Adieu Tristesse by Arik Strauss

In naming this recording "Adieu Tristesse" (farewell to sadness) I wanted to reflect the emotional and spiritual process that I've been going through in the last few years.

But it is not only the parting from sadness that I celebrate, it is the whole cycle of life (and death) that I came to terms with, the realization that everything I went through in life had an effect on my music and my belief that music should bring pleasure to people and relief from their day-to-day pain.

My teacher and mentor, Jack Reilly, used to tell me that in writing our own music we have to remember the 400 years of music legacy, achieve the aesthetic level of a classical composition in improvising and improvise like a composer. In my writing, classical and jazz music always exist alongside one another. My compositions are, in many aspects, derived from this inheritance, mainly from music by Bach and Chopin, my favorite composers. In "Classical Moments" I chose excerpts from their music based on which I wrote new themes and improvised on the changes.

Along with these classical-jazz pieces I wanted to share my private feelings brought out in Adieu Tristesse, Melancholic Nocturne and mainly in Meditatzia. The first two movements of the latter were written sixteen and a half years ago, when my beloved dog, Meditatzia, was born. While recording this album she passed away, bringing forth the third part which sketches her last moments with us.

Israeli pianist Arik Strauss currently live in Berlin where he leads a trio featuring Hendrik Nehls, Bass and Andrea Marcelli, Drums.

arikstrauss.com