Birgitta Flick is a german saxophonist and composer living in Berlin. Much of her music is a blend between composed music and improvisation.
I had the pleasure of jamming with Birgitta when I visited Berlin in January. We met for a couple of hours in a cold practice room with a piano past its prime. I invented a musical game I call “Breaking The Rules”, and we did a lot of free impro.
But this piece is a Swedish folk tune she visited on her album Dalarna. The tune was unknown to me, but we managed to play some rather inspired music. I recorded the whole session and got back to it when I returned home.
I had placed the microphones a little awkward, so I struggled with enhancing the piano so it could compete with the honestly gorgeous saxophone sound. I also layered on some percussion and synths.
In the end I added the sound of a busy street corner nearby. At the very end of the track you can hear the police stopping by and politely asking me what I’m up to. My recording rig (you can see it in the album art picture) got some attention, not all of it positive. The Berliners still remember the secret police and surveillance state of the cold war. The police officers were satisfied when I told them I was recording ambiences for my music and drove on.
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