ACROSS MOUNTAINS by Markus Stockhausen / Vangelis Katsoulis / Arild Andersen

Greek pianist Vangelis Katsoulis, German trumpeter Markus Stockhausen and Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen have known each other since 1996, when they met at a concert in Athens. "Across Mountains" was formed during a time when traveling and concerts were impossible. The musicians decided to use their time and creativity for a joint online recording project and thus embarked on a free journey of discovery. Vangelis and Markus started as a duo, soon joined by Arild. Sound tracks were sent back and forth, ideas were thrown at each other like balls. In this way, six pieces were created between August 2020 and May 2021.
This music is a document of a special time, because under normal circumstances the music would never have been created this way, had they had the opportunity to record live together. Yes, it might not have come into being at all, since the musicians live far away from each other.
In the course of the compositions and recordings there were always communication and synchronization problems, but the musicians took their time and made valuable experiences - and they had fun. It was precisely the unusual recording process that led to surprisingly idiosyncratic musical results. Thus the title "Across Mountains" indicates on the one hand the hurdles that had to be overcome in this creative process, but at the same time also the spatial distance that was bridged: from Athens to Erftstadt (near Cologne) to Oslo. The music took long distances in space and time, but it felt very close. This music is testimony to a long-lasting musical bond.