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Theodor Franz Jörgensmann (born 1948 in Bottrop, Germany) is a jazz and free-improvising Basset clarinet
player and composer. He
has been a professional musician since 1975.
Activities
Theo Jörgensmann belongs to the 2nd generation of European free
jazz musicians. He was part of the clarinet Renaissance in the jazz and improvising music scene. Jörgensmann is
one of a few clarinet players for whom unaccompanied solo
recordings are a significant part of his work.[1]
He started to play clarinet when he was 18 years old. From 1969
until 1972 Jörgensmann took private lessons from a music teacher at
the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen. At the same time he started working with
fellow musicians from the Ruhr industrial area. During this time he
was also a chemical laboratory assistant. After a one and half year
hitch in the German Army Jörgensmann worked with handicapped
children and studied social pedagogics, but he never brought it to
a conclusion. Since 1975 he has been a professional musician.
During a career spanning three decades as a free improviser
Jörgensmann has worked with (among many others) Mike Richmond, Barre Phillips,
Kent Carter, John
Lindberg, Charlie Mariano, Wilber Morris, Eric Vloeimans,
Jeanne Lee, John Fischer, Vincent
Chancey, Kenny
Wheeler, Paul McCandless and Lee Konitz.
From 1975 to 1977 he headed the group Clarinet
Contrast; a group which frontline consisted only of
clarinets. In this group played Perry Robinson, Hans Kumpf, Bernd Konrad
and Michel Pilz. At the end of the 1970s he was leader of one of
West Germany's best-known jazz groups. At the beginning of the
1980s he took part in a Clarinet Summit
(which was created by Joachim E. Berendt and himself)
with John Carter, Perry Robinson,
Gianluigi
Trovesi and others. Since those days Jörgensmann has been
involved in numerous international projects. He was a member of
Willem van Manen's Contraband (1985-1998), Andrea
Centazzo's Mitteleuropa Orchestra (1983-1985), John
Fischer's Interface (1981-1996) and Franz Koglmann's
Pipetet (1983-1985). At the same time he was also leader
of clarinet quartet CL 4 and co-founder of large ensemble
Grubenklangorchester. In 1987 Jörgensmann was the subject
of a documentary film, Theo
Jörgensmann, Bottrop, Klarinette, directed by Christoph
Hübner.[2]
Between 1983 and 1993 he held a lectureship for clarinet and
ensemble at University of Duisburg, and from
1993 until 1997 he was a lecturer for free improvising
at Music Therapeutics Institute of Witten/Herdecke University.
In company with the music-scientist Rolf-Dieter Weyer,
Jörgensmann wrote a philosophical book about improvising in
music. In 1997 he started playing with a new Theo Jörgensmann
Quartet, which toured in North America in 1999, 2001, and 2003,
including playing twice at Montreal International
Jazz Festival (1999 and 2003). In addition he has played with
the young Polish twins Marcin Oles and Bartlomiej Oles since 2003. The album
Oleś Jörgensmann Oleś, Directions, was chosen by Polish internet jazz-magazine
Diapazon as "The Record of the Year" in 2005.
Since 2008 he is a member of Trio Hot with Albrecht
Maurer, violin and Peter Jacquemyn, bass, and in 2009 he started
the Deep Down Clarinet Duo together with the contrabass
clarinet player Ernst Ulrich Deuker. They also work
together in the Tribal Trio, a clarinet trio with the
French-American clarinetist Etienne Rolin.
The Tribal Trio; October 2009
Selected
discography
- Trio Hot, Jink with Albrecht Maurer and Peter
Jacquemyn (2008)
- Theo Jorgensmsnn & Oles Brothers, Alchemia with Marcin Oles and Bartlomiej Oles
(2008)
- Oles Jörgensmann Oles, Live in Poznan 2006
with Marcin Oles and
Bartlomiej
Oles (2007)
- Oles Jörgensmann Oles, Directions with Marcin Oles and Bartlomiej Oles
(2005)
- Oles Jörgensmann Oles, Miniatures with Marcin Oles and Bartlomiej Oles
(2003)
- Theo Jörgensmann Quartet, Hybrid Identity
(2002)
- Theo Jörgensmann Quartet, Snijbloemen
(2000)
- Theo Jörgensmann Albrecht Maurer, European
Echoes with Barre Phillips, Bobo Stenson, Kent Carter, Wolter Wierbos,
Benoit Delbecq a.o. (1999)
- Theo Jörgensmann, Fellowship with Petras
Vysniauskas, Charlie Mariano, Karl Berger, Kent Carter and Klaus Kugel
(1998)
- Theo Jörgensmann Quartet, ta eko mo with
Christopher Dell, Christian Ramond and Klaus Kugel (1998)
- Hans Günther Wauer, Theo Jörgensmann, Günter
Sommer, Merseburger Begegnung (1994)
- Theo Jörgensmann Werkschau Ensemble, aesthetic
direction with Albrecht Maurer (1993)
- Theo Jörgensmann Eckard Koltermann Perry Robinson,
Materialized Perception (1992)
- CL 4' Seltsam ist Propheten Lied (1987)
- CL 4' Alte und neue Wege, with Lajos Dudas,
Dieter Kühr, Eckard Koltermann; guest Gerald Doecke (1986)
- Theo Jörgensmann Quartet, Next Adventue with
Georg Gräwe, Kai Kanthak und Achim Krämer (1981)
- Theo Jörgensmann Quartet, Song of BoWaGe
(1988)
- Theo Jörgensmann Quartet feat. John Thomas, Go
Ahead Clarinet (1978)
- Theo Jörgensmann Trio, Live at Birdland
Gelsenkirchen (1978)
- Theo Jörgensmann Quartet, Straight out
(1977)
- Theo Jörgensmann Quartet, in time guests
Clarinet contrast, with Perry Robinson (1976)
- Contact Trio, Contact Trio (1972)
Solo
recordings
Trio Oleś Jörgensmann Oleś in
Györ 5. September 2006
- So I Play (1996)
- Zeitverdichtung (1987)
- Laterna Magica (1983)
Duo
recordings
- Theo Jörgensmann Eckard Koltermann Pagine Gialle
(1995)
- Theo Jörgensmann John Fischer Radio Swiss Days Volume
Three (1994)
- German Clarinet Duo Hommage à Jimmy Giuffre
(1993)
- Károly
Binder featuring Theo Jörgensmann Live at Music Academy
Budapest (1993)
- Hans Günther Wauer Theo Jörgensmann Introitus
(1990)
- Károly Binder Theo Jörgensmann In Budapest (1989)
- German Clarinet Duo Schwarzlicht (1987)
- Theo Jörgensmann Bernd Köppen Für den letzten Gast
(1986)
- John Fischer Theo Jörgensmann Deep Blue Lake
(1983)
As a
sideman
- Ig Henneman Tentet, Indigo with Ab Baars,
Lori Freedman, Wilbert de Joode, Tristan Honsinger, Steve Arqûelles
(1998)
- Eckard Koltermann Collage 11, Achtung, wir
senden with Toon de Gouw, Simon Nabatov (1990)
- Willem van Manen Contraband, Live at Bim Huis
Amsterdam (1988)
- Franz Koglmann Pipetet, Schlaf Schlemmer, Schlaf
Magritte (1985)
- Andrea Centazzo Mitteleuropa Orchestra, Doctor
Faustus with Carlos Zingaro, Enrico Rava, Carlo Actis
Dato, Albert Mangelsdorff, Gianluigi
Trovesi, Franco Feruglio (1984)
- John Fischer European Interface, The Breghenz
Session with Melvyn Poore, Andrea Centazzo (1983)
- Georg Gräwe Grubenklangorchester,
Bergmannsleben (1982)
- Clarinet Summit, You better fly away with
John Carter, Perry Robinson, Eje Thelin, Stan Tracey, Didier
Lockwood, Gianluigi Trovesi, J.F. Jenny-Clark, Aldo Romano
(1980)
- Michael Sell Brass Ensemble, 5 Stücke f. 11
Instrumentalisten with Willem van Manen, Paul Rutherford
(1979)
- Hessischer Rundfunk Radio Recordings 1969-1993,
Walzer für Sabinchen with Alexander von
Schlippenbach, Günther Christmann, Peter Kowald, Rüdiger Carl, Paul Lovens
(1973)
Selected
compositions
- Snijbloemen a composition for clarinet, vibes, bass
and percussion. (2000) Recorded Hat-Hut records hatOLOGY 539
- Die Eroberung des Schönen an experimental opera for 3
writers, 1 actor, 1 painter and 1 musician. (1995) WDR-Tv
production.
- Der Garten a dance-theater-piece for 2 dancers,
clarinet, bass clarinet, sound-maschine and percussion. (1994)
Choreography: Claudia Lichtblau. Composition: Theo
Jörgensmann/Eckard Koltermann
- Hommage á Béla Bartók chamber music for violin,
clarinet, bass clarinet and contra bass. (1994)
- Aesthetic direction chamber music for violin,
violoncello, clarinet, bass clarinet and percussion (1993)
Theory
Jörgensmann wrote in his book Kleine Ethik der
Improvisation: "To find the right balance between
communication of motion and non-communication is the major part of
improvised music; that communication of motion as a part of
interaction in music is an opportunity to create a new structure of
time, which the listener could perceive as a new kind of musical
space; that the idea of jazz does not depend on a specific material
and special form; that the essential aspect of jazz is the fact
that jazz musicians discovered the fourth dimension of time in
music (they call it swing)." [3]
Publications
- Kleine Ethik der Improvisation: vom Wesen, Zeit und Raum,
Material und Spontangestalt, by Theo Jörgensmann &
Rolf-Dieter Weyer, with silhouettes of Hermann "Es" Richter ISBN
3-924-272-99-9
Awards
- Kunstförderpreis der Stadt Aachen 1980
- Kulturpreis der Stadt Bottrop 1991
References
- ^
Solo recordings
- ^
Theo Jörgensmann, Bottrop, Klarinette documentary film, 16mm,
colour, 30 min. director: Christoph Hübner (1987) [1]
- ^
Kleine Ethik der Improvisation: vom Wesen, Zeit und Raum,
Material und Spontangestalt, by Theo Jörgensmann &
Rolf-Dieter Weyer, with silhouettes of Hermann "Es" Richter
- Die Klarinette documentary film, NDR-Tv (1987)
- Wagner
Bilder a film and video-installation with a.o. Bochumer
Symphoniker, Christoph Schlingensief;
colour, 72 min. director: Christoph Hübner (2001/2002)
External
links
Bottrop, Germany
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