Cologne saxophone mafia
| Cologne saxophone mafia | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Modern creative |
| founding | 1981 |
| Website | Cologne saxophone mafia |
| Founding members | |
| Wollie Kaiser | |
| Joachim Ullrich | |
| Gerhard Veeck (until 1999) | |
| Dave Clarke (until around 1983) | |
| Florian Schneider (until around 1983) | |
| Armin Tretter (until approx. 1987) | |
| Current occupation | |
| Wollie Kaiser | |
| Joachim Ullrich | |
| Roger Hanschel (since 1987) | |
| Steffen Schorn (since 1994) | |
| Temporary members | |
| Norbert Stein (1984–1986) | |
| Joachim Zoepf (1984–1985) | |
| Dirk Raulf (1988–1994) | |
The Cologne Saxophone Mafia was a saxophone ensemble founded in 1981 that came from the field of jazz .
Development and Repertoire
The ensemble had its first appearance in the fall of 1981 on the occasion of the “4th Cologne Jazz House Festivals ". It was initially designed as a pure jazz saxophone combo that managed without a rhythm section and also took on its function with its saxophones. Stylistically, the band concept changed over the years. In addition to the various instruments of the saxophone family (from the sopranino to the bass saxophone ), its members also played various clarinets and flutes .
The Saxophone Mafia worked with a linear composition technique in which all voices have the same melodic weight. In their own compositions, the group dealt with free jazz , bebop , world music , light music ( operetta ) and new music - giving plenty of space to improvisations and humorous sound confrontations. In 1991 the group no longer saw itself as "a jazz band, we play contemporary music in which, alongside other influences, jazz also plays a role."
Appearances and collaboration
The saxophone mafia played at numerous important jazz festivals at home and abroad such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival , the Zurich International Jazz Festival and the Leverkusener Jazz Days . At the invitation of the Goethe-Institut , the group traveled to Africa, the USA, Canada, India, Pakistan, China and Nepal.
The group also performed with other ensembles such as Christoph Haberer's percussion ensemble Drümmele maa, the Zairian group Elima, the gay male choir Triviatas or with NOX ( Gerd Köster and Dirk Raulf), but also with singers such as Silvia Droste , Anne Haigis , Élodie Brochier or with the drummer Jaki Liebezeit .
Awards
Several of the group's productions were awarded the German Record Critics' Prize. In 1999 she received the SWR Jazz Prize , the reason being: “The musicians have understood how to overcome the wear and tear of the 'alternative' or 'innovative' listening stimulus through constant further development and renewal of their musical vocabulary. The inventiveness with which they create unheard sounds and unfamiliar sound combinations from their currently 27 instruments (...) seems to grow over the years. Despite their wide range of timbres, they have an unmistakable group identity that can only come about through years of intensive collaboration: They sound familiar and yet always unfamiliar. "
Remarks
- ↑ Joachim Ullrich, 1991. Quoted from Robert von Zahn: Jazz in Cologne since 1945. Concert culture and cellar art. Emons-Verlag, Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-924491-81-X , p. 227.
- ↑ SWR Jazz Prize 1999 for the Cologne Saxophone Mafia. Prize winners' concert on February 17th in Mainz. Statement by the jury for the 1999 SWR Jazz Prize on Jazz-Network.com.
Web links
- Website of the Cologne Saxophone Mafia on RobertHanschel.de