German drummer and composer Maximilian Hering continues to refine a highly personal musical language with his ensemble, a chordless group built around the interplay of horns, bass, and drums. On The Gathering, that concept expands further, bringing together a collective of strong individual voices while embracing a balance between structure and openness, composition and spontaneity.
In this interview, Hering reflects on the origins of the band and the distinctive sound shaped by its unusual instrumentation, as well as the challenges and freedoms of working without a harmonic instrument. He discusses the evolution of the group into a more collaborative unit, the role of guest musicians in reshaping the ensemble’s dynamics, and his approach to writing music that leaves space for interaction and personality. What emerges is a thoughtful exploration of a band still in motion—one that values trust, flexibility, and the shared experience of making music in the moment.
1. You’ve spent years working in other people’s bands and projects. When you think about this group, what feels most “yours” about it?
One thing for sure is the instrumentation. I don’t know any other quintet with this line-up. It’s a very special feeling to have a three-voice wind section without piano or guitar – just bass and drums. Also, the players are some of my favourite musicians from the Barcelona jazz scene. On my first album we only played my compositions, which was also a new experience for me and made both the record and the concerts feel very personal.
2. Looking back to that first gig in Barcelona, what made you want to keep this band going rather than treating it as a one-oM?
It felt very fresh and inspiring, both the combination of musicians and the instrumentation. The fact that everyone has such a strong musical personality made it clear to me that we should keep playing together. At that time I had played a lot of one-oM gigs, and this one just felt too strong not to turn it into a real band.
3. Playing without a piano or guitar changes the whole landscape. What was hardest to adjust to at first — and what ended up being most rewarding?
Especially when composing, it can still be challenging to make a piece work without a harmony instrument. I realised quite quickly that I had to write diMerently for this specific line-up. As a drummer I’m also often the only one comping while someone else is soloing, which was a new feeling at first. Over time, though, I started to appreciate that freedom. For the wind players this format can be very rewarding because they can move quite freely in their improvisations. Of course you need improvisers who embrace that openness rather than feeling intimidated by it, and fortunately the players in this band really enjoy it.
4. Several band members contribute compositions. How did that way of working develop, and how has it shaped the group over time?
It developed quite naturally. On the early tours my compositions simply weren’t enough to fill an entire evening. At the same time we wanted to avoid relying too much on external repertoire. I think Edu was the first one who adapted one of his compositions for the group, and Fernando also had quite a bit of music that suited the band. For „The Gathering”, David contributed two pieces as well, and now it really feels more like a collective project when the repertoire isn’t limited to my compositions. I especially like that Edu wrote his piece „Ojo de madera” specifically for these musicians, and that Fernando brought his composition „Oliver” back into use with the band.
5. When you’re writing or rehearsing, how much do you plan in advance — and how much do you prefer to leave open?
With this group my arrangements aren’t too fixed. The written parts usually fit on one page, sometimes two at most. I realised that if I plan too much in advance, the players end up being busy reading and sticking to my ideas instead of interacting freely. They really thrive on having space. During the rehearsals and the recording process of „The Gathering“, many decisions – like solo forms, tempos, and certain structural ideas – were made on the spot and eventually became part of the final arrangements.
6. How did bringing in Fernando Brox and Lucia Fumero aMect the way the band listens and responds on stage and in the studio?
After our first rehearsal and concert with Fernando we enjoyed playing with him so much that we immediately wanted him to join us for future concerts. With three wind instruments there’s much more potential for interplay and section writing – things like three-part voicings, or splitting between a melody and two voices harmonising it. Unison melodies also become much stronger. On stage it allows for more spontaneity because more musicians can actively shape the music or create space. Lucia changed the sound quite drastically again. The piano immediately brings out harmonic colours and places everything in a clearer harmonic context. In a way it feels more familiar to me, since that’s the traditional band setup. For the soloists it can definitely influence how they approach improvisation. So far we haven’t played live with Lucia or with other pianists yet.
7. Many of the titles suggest very personal or specific moments. Do those stories guide the music from the start, or do they emerge afterwards?
In most cases the stories or images are there from the beginning – at least when it comes to my own compositions. For this album many of the titles or themes were already clear to me before I started writing the music. The only exception was „Route A66”, where the title came afterwards, referring to the German Autobahn near Frankfurt, and of course also to the jazz standard „Route 66”.
8. With such a wide range of instruments in the group, how do you decide who gets space on a given piece?
Many of those decisions were made collectively during the process of recording the album. I think it’s important to keep the bigger picture in mind and make sure everyone gets their moment in the spotlight. Often the musicians themselves also have preferences about which pieces they feel drawn to solo on and which ones they don’t.
9. In a setup without fixed harmony, what helps you stay grounded when you’re composing or improvising?
When composing, I often start by thinking more about a strong bass line and drum groove than about a complex harmonic structure. I try to build enough harmonic information into those elements to give a sense of direction. With three wind instruments it can also sound beautiful to write voicings, especially with this combination of saxophone, flute and trumpet. One example on the new record is „Oliver”, where the winds only play harmony. On the previous album we used a similar approach in pieces like „Nostalgia” and „Una per al Verdi cent set”.
10. When you listen back to The Gathering now, what do you feel it says about where you are as a musician at this point in your life?
I think the album shows that I’m still in the early phase of developing my voice as a composer, but that it’s no longer a debut. I’m always very happy when listeners tell me they recognise something personal in my compositions. With this format I was able to explore quite a wide range of musical directions across this album and the previous one, and for future recordings we’ll probably have to look for new directions again. One of my goals has always been not to write what people might call “drummer’s music”, and I’m proud of how the band and the record sound. I feel like we achieved that.
