The musician

Early backyard idyll

His beginnings as a human being were carefree and adventurous. Chickens were sometimes slaughtered in this yard. I always wondered how they could walk around without their heads. Spooky!

Accordion career

My musical career began at the age of 8 with an accordion.
Playing folk songs sung by my mother and grandmother.
First performances at clubs, coffee trips, in pubs and living rooms.

Winner of many prizes such as the Accordion World Championships in Lucerne (4th prize) and Jugend musiziert (1st prize) with classical accordion literature.
Regularly 1st prize winner in Ispringen, Bensheim, Trossingen and other competitions with "Outstanding" and "Excellent" as an additional rating.

Flower Power

Abrupt change of direction in puberty: organ, piano, rock music and long hair.
Keith Emerson, Brian Auger, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter and Janis Joplin were the heroes.

A little later, interest in jazz slowly began to grow. Oscar Peterson and John McLaughlin with his Mahavishnu Orchestra tipped the scales. He then studied at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern. Graduate of the Correspondence Course for Arrangement and Composition at Berklee College of Music.

Travels and concerts around the globe

Jazz-rock, soul, salsa and other concerts

with Charlie Mariano, Pony Poindexter, Al Porcino, Dieter Ilg, Wilson de Oliviera, Caterina Valente, Dave King, Peter Lübke, Peter Weniger, Günter Lenz, Gustl Mayer, Paul Heller, Siggi Gerhard, Freddie Santiago, Kim Sanders, Janusz Stefanski, Robson Gospel Singers, Salsa Panamericana, Namaz and many more.

Live shows and TV appearances

with many well-known show stars such as Johnny Logan, Howard Carpendale, Jennifer Rush, Caterina Valente, The Platters, Chris Andrews, Al Martino, Angelika Milster, Gillian Scalici, Joy Fleming, Isabel Varell, Tony Christie, Joan Orleans, Precious Wilson, Ireen Sheer, Irving Doomes, Eurocats, Michael Holm, Nana Gualdi, Angèle Durand, Wim Thoelke, Peggy March, Frank Elstner, Roberto Blanco, Peter Kraus, Cindy & Bert, Bernhard Brink, Ricky Shayne, Gunter Gabriel, Chris Roberts, Jonny Hill, Peter Petrel, Olivia Molina, Charlie Mariano, Pony Poindexter, Al Porcino, Wilson de Oliviera, Freddie Santiago, Kim Sanders, Janusz Stefanski, Robson Gospel Singers, Salsa Panamericana, Anna Mwale, Jörg Knör, Marie-Luise Marjan, Fred van Geez and many more Musical director of Marlene Charell, Franco Ferrari and the Günther Beer Orchestra.

CD and TV productions

Producer for Sony Music/MdW. CD "Was mir am Herzen liegt" with Marie-Luise Marjan.

Film music ("Himmlisches Wien", "Schmunzelclips" etc.), arrangements, compositions, concerts, studio work and CD productions for television stations, companies, publishers and performers (Gama, Coca-Cola, Allianz, Toyota, Hamburg-Mannheimer, Anna Mwale, Marlène Charell, Jörg Knör, Fred van Geez and many more). Compositions and arrangements for the musical "Mahalia" by and with Joan Orleans.

Almost movie music...

The "Salierzyklus", originally composed as film music for an SWR TV production, was "misappropriated" for a jazz CD and recorded in the studio with Charlie Mariano, Dieter Ilg, Wolfram Seifert and Peter Weiner.