here are its acoustic qualities, which come out most when you play it solo. To me it is less how the guitar influences the result, it’s more about how the guitar works in different contexts.

As for other tools: the pick is very important, because it directly affects the sound and the feel. I always carry a selection with me on tour, because that is a way I can adapt and change the sound depending on the music or the tempo.

Can you talk about a work, event or performance in your career that's particularly dear to you? Why does it feel special to you? When, why and how did you start working on it, what were some of the motivations and ideas behind it?

I am a full time professional jazz musician since roughly 8 years and of course one could say there are quite a few highlights to look back to.

For example a concert with Fazer at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg 2019 or a 3-week tour in Japan with Rick Hollander just recently in 2023. I generally can’t pick one event or performance, because that would mean comparing it to others. Every concert is what it is and if you let it be that, also in retrospect, I think there is a better chance to make most out of your present.

How do you feel your sense of identity influences your collaborations? Do you feel as though you are able to express yourself more fully in solo mode or, conversely, through the interaction with other musicians? Are you “gaining” or “sacrificing” something in a collaboration?

Playing with people that are inspirational personas always lifts me up, still there is always a sacrifice, or better said a compromise when playing with anybody, even when I am leading a band. And that is a good thing, because creativity comes from limitations and possibilities.

I believe any music has a lot to do with communication, having an inspired communication within the band is one of the things that make any performance worthwhile.

A very fruitful collaboration in recent years is with Mongolian singer Enji Erkhem. Her way of expressing herself is so powerful that I can say it quickly ignites anybody she plays with.



Derek Bailey defined improvising as the search for material which is endlessly transformable. Regardless of whether or not you agree with his perspective, what kind of materials have turned to be particularly transformable and stimulating for you?

To me musical ideas that speak, or sing are important. How Miles Davis plays a melody, how John Coltrane can captivate you with his sound, or how Bill Frisell creates a chord.

These examples show, that once you find material that is your identity it depends on how you play it.

When you're improvising, does it actually feel like you're inventing something on the spot – or are you inventively re-arranging patterns from preparations, practise or previous performances?

I am inventing on the spot with the musical devices, patterns, experiences, feelings, inspirations that I bring on stage that day. A small part of that is  consciously, the much bigger part is unconsciously.

Like a language: you can’t speak a language without learning it, but while you speak, you don’t assemble each word anew. You build new phrases with the ideas inside you. When improvising in a musical context it’s very similar.

To you, are there rules in improvisation? If so, what kind of rules are these?

There are many rules to music, the most important ones for me are: Tension/release and question/answer. Thinking about tension and release can help you to choose which notes to play. Playing question and answer will guide you to structure your playing.

In a live situation, decisions between creatives often work without words. How does this process work – and how does it change your performance compared to a solo performance?

I’d say this is true not only for a live situation. Playing with a jazz ensemble means being a part of nonverbal decision making all the time. It sometimes happens collectively and sometimes through leading and being lead.

These two statues can take turnes even in one song. Sometimes is has to be negotiated in the music. When you play alone, you only negotiate with yourself.

There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? In which way is it different between your solo work and collaborations?

To me there is no ideal state of mind for being creative. You can’t force creativity, you have to let it happen regardless of the state of mind you are in. But you can control the circumstances for being creative: no distractions, enough sleep, good coffee, rituals …

Even when you think you did everything to get you in the right state of mind, don’t expect creativity. In my experience that’s when you can get lucky and come up with something new.

When I work with other artists I try to listen as much as possible. Listening to each other is the foundation that participating artists can express themselves creatively.

How do you see the relationship between sound, space and performance and what are some of your strategies and approaches of working with them?

Knowing when to play a pause, or not to play a note is very important. It creates tension for what comes next.

Guitar players don’t need to breath in like horn players do while they play. But it is an effective way to create space in your playing. I practice to consciously breathe in before a phrase to get that effect.

As far as sound and performance is concerned, it’s fascinating to me how the room you play in changes your sound. It’s so unpredictable. It can change the way I play and can bring out different ideas.
 
In a way, improvisations remind us of the transitory nature of life. What, do you feel, can music and improvisation express and reveal about life and death?

Improvisations are by definition transitory. It teaches us that every moment is unique and should be taken for what it is.

Being an artist, I have the privilege to bring a little bit of that truth to anybody who listens to the music. It is also my responsibility to make every moment count.