Andrej Hermlin

Andrej Hermlin, May 1, 2012

Andrej Hermlin (born September 21, 1965 in Berlin ) is a German pianist and band leader.

Life

Hermlin was born the son of the writer Stephan Hermlin . Thanks to his mother Irina Belokonewa-Hermlin, who came from Russia , Hermlin grew up bilingual.

Hermlin began taking piano lessons at the age of seven. After graduating from the Carl von Ossietzky Oberschule in Berlin-Pankow, he studied piano from 1986 to 1990 at the Hanns Eisler Music Academy in Berlin . He learned the style of swing he played autodidactically . In 1986 he founded the Swing Dance Band , from which the Swing Dance Orchestra emerged in 1995 and has been the band leader with it ever since . With this formation Hermlin has released more than ten CDs so far (as of 2014) and performed with him regularly, nationally and internationally. The Swing Dance Orchestra plays swing in the style of the 1930s, partly with original equipment, for example with consoles from that time, and mostly without amplification - only the vocals are amplified and recorded with microphones with a historical look (but with a modern interior).

Andrej Hermlin became famous beyond music when he was imprisoned there on suspicion of terrorism after the 2008 presidential election in Kenya . Hermlin had previously supported the democracy movement and the candidate Raila Odinga , with whom he is friends. In the village of Thumaita, 130 kilometers from Nairobi , he and his wife Joyce built an Art Deco style house. He is involved in the community, wired the village , had street lamps installed and organized the garbage collection .

Hermlin joined the PDS in February 1990 because of the reforms in the party and as a supporter of Gorbachev , "when everyone else left". For a time he was a member of the Berlin state executive committee of the PDS and a candidate for the House of Representatives . He has been a member of the Die Linke party since it was formed and regularly appears at its events. Because of his interest in historical aviation , Hermlin supported a referendum by the Berlin CDU in 2007 to keep Tempelhof Airport open . With Bei mir bist du scheen , Hermlin specially designed a program of swing pieces by Jewish musicians to protest against anti-Semitism .

Memorial plaque on the Hermlin house

Hermlin and his wife Joyce have three children. His son David Hermlin and his daughter Rachel Hermlin appear as singers and dancers with their father's orchestra. Andrej Hermlin lives in Berlin-Niederschönhausen in the house where his father lived and where he grew up. The furnishings of the house are the same as in 1927, but have been modernized. The furniture is from the period 1930–1960. The Biermann affair had begun in the living room of the house , Hermlin's father Stephan had written a petition against the expatriation, which had been signed by twelve people in the living room.

Discography

Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra plays Music of Glenn Miller In The Mood
Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra Let's Swing!
Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra plays Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert 1938
Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra Christmas in Swing
Andrej Hermlin & Swing Dance Orchestra Sing, Sing, Sing , Benny Goodman's 100th Birthday
Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra 20th anniversary
Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra Life Goes To A Party
Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra & Iris Romen I Hear Music
Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra & David Rose Song for Lovers
Andrej Hermlin and his Swing Dance Orchestra & Stefano Leefmans Endless Black