Take Four

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Take Four
Cover of Take Four's first album (1990)
Cover of Take Four's first album (1990)
General information
origin Kiel , Germany
Genre (s) Barbershop , jazz singing
founding 1986
Website www.takefour.de
Current occupation
Jörn Wengler
Thomas Schröder
Georg Feige (since 2009)
Patrick Scharnewski (since 2003)
former members
bass
 Ekkehard Götz (1986–1990)
bass
 Torge Bollert (1990-2003)
baritone
 Till Kindschus (1986-2009)

Take Four is an a cappella male quartet from Kiel / Hamburg. It is one of the most successful and long-lived in Germany. Take Four is a member of the German barbershop association BinG !.

history

The early years

Take Four was founded in 1986 in Kiel. First of all, three of the founding members (Till Kindschus, Thomas Schröder, Jörn Wengler) got together to musically enrich the Abi-Ball of the school they attended together. They formed a quartet with a befriended bass just for the occasion. Spurred on by the success, they decided to continue on the path they had chosen. They soon found a permanent bass in Ekkehard Götz - Take Four was founded. Even at that time, the comedian harmonists ' repertoire included evergreens , but also standards from the barbershop . First they became known in the Kiel area. With them the tradition of the annual a cappella party in the Audimax of the Christian-Albrechts-Universität arose in 1989 .

They made contact with the barbershop scene in Germany and soon undertook concert tours through Germany, but also to neighboring countries (Holland, France, England - BABS Convention 1989). During this time the first LP On Top of the World was created . In 1990 Ekkehard left the quartet, but remained active as a musician. Most recently he released a few solo albums as a rock musician.

Success at home and abroad

Torge Bollert was hired as the new bass. With him, Take Four probably had their most successful time to date. In 1991 they founded the German barbershop association BinG with other quartets and choirs . In the USA they sang in 1992 at the World Harmony Jamboree. In 1993 they released Take Four ... the CD . The BinG! organized competitions in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2000. By winning at BinG! they qualified as the first German quartet for the American SPEBSQSA (now BHS ) competition in 1995 in Miami / Florida. Then they released their third album: Afterglow!

After this time, Take Four turned away from the barbershop and turned more to jazz singing. The repertoire changed and consequently there was always selective collaboration with jazz musicians. For the 15th anniversary in 2001, the double live album 15th anniversary concert was created , on which one CD is purely a capella, but on the other CD they are accompanied by a jazz combo.

In 2003 Torge left. He celebrates success with Bidla Buh to this day . Patrick Scharnewski, who had already become famous with Mister Jones, got on for him. With Patrick, the stage show was particularly enriched. What used to be a pure concert has now become an a cappella experience. With this line-up, Take Four won the audience award in the BinG! Competition in 2006.

When Till announced in 2009 that he was leaving Take Four, some fans feared not only the end of an era, but also the end of Take Four. But while Till remained musically active with the women's jazz choir Jazzica, which he founded in 1990, Take Four seamlessly continued their previous career with their new baritone Georg Feige.

Since 2009

Take Four regularly give concerts and travel from event to event. Since 2009 there have been many appearances at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and on NDR television. In 2011 they celebrated their 25th anniversary. In 2016 they again represented Germany at the international barbershop competition in Nashville / USA. This prevented them from giving an anniversary concert for the 30th anniversary in their homeland. The concert was rescheduled in the Kiel Cultural Forum in 2019. It was a concert at which all the former members of Take Four were on stage. With the program of this concert they then went on an extensive tour through northern Germany until 2020.

Awards

  • 1st place at the Schleswig-Holstein state choir competition in 1993
  • Winner of the BinG competition! 1994
  • Winner of the BinG competition! 1995
  • Winner of the BinG competition! 1996
  • Winner of the BinG competition! 2000
  • Audience award at the BinG competition! 2006

Discography

  • 1990: On Top of the World
  • 1993: Take Four ... the CD
  • 1995: Afterglow!
  • 2001: 15th Anniversary Concert

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ About us -. Accessed June 21, 2020 (German).
  2. ↑ Stefanie Gerull: A-Cappella-Party Kiel. Retrieved June 21, 2020 .
  3. ↑ talking arch. Retrieved June 21, 2020 .
  4. ↑ BinG! - Barbershop in Germany eV Accessed June 21, 2020 .
  5. ↑ TAKE FOUR is on Instagram • 15 profile posts. Retrieved June 21, 2020 .
  6. ↑ History | BinG! - Barbershop in Germany eV Accessed June 21, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Mister Jones. Retrieved June 21, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Jazzica | Kiel pop and jazz choir. Accessed June 21, 2020 (German).
  9. ↑ Kieler Nachrichten of February 20, 2009, p. 22
  10. ↑ Photos -. Accessed June 21, 2020 (German).
  11. ↑ Events archive -. Accessed June 21, 2020 (German).
  12. ↑ BinG! Archive -. Accessed July 3, 2020 (German).