Mike Herting - Breathing in Breathing Out (2020)

“The music has to breathe”. This statement by the renowned classical pianist and conductor András Schiff is not only timeless across all genres, it exactly meets the intentions of pianist Mike Herting. Its communicative style of play opens up many associations in the flow of improvisations and above all makes a personal passion glow: a never-ending devotion to music. His compositions and improvisations reflect this in a wide range. Mike Herting describes the selected tracks on his first solo CD as follows:

1) Mon Trésor
The oldest piece in this collection, written in 2011 for my wife Sabine, the great treasure in my life
2) Quiet Days
In the first days of the corona crisis with its contact restrictions, all of Germany was paralyzed. Although the situation was very difficult for many people, there was also the effect of slowing down, which gave many the unfamiliar but welcome feeling of relaxation. "Quiet Days" ...
3) Ocean Dream
I love coming to the sea and I feel a little sad when I have to leave the coast. "Ocean Dream" refers to it and reflects the sea with its constantly changing moods, big waves, small waves, storm, calm, the different colors of the water and the horizon ...
4) Breathe
A simple composition that arose from the desire to work through this very simplicity, flowing like breath ...
5) surrender
All your life you fight against everything inside and outside yourself. "Surrender" arose from the feeling and the desire to give in, to end this fight, which one cannot win and whose cessation could enable a new freedom ...
6) Casamance
In January 2018 I was invited together with the German-Senegalese percussionist Pape Samory Seck and the great Mauritanian singer Cheickh Lehbiadh to perform at the “Festival de la Paix” in the southern Senegalese region of Casamance. The Casamance is a wonderful place with hospitable and warm-hearted people; unfortunately for a long time controversial and not always peaceful. This song is a gift to my friends there.

Inspired by the long-term collaboration with saxophonist Charlie Mariano, pianist, composer and arranger Mike Herting has been dealing with a wide variety of musical cultures for decades. As a guest conductor and composer of the WDR Big Band Cologne he realized, among other things the project “Sketches of
Bangalore "(2000) with the soloists Charlie Mariano, R.A. Ramamani, T.A.S. Mani and other soloists. Larger orchestral concepts followed with the Sai Symphony project (2015) and concert projects with the Bujazzo in India (2011,2016), as well as in Senegal and Guinea Bissau (2013). Regular study and music stays in West Africa promoted further exchange, namely "to entertain the mutual penetration of creativity and spirituality in the game process and finally the joy of life."