NICA live: Luise Volkmann & Été Large – The Stories We Tell

Cologne-based saxophonist Luise Volkmann is a passionate border crosser and storyteller. It is no coincidence that she is releasing the third album of her 13-piece band Été Large under the title The Stories We Tell. Stories under the banner of a new commitment to simplicity. Everything superfluous must be removed so that the passion can manifest itself all the more clearly.

Volkmann translates the narrative into music with narrative force and poetic sensitivity. Music is not an end in itself for her. It is about something. Every note, every syllable triggers something in the listener. Unobtrusively and unpretentiously, the composer conveys the responsibility she feels and wants to take on: In times when polarization is becoming more and more noticeable, I want to give my music the power to juxtapose ambivalences with its stories. I can be angry or sad about different things at the same time and still show understanding for other feelings or attitudes. Making the complexity of thought and action tangible and thus creating the basis for an open dialog is important to me.

The Stories We Tell marks the tenth anniversary of Été Large. With this album, the leader and her collective manage to focus on the essentials. In her arrangements, Luise Volkmann takes a very cautious approach to the possibilities of a large formation. The sounds of the individual instruments are given plenty of room to breathe. It is also about the spaces in between that listeners can fill with their imagination. Music that doesn't stop when it has faded away, because Luise Volkmann's hymn-like tunes linger and reverberate. Été Large is a band that can be listened to with and in constant amazement.

Luise Volkmann has been supported by NICA artist development since 2022. The release concert of her third album with Été Large marks the end of her funding period.