Franz Beckerlee

Franz Beckerlee (born August 15, 1942 ) is a Danish musician who initially worked as a saxophonist in the field of free jazz before becoming very successful as a guitarist with the rock band Gasolin ' . He also works as a visual artist.

Beckerlee started playing alto saxophone at the age of twelve . In the early 1960s he played compositions by Ornette Coleman with Hugh Steinmetz and bassist Steffen Andersen ; since 1964 the band has also played their own compositions. They recorded as The Contemporary Jazz Quartet with drummer Sunny Murray . They performed with drummer Bo Thrige Andersen from 1965 on. Together with the saxophonist and keyboardist Niels Harrit they then formed the Contemporary Jazz Quintet and recorded an album in 1968 on which Beckerlee approached the aesthetics of Peter Brötzmann on an electrically amplified instrument .

In 1969, influenced by Jimi Hendrix , he switched to guitar and founded the rock band Gasolin ' , which became very popular in Denmark. In the late 1970s he left the band, which recorded eight studio albums, to appear as a soloist (album No Kiddin ' 1979) and to play with Wild Honey and the Christianshavns blues band . He also trained as a sculptor. He has been involved in exhibitions since 1998, and since 2002 he has had several solo exhibitions.

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personal data
SURNAME	Beckerlee, Franz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Danish musician (saxophone, guitar) and artist
DATE OF BIRTH	August 15, 1942