The ultimate kick

ome of my most intense experiences are connected to coffee. One of them will always remain in my memory: A recording of later works by Franz Liszt with my brother and the Italian pianist Sandro Ivo Bartoli. The session took place in the Neustädter Reitstadel, a rebuilt former horse stable, where albums for ECM have already been produced. We had exactly one day to record over an hour of this highly complex, psychedelic repertoire - a nearly impossible task. It started slowly. Every hour Sandro interrupted his performance to have another espresso in a café just around the corner. The endlessly flowing caffeine made me almost dizzy, but Sandro was getting more and more into his "zone". He thought a meal break was unnecessary, only occasionally his espresso diet was supplemented by a cigarette. And just kept on playing. At some point the café closed its doors, but the effect of the estimated eight "shots" lasted long. After almost twelve hours, Sandro had recorded the music and the CD was ready. By the time we left the studio, the sun went down and it was already dark outside, the shops were