Klaus König (trombonist)

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Klaus Koenig
Klaus König with Pinguin Liquid in Düsseldorf, 1988

Klaus König (* 31 December 1959 in Haan ) is a German jazz - composer and - trombonist .

Life

König studied trombone in Düsseldorf and composition at the Cologne University of Music with Mauricio Kagel . In 1986 he founded his first band, the Klaus König Septett, whose original line-up consisted of Reiner Winterschladen , Frank Gratkowski , Matthias Schubert , Eckard Koltermann , Kai Kanthak and Ernst Bier . With the replacement of the last three by Michel Pilz , Tim Wells and Frank Köllges in mid-1987, the septet was now called Pinguin Liquid. In 1989, Poco à poco, their only published recording appeared on König's first album, a double CD, the second part of which - Times of Devastation - was recorded with an ensemble enlarged by guest musicians. This initially operated as the Pinguin Liquid Orchestra. In addition to Simon Nabatov , Don Byron and John Betsch , who played in both formations, were "guests from the USA" and others. a. Kenny Wheeler , Ray Anderson and Marty Ehrlich there. König originally wrote the compositions for the septet repertoire for orchestra. The Times of Devastation suite was the first opportunity to do this live as such. (The last concert of the tour was recorded for the album in Cologne.)

The following two, also in their form, larger works for the Klaus König Orchestra were based on very different literary texts. First the homage to Douglas Adams was created . Loosely based on his over-the-top, comical science fiction classic The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , a suite was created that the orchestra (with Conny Bauer , Louis Sclavis and Tom Rainey, among others ) at the end of 1990 BC. a. performed and eventually recorded at festivals ( At the End of the Universe , Enja , 1991). In an overture and three acts with seven scenes, he portrays the actors, motifs and rooms of the novel series in "intuitive mood pictures", with "dramatic climaxes" and also concrete musical implementations of the original, such as the polyrhythmic and polytonal cacophony in the "restaurant at the end of the Universum ”and the“ Babelfisch ”, which translates all languages. The humor of the lyrics is reflected in the music. As a musical-structural and also specifically created initial situation on the stage, König divided the orchestra into two equally strong parts, on the one hand the brass section, on the other hand the woodwinds, each with their own rhythm section and the piano in the middle. The final performance at JazzFest Berlin in the Philharmonie was sold out because of the ensuing groups around Pat Metheny and Gary Burton and was broadcast on NDR television .

The production The Song of Songs with its big band and the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir is considered one of the most elaborate jazz productions in Germany.

The orchestra was made up of changing international jazz greats such as Claudio Puntin , Marc Ducret , Michel Godard and Mark Feldman .

Klaus König teaches composition and theory at the Swiss Jazz School of the Bern University of the Arts . In his music he searches for the connections between the strict forms of European modernism and the strengths of improvisation in jazz.

Discographic notes

  • 1989: Times of Devastation / Poco a poco
  • 1991: At the End of the Universe
  • 1993: The Song of Songs
  • 1994: Time Fragments
  • 1996: Reviews
  • 1998: The HEART Project
  • 2000: Songs and Solos
  • 2002: Black Moments
  • 2010: Requiem

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See also on Klaus Königs homepage.
  2. ↑ See the concept paper for the composition on König's homepage
personal data
SURNAME King, Klaus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German jazz composer and trombonist
DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH Haan