Willi Johanns
Willi Johanns (born January 26, 1934 in Fürstenwalde ) is a German jazz singer and graphic artist.
Live and act
Johanns spent his youth in Berlin. In the early 1950s Johanns began his career as a singer in the clubs of the American Armed Forces, primarily in the groups of Walter Geiger and Horst Jankowski . Johanns moved to Munich in 1957 and studied design there. He then worked for Rolf Kauka ; then he worked full-time as a graphic designer for the Goethe Institute until 1999 .
The specialist in scat singing sang in Munich's jazz clubs in the late 1950s with musicians such as Heinz Schellerer, Freddie Brocksieper and Joe Haider . In 1961 Willi Johanns performed with a trio for the first time at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival . In 1963 he appeared with Erwin Lehn , in 1964 with Kurt Edelhagen , one of the most famous big bands of the time. The next year he toured Spain and Portugal with Don Menza , Pepsi Auer , Ernst Knauff and Klaus Weiss . In 1967 he performed at the Berlin Jazz Festival together with Pony Poindexter . In 1969 he performed with Jon Hendricks at Domicile in Munich . In the same year Johanns toured with the German All Stars , a 12-man band with Albert Mangelsdorff as band leader, on behalf of the Goethe Institute through South America ; In 1971 the group toured Asia . In 1985 Willi Johanns founded the band Bebop City together with trumpeter Dusko Goykovich . Among others, tenor saxophonist Andy Scherrer was there, alternating with Roman Schwaller , Reggie Johnson and Thomas Stabenow on double bass and Alvin Queen and Harald Rüschenbaum on drums. In 1987 he toured Italy with this band. In the next few years there were again appearances with Don Menza. Johanns appeared in various line-ups in the Unterfahrt jazz club , but also in other Munich venues.
Discographic notes
- A Salute to Birdland (1960)
- Scattin '(2008)
literature
- Hermann Wilhelm / Gisela Kurz: Jazz in Munich from the 20s to the 80s. Verlag der Lentner'schen Buchhandlung Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-981-14984-5
Web links
- portrait
- Literature by and about Willi Johanns in the catalog of the German National Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Johanns, Willi |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German jazz musician and graphic artist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 26, 1934 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fürstenwalde |