The Gift Susanne Abbuehl

• 1 The Cloud 05:10
• 2 This and My Heart 03:38
• 3 If Bees Are Few 01:39
• 4 My River Runs to You 05:20
• 5 Ashore At Least 07:36
• 6 Forbidden Fruit 02:03
• 7 By Day, By Night 04:03
• 8 A Slash of Blue 01:33
• 9 Wild Nights 06:40
• 10 In My Room 04:53
• 11 Bind Me 01:21
• 12 Soon (Five Years Ago) 03:14
• 13 Fall, Leaves, Fall 04:04
• 14 Sepal 01:31
• 15 Shadows On Shadows 04:04
• 16 This and My Heart, Var. 04:26
• Total Runtime 01:01:15

Info for The Gift

Die schweizerisch-niederländische Sängerin und Komponistin Susanne Abbuehl hat eine ganz eigene Art sich in Texte förmlich hineinzuleben, die ihnen innewohnenden Melodien und Rhythmen zu erkunden, und sie schließlich fließen und schwingen zu lassen. All diese Gaben kommen auf ihrem dritten ECM-Album „The Gift“ zu voller Blüte, das im Sommer 2012 in Südfrankreich aufgenommen wurde.

Sie befasste sich bei dieser Aufnahme mit der Dichtung von Emily Dickinson, Emily Bronté, Sara Teasdale, Wallace Stevens, vertonte aber auch eigene Lyrik. In den sieben Jahren seit ihrem letzten Album “Compass“ hat sich in Abbuehls Band einiger personeller Wechsel vollzogen. Der niederländische Pianist Wolfert Brederode spielt weiter eine wichtige, zentrale Rolle. Neu im Ensemble sind seit 2009 Mattheu Michel, dessen Flügelhorn hier als eine Art zweiter Stimme agiert, und Olavi Louhivouri, dessen sensibles Schlagzeugspiel zuvor auf Tomasz Stankos „Dark Eyes“ zu hören war.

Susanne Abbuehl, voice
Matthieu Michel, flugelhorn
Wolfert Brederode, piano, Indian harmonium
Olavi Louhivuori, drums, percussion

Recorded July 2012
Studios La Buissonne, Pernes_les_Fontaines
Engineered by Gérard de Haro
Produced by Manfred Eicher

Susanne Abbuehl
Swiss/Dutch singer and composer was born in Berne, Switzerland, on July 30, 1970. Drawn to music and language early on, composing songs and writing words in her own language, she started studying the harpsichord at age seven. At age seventeen, she moved to Los Angeles where she graduated from high school and started taking lessons in classical singing. She was a member of a high school jazz group that toured the U.S. and Canada. Back in Europe, she took up professional education in jazz and classical voice at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where she studied with the late Jeanne Lee. She earned a Masters Degree, graduating cum laude.

Abbuehl also studied North Indian classical vocal music with Dr. Indurama Srivastava in Amsterdam and later became a student of famed master singer Dr. Prabha Atre in Bombay, to whom she regularly returns.

She studied composition and analysis with Dutch composer Diderik Wagenaar.

Her recordings for ECM, „April“ (2001), and “Compass” (2006) received wide critical acclaim internationally. „April“ won an EDISON Music Award (Dutch Grammy) in 2002.

2013 will see the release of „The Gift“, her third recording for ECM. It features compositions by Susanne Abbuehl for poems by Sara Teasdale, Emily Brontë and Emily Dickinson. Produced by Manfred Eicher, the line-up includes Dutch pianist Wolfert Brederode, Swiss flugelhornist Matthieu Michel and Finnish drummer Olavi Louhivuori.

With her own group, Susanne Abbuehl has toured extensively and was invited to perform at major festivals in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.

She performed and recorded with musicians from various musical backgrounds, including the Jeanne Lee Music & Dance Ensemble, Christof May, Stephan Oliva, Michel Portal, Mats Eilertsen and Paolo Pandolfo.

Susanne Abbuehl has been commissioned to compose for various settings, including work for radio, theatre, and sound environments.

As the only non-American singer, she was chosen by the Downbeat Critics Poll 2002 in the category “Best Female Vocalist/Talent Deserving Wider Recognition”. In the same poll, one year later, she held the 6th position in the category “Rising Star Female Vocalist”, and her album “April” was featured among the best in the category “Beyond Album”.

Susanne Abbuehl is Professor at the music universities in Lucerne and Lausanne, Switzerland. She has also lectured in France, Italy, England and Holland.

Booklet for The Gift