An Interview with Heiner Stadler, founder of Labor Records

What was your musical upringing, what were your influences?

– There was no musical upbringing to speak of; instead, my interest in music began after being exposed to jazz. The first fascination involved traditional jazz and later bebop skipping the swing era altogether. Later, an intense interest developed in contemporary classical music. 

Would you say that you inherited the adventurous spirit of your great-grandmother Josephine Amann-Weinlich, founder of the first European Women´s Orchestra in the 1860s who toured extensively in Europe and the US?

– Perhaps, who can tell. The idea is comforting, though, if only for the fact that some distant lineage is continuing here.

The choice to leave Germany and move to New York in 1965 was probably a consequent step for a musician and composer seeking the interaction with the lively scene there. Who did you encounter first when arriving? Did you find a kind of mentor?

– It is comparable to painters who in the past felt the absolute necessity to go and live in Paris with all its ramifications. As for initial contacts, first there were trombonist Tom McIntosh and drummer Horacee Arnold. Shortly thereafter, Horacee introduced me to pianist Borah Bergman and we became lifelong friends. A mentor I never had.

What was the music scene like then, was it a closed circle or easy to get in touch and work with musicians that aroused your attention?

– It did not feel like a closed circle. Rather, musicians were fairly easy to approach and came to my rehearsals without any expectations beyond the interest in trying something new musically.

When did you have the idea of creating your own label, Labor Records?

– This came about in the early 1970’s. A small movement had started at the time when musicians realized that they would have to create their own labels, fully under their control, to record and sell their music without any interference from companies with primarily commercial interests.

What musicians did you record with and bring together in the studio?

– My first recording in 1966 featured Jimmy Owens, trpt, Joe Farrell, tenor sax, Garnett Brown, tb, Don Friedman, p, Barre Phillips, bass and Joe Chambers on drums. We had rehearsed the piece, on and off, for several months, which gave me the encouragement, because of very limited resources, to rent the studio for only one hour. Joe Farrell was a late replacement for John Gilmore, who had intended to take part but had to go out of town, on very short notice, with African percussionist Olantunji. Other musicians I worked and recorded with later are listed on my webpage . I did not maintain any contact with any of them except for bassist Reggie Workman and singer Jay Clayton, who remain friends to this day.

Is there an anecdote you would like to share – some odd or bizarre experience you made while recording or during an encounter with a musician or other personality?

– After one of the early rehearsals I was riding the subway with John Gilmore. Gilmore, a member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra, was a musician I particularly adored. He hardly spoke, only when I asked him how old he was, he replied: „I don’t think in those terms anymore“. It was obvious – now – that he had fully absorbed Sun Ra’s ideas of space and time something that struck me nevertheless as bizarre considering where I had come from a year earlier.

What would you do different now if you had the chance to revise some of your decisions in the creative process and development of your label?

– I probably should have tried to get a better grasp of the money needed to survive and work in this environment. Not sure, however, whether I could have ever adjusted my mental and emotional state accordingly.

It is not much different with the creative process. On one hand, I was determined throughout my life to never revise my basic ideas and convictions but wished in hindsight to have been more open at times to things with less stringent requirements. 

Can a recording substitute for listening to the music when performed live – which do you prefer personally?

– I used to prefer recordings but now find myself more open to listen to music live. Could it ever be a substitute? No idea. As far as I am concerned, It all depends on the moment, the kind of music and space– mentally and physically–where I happen to be.

Can you relate to the following quote?

“A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air molecules, often with the assistance of unsuspecting musicians.”

― Frank Zappa

– Not really, sounds a bit too poetic for my taste.

Fotos (c) Heiner Stadler

Published in June, 2016 on my Blog