Michael Naura

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Michael Naura (born August 19, 1934 in Memel , Lithuania ; † February 13, 2017 in Schwabstedt ) was a German jazz pianist , jazz editor , publicist and producer of the NDR jazz workshop . After starting out as a jazz musician, he popularized jazz as a jazz editor on the NDR radio and as a publicist .

Life

Naura came to Berlin with his mother at the age of six. There he grew up and studied journalism, philosophy and sociology at the Free University of Berlin . He then worked as a pianist in swing bands. From 1953 to 1964 he led one of the most successful jazz bands in Germany at the time, the Michael Naura Quintet. The music of this eclectic quintet was originally strongly influenced by George Shearing , then influences from Dave Brubeck came into play, later it was based on the hard bop of Horace Silver , but also on the chamber music ideal of the Modern Jazz Quartet . The most important improviser in Naura's quintet from 1953 onwards was the vibraphonist Wolfgang Schlueter . Other musicians in his groups were the alto saxophonists Klaus Marmulla and Peter Reinke, the bassists Hajo Lange and Wolfgang Luschert and the drummers Heinz von Moisy and Joe Nay .

In August 1956 Michael Naura moved with his quintet from Berlin to Hamburg. They had been given a permanent position in the Hamburg jazz cellar Berett in the Colonnaden . They played there for seven years and six nights a week. In 1964 Naura had to go to the Heidesanatorium Wintermoor because of polyserositis , where she had to cure for a year. He attributed this primarily to the daily work in the then very smoky jazz cellars. Prominent jazz musicians in Germany gave benefit concerts in order to raise the necessary funds for the treatment. After his release, Naura largely withdrew from active musical life and worked as a journalist. In 1966 he met the Hamburg writer and poet Peter Rühmkorf and combined “jazz and poetry” with him in many productions and performances. In addition, he had a close personal friendship with Rühmkorf. Further known friends later became Günter Grass   and Roger Willemsen , who was Naura's neighbor for a while.

From 1967 Naura worked as a sound engineer for the dance music department of the North German Radio . After the death of Hans Gertberg in 1971, he took over the management of the NDR jazz editorial team. Under his leadership, the station developed "the most extensive and most interesting jazz program in Europe". “With his expressive voice, he gave his words a high recognition value on the radio. He spoke into the microphone in a multifaceted and intuitive manner, sometimes gently touching, sometimes provoking, ”wrote the NDR jazz editorial team about him. “For decades he was one of the most prominent voices on the NDR. He spoke warmly and deeply from the fullness of the body. His timbre still resonates in his ears today. ”In 1999 he retired.

Naura was also a well-known jazz writer. In addition to his articles in compilations, magazines and newspapers, he also wrote texts ( liner notes ) for records and CDs. He had extensive knowledge. His language was characterized by strong - sometimes crude - metaphors . He did not shy away from the occasional attack. In 2009 Naura received the honorary award for radio journalism in jazz at the WDR-Jazzpreis for his life's work. In retirement he turned to painting. He died in 2017 at the age of 82 in his home town of Hollbüllhuus near Husum . He left behind his wife Christina and a daughter.

Discographic notes

  • Down to Earth, 1958
  • George / Jankowski / Naura: Jazz In Germany, 1957–1958
  • Michael Naura Quintet, 1963
  • Call (with Wolfgang Schlüter, Eberhard Weber and Joe Nay), 1970
  • Rainbow Runner (as above), 1973
  • Vanessa (as above, also Klaus Thunemann ), 1974
  • No Apollo program for poetry (with Wolfgang Schlüter, Eberhard Weber, Peter Rühmkorf), 1976
  • Country Children (with Wolfgang Schlueter), 1977
  • Phoenix ahead (with Wolfgang Schlüter, Leszek Zadlo , Peter Rühmkorf), 1978
  • Ochsenzoll (with Wolfgang Schlüter, Herbert Joos , Albert Mangelsdorff ), 1985
  • Orangutan (with Wolfgang Schlueter, Claus Bantzer ), 1985
  • Naura box. Fortissimo - a German jazzology, 6 CDs, Gateway4m, 2009.

radio play

literature

Publications

Quote

“There are hairdressers and there are pianists. The French Richard Clayderman is a pianor. […] He takes a popular melody, plays the theme so slavishly, true to notes, as if someone had threatened him with Kafka: The slightest deviation is to blame. [...] The piano goes well with elevators, radio magazines in the morning, laundromats, supermarkets, waiting rooms and, last but not least, bars. "

- Michael Naura, 1991

Web links

About Naura

From Naura

Footnotes

  1. a b c dpa : Jazz musician: Michael Naura is 80. In: sh: z , August 18, 2014.
  2. a b 11 questions to Michael Naura. In: neue musikzeitung , 2003, No. 3.
  3. Jürgen Trinkus: Michael Naura. In: Blickfrei. May 25, 2003, archived from the original on February 13, 2005 ; accessed on February 14, 2017 .
  4. a b Hans Hielscher: A power guy with many talents. In: Spiegel Online , February 14, 2017.
  5. Michael Naura: Insights into his photo album. In: NDR , February 14, 2017, see Figure 5, accessed on March 8, 2017.
  6. On the death of Michael Naura. In: NDR , February 14, 2017, interview with NDR music editor Hendrik Haubold.
  7. ^ Ian Carr : Jazz Rough Guide , 1999, p. 474; see. Edition 2004, p. 579: “Under Naura's influence the NDR developed the most dynamic jazz policy of all European radio stations, covering the whole spectrum from traditional jazz to swing, bebop and contemporary, and offering interviews talks, record recitals and live concerts. Furthermore, it has afforded substantial patronage to leading German and international musicians, with a program of jazz workshops which Naura inaugurated: these concentrate on contemporary music ... “ Quotation in Google books .
  8. Ulrich Stock: He celebrated sounds like life. For many, he was the pope of jazz: on the death of Michael Naura. In: Die Zeit , No. 8, 2017, March 2, 2017.
  9. mh / dpa : Michael Naura: German jazz pianist dies at the age of 82. In: Focus Online , February 14, 2017.
  10. This collection contains radio productions and previously unpublished recordings with Naura as band leader and speaker of his own texts between 1959 and 1988; see. also Naura Box. ( Memento of January 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ). In: naurabox.de , 2009 and the Naura Box title list.
    Hans-Bernd Kittlaus : Michael Naura: Naurabox - Fortissimo - A German Jazzologie, Gateway4M (6 CDs). In: Kind of Blue , September 25, 2009.
  11. Michael Naura: jazz-toccata , Reinbek, 1991, p. 209 f.