BARBARA DENNERLEIN

[kh1958]

Barbara Dennerlein's CDs are available in the U.S. from cdbaby.com.

I've picked up a couple recently.

In a Silent Mood. Very nice solo album.

And Spiritual Movement No. 2. This one is amazing, jazz on a giant pipe organ.

[Jerry_L]

These ladies can groove! Good drummer, too. Barbara gives a little biographical info early in the clip.

Hate to work on their road crew, though. Those things look heavy.

RHODA SCOTT & BARBARA DENNERLEIN together on stage ORGAN SUMMIT 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQUCtvt7_9A

Edited June 26, 2013 by Jerry_L

[Jerry_L]

This is pretty rare! (Well, not any more, it's on Youtube). Barbara with Emily Remler and Sonny Fortune!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGVXr4Ji49o

Edited June 26, 2013 by Jerry_L

[michel devos]

I attended yesterday in Angelbachtal a magnificent concert given by Barbara in a quintet setting, including trumpet, tenor sax ang guitar.

Very, very impressive, great sounds from her midified B3.

But she will be playing soon in San Diego :

29.07.2013 19.30 San Diego/USA, CA 92101, Spreckels Organ Pavillon, Balboa Park (Solo/church organ).

Edited July 1, 2013 by michel devos

[kh1958]

Interview with Wiener Zeitung

"The Munich musician has played with Friedrich Gulda and is now transferring jazz to the church organ," reports the Wiener Zeitung and begins a recently made interview with the musician with a brief description: "Nobody uninhibited the drawbars so charmingly and tracts the manuals consistently well in a good mood as this charming jazz lady. Barbara Dennerlein guarantees the highest quality with her mixture of blues-soaked ballads and fiery up-tempo numbers. Sometimes the 55-year-old switches to the church organ. As the most successful jazz export, the award-winning Munich artist is just as familiar with the large international festival stages like the clubs: the "Blue Note" and the "Sweet Basil" in New York. She has been composing since the beginning of her career. In her studio near Munich, the "Wiener Zeitung" spoke to the thoroughbred musician. "

Wiener Zeitung: Ms. Dennerlein, how did you initially feel as a woman in the men's world of jazz?

Barbara Dennerlein: It is true that in my youth I was often on my own. It is hard when, as a young girl, you remain on stage with your instrument weighing several hundred kilos after the concert and nobody helps you to take it down. But it also strengthened and made me confident. In addition, I was always the band leader and I got pretty harsh comments from the older musicians. Someone e. g. wanted to tell me that my composition was nonsense because a musician would never join in after a solo. When he couldn't assert himself with it, he stormed off the rehearsals.

You are certainly one of the best jazz musicians in the world on the legendary Hammond B3. What do you love about your instrument?

It is this special sound that I have developed with my instrument over the decades. But I also have to say: a solo concert challenges me. I have to be in good condition because playing with hands and feet takes a lot of strength. Sometimes I'm really hanging in the air at an angle. I like to compare my playing technique with dance, where you don't think about every movement. In order to be able to operate the pedals with my feet well, I have special shoes, jazz dance shoes.

The B3 Hammond is a monster. Lugging the bulky and 200 kilograms heavy keyboard instrument with a strong character is not easy.

Yes, I heard often enough in my early days: "Hey, girl, what do you do with the dingbat? Why don't you just play the piano?"

How did a young girl in the 1970s get involved with this powerful Hammond?

That was by chance. When I was eleven, my grandfather found that a child should learn an instrument. And my father, who had studied piano at the Conservatory for a while, was afraid that my grandfather would buy me a recorder and he would have to listen to me on Christmas Eve. But then there was a small electronic organ under the Christmas tree. And I was totally thrilled. I played Christmas carols by ear, in two voices, and my father recorded them. I then had a teacher, Paul Greisel, who had a Hammond organ.

And where does your enthusiasm for jazz come from?

My father is has always been an absolute jazz fan. He had to leave the conservatory because he absolutely wanted to play jazz and boogie. He also loves the Hammond organ. He had records from Shirley Scott, Ingfried Hoffmann, one of the leading jazz organists in Europe, founding member of the legendary Klaus Doldinger Quartet, and of course from Jimmy Smith. He also secretly thought that if I don't like my Christmas present, he would play on it. For me, jazz is simply the most honest music.

You also played with Friedrich Gulda, the enfant terrible of the classical scene and a cross-border jazz player. How did that happen?

He attended one of my concerts in Vienna's "Jazzland" and talked to me during the break. With him, who managed to create a connection between classical and jazz across all style and genre boundaries, I played in a wide variety of line-ups from duo to symphony orchestra, such as the Munich Philharmonic and Vienna Symphony Orchestra. I admired him for having the courage to bring jazz to classic concert halls. And of course for his musical genius. He never compromised with his music. I particularly remember a concert with him and Joe Zawinul, the Zawinul syndicate. The fact that he died on Mozart's birthday is like magic. Because he really wanted it that way. One of my favourite albums is the double CD "Mozart No End", a live recording of our concerts in Vienna and Munich.
 
You are the first musician to also plays jazz on a church organ. Were there critical voices?

Even from the side of classical music people, I only hear positive things. They admire how you can get this rhythm out of the organ and how this constant bass pedal playing works. From the beginning I wrote special pieces for my church concerts, which are on my CD's "Spiritual Movement No. 1" and "Spiritual Movement No. 2".

You have your own label, produce yourself, manage yourself. Isn't that exhausting?

That is how it developed. I founded the label in 1985 to produce my first record. I always kept it, even when I had contracts with Enya and Verve, because you can do your own thing. When I graduated from high school, I went on tour and organized everything myself. Later I also had agencies, but often something went wrong. One of them even forgot to inform me that they had arranged a gig at a jazz festival. They secretly paid the penalty for this. I only found out about it when fans approached me later. I couldn't heal it anymore. The organizer never spoke to me again.

What helps you relax?

I love the nature. Long walks with my little dog Emilia, who is incredibly playful. She accompanies me on my trips. But US tours have become annoying because the procedure for entry is becoming increasingly degrading and America under Trump is less fun.

https://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/kultur/pop-rock-jazz/2046675-Barbara-Dennerlein-Koenigin-der-Hammondorgel.html

[Misterioso]

On 2/1/2020 at 3:51 AM, kh1958 said:

Later I also had agencies, but often something went wrong. One of them even forgot to inform me that they had arranged a gig at a jazz festival.

Ouch!

I saw BD about 25 years ago in Singen/Germany. My second live jazz experience (first was Myra Melford). Still have the signed promo poster from that tour in my music room but colors are fading away.

[sidewinder]

It was at a North American festival that I saw her - again, over 25 years ago now.

[Dave James]

Years ago when I was doing my jazz show on KMHD in Gresham, Oregon, I used to use this BD song for my voice over intro:

 

[sidewinder]

4 hours ago, Dave James said:

Years ago when I was doing my jazz show on KMHD in Gresham, Oregon, I used to use this BD song for my voice over intro:

 

Very nice Enja album !

[Ed S]

On 2/13/2020 at 2:12 AM, sidewinder said:

It was at a North American festival that I saw her - again, over 25 years ago now.

I saw her at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1991.  It was my first time at that festival and she created quite a buzz.  Her first concert was a free outdoor show that was cut short after about 30 minutes because of lightning and torrential rain.  She played the next afternoon at noon inside the Complexe Desjardin - which is a shopping mall adjoining the festival grounds.  Full set and a great show. Her scheduled gigs were over,  but the festival had heard enough of her to add another performance at the end of the night a day or two later.  It was unannounced and was on the free outdoor main stage at 11 or 11:30 that night.  She played a full set and it was excellent.  Finally, I had tickets for the closing night of the festival indoors inside the Salle Wilfrid Pelletier.  The featured band were Uzeb - who by the way - put on a great show.  In another surprise - Dennerlein opened that show and once again wowed the crowd. 

 

It was pretty cool to see how much excitement she created at that festival.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Ed Swinnich

[sidewinder]

Same year, 1991 I think but at the other side of Canada. It was during the Jazz Festival season so I guess she and the band must have traversed the country. It was at the Yardbird Suite in Edmonton.

Edited February 15, 2020 by sidewinder

[Ed S]

On 2/15/2020 at 0:50 PM, sidewinder said:

Same year, 1991 I think but at the other side of Canada. It was during the Jazz Festival season so I guess she and the band must have traversed the country. It was at the Yardbird Suite in Edmonton.

I believe you are correct about traversing the country.  I've seen the lineups over the years at various Canadian jazz festivals and many international artists do the jazz festival circuit.

[jazzcorner]