Oscar Klein

Oscar Klein ( born January 5, 1930 in Graz, † 12 December, 2006 Pluederhausen, Germany ) was an Austrian musician of Oldtime and mainstream jazz. He played trumpet and guitar, but also clarinet and harmonica. " Convincing than any other European trumpeter " he mastered the traditional expressive range of the instrument, while he built up as a guitarist on influences of Eddie Condon, Freddie Green, and Toots Thielemans own stylistics.

Life and work

Because of Jewish origin had to flee from the Nazis Klein family. Klein received in 1943, when he was interned there during the Fascist period with his family in a small Italian mountain village, mandolin lessons with the village teacher. During training at the Basel Arts and Crafts School in 1944, he discovered jazz in the Hot Club Basel. The " Feet Warmers " by the trumpeter Freddie Hoehn and clarinetist Otto Flückiger he gained experience as a guitarist. 1948 Klein stepped in Florence to a place as a sign and crafts teacher and tried there, to find like-minded musicians. For the planned original Florence New Orleans band, however, lacked the trumpeter, and so he came to his second instrument. When a holiday visit to Innsbruck he met the clarinetist Fatty George; In 1952 he became a member of the band. This band was one of the most important of the Vienna jazz scene of the 1950s, with musicians such as Bill Grah, Charles Drewo and Joe Zawinul. 1958 moved to the small Swiss Chicago - style band Tremble Kids.

He married the jazz singer Miriam Klein and founded in Basel a family. Of the four common children born in 1961 David Klein has also become known as a musician and composer.

From the end of 1959, he worked for several years in the Dutch Swing College Band. Since 1963 he has been primarily as a bandleader with different formations own way. First, in a trio with Miriam Klein and Isla Eckinger, later especially with Oscar Klein 's Jazz Show. He also worked with guest soloists, such as Albert Nicholas, Joe Turner, Cootie Williams and Joe Venuti and gained international recognition. Since 1973, he put on a dance of albums under his own name before, but also came back on with the Tremble Kids and - until his death in 1982 - with Fatty George. In 1981 he founded the "Big Four ", an Italian-Swiss group of Chicago jazz. Early 1990, he toured with alternating occupied "European Dixieland All Stars " and also appeared with his "European Alls Stars", which included Charly Antolini and Barbara Dennerlein. He also worked with Romano Mussolini, son of the fascist " Duce " together.

In a Swiss television series " History of Jazz", he served as moderator. He was also for many years educational concerts in schools, first along with Jerry Ricks, later with Thomas Moeckel. He firmly believed that a jazz performance can be both musically high standing as well as entertaining.

He was not only one of the most important musicians of the European " Trad Jazz", but also an excellent entertainer, with ( almost legendary ) humorous messages, and the captain's hat as a visual trademark.

Oscar Klein has continued to make with the following musicians recordings Lionel Hampton, Roy Eldridge, Earl Hines, Bud Freeman, Wild Bill Davison, Peanuts Hucko, Sammy Price, Ralph Sutton, Emil Mangelsdorff, Dexter Gordon, Slide Hampton, Wallace Bishop, Fritz Pauer, Lino Patruno Jan Jankeje, Ludwig Stimmler, Hans Rettenbacher, Henri Chaix, Jimmy Woode, Gus Backus and Michael Pewny.

In total, he has recorded more than 50 CDs and 130 LPs.

In addition, he taught guitar and published together with a student Pickin ' the blues. A textbook for finger style guitar, which also includes an LP belongs.

Oscar Klein died in his adopted home Pluederhausen in Baden -Württemberg, where he most recently lived with his wife Karin.

Prizes and awards

On 19 October 2005 he was awarded the Medal of Honor of the federal capital Vienna in silver. In his Austrian homeland, he was awarded to the title of Professor.

Publications

• Pickin ' the blues. A textbook for finger style guitar. ISBN 978-3-921-27500-9
• Band guitar - a selection of traditional blues and swing tunes (including cassette ) (1978 ) Nobile Publisher