Albert Mangelsdorff dies

[brownie]

Sad news from AFP:

GERMAN JAZZMAN ALBERT MANGELSDORFF DIES

Trombone player and composer Albert Mangelsdorff, a leading figure in European jazz circles, died aged 76 after a long illness, the Frankfurt city authorities announced.

Mangelsdorff composed film scores and played with many leading jazz musicians, from John Lewis to Don Cherry, Lee Konitz and Dizzy Gillespie.

He had a reputation as an innovative musician who, as the front man of the United Jazz et Rock Ensemble, was a pioneer, especially with the trombone.

He developed an elaborate way of playing the instrument, called multiphonics, which entails producing two or more pitches simultaneously on an instrument designed to produce only one.

Edited July 25, 2005 by brownie

[7/4]

RIP.

[couw]

oy, sad news indeed.

[JSngry]

Shit.

[Clunky]

just been enjoying his wonderful "..and Friends" CD on MPS. RIP

[sidewinder]

That's very sad to hear. Surely one of the greatest pioneers on the trombone with his multi-phonics. Hope he is now in peace..

[Rosco]

Sad news... I was listening to Three Originals earlier on today! A true original.

RIP

[Kalo]

Sad news. One of the European greats.

One of the great 'bone players PERIOD.

[GA Russell]

Sad. Couw sent me a couple of his albums in a trade.

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Very sad indeed. I knew him well, and had spent time with him in the 80s when I was living in Germany. He was a very special player and a generous man.

He will be sorely missed. I just think it sad that he wasn't better known in this country.

As Elvin Jones said "listening to Albert play is like hearing a trombone quartet when the other three cats didn't show up"

Here is a great link to a German TV website, whether or not you can read German.

http://www.heute.de/ZDFheute/inhalt/20/0,3...2342676,00.html

Edited July 25, 2005 by slide_advantage_redoux

[bertrand]

Albert was co-leader (along with bassist Henri Texier) of the Franco-German Jazz Orchestra, which I saw in the seaside town of Dinard in Brittany in 1983(?). Marcus Stockhausen (Karlheinz's son) was on trumpet.

This was my very first jazz concert.

May he rest in peace.

Bertrand.

[jazzscot]

Sad news of his passing. I feel privileged to have attended one of his concert

in London 1970 (Hammersmith Odeon) which left a lasting memory with me.

"A TROMBONE PLAYER/MUSICIAN OF EXTREME CREATIVITY"

[mikeweil]

R.I.P.

... just read about this on the news page of the local TV station, situated in his hometown of Frankfurt. One of the towering figures of German jazz has passed. I saw him live several times - living so close to his hometown it was almost impossible to avoid seeing him live. An inspirational figure for the whole scene. I saw him on TV on occasion of his birthday recently, and he looked somewhat tired and aged, but I had no idea he was that seriously ill. Very sad news. He once talked about laying down the trombone completely at a certain age and after his house was paid off - it was rather silent around him in recent years, and I sincerely hope he had enough time left to enjoy his retirement.

[Adam]

RIP.

here's another story:

From: Jazzinstitut Darmstadt <jazz@jazzinstitut.de>

Reply-To: <jazz-research@yahoogroups.com>

Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2005 10:18:41 -0700

To: <jazz-research@yahoogroups.com>

Subject: [jazz-research] German jazz trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff died

German jazz trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff, 76, Died

Albert Mangelsdorff (born 5. September 1928, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; died: 25.

July 2005, Frankfurt am Main, Germany)

Trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff, probably the most important jazz musician in post-

war Germany, died on the morning of Monday, July 25th, 2005 in his hometown

Frankfurt am Main, Germany, after long illness.

Albert Mangelsdorff had violin lessons as a child and was self-taught on guitar. His

brother, alto saxophonist Emil Mangelsdorff (who is still alive and playing at age 80),

introduced him to jazz. After working as a guitarist Mangelsdorff took up trombone in

1948. In the 1950s Mangelsdorff played with the bands of Joe Klimm (1950-53), Hans

Koller (1953-54), with the radio orchestra of Hessischer Rundfunk in Frankfurt (1955-

57) as well as with the Frankfurt All Stars (1955-56). At the same time he led a

hardbop quintet together with Joki Freund. In 1958 he became musical director of the

newly founded Jazz-Ensemble des Hessischen Rundfunks and represented Germany

in Marshall Brown's International Youth Band appearing at the Newport Jazz Festival.

In 1961 he formed a quintet with Heinz Sauer, Günter Kronberg, Günter Lenz and Ralf

Hübner which became one of the most celebrated European bands of the 1960s.

During this time he also recorded with John Lewis ("Animal Dance", 1962). After

touring Asia on behalf of the Goethe Institut in 1964 he recorded the album "New Jazz

Ramwong" later that year which made use of Eastern themes. He also toured the USA

and South America with the quintet, which was reduced to a quartet (1969-71) after

Kronberg left, then revived with Sauer, Gerd Dudek, Buschi Niebergall and Peter

Giger (1973-76). At a festival during the Olympic Games in Munich Mangelsdorff first

performed as unaccompanied soloist in 1972 which resulted in many solo tours and

recordings during the next decades. In the 1970s he recorded with Palle Danielsson

and Elvin Jones (1975), Jaco Pastorius and Alphonse Mouson (1976), John Surman,

Barre Phillips and Stu Martin (1977) and others. He participated in Alexander von

Schlippenbach's Globe Unity Orchestra (from 1967 into the 1980s), Free Sound &

Super Brass (1975-76) led by Hans Koller and Wolfgang Dauner, the United Jazz &

Rock Ensemble from its formation in 1975, and recorded duo albums with Wolfgang

Dauner (from 1981). In the 1980s and 1990s Mangelsdorff continued to perform in solo

and duo and trio settings, also playing with the Reto Weber Percussion Ensemble. In

the 1970s Mangelsdorff was a leading figure in the Union Deutscher Jazzmusiker and,

together with Jean-François Jenny-Clark, led the German-French Jazz Ensemble. In

1995 he became musical director for the JazzFest Berlin. Since 1994 the Union

Deutscher Jazzmusiker awards a regular prize in Mangelsdorff's honor, the Albert-

Mangelsdorff-Preis.

Mangelsdorff was one of the finest trombonists in modern jazz. Like most German

musicians he was at first influenced by the cool jazz idiom of Lee Konitz and Lennie

Tristano, then played hard bop, later introduced modal means of improvisation, free

jazz and jazz-rock elements in his music. His playing was characterized by wide-

ranging melodic lines. He had an imposing technique and was, among trombonists,

the most innovative player of multiphonics note, for instance his playing of the

theme of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo" in three-part harmony on the album "The

Wide Point", 1975, MPS, or many of his improvisations on the LP "Trombirds", 1972.

Mangelsdorff life story is told in a biography by Bruno Paulot published in 1993. The

story of the vivid Frankfurt jazz scene from which he emerged has been written last

year in the book "Der Frankfurt Sound. Eine Stadt und ihre Jazzgeschichte(n)", written

by Juergen Schwab and co-published by the Jazzinstitut Darmstadt, the city of

Frankfurt and Hessischer Rundfunk (Mangelsdorff was present at the book

presentation last summer).

Wolfram Knauer

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Jazzinstitut Darmstadt

Bessunger Strasse 88d

D-64285 Darmstadt

Germany

Tel. ++49 - 6151 - 963700

Fax ++49 - 6151 - 963744

e-mail: jazz@jazzinstitut.de

Internet: http://www.jazzinstitut.de

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[paul secor]

RIP, Mr. Mangelsdorff. Thank you for all of the music you gave us.

[clifford_thornton]

I just think it sad that he wasn't better known in this country.

←

Agreed. RIP Albert...

Edited July 26, 2005 by clifford_thornton

[Kalo]

Mangelsdorff was one of the finest trombonists in modern jazz.

I emphatically agree with that assessment.

Like most German musicians he was at first influenced by the cool jazz idiom of Lee Konitz and Lennie Tristano...

Interesting. I'm curious to know, Adam, if that is the standard German understanding of Mangelsdorff and others, or if that is the idiosyncratic interpretation of Wolfram Knauer, the writer of this piece? If Tristano and Konitz are that influential on German jazz, then I'd be curious to hear a lot more of it (not that I'm not already curious about German and European jazz in general).

RIP Albert Mangelsdorff.

LONG LIVE ALBERT MANGELSDORFF!!

Edited July 26, 2005 by Kalo

[Chuck Nessa]

Wonderful musician and from my experience, a first class human.

Thanks for the beauty you gave Mr. M.

[Kalo]

Manglsdorff hooked ME on (multi)phonics!

[Aggie87]

RIP Albert...

All I have of his is the live duet CD from the Munster Jazz Fest, which paired him up with John Scofield. Very interesting to hear trombone & guitar together. Will be spinning that one in the morning in tribute.

[Adam]

Like most German musicians he was at first influenced by the cool jazz idiom of Lee Konitz and Lennie Tristano...

Interesting. I'm curious to know, Adam, if that is the standard German understanding of Mangelsdorff and others, or if that is the idiosyncratic interpretation of Wolfram Knauer, the writer of this piece? If Tristano and Konitz are that influential on German jazz, then I'd be curious to hear a lot more of it (not that I'm not already curious about German and European jazz in general).

RIP Albert Mangelsdorff.

LONG LIVE ALBERT MANGELSDORFF!!

←

Alas, I received this as a forward from a Swiss German friend. I'm not German and can't answer your question.

[White Lightning]

RIP.

He was one of Europe's greats.

[couw]

Like most German musicians he was at first influenced by the cool jazz idiom of Lee Konitz and Lennie Tristano...

Interesting. I'm curious to know, Adam, if that is the standard German understanding of Mangelsdorff and others, or if that is the idiosyncratic interpretation of Wolfram Knauer, the writer of this piece? If Tristano and Konitz are that influential on German jazz, then I'd be curious to hear a lot more of it (not that I'm not already curious about German and European jazz in general).

←

I'd agree with the assessment. The Tristano school and "cool jazz" in general were the model for much early small group jazz in post war Europe. People like Mangelsdorff, Jutta Hipp, Roland Kovac, Hans Koller, Attila Zoller would fit in the picture. This was certainly not restricted to Germany, but more of a central European thing, I'd say.

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Like most German musicians he was at first influenced by the cool jazz idiom of Lee Konitz and Lennie Tristano...

Interesting. I'm curious to know, Adam, if that is the standard German understanding of Mangelsdorff and others, or if that is the idiosyncratic interpretation of Wolfram Knauer, the writer of this piece? If Tristano and Konitz are that influential on German jazz, then I'd be curious to hear a lot more of it (not that I'm not already curious about German and European jazz in general).

Edited July 26, 2005 by slide_advantage_redoux

[brownie]

Another big influence on Albert not yet mentioned in these posts was bird calls. Albert used to carry a recorder out into fields and forests to record bird sounds in their habitat, then try and imitate these sounds on his trombone.

That influence is made obvious on his first (of three - solo albums, which was entitled "Trombirds". The cover (on the original MPS/BASF LP at least) has a photograph of a trombone festooned with feathers galore. One of his compositions on that record is entitled "Blues for a Cellar Lark" (cellar lark meaning a jazz musician; which makes sense since they spend most of their working hours underground - at least in many European clubs (his own "Jazz Keller" no exception)

Also most probably influenced by Olivier Messiaen's works based on bird songs, notably 'Catalogue d'Oiseaux' among other compositions. Messiaen taught at the famous Summer school in Darmstdat a number of years.