Heinz von Hermann Heinz von Hermann (* 21. Oktober 1936 in Wien) ist ein österreichischer Jazzmusiker (Saxophone, Klarinette und Flöte, Komposition, Arrangements). Leben und Wirken[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten] Hermann lernte als Kind klassisch Geige und kam mit 17 Jahren zum Jazz. Er nahm Klarinettenunterricht bei Fatty George, auf allen anderen Instrumenten ist er Autodidakt. 1958 wurde er in einem Nachwuchswettbewerb, den Friedrich Gulda ausrichtete, als bester Nachwuchsmusiker ausgezeichnet. Daraufhin gab er das Studium der Radiotechnik auf und ging im gleichen Jahr mit der Band von Uzzi Förster nach Deutschland, wo er vorrangig in Soldatenclubs auftrat. 1960 gründete er eine eigene Band mit dem Pianisten Werner Giertz und Hartwig Bartz. Zwischen 1961 und 1966 hatte er Engagements bei Herman Wilson, in einem amerikanischen Club in Tripolis (mit Peter Herbolzheimer) und fand dann Arbeit in den Niederlanden (bei Gerry Hayes), Frankreich und im Jazzclub von Madrid, wo er mit zusammen mit Tete Montoliu, Booker Ervin, Lee Konitz, Billy Brooks und Donald Byrd zur Hausband gehörte. 1967 spielte er in Italien, ab 1968 in München, wo er bei Max Greger, im Jazzensemble des Bayerischen Rundfunks, im eigenen Quartett mit Joe Harris, Jimmy Woode und Mike Thatcher und mit Dusko Goykovich in der „Munich Big Band“ sowie im Quintett spielte. Ab 1971 war er Mitglied der von Paul Kuhn geleiteten SFB Big Band. Daneben begleitete er in den nächsten Jahren internationale Showgrößen wie Milva, spielte mit Bert Kämpfert und den Berliner Philharmonikern. Oft trat er ab den 1970er Jahren auch in Herbolzheimers „Rhythm Combination and Brass“ auf. Zusätzlich war er in kleineren Gruppen aktiv wie dem Sextett „Candombe“ mit Wilson de Oliveira (1977), einem Quintett um Rolf Ericson, in einem Trio mit Hans Rettenbacher und Ronnie Stephenson oder mit Walter Norris und Mads Vinding (ab 1989, CD „Second Trio“),1994 gründete er das Trio „Jazzahead“ mit Erich Bachträgl und Uli Langthaler, 1996 ein gleichnamiges Quintett mit Andy Haderer, Bruno Castellucci, Erwin Schmidt und Langthaler. In seiner 2012 gegründeten Latin-Jazz-Formation "Salsa Picante" hört man neben dem Leader Johannes Herrlich tb, Markus Gaudriot p, Volker Wadauer e-b, Walter Grassmann dm, Andy Steirer perc und Carole Alston voc. Seit 1972 war Hermann Dozent für klassisches Saxophon an der Hochschule der Künste Berlin. Seit 1991 lehrt er am Landeskonservatorium in Klagenfurt, wo er als Leiter der Jazzabteilung tätig ist. Neben seiner Lehr- und Konzerttätigkeit konnte er sich auch als Komponist, Arrangeur und Bigbandleiter profilieren. Walter Norris Biography[edit] Early life & career[edit] Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on December 27, 1931, Norris first studied piano at home with his mother, then with John Summers, a local church organist. His first professional performances were with the Howard Williams Band in and around Little Rock during his junior high and high school years. After graduating from high school, Norris played briefly with Mose Allison, then did a two-year tour in the US Air Force. After his time in the Air Force, Norris played with Jimmy Ford in Houston, Texas, then moved to Los Angeles where he became an integral part of the West Coast Jazz scene. While in Los Angeles, he played on Jack Sheldon's first album and on Ornette Coleman's first album, Something Else! The Music of Ornette Coleman (1958) for Contemporary Records. In 1960, Norris relocated to New York City and formed a trio with guitarist Billy Bean and bassist Hal Gaylor, and the group made one album. Norris took a job at the New York City Playboy Club in 1963 and in time became the club's Director of Entertainment, remaining there until 1970. Between 1970 and 1974, Norris was a free-lance performer and taught in the New York area. In 1974, he replaced Roland Hanna in the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Band. After a tour of Scandinavia, he remained in Europe to record a duo album with double bass player George Mraz, titled Drifting. Returning to the states, Norris joined the Charles Mingus Quintet in 1976. In the dressing room prior to a performance, according to Norris, he made the mistake of calling the temperamental Mingus "Charlie" instead of "Charles," which angered Mingus. At that moment, the stage manager entered the room and told the musicians they were needed onstage immediately, which provided a temporary escape from confrontation. Norris quit the band and accepted a job in Berlin, Germany, as pianist with the Sender Freies Berlin-Orchestra. He moved to Berlin in January 1977 and lived there from that point. He insisted that his fear of Mingus was the primary cause of the move to Europe. Later career[edit] In 1990, Norris signed a five-album contract with Concord Records. The resulting recordings were all significant, but especially Sunburst (with saxophonist Joe Henderson), Hues of Blues (with George Mraz), and the Live at Maybeck Recital Hall solo piano album. In 1998, without a record contract, Norris self-financed the album From Another Star, made in New York with bassist Mike Richmond, pressing 1,000 copies. A documentary film directed by Chuck Dodson, Walter Norris, a documentary, was completed in 2010.[2] In 2005 an autobiography, "In Search of Musical Perfection" and method book "Essentials for Pianist Improvisers" were released. In July 2006, Norris recorded at his home in Berlin with Los Angeles bassist Putter Smith. He died on October 29, 2011 at his home in Berlin, Germany, and is survived by his wife, Kirsten. His other descendants were two daughters from his previous marriage to Mandy, Dinah and Delia (deceased), and two granddaughters, Emily and Holly. Mads Vinding Biography[edit] With more than 600 recordings to his credit. Professional at age 16, Vinding became the house-bassplayer at Café Montmartre, the legendary jazz club in Copenhagen. He is the holder of a list of engagements with a multitude of jazz masters. Along with the acoustic double-bass, he has also refined his playing on the electric bass. What makes him an outstanding artist and a sought-after soloist, however, are his musical command and his maturity, which have been called upon over 35 years of working with outstanding jazz musicians. He has played with the majority of jazz musicians worth playing with - as of 2006 he plays with the ones that satisfy his concepts of what music ought to sound like. Awards[edit] Mads Vinding has performed all over the world, produced several records and has received jazz awards: 1978 first prize as best soloist in the International Radio contest NORDRING; The Ben Webster Prize in 1982; Palæ Jazz Prize in 1997; Launy Grøndahl's honorary prize 2000; winner of Readers Polls 1997 & 2000; recipient of three Grammy's for Best Album 2000 in the jazz and folk category and recipient of the Django D'or prize as "Master of Jazz" 2007.