Theo Bleckmann
Theo Bleckmann ( born May 28, 1966 in Dortmund ) is a German jazz singer and composer, working at the limits of jazz, new, electronic music and performance. He was awarded the Grammy and the ECHO Jazz of the German Phono Academy.
Life and work
Bleckmann as a child was vocal soloist (soprano ) in a children's choir next trained in his hometown Selm - Bork and was on piano and guitar. At age 21, he was the first singer of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. In 1989 he moved to New York City after he had the singer Sheila Jordan met at a workshop in Graz, which remained an influential mentor and musical partner for him. He played in New York, first with the composer and pianist Kirk Nurock, from 1993 with the quintet of Mark Dresser. Next, he worked with Laurie Anderson, Anthony Braxton, Steve Coleman, Dave Douglas, Philip Glass, Michael Tilson Thomas, John Zorn and Meredith Monk, whose ensemble he belongs.
Regularly Bleckmann occurs in a duo with percussionist John Hollenbeck; also to his ensemble recording A Blessing and Joys and Desires this was involved. Another duo partner is Ben Monder.
On behalf of the Whitney Museum of American Art Bleckmann composed a musical performance piece by Kenneth Goldsmith's Fidget text. With the performance artist Lynn Book he created the piece Mercuria, which was produced by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. With Valeria Vasilevski and composer Eric Salzman he wrote the opera The True Last Words of Dutch Schultz, in which he played the gangster Dutch Schultz.
As Klangimprovisator he worked for numerous film, television and theater productions. He was the voice of the aliens in Spielberg's Men in Black and Star Trek: Envoy. He has also interpreted works by David Lang and other composers, among other things together with the ensemble Bang on a Can. For him, Michael Gordon, Phil Kline, David Lang, Ikue Mori, Kirk Nurock and Julia Wolfe have written compositions.
Bleckmann is a professor of jazz voice at the Manhattan School of Music and assistant professor at the New School, New York University and Queens College, New York City.
Prizes and awards
Bleckmann has been, inter alia, with the Bessie Award, the Gershwin Award ( for the composition Chorale # 1 for Eight Voices) and prices of the Arts International, the Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art and the New York Foundation for the Arts. He was also nominated for his interpretations of songs by Charles Ives for the Grammy Award 2010 in the category " Best Classical Crossover Album." For his refuge trio album he was awarded the 2010 ECHO Jazz as " Singer of the Year ". The New York magazine chose him in the "cultural elite" in 2005 and 2006.
Disco Graphical Notes
- Theo & Kirk Kirk Nurock, 1992
- Looking Glass River with Jeff Hirshfield, Kirk Nurock, Mike Richmond, 1995
- No Boat with Jim Black, Skúli Sverrisson, 1997
- Static Still with John Hollenbeck, 1999
- Origami with John Hollenbeck, Ben Monder, Matt Moran, Skúli Sverrisson, 2000
- Anteroom, solo album, 2005
- Las Vegas Rhapsody with Pierre Yves Dubois, Bodo Friedrich, Franz Leuenberger, Simon Lilly, Stefano Mariani, Martin Roos, 2005
- Berlin - German Songs of Love and War, Peace and Exile with Fumio Yasuda, Todd Reynolds, Courtney Orlando, Caleb Burhans, Wendy Sutter, 2007
- Twelve Songs by Charles Ives, with Kneebody ( Ben Wendel, Adam Benjamin, Shane Endsley, Kaveh Rastegar, Nate Wood, 2008
- Refuge Trio with Gary Versace, John Hollenbeck, 2008
- I Dwell in Possibility (Solo Album ) 2010
- Hello Earth! The Music of Kate Bush ( Winter & Winter, 2011)
- Jazz Bigband Graz: Urban Folktales (ACT, 2012)