April 30, 2024

Reading Between the Lines as a Blind Musician in the 21st Century w/ Jens Gebel (Ft. Veronica Reiff)

Reading Between the Lines as a Blind Musician in the 21st Century w/ Jens Gebel (Ft. Veronica Reiff)
Reading Between the Lines as a Blind Musician in the 21st Century w/ Jens Gebel (Ft. Veronica Reiff)
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Reading Between the Lines as a Blind Musician in the 21st Century w/ Jens Gebel (Ft. Veronica Reiff)

Multi-instrumentalist & Composer Jens Gebel speaks to T.L. Mazumdar

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Season 6Music EducationJazzMindsetMusicproduction
From captivating audiences across Europe as a keyboardist with acclaimed German Acoustic-soul band toktoktok, to earning prestigious accolades including the likes of Stylist Of The Year, MIT Los Angeles, and German Jazz Award, Förderpreis ZMF, Bassist of the Year Deutscher Rock und Pop Preis, Multi-instrumentalist and composer Jens Gebel has forged a unique and remarkable path in the European Jazz Scene for over 30 years now.
Jens is also the founder and CEO of Citysoundstudio in Freiburg, Germany, establishing one of the country's few recording studios led by a blind individual.
Tune in as we play catchup, ruminate over the quirks of music notation in the western world and its pedagogical systems, Jens's unique approach to music production, mastering, and the challenges and anecdotes that came along the way.

Music and Audio Production: www.everynowheremusic.com

Episode Notes / Text : www.tlwrites.com

00:01 - Intro

04:24 - How we met

04:38 - The Early Years

10:38 - Engaging with Collaborators

12:26 - Choosing Your Instrument

14:25 - Moving to US & Early College Years

17:00 - The Problem with Sight-Reading Music

19:16 - Veronica On Sight-Reading

21:45 - Music and AI

22:32 - Choosing the Right Musicians

22:52 - Navigating theCurrent Music Industry as a Blind Musician

26:18 - Musical Idols Growing Up

28:49 - Studying & Living in LA

35:02 - The ’German-American’ Sound

42:56 - Moving Back to Germany

49:44 - The Live Music Industry in 2024

51:24 - The Making of ’Tunesday’

57:19 - Co-Writing with Veronica

01:00:15 - How to Support Your Artist

Jens Gebel Profile Photo
Jens Gebel

Bassist / Keyboardist/Bandleader

For over 30 years, I have worked as a blind stage and studio musician, composer, and arranger.

As a keyboardist with the Acoustic-soul band toktoktok, with concert experience across Europe, and various awards such as Stylist Of The Year, MIT Los Angeles, German Jazz Award, Förderpreis ZMF, Bassist of the Year Deutscher Rock und Pop Preis, to mention a few.

I founded and currently run Citysoundstudio in Freiburg, Germany - one of the few recording studios in the country run by a blind CEO, where I record, mix, and master my own releases and commissioned productions.