Rainer Linke

Rainer Linke (born July 30, 1950 ) is a German modern jazz bassist and director of the Open Jazz House School .

Linke began playing piano and bass in 1964. From 1970 to 1974 he studied school music and double bass at the Cologne University of Music ; During this time he took part in jazz seminars, for example with Manfred Schoof . In 1974 he founded the jazz rock group “Key” together with Markus Stockhausen , with which he performed at the German Jazz Festival in Frankfurt , but also in the Balver Höhle . In 1975 he founded the “Cologne Jazz Trio” with Andy Lumpp and Frank Köllges . Linke also worked with Schoof, Joachim Kühn , Jasper van't Hof and Jiggs Whigham . In 1976 he toured with Toto Blankes "Electric Circus". Then he founded the group “Riot” with Uli Beckerhoff , with whom he performed at the Jazz Festival Zurich and recorded the LP “Black Hill”. The bassist continued to play with Heinz Sauer , Kenny Wheeler and Hannes Zerbe . Since 1981 he has also performed with Michael Sagmeister . From 1983 he was a member of the group "Nana" ("Über Leben" 1984) with Roger Hanschel and Hans Lüdemann . From 1989 he worked in Hanschel's successor band "Blau Frontal", which also appeared with Hank Roberts and Mark Feldman . He also played with Ekkehard Jost , the Frankfurt Radio Jazz Ensemble and Jürgen Sturm.

Linke also works as an arranger and music teacher. From 1979 to 1994 he taught jazz double bass at the Musikhochschule Köln ; since 2006 he has been teaching music education there. Since 1980 the conceptual educational activity with children, adolescents and adults at the Jazzhausschule in Cologne , of which Linke is co-founder and director, has also taken place.

Lexigraphic entries

• Martin Kunzler : Jazz Lexicon. Volume 1: A – L (= rororo-Sachbuch. Vol. 16512). 2nd Edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-499-16512-0 .

Web links

• Open Jazz House School