Rolf von Nordenskjöld
Rolf von Nordenskjöld (born December 7, 1957 in Berlin ) is a German jazz saxophonist (baritone), flautist, arranger, composer and big band leader.
Live and act
Nordenskjöld grew up in Zeuthen near Berlin and studied saxophone and flute there from 1979 to 1983 at the Hanns Eisler University of Music . After completing his studies, he taught at this university until 2007 and held a visiting professorship from 1991–1993. From 1983 to 1985 he was a member of the orchestra of the Friedrichstadtpalast . Nordenskjöld also played in the Dieter Keitel Big Band and in the Berlin Saxophone Quartet, from which the Leipzig Saxophone Quartet emerged under the direction of Bernd Brückner. In 1999 this quartet recorded the CD Passages with compositions by Nordenskjöld.
Due to his affinity for jazz, he founded the Rolf von Nordenskjöld Quartet in 1990 and released the CD Niemandsland in 1993 .
In 1995 he founded his Rolf von Nordenskjöld Orchestra. To date, the big band has released four CDs and presented itself in over 80 concerts. Her first CD Out of the Past was released in the same year, followed by Live in Berlin , Berlin Sketchbook and the current CD record time in no man's land . In the case of the last-mentioned live recording, the piece "Niemandsland" deserves special mention, in which Karola Elßner plays the instrument duduk , which is rarely heard in big bands . The band also accompanied singers such as Bill Ramsey , Gitte Hænning , Paul Kuhn , Georgie Fame and played with Ack van Rooyen and the jazz harmonica player Hendrik Meurkens . Instead of trombones, the big band was cast with unusual instruments such as tuba and euphonium for some recordings .
From 1996 to 2000, von Nordenskjöld was a permanent guest with the RIAS Big Band and participated in numerous recordings by the orchestra. After Helmut Brandt's death (2001), Rolf von Nordenskjöld took over his band and released the CD Long Distance in 2003 .
In 2006 and 2007, von Nordenskjöld took over the management of the Big Band of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Robert Schumann Philharmonic in Chemnitz (see discography).
With his saxophone quartet (Friedemann Matzeit, soprano saxophone; Uli Kempendorff, tenor saxophone; Nico Lohmann, alto saxophone) he recorded the CD Four in a row in 2004 and went on a tour of Mexico in the same year. Since 2015 the quartet has been expanded to include saxophonist Birgitta Flick (tenor).
In 2002 Nordenskjöld founded the Duo Doublewood with the cellist Danuta Jacobasch (CD of the same name on BIT 2006). Since 1997 he has also played in a duo with bassist Marc Muellbauer (CD Sleepwalk ). In Friedhelm Schönfeld 's new quartet, founded in 2011, Nordenskjöld plays baritone saxophone, bass flute, piccolo and double bass clarinet (see discography).
Since 2001 he has been teaching at the HMT "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig , where he leads the university big band. In 2019 he was made an honorary professor.
Discography
- 1988 The Swingin` Crew (Dieter Keitel Big Band)
- 1992 Vox Humana ( Inner Pipes)
- 1993 No man's land (Rolf von Nordenskjöld Quartet)
- 1995 Out of the Past (Rolf von Nordenskjöld Orchestra)
- 1998 Sleepwalk (Rolf von Nordenskjöld - Marc Muellbauer)
- 1999 Passages (Leipzig Saxophone Quartet)
- 2001 Live in Berlin (Rolf von Nordenskjöld Orchestra)
- 2003 Long Distance (Brandicity)
- 2004 Four in a Row (Four In A Row)
- 2004 Berlin Sketchbook (Rolf von Nordenskjöld Orchestra)
- 2005 Doublewood (Danuta Jacobasch - Rolf von Nordenskjöld)
- 2008 premiere (Big Band of the Deutsche Oper Berlin)
- 2009 Touchdown (Big Band of the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Chemnitz)
- 2010 How Long Is Now (Big Band of the Deutsche Oper)
- 2011 Woodstock am Karpfenteich (Friedhelm Schönfeld Quartet)
- 2015 What Happened? (Friedhelm Schönfeld Quartet)
- 2016 playing time in no man's land (Rolf von Nordenskjöld Orchestra)
Web links
- Literature by and about Rolf von Nordenskjöld Orchestra in the catalog of the German National Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nordenskjöld, Rolf von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German jazz saxophonist and big band leader |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 7th December 1957 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Berlin |