My Private Circus

My Private Circus is an album both personal and unusual in the output of this American musician who has lived in Spain for over fifteen years, more than enough time to make known his original voice on the trumpet and flugelhorn, as well as his abilities as composer and producer. Kase plays more roles here – that of bassist, keyboardist and sound engineer among others – in a regal production that leads him into stylistic terrain that until now haven’t been possible for him to explore in a recording. To hear him in a musical ambiance apart from the typical acoustic jazz format is surprising. He explains that “for years I’ve had a surplus of compositions and musical ideas, some of which for their content or use of electronic instruments didn’t fit in the typical quartet or quintet situation. It was time to find out where this music would take me. I worked on this project for three years, alternating with another more conventional project for sextet. It was at times arduous but very educational, and I’m very happy with the result.”

If the music is not what we would expect from a jazzman accustomed to groups with more traditional instrumentation and repertoire, its creation is even more interesting. The process was “very spontaneous. Composing, playing and recording became one thing. I did everything at the same time, I didn’t write anything down, there was no written music for these pieces. At most, I had some Post-Its papering the wall of the studio with some chord sequences written on them, nothing more. If you change the work habits, the final result also changes. Towards the end there, things were so chaotic that it was a circus with just one audience member: me. And now, let it see the light of day.”