PAST AND PRESENCE is the sixth offering from Klaus Koenig and his group Seven Things.

As Klaus states in his liner notes, “…it’s always important to remember that everyone, whether they

like it or not, carries the past within them. The new is never without preconditions; it stands on

previous generations…”. Klaus points out that every era has its art and he didn’t want to imitate the

music of past decades. This is what challenged him. Past and Presence is a tribute to the past,

however recognizing the presence.

Klaus references important musical figures, that the new cannot exist without the past. His tributes

range far and wide, not just people but places as well. His compositions that were inspired by Caterina

Valente, Bix Beiderbecke, Barbra Streisand, Charlie Parker, Shakespeare, a pristine mountain lake

are an Homage to the past and memories of life while bringing a contemporary perspective that

welcomes the future. The album is yet another collaboration of these wonderful musicians, and as

Klaus muses maybe the last as biological time moves forward. But for now they are forever presence.