We came across some of the pieces by sheer luck. Atzko and I met and improvised together for the first time on June 18. Improvising felt easy and flowing like water. But we still needed to find the compositions which would inspire us and give us new ideas. I was very happy when Atzko came up with an idea to play Utviklingssang by Carla Bley, Lonely Woman by Ornette Coleman, and Zingaro by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Frans suggested to play his favorite Gary’s Waltz. So far everything fitted in. But our original idea was to play not only jazz compositions but also to make our own interpretation of the classical ones. Lamento by Gabriel Fauré gave us the space to improvise and it felt to me like we brought one more dimension to this beautiful piece. When Atzko gave me the score of the Elegy by John Williams, I was puzzled at first, because it was so different from all other tunes. But it worked! So, it is how everything came together.. we had so many ideas for the CD that it could barely fit, so we had to choose the best tunes and improvisations. In the end, I just want to say that this entire process from the first meeting till now was deeply enriching and I’m really grateful to Atzko, TRPTK, and Frans, for making it all happen. – Maya Fridman
Playing music is more than just performing: it also brings with it the opportunity to meet and become acquainted with other people who share your passion and affection for music. My introduction to Maya was a wonderful example of this added benefit. When I first listened to Maya’s cello playing, I was intrigued by its hue change – various shades and colors coming from her instrument. To me, her cello sometimes sounds like Albert Ayler’s saxophone and sometimes just like human crying….She is so free in her performance; she seems to liberate herself from any constraints. Despite the many differences between us – nationality, culture and background – we found a common voice in our music – ÆON Trio. Some say, “We don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason.” — Yes, indeed! In our album Elegy, I’m sure you will hear our voice. – Atzko Kohashi
