A stray cat, a card trick, and the first kick of a baby in the womb - these are some of the more unusual stories behind Shishi's Wish, MURAL's second album. The international trio of American-Japanese guitarist Aki Ishiguro, German bassist Peter Schwebs and Chilean drummer Rodrigo Recabarren has already caused a stir with his debut album.
Starting point for Shishi's Wish were concerts, which led the trio across the globe - among other things to Japan, in the USA, to Chile and Germany. "These journeys have made our music something new," explains bassist Peter Schwebs. "Tailoring the songs to the other band members - that was our approach on this album." The three musicians experimented with new ideas and overdubs to expand the range of sounds and colors. However, these effects never come to the fore, the trio sound and the interaction of the musicians continue to be the focus. "With our debut album and the tour, we laid the foundations for our sound. That helped me a lot to adapt my new compositions accordingly, "says drummer Rodrigo Recabarren.
As the band members pondered an album name, they stuck to Shishi, a composition by Ishiguro that eventually became part of the title. Shishi, the stray cat, had entered the guitarist's life a few years earlier. A beautiful animal undoubtedly, but also very lively and confrontational. On a bitterly cold morning, Shishi came up the steps of his house in search of a warm spot. After giving birth to a dead kitten, she needed months to recover. Then she disappeared suddenly and never came back. Giacomo was one of the first pieces that Schwebs had composed. "The idea behind it was that Aki plays a funky guitar motif accompanied by a groovy bass line composed in an odd time signature, creating an energetic, playful dance rhythm. In the summer of 2016, we gave a living room concert in New York. Later, the pregnant hostess told me that for the first time she felt her boy in her stomach. She called him Giacomo - that's how the title came about, "recalls the bassist.
Siete Diamantes (diamonds) also comes from Schwebs. It is based on a 7/8 rhythm, over which the melodies of guitar and bass shift, each using different beats. When the band was in Chile and the musicians were having lunch, one day a magician came to their table. "He showed us a few card tricks that left me speechless. You are absolutely sure which card he is holding in his hand and then he conjures it up from somewhere else. That inspired me to vary a simple musical idea melodically and rhythmically. "
CSD Orompello is a composition of Recabarren with South American flair, which is enhanced by the deep sound of the Bomba Leguero, an Argentine drum. A play reminiscent of the failed assassination of the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1986. The title refers to the "Club Social y Deportivo Orompello", a sports and football club, by some members of the Chilean underground organization "Frente Patriótico Manuel Rodríguez" played. , Late summer is a piece of Schwebs with a melancholy touch. "I like the time in late September, early October. It can still be quite sunny days, but you can feel that the autumn pulls up so slowly. A ballad that looks back on the warm season, reminiscent of it, "said Schwebs. Mari "is a small digression to an equally exciting and interesting person - my girlfriend Mari," explains composer Ishiguro, adding: "This song expresses my feelings for her - in a very honest and direct way."
Geronimo, based on a war song, is clearly geared to jazz rock thanks to Recabarren's energetic drumming and Ishiguro's distorted guitar sound.
Someones to Watch Over Me sound completely different again. "A jazz standard by George Gershwin, whom we have often played on our tours. We thought that a beautiful, soulful ballad would close our album, "explains Schwebs.
Over the past few months, MURAL has hosted a number of major festivals and numerous prestigious clubs, including the Thelonious Jazz Festival in Santiago de Chile, the MIBnight Jazz Festival in Bremen, WinterJazz Brelingen, the 55 Bar in New York City and the Pit Inn in Tokyo.
1 Giacomo! 04:31
2 Fingerprints 04:47
3 Shishi 05:55
4 Siete Diamantes 04:57
5 Mari 02:41
6 CSD Orompello 05:39
7 Nazo 05:29
8 Spätsommer 06:33
9 Geronimo 04:57
10 Someone to Watch over Me 05:41
