Mario Schneeberger

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Mario Schneeberger (born November 9, 1935 in Basel ) is a Swiss jazz musician ( alto saxophone ) and software developer .

Live and act

Schneeberger began taking piano lessons in 1952, but dropped out three years later to devote himself to the alto saxophone as an autodidact. From 1956 to 1961 he played bebop with the Birdlanders Sextet (with Isla Eckinger, among others ). Between 1961 and 1969 he led his own quartet in Zurich, which at times served as a house band in the Africana jazz club . At the beginning of the 1970s he played free jazz with his trio before moving on to post-bop . His quintet existed until 1994. He has also worked as a sideman in many big bands and combos, such as the Bruno Spoerri Big Band (1957-1960), the Paul Thommen Quintet (1959), the Pepe Lienhard Big Band (1965-1966), the Renato Anselmi Big Band (1967–69), the Mani Planzer Big Band (1970–72), the Vindonissa Jazz Orchestra (1974 to 1978), the Lighttown Orchestra (1979–1982), the Traditional Jazz Birds (1997–2005) and currently the Traditional Jazz Dogs . Since 2009 he has been a regular guest soloist with the Nerly Big Band in Erfurt. Schneeberger released the LP Chasin 'the Bird (1981) with his quintet and a number with Benny Bailey on trumpet under his own name, and in 2008 the CD Tales of Day and Night by his quartet led by Niggi and Dominik Schürmann . As a sideman he not only recorded with Anselmi, Planzer and Spoerri, but also with Lea Bischof , the Basel Jazz All Stars , the Rex Rhythm Section and the Darktown Strutters Swingtett . He also deals with the history of jazz, has processed parts of Hans Philippi's estate and has given lectures in the jazz clubs of Basel and gives lectures in Zurich, Lausanne and Neuchâtel.

Schneeberger is an amateur musician. He studied industrial engineering at the ETH Zurich and then worked in IT software development until his retirement at the end of 1999.

Prizes and awards

Schneeberger has received several awards: as “absolutely the best soloist” at the Zurich Jazz Festival in 1965, “best alto saxophonist” at the Zurich Jazz Festival in 1960, 1965, 1967 and 1968, and “best soloist” at the international jazz festival in Přerov in 1972. In 1990 he and his quintet became official Representative of Switzerland delegated to the Houston International Jazz Festival (USA).

Lexigraphic entries

  • Bruno Spoerri (Ed.): Biographical Lexicon of Swiss Jazz. CD supplement to: Bruno Spoerri (Ed.): Jazz in Switzerland. History and stories. Chronos, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-0340-0739-6 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Schneeberger, Mario
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH November 9, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Basel