Recorded live at Kammermusiksaal, Berliner Philharmonie, September 27th, 2006 & Studio P2, Nalepastrasse, Berlin, November 2006 Friedhelm Schönfeld (tenor saxophone, flute, alto clarinet, clarinet), Gerhard Kubach (bass), Janusz Stefanski (drums) Born in 1938, Friedhelm Schönfeld started his musical career during the 1950s as an extremely talented saxophonist, flutist, and clarinetist in post-war Berlin. In the 1960s, he was one of the best-known jazz musicians in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). After he had become the first alto saxophonist in the Radio Big Band of the Berliner Rundfunk, Schönfeld intensified his work as a composer and arranger and formed several jazz bands for various concerts and productions. One of them was the Friedhelm-Schönfeld-Trio with Klaus Koch (b) and Günter "Baby" Sommer (dr), founded in 1965 and considered one of East Germany's most innovative and trendsetting jazz bands. In 1983, Schönfeld emigrated to Toronto, Canada. He became a member of both the Musicians' Union and the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada (CAPAC). At the same time he joined top-notch jazz ensembles and founded his own bands. In 1985, Friedhelm Schönfeld returned to West Berlin after establishing contact with East German actor Manfred Krug. He has lived in the Berlin district of Schöneberg. ever since, working as a musician and musical director with various Big Bands. Until 2004, he had a post as a university teacher at the Berlin College of Music before he started teaching at the music college Carl Maria von Weber in the German city of Dresden. Start is Schönfeld's first album since 1978 and feels like a consistent continuation of his legendary 1960s trio, now completed by Berlin-based bassist Gerhard Kubach and Polish drummer Janusz Stefanski. They had their premiere in September 2006 on the occasion of "jazzwerkstatt Nr. 1 - Start" at the Kammermusiksaal of the Berliner Philharmonie. The album features trio compositions by Friedhelm Schönfeld and duo improvisations by Schönfeld and Kubach. Track Listing 1. Start 2. Strange Ballad 3. Rare Union 4. Kleine Suite Fur Ulli B: Freudige Begegnung 5. Kleine Suite Fur Ulli B: Ruckbesinnung 6. Kleine Suite Fur Ulli B: Erwagungen 7. Kleine Suite Fur Ulli B: Neue Aktionen 8. Kleine Suite Fur Ulli B: Erregende Aussichten 9. Friedenslied 10. Dunkle Wolke Und Kleiner Hymnus 11. Im Letzten Sommer 12. Aufschwung 13. Aufruf (Live) 14. Abklang |
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