(Rec. 22nd Nov 2023)
The trajectory of Bastian Voelkel’s career could have easily resembled that of another small-town music aspirant in Germany resting on the wreaths of a secure pensioned job as a teacher at the local music school as his earliest environment might have potentially suggested as the most suitable. The 18-year-old keyboardist however, decided to head synth-in-hand to audition for Europe's most elite university for pop musicians, taking the usual rejections from mainstream German jazz education gracefully in stride. And nailed the audition.
What followed over the years amidst the overwhelming and once-controversial but always innovative Pop-Akademie BW music-business vs music education conundrums and experiments in ‘Ausland-Semesters’ in the Netherlands, was the chance meeting with now long-time band-mate Alice Merton and a tireless and curious work-ethic that led to a Grammy nomination and a few 100 (and counting) shows around the world, earning him the reputation of one of the hardest-working keyboardists in Germany.
I catch up with fellow Nord-artist and fellow Pop-Akademie BW alumni to discuss the importance of understanding space in live music performance, the trials and tribulations of touring internationally as a keyboardist, and the significance of authenticity and loyalty as a musician in this day and age.
This episode is brought to you by:
www.holisticpianoacademy.com
(Now part of www.holisticmusicianacademy.com)
Listen to T.L.'s new album HERE
Music by: www.everynowheremusic.com
Produced by T.L. Mazumdar
Text: www.tlwrites.com
Recorded on a Zoom Podtrak P4 kindly sponsored by:
https://www.sound-service.eu
Connect with Bastian:
Making an Album with 100 Plus Female Collaborators, Chocolate that Empowers Local Congo Businesses and Effortless Mastery in Juggling Multiple Hats with Vivienne Aerts
Balance, Discipline, Forgiveness and Compassion with Esther Rojas
Balancing Athletic and Musical Lifestyles, the impact of Travel on Music, the Space Between Notes, and the Power of Choice with Camellia Akhamie Kies
Recuperating as an Artist Post-Pandemic, Working on Solo Singer-Songwriter on Piano Repertoire, Choosing the right Collaborators and Navigating Multiple Line-Ups Globally with Sophie Dunér
Healing Obesity with Empathy, Understanding Self-Love, and Vulnerability as a Strength with Drew Manning
Blurring Lines Between Performing and Teaching, Common Causes of Piano Injury, Unpacking Jazz Piano Pedagogy in 2023 and Mistakes to Avoid in Audience Building
Merging Dystopia with Utopia through Music and other Paradoxes with Bodhisattwa Ghosh
Growing the Legacy of the Contemporary Indian Drummer on a Global Scale With Vishal Nayak
Authentic Entrepreneurship for Musicians, Understanding Fear in the Musical Path, and the Art of Digital Course Creation with Shaeunn Thorsteinsdottir
Unpacking the World of a Third Culture Kid, Code-Switching, Balancing Entrepreneurial and Academic Mindsets and Black Lives Matter in 2022 with Tayo Rockson
D For Brother, Unwitting Pioneers of ’World Music’ In Pre-Internet India with Amyt Datta
Why Musicians Should Work Out, Feeling Safe, Understanding Health-Span, and the Effect of Culture on Fitness-Image with Ryan Hurst
Archiving An Indigenous Ancestral Tradition in a Global Format and Navigating Gender Between Multiple Cultures with Jaremdi Wati Longchar
The Birth of a Third-Generation Japanese Sitarist and Cultivating Global Exchange Authentically with Tadao Ishihama
Nurturing a Decade of Global Musicians in India as a Queer White Male with Dr. Adam Greig
Imposter Syndrome, Self-care and Learning to Listen as a Musician with Sebastien Heintz
Studying Traditions authentically and Navigating Multiple Musical Modalities in a Contemporary Context with Pete Lockett
The Making of ’Vignette’, Pianist or Singer and the Colonial Hangover around the Piano in India with T.L. Mazumdar (Solocast)
From Effortless Mastery to Becoming the Instrument with Kenny Werner
Links between Music and Yoga, Growing up Brown in a White Social Paradigm and Navigating Nuances of South Asian Diaspora with Preetha Narayanan
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