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Barbara Dennerlein
Born in Munich, Germany, in 1964, Barbara Dennerlein fell in love with the Hammond organ sound at an early age. She was eleven when the first home organ was given to her for Christmas. After only one and a half years of lessons she decided to continue autodidactic, relying upon her highly visible talent. She began to develop her own inimitable style and finally her jazz enthusiastic parents decided to buy an original Hammond B3.
Barbara became acquainted with the history of the instrument and went on her own journey of discovery in the world of music. In addition to studying the classical repertoire of standards, she also began to compose her own numbers very early on. Following first performances as a thirteen-year-old, she began to play in clubs at the age of fifteen. In the early eighties she was already fêted as the “organ tornado from Munich”.
After her first TV appearances in 1982 Barbara began to record for LP's and included own compositions right from the beginning. Her third LP “Bebab” (a compound of 'bebop' and 'Barbara') was released by her likewise named own record label which she established at age 20. Having received the German jazz critics award for it, her popularity increased tremendously in Europe and finally grew into a world wide reputation. “Harper's Bazaar” wondered: “How did this Fräulein get so funky?“ and the Los Angeles Times headlined with: ”German Organist Pumps You Out”.
Since MIDI technology came up Barbara adds synthesizers and samplers to her sound. She replaced the rather weak Hammond pedal sound by an original double bass sample that allows her to play an accentuated bass line with one foot, chords with the left hand and melody with the right.
Being a band leader from the very beginning, and often the youngest among elder, Barbara is a perfectionist, though anything but a soulless technician. She attaches the greatest importance to musical integration in the collective. Her live bands play superbly well together. Her CD productions for e.g. “ENJA” or “Verve” feature hand- picked line-ups of prominent musicians versed in different styles, such as Ray Anderson, Antonio Hart, Mitch Watkins, Randy Brecker, Jeff “Tain” Watts, David Murray, Howard Johnson, Frank Lacy, David Sanchez, Roy Hargrove, Bob Berg and Dennis Chambers.
From time to time, Barbara allows herself sufficient time to give musical expression to her innermost thoughts and aspirations and to capture these on strikingly original and very personal solo CD's. ”Solo” (1993) and “In a Silent Mood” (2004) provide a revealing insight into her musical personality, as she energetically celebrates the free flow of musical ideas which mirror her remarkable career as a brilliant exponent of the organ.
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Baby Steps to Giant Steps
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by Alan Bryson
It's a good bet that most of us have heard people say they don't like jazz, or even worse, drop the H-bomb, I hate jazz." If you choose to engage, the key is to tread lightly and tailor an approach that considers the tastes and sensibilities of the other person. The So You Don't Like Jazz" column will explore ways to do just that. Today's column focuses on Joe Rogan, one of the most influential people on the ...
read moreTop Ten Jazz Tracks for Surf Music
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by Alan Bryson
The notion of jazz as surf music seems absurd at first blush, but it can work surprisingly well. Some time ago I learned this by happenstance while listening to an album by fusion guitarist Alex Machacek as I watched surf videos on YouTube. It was a true ah ha" moment. Compared to the original soundtrack, Alex's music was much better suited to the surfers' incredible aesthetics, athletics, and the resulting excitement. It struck me that it might be ...
read moreBarbara Dennerlein
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by Alan Bryson
Music is wondrously implausible, an invisible art form that is arguably best appreciated with your eyes shut. Yet it is equally true that live music, like great sporting events, has the capacity to trigger powerful emotional responses, focus people on the present, and unite a disparate crowd around a shared experience happening on stage. Each approach has its own charm, and occasionally you can shut your eyes during a concert to have the best of both worlds. Showmanship ...
read moreTalkin' Blues with Barbara Dennerlein
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by Alan Bryson
If there were a Guinness World Records prize for jazz artist with the biggest organ, it could very well go to Barbara Dennerlein. No doubt, her Hammond B3 was a disc-crushing bane for countless roadies over the past three decades, but a B3 pales in comparison to what she's been playing lately. Imagine five organs with nearly 18,000 metal pipes, linked to one keyboard with over 200 registers--that's some seriously heavy metal. Welcome to the world of pipe organs.
read moreBarbara Dennerlein Quartet at Ronnie Scott's
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by Peter Forst
Barbara Dennerlein QuartetRonnie Scott'sLondon, EnglandJune 6, 2009
The sold-out space in Ronnie Scott's Club was illuminated by candle light when Barbara Dennerlein and her band took the stage. The Ronnie Scott All-Stars had already finished the opening set with some familiar tunes featuring piano and flugelhorn as the lead voices, backed by bass and drums. This short program established an appropriate contrast to what was to come. The traditional, wooden Hammond B3 ...
read moreBarbara Dennerlein: A Study in Contrasts
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by Alan Bryson
In many ways Barbara Dennerlein is a study in contrasts. From a North American perspective she is an insider's tip, a superlative Hammond B3 player known to hardcore jazz fans, admired by fellow B3 players, and respected by her musical peers. We can contrast that with how she is known in the German speaking countries of central Europe.In those European Countries she has achieved a level of recognition unusual among jazz musicians. She has performed on prime time ...
read moreBarbara Dennerlein: Outhipped
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by C. Andrew Hovan
One of the best-kept secrets of the burgeoning revivalist movement involving the Hammond B3 organ has been the unusual, but consistently underrated efforts of Barbara Dennerlein. A native of Germany, the organist's career began almost 20 years ago and since then she has labored quietly while releasing a distinguished set of albums for Enja and most recently Verve. Outhipped is Dennerlein's third outing for Verve and its marked by some unusually sophisticated writing, not to mention a large (12 in ...
read moreVideos: Barbara Dennerlein in the 1980s
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Barbara Dennerlein is an exceptional jazz organist. Few in the U.S. are familiar with her, largely because Dennerlein has rarely toured here. Born in Munich in 1964, Dennerlein began playing the organ at age 11 in a household where her parents loved jazz. She quickly became a master of the bass foot pedals and was soon playing concerts. Dennerlein is still a monster player. This live clip with Rhoda Scott from the Bern Jazz Festival in 2002 still rocks and ...
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Organist Barbara Dennerlein Interviewed at AAJ
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Source:
All About Jazz
In many ways Barbara Dennerlein is a study in contrasts. From a North American perspective she is an insider's tip, a superlative Hammond B3 player known to hardcore jazz fans, admired by fellow B3 players, and respected by her musical peers. We can contrast that with how she is known in the German speaking countries of central Europe.
In those European countries she has achieved a level of recognition unusual among jazz musicians. She has performed on prime time national ...
read more
Photos
Music
Organ Boogie
From: BebabalooBy Barbara Dennerlein
Funkish
From: Love LettersBy Barbara Dennerlein