Manfred Eicher

Manfred Eicher ( born July 9, 1943 in Lindau ) is a German music producer.

Life and work

Eicher studied music in Berlin and started playing the double bass at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra classical music. He then appeared in the free-jazz trio of Joe Viera, but also with Bob Degen, Marion Brown and Leo Smith. In 1969 he founded with Karlegger the record label ECM Records (Edition of Contemporary Music) in Munich. In ECM, he mainly produces chamber jazz that is more oriented to Europe as a cultural experience to American traditions and trends. Since the mid- 1980s Manfred Eicher also produced the music of contemporary composers of classical music under the label ECM New Series - Arvo Pärt beginning with 1984 published composition, " Tabula Rasa" Eicher's interest in contemporary music, however, is older -. Early as the late he published 1970's Steve Reich's groundbreaking for the development of serial music work " Music for 18 Musicians ." There are also many crossover productions in which blur the boundaries between genres. Among the artists that were produced by Eicher or include Paul Bley, Chick Corea, Jan Garbarek, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

ECM productions are characterized by particularly careful recording techniques. The ECM sound has a very clear and transparent sound ( true to the motto " The most beautiful sound next to silence "). Since the establishment of ECM has produced over a thousand records. Most are available today.

1990 turned Eicher together with Heinz Bütler based on the story The Man in the Holocene by Max Frisch film Holocene, which was awarded at the International Film Festival of Locarno with the Special Jury Prize. His other work in the film industry focuses on the musical production and design for various films of Jean -Luc Godard and Theo Angelopoulos, Xavier Koller, Sandra Nettelbeck and Christian Frei.

Was created in 2009 under the direction of Peter Guyer and Norbert Wiedmer the documentary " sounds and silence" about Manfred Eicher. The film follows Eicher on his trips to various musicians from the ECM repertoire and shows Eicher's way of working and his search for sounds and music. The film was released internationally in 2010 at Recycled TV AG, biographer and film in Germany at Arsenal Film Distribution.

Awards and prizes

Manfred Eicher has received numerous awards for his artistic production: In 1986 he was awarded the " Honorary Prize of the German Record Critics' Award ", 1998 " Music Prize of the City of Munich ." The University of Brighton in 2000 awarded him an honorary doctorate " in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of contemporary music". 2002 Eicher was awarded " Best Classical Producer of the Year " Grammy Award. In January 2005, Eicher the Cultural Prize of Honour City of Munich was awarded in 2004. In October 2007 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit. 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013, he was honored at Critics Poll of the jazz magazine Down Beat as " Producer of the Year " (he had this award once before, in 1976, retained). Downbeat gave Eicher in 2010, the Lifetime Achievement Award for " lifetime achievement ".

The ECHO Jazz 2011, as a promoter of jazz, Manfred Eicher refused on the grounds that this award be contrary to the perception of his work as music producer " not only of wit, but in all seriousness. " To this end, he quoted a sentence from Kurt Tucholsky: "The crowned Preiser, the more he falls durcher ..... "

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