German jazz drummer brings quintet to city
As a child, Mareike Wiening quickly took to several instruments and music in general.
She began piano studies at the age of five, and flute lessons five years later. She sang in a choir for 10 years.
But it was only at 15 that she came to the instrument at the centre of the music she makes today — the drums.
“I taught myself when I was 15 and started to take lessons when I was 16,” recalls the German musician who is in her early 30s.
“I was fascinated by the independence of a drummer and by the power of the instrument,” she continues. “Especially in jazz music, I always loved the freedom, and that one song can sound completely different each time you play it.”
These days, Wiening pursues jazz on two continents, splitting her time between New York City and Cologne. She and her New York-based quintet play GigSpace in Ottawa on Sunday night as part of a short Ontario/Montreal tour.
The concert in the cosy 46-seat space on Gladstone Avenue will consist of Wiening ’s elaborate but lyrical compositions, which are documented on her just-released album Metropolis Paradise on the esteemed Greenleaf Records label.
Wiening is steeped in musical education. Her first degree is jointly from the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts and the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen.
“Copenhagen was great, because they emphasize on finding your own artistic voice,” Wiening says.
About six years ago, she moved to New York to attend New York University on a full scholarship and got her master’s degree.
In New York, she also formed her band and began composing. “I got to know myself as a drummer, composer and as a person. I feel like I grew artistically and that would not have been possible in Germany,” she says.
One of her most influential teachers was vibraphonist Stefon Harris, with whom she studied composition and harmony.
“His approach to improvising, composing, harmony, ear training and communicating within the band had a huge impact on my playing and my relationship to music,” Wiening says. “It opened up a whole other world to me.
“With the drums, I was always missing the melodic part that I’m used to from the piano. With Stefon’s composing technique, I was really able to express my feelings into harmony.”
Wiening continues to study with composer and bandleader Guillermo Klein.
“He had a huge impact, for instance, on the title track to Metropolis
Paradise,” she says. “I admire Guillermo’s music. It’s so pure, honest and emotional. That’s what I’m looking for in my music as well.”
Wiening’s potent band includes bassist Johannes Felscher, a fellow German, the accomplished young pianist Glenn Zaleski, Canadian ex-pat guitarist Alex Goodman and veteran tenor saxophonist Rich Perry.
While she lauds the specific talents of her bandmates, she also says that if Goodman and Perry happened to play different instruments, she would still have them in her band.
“It’s really about the musicians themselves. If Rich and Alex would play a different instrument, my band would have a different instrumentation.”
After her Ontario concerts and one show in New York, Wiening will head to Germany for the rest of November for a batch of concerts with German musicians.
“Although I love New York City, I’m still German and I love Germany and miss my family,” she says.
“Also, there’s more funding for arts and music in Europe and the quality of life is much better, in my opinion. I don’t want to give that up.
“Of course, the music scene and the artistic value of New York is not comparable to any other place in the world. I’d like to have both, if possible.”
When asked if it’s hard to make a living as a jazz musician in an age of streaming and declining album sales, Wiening says the jazz life has always been challenging.
“Jazz musicians don’t do it for money,” she adds. “If I’d like to be famous and rich, I can go ahead and play pop music. But I don’t want to do that.
“Jazz is a decision, and if you really work hard, it’s possible to make a living,” she says.