... 27 YEARS OF SAXUAL LIBERATION !

saxophones:
subcontrabass-, contrabass-, bass-, baritone-,
tenor-, c-melody-, alto-, conn-’o’-, f-mezzo-,
b-soprano-, c-soprano-, sopranino-, soprillo-

clarinets:
contrabass-, contraalto-, bass-, alto-, es-

flutes:
bass-, alto-, piccolo-

KÖLNER SAXOPHON MAFIA

THE STORY

It all started on November 14th in 1981. On that particular day, the "4th Jazzhaus Festival" of Cologne was going for the third round. That evening, Gianluigi Trovesi, Oleo, Herbert Joos and Allan Holdsworth were to perform on the main stage in the auditorium of the music university. Prior to that, a sextet was scheduled to play in the smaller chamber music hall, as an "appetizer" so to say: the "Kölner Saxophon Mafia" (at that time, their name was written together in one word). Each band was portrayed in the playbill, each band except for this particular saxophone ensemble. Instead, one could only see a heap of instrument cases – as if this group, which was little known back then – would still need to establish a profile, i.e. to prove itself. At the time, their artistry was yet to be discovered.

And then all six hurried onto the stage from all different sides, tooting, snorting and grooving the "Elephant's Walk" by Georg Ruby in several voices: Dave Clarke, Wollie Kaiser, Florian Schneider, Armin Tretter, Joachim Ullrich and Gerhard Veeck. The audience was already quite amazed by then. A play of sophisticated tonal patterns developed, of dynamic rhythms and subtly interwoven notes, entering a tonal web of monologue and dialogue as well as buzzing passages played in unison. All this was done with a certain lightness despite the underlying seriousness that caused the listener to float. Reed ensembles of this kind may not have been fully unknown prior to then – in addition to the "Word Saxophone Quartet" (an ensemble, which was leading in popularity back then), the "Rova Saxophon Quartet" stood out from the crowd as well. However, one had the impression that, from now on, the art of "pure saxophone without any kind of accompaniment" would be taken to a new level.

Not only that, from then on, the career of the "Kölner Saxophon Mafia" steadily skyrocketed over the years. A steady core assembled itself (Kaiser, Ullrich, Veeck), to whom – variably – various great saxophonists / clarinetists such as Norbert Stein, Dirk Raulf, Steffen Schorn and Roger Hanschel were added. However, Schorn and Hanschel long have become part of the "core", whereas Veeck has left. What was formerly a sextet is now only a quartet.

During the 80's and 90's, most saxophone groups experienced stagnation, however the Rhenish "Sicilians" marched forward. The programme became more and more complex ("Die saxuelle Befreiung: The saxual liberation", "Die eiserne Nachtigall: The iron nightingale") and stylistically more eclectic. They experimented with external sounds – so-called "city-sounds". Or, as in 1992 in San Francisco, following an invitation by the "Goethe" institute, they used sounds from the bay-area ("S.F. Navigations").

Guest musicians were invited to join, for example the Afro-Euro-Schlagwerk(Percussion)-Connection Drümmele Maa and Elima ("Baboma"). In addition to that, a whole host of very different kinds of musicians made a guest appearance in 1991: for their 10th anniversary, the "Kölner Saxophon Mafia" proudly presented 21 performers, including Hans Süper as well as "Klaus the Violinist", Arno Steffen, Jaki Liebezeit, the wind ensemble "Dicke Luft", the string-ensemble "Auryn Quartet"  and "Triviatas", the first gay men's choir in Cologne, etc. etc. All of them were prudently steered by the "Mafiosi" without having to give up their own characteristic style of expression. The 20th anniversary went similarly, with friends such as Jaap Blonk, Michel Massot, Hans Kennel, Meret Becker etc.

This casual atmosphere was occasionally also to be seen in concerts, for instance, due to the live presentation of "Sax-figures" in the "Stadtgarten" of Cologne in 1990. There were balloons flying through the performance hall, "little devils" maltreated the musicians, even cookies were passed around. Someone surmised they must have been hash cookies, but that remained mere speculation. Truly spectacular however, was the 1994 performance in the "Philharmonie" of Cologne, where the "Kölner Saxophon Mafia" played songs of the Rolling Stones. The front man, who played the role of Mick Jagger, was no one less than the singer and actor Gerd Köster, a faithful native of Cologne. The astonishing thing about this was that the saxophonists neither diverged from their own style, nor did they undermine the rocky, brittle charm of the original Stones' songs. A sequel followed later on with Anne Haigis. The "appropriate clothing" suggested to the concert attendees included "an unostentatious black leather-outfit" or "stonewashed jeans with wild leather boots".

Indeed, the unique thing about the Saxophon Mafia is their easy-going, "tongue-in-cheek" focus on matters, that certainly should bring about "deadly serious" amusement. For instance, their album "Place for Lovers" contains everything about love. Or to put it in their own words: "mafia-like" songs about love ... from lovers ... to lovers ... to mistresses ... about mistresses. Whereby, my goodness!, the word "escapade" occurs four times in the title names.

Or "Licence To Thrill": gripping music inspired by television, film and mystery novels; hereby the title "Für immer Steif" was a sure-fire hit: it was included six times as a song title. The "Kölner Saxophon Mafia" also blasted off into the space – to seek out new worlds, as they explained it. During their "voyage", they met Mr. Spock from the Enterprise as well as the crew of Orion 7. After returning to Earth, they received the prize of the "Deutsche Schallplatten-Kritik" (German record reviews) – for the fifth time by the way. Recently the quartet, in its current staffing, has turned to songs from operetta and similar genre. "Nur nicht aus Liebe weinen" ("Don't cry for love") is their new motto. However, grief can hardly surface when hearing the "Mafia"-Saxes with singer Élodie Brochier. On the contrary, their exquisitely subtle irony contains a depth of meaning, which truly is art; art of a kind, that will not allow itself to slip and fall, not even on an icy floor.

This year, 2008, the "Kölner Saxophon Mafia" will turn 27. By now, they have long freed themselves "saxually" and found a demanding, although easy-going, personal style without neglecting subtle composition and arrangement techniques. They have been awarded a several dozen prizes for their ability, to form a "polyphonic homogeneity" - including the greatest award possible in Germany: the SWR-Jazz award. Tours have lead them clear around the globe.
Twenty years ago, Wollie Kaiser would have gaped in disbelieving astonishment: "Impossible!". But - it IS possible.

MARTIN WOLTERSDORF

Current Programs:

I.
SPACEPLAYER

THE SCIENCE-FICTION-PROGRAM

Log Book Entry No. 5021

... we find ourselves in Year 2 after the 25th anniversary
of the Cologne Saxophone Mafia’s existence.

All bridges have been burned, and, now on their way to new galaxies, the Mafia are exploring unknown areas of space, ones where the human species has not yet set foot. On their flight, they meet old friends like the pointy-eared Mr. Spock from the Enterprise, but also the Orion 7 and its crew, Commander Mac Lane, Tamara Jagellowsk; they pass the Battle Star Galactica without major damage, have coffee in the restaurant at the end of the universe, happy, not having to hitchhike through the galaxy, leaving the Yedi knights off to the left; they are still not at the end of their journey, when the Total Recall saves them from overkill. The question is only: Where has Batman been hanging out the entire time ...?

Just like all adventures, this excursion – with the Cologne Saxophone Mafia in the realm of Science Fiction – is also one with a happy end. Tension-filled, entertaining, exciting, and - last but not least: all return home safely.

Similarities with well-known melodies from equally well-known movies
(or tv-series) can only be recognized when listening CLOSELY ...
... and are certainly only coincidental.

MP3-Soundfiles: KÖLNER SAXOPHON MAFIA - spaceplayer

... furthermore:

II.
KÖLNER SAXOPHON MAFIA
+ as guest: Élodie Brochier (vocals)
NUR NICHT AUS LIEBE WEINEN

THE (NEW) OPERETTA-PROGRAM

MP3-Soundfiles: KSM + É.Brochier - Nur nicht aus Liebe weinen

... This unique group consists of four musicians, who have mastered to perfection the whole range of Monsieur Sax’ invention: the sopranino, tenor, alto, bariton and bass saxophone, along with various clarinets and flutes. All the members are firmly rooted into jazz, but also have a vast musical background, that covers the whole range from contemporary improvisational music to big band and free jazz.
"We don’t consider ourselves to be a jazz band any more", Wollie Kaiser (founder member of the Mafia) states. "Without doubt - we all originally came from jazz and this characterises the approach to our own music to a large extent. But we are not jazz musicians, who play thirty chorusses on some standards. The fall back upon jazz elements represents really just a ‘fall back’. Almost every time, it sounds like a quotation. We have developed our own language ..."

(assorted)
PRESS REVIEWS:

Jazz Prize of the SWR [Southwestern German Radio]

... in its justification, for giving the prize, the SWR said (among other things), “the five musicians understand, how to overcome the overused ‘alternative’ or ‘innovative’ audible stimulus via the constant development and renewal of their musical vocabulary. The richness of discovery, out of which they create unheard sounds and unusual sound connections with their current 27 instruments, seems to continue growing year by year. In spite of their wide range of sounds, they have an unmistakable group identity, that can only arise out of years of intensive cooperation. They sound familiar and yet again and again unusual ...”

PRESS REPORT SWR

“... such polyrhythmic overlappings, harmonic turns or breath-taking virtuosic passages: others would not have the nerve to write such things. What would drive other musicians to sweat buckets, when having a quick look at the score is what the five from Cologne master with the greatest of ease ... One has not yet heard an orchestral opulence like this from a reed quintet.”

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG

“... the five men may still be admired as a unique German collection of super brains, cross-over dreamers and craftsman fetishists ...”

ULRICH OLSHAUSEN, FAZ

“The most talked about jazz quintet in Germany, acclaimed for their virtuosity on a wide range of wind instruments. Renown for their lively and sophisticated arrangements, the musicians of the Mafia produce an awsome density of sound. A must for all jazz fans.”

FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU

“And these near film-musical compositions also show, how flexible and tonally versatile a reed ensemble can be – especially, when it is played by aces, who naturally sneak modern performing methods of new music into the secretive note collection of the noise makers.”

OLAF WEIDEN, KÖLNISCHE RUNDSCHAU

“The omnipresent, universal and all-fertile femininity rounds off an extremely entertaining jazz concert: Petra in front of the Internal Revenue Service. There it is again, the happiness of the Rhine, out of which the music of the Cologne Saxophone Mafia sparkles. Current, modern jazz at the highest level.”

OBERPFÄLZER KÜNSTLERHAUS

“So many wanted to see the Cologne Saxophone Mafia, that there weren’t enough normal seats ... The musical Mafiosi get on fine without notes; the highly virtuous ensemble playing has become so perfect in their many years together, that obviously each knows what the others are doing. Even in the most complex structures, there was never a feeling of insecurity, no questioning gazes ...”

OSTFRIESEN-ZEITUNG

“The power of the Mafiosi rests in the instrumental variety, in the overkill of the sounds, from sopranino to bass saxophone, from the flute all the way to the contrabass clarinet ... a courageous act.”

KÖLNISCHE RUNDSCHAU

“No question, saxophones have a soul. They rejoice in their happiness, they sorrowfully pour out their hearts, and some of them have a screw or two loose. When, in addition, the Cologne Saxophone Mafia breathe life into them, then they develope a psyche, whose sensitivity the likes of which have not only not been found in the world of music instruments ... but supported from the understanding damped ostinato of the colleagues, these instruments spread out their explosive, experimental declarations of love in solo, before the pent-up feelings of all the saxophones were released in a fulminating, resounding primal scream therapy up front on the edge of the stage ... and that such a lamentation of unrequited love from the bass saxophone – a whimpering, howling, moaning in all pitches and tonal colors – was able to transpose not only the present saxophones, but also the human public into the deepest emotion.”

GÖTTINGER TAGESBLATT

“... their collective concept shows a sophistication, fullness and variety unheard of in 50 years of German jazz.”

FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU

“... immense rhythmic energy.”

BERLINER TAGESSPIEGEL

“... One saw five reed instrumentalists, but could hear percussionists, string players, tonal painters as one would expect from a synthesizer: bassists, the selection of winds, by whom the brass somehow got smuggled in ... and of course saxophone players ... This five-man ensemble has gone so far with its art, that (whether it be a specialist or layman) everything that has ears is monopolized.”

EDDY CICHOSZ, HEIDENHEIM

“The program hardly left out a variety of love. From hardly ten beats of a short fling, Caribbean via the virtuous swelling up and dying down of the Inner Vibes of Love all the way to a ribald and passionate honeymoon for two elephants ... nearly every facet of their playing, always new, found its corresponding musical expression ... whether sensual or wild – the Mafia always impress via their perfect mixture of polished arrangements, rousing improvisation and unbridled pleasure of playing. And that infects, makes one want more.”

JULIANE LEHMANN, HAMELN

“Hanschel, Kaiser, Schorn, Ullrich and Veeck bundle up themes, play around them and themselves in the collective, shrewdly and with a deeper meaning. The magic from the brass jug has been blown by mouth, another sound maker just couldn’t fit inside it. Marlowe would say, we are dealing with a gang of organized criminals.”

KÖLNISCHE RUNDSCHAU

“For years, the Cologne Saxophone Mafia has furnished proof, that jazz at the highest level and humour do not at all exclude each other ... – simply magnificent! – ... as if this were not reason enough to make a dash for the next store to get these super records, the Mafiosi have another special tidbit ready: the entire CD was recorded with a single stereo microphone – the best spatial imaging without studio tricks!”

IMAGE HIFI

“Alienation is the actual terrain of the Saxophone Mafia. And yet nothing is left to chance. On the contrary: the music is organized in nearly Mafiosi-like hierarchies, no trace of improvised chaos, instead total exactness.”

FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU

“Shocking: in the bass playing of the love-sick bass player, the entire clarinet family was used; from the partially bizarre looking instruments with a real scarcity value, they elicited witty melodiousness, from bleak tooting between lonely elephants and cast iron watering cans all the way to painful ethereal heights in lamenting tones of chastised humming birds. With an undisputed control over their instruments, the Sax-Mafiosi put a deeply musical jazz cabaret on stage, whereas the joke is always found in instrumental punch lines – paired with the crazy, overexcited joy of playing and unbridled fire.”

RHEINPFALZ

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