Markus Setzer: Doin' it all!

With the power of the internet and other strides in communication technology, the world has never been a smaller place. While some people may not embrace this, musicians and fans rejoice over having easy access to new music from all corners of the globe. It was through Warwick 's MySpace site that I first met and started a friendship with bassist Markus Setzer.

Although Markus is a Warwick endorsing artist, I had never heard him play. He is a German-born bassist who caught the eyes and ears of Warwick and was quickly signed up. Markus sent me a MP3 of his duo reimer|setzer 's song “Time” from their newest CD Together . I was floored! Markus and singer Sabine Reimer perform Jazz standards and original songs with nothing more than Markus' bass and Sabine's voice. The results are fantastic and I was so enthralled by the MP3 that I had to interview Markus and learn more about him and his music.

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Can you tell us how you and Sabine Reimer first decided to form a very unconventional duo?

As a young musician I contemplated a lot whether it is possible to perform each and every part different instruments play within a band (e. g. drums, guitar) only by a "simple" electric bass. Normally the bassist sticks to playing just keynotes, more creativity is usually not required. This conforms to the task a bass fulfills within
a band: to provide a basis for the rest. But I felt this was not what I really wanted: I expected more of myself and my playing.

I used to listen to famous and brilliant bassists, like Jaco. I came to the conclusion that a bass is very capable of playing melodies and chords as well. I wanted to form a duo, just like the classical combination of a human voice with piano or guitar, but with a bass as an instrument. I figured out it had to be a female voice, since the sound of the bass and the mezzo soprano of a female voice make a perfect match - they don't get in each other's way. It was my dream to find a female counterpart - which I found with Sabine. With her, I am able to translate everything coming out of my mind straight into melodies and tunes.

It's rather a simple story: we fell in love with each other and that's it. Just kidding: I met Sabine at a party of one of my friends. We talked a little and found out we both are musicians. I told her I wanted to form a duo with a singer, and that was exactly what she wanted as well: to make music with a bass as  counterpart. When I told her I played an electric bass, she was rather disappointed because she preferred strongly a contrabass. It took me three opportunities to talk her into giving me her phone number...

Can you remember the first song you arranged for Reimer|Setzer?

The first song we performed together was "Autumn Leaves". It was a jam session. The first original song we arranged for our duo was "My Heart is Dancing". Sabine sang it while cooking something in the kitchen, and I
thought it had a rather nice hook. So I checked out a II-V-I-progression which fit very well. I added some tapping style later. So I managed to play the samba-style bassline AND the chords at the same time.

How did your first gig go? Were you nervous?

Oh yes, of course! The first gig of the Reimer/Setzer duo took place on November 11, 1999. Our first concert with voice and bass we gave just for our families, friends and acquaintances at the Foolsgarden in Hamburg , Germany . It was a very suitable place for our quite unusual concept and it provided exactly the perfect framework to try out this daring instrumentation in public. We stood on the stage just bare - and this was how we felt, without a safety net - only a female voice and an electric bass. We stood at the very beginning of our musical cooperation and did not overlook the power and the depth this project was about to develop. And it was a lot of fun!

How many CDs have you released?

There are four CDs published so far. "The First Twinkle"
(1999) contained some Jazz-standards and two acoustic bass tunes. For our  second CD, "Between the Worlds" (2001), we invited a master of the Tabla from India and Hardy Fischötter, a famous German drummer. "The
Inner Light" (2003), our third CD, is all duo stuff. We arranged "Spain" by Chick Corea for this one. This tune was fun galore, but also very hard work. Our latest release (March 2006), named "Together" is so far the last point of our musical development.

How can US players buy your CDs?

You can order our CD via CDBaby.com. We think it is a good distributor for independent music at the web. It just works smoothly.

When did you first start playing bass?

I started playing bass at the age of 17, in 1986. My instrument was an Aria pro II the Cat. I saved some money I earned, 400 Deutschmarks, went to a bass dealer, put it on the table and told him I wanted to purchase a bass guitar, but it had to be black. At that time, I was studying piano, but my friends at the High School were desperately looking for a bassist. At that time I was not really motivated to play Mozart or Beethoven on the piano. I was just keen to join the band and give everything there. The time I spent playing piano sonatas was definately over. Since that time I am deeply in love with my instrument. I started listening to old Led Zeppelin records and tried to translate the basslines to the fretboard which seemed still quite odd and unfamiliar to me. Just a bit later I transcribed literally everything I got into my hands (or ears). Transcribing the bassline from recordings was the best training I could ever get. I absorbed slowly a lot of the coolest licks from my idols to my own repertoire. Besides Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, John Patitucci, and Geddy Lee I see my musical roots and my inspiration in musicians like Chick Corea, John Scofield,
Charlie Parker, and more.

How did you develop your accompaniment style of bass playing?

First of all, through Steve Vai (of whom I was a big fan for a long time). I discovered Stu Hamm, whose rendition of the “Moonlight Sonata” for solo bass brought me right back to the study of my cigar-smoking piano teacher, who was philosophizing about the theories of ascetics... I tried to use both hands on the fretboard, as I was taught as a child. This was the way I developed my tapping style. When I missed the backbeat and the element of percussion in my play, I started to use my right thumb to play dead-note-strokes whenever I feel the need to do so.

Do you leave any room for improvisation in your playing, or would that throw off Sabine?

Yes, of course. I am bored to death if I had to play songs over and over again in the same way. But I have to admit it takes some time for me to do it. In the first year, I was so happy to play all the crazy shit I composed. But I outgrew this and have now more possibilities for improvisation. It took some time to develop a truly free play with chords and everything.

Your song "Time" from your most recent CD "Together" has been getting amazing response from our MySpace site. Tell me a little about how you wrote and arranged that song. What was the inspiration?

The inspiration for this song came from the owner of a hotel we stayed a during a fair in Frankfurt . Mrs. Krause, the owner, was somewhat crazy and told us stories galore during breakfast. When I returned to our room, I just jammed and the song came out as a result.
Here I do a lot of double-thumb stuff to build the groove I had in my head.

Do you play with any other groups besides reimer|setzer?

Not at the moment. We just do some sub-gigs. We want to invest all the energy we have in our duo. It's sort of a second child for us.

Have you ever considered putting out a solo CD?

Yes, I have. I already have a lot of ideas and compositions  for my first solo CD. But it is not the time to do it now – reamer|setzer has still to grow. Featuring the duo is much more important for me now. 

The question we have repeatedly been getting since featuring your songs on our MySpace site is "When will Markus and Sabine tour the USA ?" Any plans on coming over to the USA ?

What did Jaco say? "Gimme a gig!" We did some socializing with people in the USA and there were a lot of inquiries by email from our website regarding us visiting the USA . But unfortunately there are no palpable results at the moment. If you have an idea, we would be open for it.

What Warwick basses do you own and play?

The first Warwick bass I owned was a Thumb 6-string NT. I was nineteen years old and worked during my holidays until I was able to afford it. It was a great moment when I held it in my hands for the first time. Now I have a Steamer Stage I fretless 5 and Warwick
manufactured a Streamer Stage One Broadneck with Jazz Bass PUs for me. We are just in the middle of the pickups' development and I can hardly wait to hold it in my hands.

What is next for Reimer|Setzer?

In October we did a performance at the European Bassdays in Verona ( Italy ) and Krefeld ( Germany ). During the next two weeks we will do some gigs in clubs here in Germany . We will take a little break in
December. In January we are performing at the NAMM Show in Anaheim . Since we are planning a European tour for Spring 2007, we have to do some organizational stuff before.

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So there you have it! Markus is definitely a bass talent that we all need to keep an eye on. If you want to check out more about reamer|setzer surf over to their MySpace site, http://www.myspace.com/reimersetzer.