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Manuel Mengis: Freedom First, History Later
Frederick Bernas
Writer, musician, nomad, student, thinker, youth worker, couchsurfer, photographer, filmmaker, activist...The freedom about jazz which attracted him as a child has now become deeply imprinted on Mengis's character. His idiom has been shaped by love of nature, the artistic liberty of coming from a country with no musical preconceptions and a desire for creative fulfillment. He has found the ideal balance of being informed, rather than inhibited, by tradition. "At the end, written down or not, jazz, rock, or whatever—who cares—it has to do about the attitude you have while playing, about being sincere and authentic, to use imagination. In the best moments you can achieve that." Yet the trumpeter worries that "maybe I was not really concrete in the answers." In fact, that was one of the most concrete statements he made. No matter. As in his music, he is constantly asking questions of himself and others, using his freedom to the fullest possible extent and letting his mind take him wherever it wants to go.
Selected Discography
Manuel Mengis Gruppe 6, The Pond (Hatology, 2008)
Manuel Mengis Gruppe 6, Into The Barn (Hatology, 2005)
Photo Credits
Top Photo: Stefan Postius
Bottom Photo: Courtesy of Manuel Mengis
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