Gilles Grethen Quartet

Release: October 21, 2022

Rising-star Luxembourgish guitarist and composer Gilles Grethen unites his quartet with an 11-piece string orchestra this October in a genre-fluid exploration between jazz and classical traditions..  

State of Mind (21st Oct) follows up on his 2021 debut ‘Time Suite’, which explored the concept of a suite and its potential to be translated into the jazz idiom. 

Taking the idea several steps further, Grethen’s intricate compositions dance around complex themes and harmonies, whilst never losing sight of the rich and diverse sound of contemporary jazz. 

“I wanted to have a larger line-up for the second album, although I first thought of a big band,” Grethen admitted. “But I always had the sound of strings in my mind when composing, because I come from classical music and I exclusively played that as a child and adolescent. The sound didn’t let go of me, and I thought I had to do something with it; I even had some good ideas right away.”

Warm harmonies and lyrical melodies, combined with a captivating rhythm and underlined by Grethen’s warm yet vibrant guitar sound, are the primary ingredients of their music. 

Continuing a long and storied tradition that dates back at least as far as the iconic “Charlie Parker with Strings” sessions, the music is balanced between sections of lush strings and vast open spaces for the quartet to improvise with.

German trumpeter Vincent Pinn, Italian bassist Gabriele Basilico and Luxembourg drummer Michel Meis combine to create the many different moods and soundscapes. From contemplation to intoxication and delusion to transcendental experiences, various states of the human mind are made acoustically tangible, but the music always remains sensual despite all the complexity.

“When all the strings play together beautifully, they act like one big instrument,” he said. “This great sound that can come from it fascinates me.”

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