Jazz in the chamber

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Jazz in the Chamber was a series of concerts that took place from 1965 to 1990 in the Deutsches Theater Berlin in the Kammerspiele that belonged to the house. In it, the contemporary development of jazz was documented internationally. The event gave modern jazz in East Berlin a permanent platform and developed into one of the most important concert series in the GDR.

A series of the same name has been held in Magdeburg since 1990 . Continuing the tradition of the jazz series was re-established at the Kammerspiele Magdeburg in 1990 and later, after the merger of the chamber games with the Magdeburg Theater at the Schauspielhaus of Theater Magdeburg continued. Since 2016 the concerts of jazz have been taking place in the chamber of the Magdeburg Forum Gestaltung .

history

In 1965 at the Deutsches Theater Berlin a group of young people around Dieter Mann took the in-house discussion about a "second program" that could bring new groups of visitors to the theater beyond the repertoire to propose the establishment of a jazz series. Artistic director Wolfgang Heinz agreed to include jazz in his “second program” in addition to the reading theater events and traditional matinees. Concerts were held every six weeks on the play-free Mondays, subject to the condition that they did not have to be subsidized from the budget, but borne their own costs.

The event started on November 1, 1965 with Joachim Kühn's Leipzig Trio (with Klaus Koch and Reinhard Schwartz); Because of the great success Kühn played again in early 1966, this time reinforced by his brother Rolf Kühn , who lives in Hamburg . The series presented the most important representatives of contemporary jazz in the GDR up to 1969: Friedhelm Schönfeld , Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky , Klaus Lenz , Günther Fischer and Manfred Schulze . In addition, musicians from neighboring countries, such as the SH Quintet around Karel Velebný , Igor Bril or Andrzej Kurylewicz / Włodzimierz Nahorny, were invited; Leo Wright , Etta Cameron and Rosita Thomas performed from the USA . Traditional jazz groups, such as the Traditional Jazz Studio or the Polish Asocjacja Hagaw , also presented their music there. From the seventh concert onwards, the GDR radio repeatedly recorded and broadcast the concerts.

The level reached was maintained in the 1970s; Back then, jazz in the chamber became “a focal point, a focal mirror and an orienting factor in the national scene” of GDR jazz: Ulrich Gumpert presented his workshop band there for the first time; SOK , FEZ and the groups of Hans Rempel , Hubert Katzenbeier , Hermann Keller and Reinhard Lakomy documented the high level that jazz had reached in the GDR. Tomasz Stańko , Jerzy Milian , Zbigniew Namysłowski , SBB, Jiří Stivín , Heikki Sarmanto , Aladár Pege , Irène Schweizer , Misha Mengelberg / Han Bennink , Willem Breuker / Leo Cuypers and Yosuke Yamashita provided information on international developments . From 1978 Alexander von Schlippenbach and Peter Brötzmann could also perform at Jazz in the Kammer . During the 1980s, a focus of the concerts was on free improvisation music, with GDR musicians also including international collaborations, for example in the Alarm Orchestra or the Radu Malfatti Wind Quintet . There was a development “from a pure concert podium to a workshop, which corresponded to the needs of the audience as well as the interests of the musicians.” In addition, Chico Freeman , Dino Saluzzi , Hermeto Pascoal , Louis Moholo and Paul Motian performed with their regular bands. On November 10, 1990, the final concert took place with the 163rd event; more than 600 jazz musicians from 30 countries performed in the series.

Discographic notes

  • Ulrich Gumpert Jazz workshop orchestra 100x jazz in the chamber ( Amiga 1972)
  • Cecil Taylor & Günter Sommer In East-Berlin ( FMP 1988)
  • Jazz Orchestra of the GDR Jazz Orchestra of the GDR (Amiga 1988)

literature

  • Martin Linzer “Jazz in the Chamber” 1965–1990 . In: Rainer Bratfisch (Hrsg.), Free tones: The jazz scene of the GDR . Chr. Links Verlag, Berlin 2005, pp. 93-108

Web links

Website of Jazz in the Chamber

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Quoted from Martin Linzer "Jazz in the Chamber" 1965–1990 . In: Rainer Bratfisch (Hrsg.), Free tones: The jazz scene of the GDR . Chr. Links Verlag, Berlin 2005, p. 103
  2. ↑ Quoted from Martin Linzer "Jazz in the Chamber" 1965–1990 . In: Rainer Bratfisch (Hrsg.), Free tones: The jazz scene of the GDR . Chr. Links Verlag, Berlin 2005, p. 102