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Günter Lenz

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

Günter Lenz was a German jazz bassist and composer, born on 25 July 1938 in Frankfurt am Main and died on 26 June 2026. He first taught himself to play guitar and then studied with Carlo Bohländer. From 1954 he played jazz in the clubs of the American army. During his military service in 1959 and 1960 he switched to the bass. In 1961 Albert Mangelsdorff brought him into his quintet.

Music and breakthrough

Lenz also played in the jazz ensemble of the broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk, for which he arranged and composed. In 1965 he played in Krzysztof Komeda's quintet on the album Astigmatic. In the 1970s he was in Kurt Edelhagen's big band and worked in Munich with Jerry van Rooyen and Peter Herbolzheimer. Chet Baker, Coleman Hawkins, Oliver Nelson and Benny Bailey took him on tour and into the studio. In the middle of that decade he played in the avant-garde band Clarinet Contrast and in Manfred Schoof's quintet.

Influence

At the end of the 1970s he started his own group Springtime, playing international jazz fusion, and recorded albums such as Beyond and Where the Hammer Hangs. He also wrote orchestral arrangements for Plácido Domingo. From 2001 to 2006 he was a professor at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart, and in 2004 he received the Hessian jazz prize.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to the album Astigmatic by Krzysztof Komeda and notice the bass that fills the space beneath the horns. Hear how Lenz supports the music calmly and precisely.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists