Viscosity Samuel Leipold

• 1Viscosity03:58
• 2Sediment I02:14
• 3Sediment II02:48
• 4Sediment III01:49
• 5Parsi07:08
• 6Ex Machina03:50
• 7Shō07:55
• 8Antimon05:57
• 9Piano & Guitar10:06
• Total Runtime45:45

Info for Viscosity

I developed and wrote the music for «Viscosity» over the course of the last two years. After my first two releases for quartet, this record features repertoire predominantly written for solo guitar. The works are a result of a phase in which I studied and absorbed the contemporary classical guitar repertoire of composers such as Toru Takemitsu and Tristan Murail, in combination with a contrast of electronic ambient stiles and “drone-heavy" Touareg rock music from Agadez.

The music that evolved from this phase became increasingly personal. It became difficult to impose the structures, forms and harmonies I developed into the common musical language understood by fellow musicians. The solo guitar setting allows me to treat the material in a very intuitive way without having to define strict forms. It enabled me to navigate freely through specific non-tonal harmony giving me the flexibility of determining the balance between composition and improvisation in each musical moment. The nine pieces with their succession of intervallic structures and sonic textures are resulting in a specific musical viscosity giving the record a sense of urgency.

"Viscosity” is in tune with the current times not only due to the solo setting. After ten years in the music business it has become ever so more important for me to work with friends and make use of local synergies, especially when recording music as personal as the works on this solo album. I wanted to work with people that share my enthusiasm and take the time to understand what my music is about. In the spirit of thinking and supporting locally, the album was recorded last autumn, at a friends small studio in my home town of Lucerne. The cover features a photo taken by another good friend of mine, from an image series depicting garden hoses, the album is also being released on his record label QFTF.

Samuel Leipold, guitar, piano
Toni Bechtold, bass clarinet (track 7)

Samuel Leipold
(1988) wuchs in Näfels Gl in einer musikalischen Familie auf. Mit zehn Jahren begann er mit klassischem Klavierunterricht und wechselte mit 15 zur Gitarre. Von 2009-2014 studierte er an der Jazzabteilung der Musikhochschule Luzern bei Roberto Bossard, Christy Doran, Frank Möbus, Chris Wiesendanger, Nils Wogram und Nat Su.

Er ist vor allem in der jungen Schweizer Jazzszene aktiv und hatte das Vergnügen die Bühne mit dem Lucerne Jazz Orchestra, Swiss Jazz Orchestra, Hayden Chisholm, Adrian Mears, Claudio Puntin, Peter Schärli und vielen anderen talentierten Musikern zu teilen. Mit dem jungen Schwyzer Kontrabassisten Pirmin Huber ist er auch in der neuen Schweizer Volksmusikszene unterwegs.

This album contains no booklet.