Mathis Everding
What particularly fascinates you about music? What particularly fascinates me about music is the immediate effect it has on the inner, emotional world. It is as if sound is a shortcut to our soul, which we can use as a channel for immediate emotional communication. When we make music together, it creates a connection, a greater whole. My work is to remove so many physical obstacles in order to create a sound with an unclouded emotionality.
Which musician has personally influenced you the most so far? That would still have to be David Gilmour. Even if the influences are countless by now, it is the essence of what makes David Gilmour's sound: his brilliant sound, elegant understatement playing and micro-phrasing still fascinate me today, and can be found in one way or another in many of my other influences. John Scofield was also formative for me in my early student days. Sco's quirky, perfectly flawed sound inspired me to strive for authenticity rather than perfection in my music. The third in the group is probably John Abercrombie, the David Gilmour of jazz, his lyrical playing and melodic intuition also fascinate me. In addition, Wolfgang Muthspiel and other modern-jazz guitarists, as well as impressionistic classical music, influence my playing.
Which band/soloists have you always wanted to be on stage with? To be honest, this question never bothered me. I would have loved to have played with Paul Motian... or one day with Dave Holland as a duo? Who knows?
What is your life like outside of music? My life outside of music is mainly literary. I like to deal with sociology, philosophy and political issues. This also includes a political commitment, albeit too small. I also enjoy hiking and vacationing in nature.
My musical journey began at the piano. My father had an old, out-of-tune piano in the house that I used as a child as a vehicle for several hours of sound experiments. I came to the guitar in a roundabout way, after I was actually more interested in the saxophone. There was this street musician in Bremen who played jazz standards with a guitarist. And I was incredibly fascinated by his rough, woody sound. But saxophones are expensive, as are lessons. So for me, the next object of fascination was more tangible: the guitar.
I had my first lessons at elementary school, back then it was still classical guitar. Over time, I developed a fascination for rock and punk rock, no doubt partly due to the instrument. However, it remained largely an exploration of simple riffs and chord accompaniments, and yet it was here that I first noticed the incredible explosive power of music.The turning point for me was the discovery of Pink Floyd, whose lyrics and ingenious production of the albums, and not least the unique, poetic sound of David Gilmour, touched and fascinated me in a way I had never experienced before. I started transcribing the solos and playing them as accurately as possible, forming my own band and studying the theoretical background. I realized that music was something I wanted to pursue seriously.
My first contact with jazz was probably Vulfpeck and John Scofield, groove music, funk. During my studies, my understanding of the diversity of this music grew beyond anything I could have imagined. Musicians like Jim Hall, John Abercrombie, Bill Evans, Richie Beriech, Kenny Wheeler and so many more opened up a musical world to me.
Today I mainly play with my project “Trio Legna”, with which I explore chamber music soundscapes that are somehow rooted in straight-ahead jazz.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
1999 . born in Aachen, NRW
EDUCATIONAL PATH
07.2019 . Abitur . Comprehensive School Aachen-Brand
07.2016 . Fachoberschulreife . Comprehensive School Aachen-Brand
MUSICAL CAREER
2021 – 2025 . Music studies “Jazz – Performing Artist” at the Folkwang University of the Arts . with Frank Sichmann
2019 – 2021 . Private lessons from Thomas Nordhausen and Ralph Beerkircher
2016 – 2019 . 3 years of private lessons from Veronika "Reno" Fast, daily practice ~ 2-4 hours.
2015 – 2016 . Self-taught . Basic improvisation, scales, ensemble playing
2007 – 2010 . 3 years of classical guitar lessons . Elementary school
INTERNSHIPS
2016 . Sonntag Studios . Peter Sonntag , sound engineering
2015 . Elsbroek Architects . Architecture
2014 . Kadawittfeld Architecture . Architecture
OTHER
since 2020 . Guitarist at Floodlight Musicals . Aachen
2019 . Project work "Blackholeshot"
2019 . Youth culture exchange . Leeuwarden
2018 . MuFab Jazz Workshop
2018 . Youth culture exchange . Aarhus
since 2015 . Experience as a guitarist/lead guitarist in various bands
2015 – 2019 . Voluntary work . work weeks . JGCL
