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Alexander von Schlippenbach

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Alexander von Schlippenbach is a German jazz pianist and composer, born in 1938. He began piano lessons at the age of eight and studied composition in Cologne with Bernd Alois Zimmermann. While still a student he was already playing with Manfred Schoof. At twenty-eight he founded the Globe Unity Orchestra, a large ensemble for free jazz. In the 1960s he became known as the pianist in a trio with saxophonist Evan Parker and drummer Paul Lovens.

Music and breakthrough

In 1988 he founded the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, a big band in which Willem Breuker, Misha Mengelberg, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler and his wife Aki Takase, among others, played. He played extensively within the European free jazz community and worked for German radio stations. In 1994 he received the Albert Mangelsdorff Prize. His albums include Globe Unity from 1967, The Living Music from 1972 and Smoke from 1990.

Influence

From the 1980s onwards he also immersed himself in older jazz composers, such as Jelly Roll Morton and Thelonious Monk. In 2005 he recorded the complete works of Monk, released as Monk's Casino. In doing so he showed that free jazz and tradition are not far apart, and that a pianist from the avant-garde can listen to a classic with the same curiosity.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Monk's Casino and notice how he keeps Monk's familiar melodies recognisable while playing them with unexpected accents and silences.

Discography

Studio albums

Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: ArtistsEuropean free improvisation