Jazz in Austria after 1945 - The post-war period

- The division into four occupation zones was an important factor in the development of jazz.

especially the US and British sectors, but also the Soviet administration, supported it

through financial and structural means:

- Ludwig Babinsky was allowed, with Soviet support, to rebuild his Big Band as early as 1945

and start the concert series "Hallo! Swing, Swing".

- In the US-controlled areas, Austrian musicians had access to V-Discs (Victory

discs = shellac records available only to members of the armed forces), sheet music and

equipment. They were also booked in the so-called Ami clubs:

- In Salzburg there were up to seven (Giesinger 2005: 495) jazz clubs, the scene blossomed.

- The 17-year-old Josef Erich "Joe" Zawinul from Wels, for example, renounced a classical career
because of

a classical career because of the engagements there.

- Roland Kovac, for example, played with a quintet in a club in Salzburg, allegedly already playing

bebop (Kraner/Schulz 1972).

- The Rhythmic Seven (=> Golden Seven, Germany) were formed, which until the

were considered one of the best swing bands until they broke up in 1952.

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - The post-war period

- The victorious powers also brought radio stations to entertain their soldiers, but also the

but also to entertain the population:

- In the US-American zone there was Blue Danube Network (BDN), which was aimed more at the

GIs and played a lot of jazz. There was also the propaganda/reconnaissance station Red-White-Red.
These stations, but especially BDN, were listened to by many future

Austrian jazz musicians.

- In the British zone there was BFN (British Forces Network).

- Under these structural conditions, two musical trends developed: a Cool Jazz

jazz trends developed: a cool jazz-oriented scene and a traditional jazz-oriented scene following the
New Orleans revival of the 1930s/40s in the USA.

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - The post-war period: Cool Jazz

- At the beginning, a tentative link to bebop can be discerned (e.g. also in Horst Winter's
Viennese dance orchestra), but in the 1950s cool jazz begins to become the trendy music of almost
all

European jazz musicians. In Austria, cool jazz is primarily associated with the work of

Hans Koller (1921-2003, as).

- After being a prisoner of war, Koller played with Ernst Landl's Hot Club Vienna, then in the

Vienna Dance Orchestra, before he went to Munich to look for a job, played with Freddie
Brocksieper

and formed his own quartet. In Frankfurt he formed the Hans Koller New Jazz

Stars (audio sample "Unter den Linden"), a transnational ensemble with Jutta Hipp (GER, p),

Attila Zoller (HUN, git), Albert Mangelsdorff (GER, tb); when Jutta Hipp, from Leipzig, goes to the USA

Roland Kovac takes her place. In 1955 the New Jazz Stars give the first jazz concert

the first jazz concert in these 'sacred halls'. Koller did not return to Austria

returned to Austria.

- fun fact: Germany was the country of choice for Koller's US musician colleagues Dizzy Gillespie, Lee
Konitz,

Chet Baker or Benny Goodman called Germany "Kollerland" - a transnational

a transnational staircase joke in the history of jazz.

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - The post-war period: Cool Jazz

- More Cool Jazz musicians:

- Austrian All-Stars (founded in 1952, recordings from 1954): from the Vienna Dance Orchestra.

emerged: Karl Drewo (ts), Joe Zawinul (p), Rudolf Hansen (b), Viktor Plasil (dr), Hans

Salomon (sax). The classical pianist Friedrich Gulda, an enthusiast, pioneer and defender of

and defender of jazz in Austria (among other things, the founding of the jazz department at the KUG
in

Gulda's efforts led to the founding of the jazz department at the KUG in 1965), played with the
Austrian All Stars and presented this recording to US journalists on the next tour - with the result
that the Austrian All Stars appeared in the 1956 Downbeat Critics Poll.

Downbeat Critics Poll.

- Salomon was also employed at this time by Vera Auer - one of the few women in early

Austrian jazz - employed. Auer played in her combo with, among others, the Hungarian

guitarist Attila Zoller - both then worked with Koller in Germany => transnational

Networks
Jazz in Austria after 1945 - The Post-War Period: Traditional Jazz

- also in Austria the transnationally observable aesthetic struggles between the

"real" and the new jazz arrived:

- Among other things, the jazz programme broadcast on BDN featuring Dixie revival jazz (including
the Kid

Ory radio show of the 1940s) led to the development of a Dixie scene in Vienna, based around the

Viennese literary group.

- Its members Oswald Wiener, Walter Terharen and Konrad Bayer formed the Wirkliche

Jazz Band (Hugues Panassié's book La véritable musique de Jazz (1946; English

English edition: The Real Jazz, 1942) had probably left its mark!)

- in the circle was also the ethnomusicologist Gerhard Kubik, who would later also do research on
jazz.

later on.

- 1951 Hot Club Austria founded, shortly afterwards renamed Hot Club de Vienne

- for comparison: Hugues Panassié founded the first Hot Club in France in 1932.

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - The post-war period: Traditional Jazz

- Many bands and clubs (some of which still exist today) were founded as a result:

- Storyville Jazzband, Viennese Barrelhouse Jazzband (both Vienna 1960)

- Murwater Ramblers (Graz, with interruptions since 1957; in the long history of this band the

members Friedrich Körner, Franz Kerschbaumer, Werner Radzik, among others;

Ex. from the birthday concert of Ewald Oberleitner, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Fp0nhKSvpps)

- Salzach River Stompers (Salzburg, 1956)

- Graz: Royal Garden Jazz Club (1981; previously there was the Jazzkeller; cf. Kolleritsch 1995,

Kahr 2017)

- Vienna: Jazzland (since 1972)

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - the period until about 1980

- As seen in the example of the traditional scene, many things were initiated by the Allies.
But it was only with their withdrawal in 1955 that the Austrian scene had to learn to stand on its
own two feet.

learn to stand on its own two feet. In Salzburg, for example, there was a lack of commitments in the
"Yank clubs" - the scene there

The scene there lagged behind the developments in Vienna and Graz for a long time.

- In Vienna, for example, Fatty George (née Franz Georg Pressler; his nome du guerre

while playing in the "Yank clubs") opened Fatty's Jazz Casino in 1955, then Fatty's

Saloon (1958-1963)

- Positive for jazz development was an economic upswing in the 1950s and early

1960s as well as a somewhat increasing cultural recognition of jazz (=> Koller concert at the
Musikverein).

- Now also an international exchange in the live business started again:

- In-Coming: 1954 already Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, Woody Herman with the Third

Herd, Lionel Hampton (among others in Graz); followed by Sidney Bechet and Louis Armstrong

(1955), Stan Kenton (1956), Ellington (1958), Miles Davis (1960), Jimmy Guiffre Trio

(1961), John Coltrane Quartet (1962; "My Favorite Things" live in Graz)

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - The period up to ca. 1980.

- Out-Going:

- About Friedrich Gulda's projects:

- Septet 1956 in USA; after return, records bought there circulate on the Viennese scene

and stimulate own activities

- in 1960s Gulda and the transnational Eurojazz Orchestra - line-up: AUT (Gulda,

Zawinul, Salomon, Rudolf Josel, Erich Kleinschuster), CAN (Kenny Wheeler), SWE (Rolf

Ericson), SWI (Pierre Cavalli), UK (Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Ross), USA (J.J. Johnson, Herb

Geller, Ron Carter, Mel Lewis); Ex: "Eurosuite" (1965)

- Karl Drewo, Oscar Klein => 1958 to Germany, work in Kurt Edelhagen band - where

Roland Kovac arranges! Austrian networks also in transnational exchange.

- Joe Zawinul: leaves Austria in 1959 for a scholarship at the Berklee College of Music, instead gets

directly into the jazz scene: accompanies Ella Fitzgerald, records with Maynard Ferguson

with Maynard Ferguson, plays with Dinah Washington, later with Cannonball Adderley and, of
course, Miles Davis;
Zawinul is a co-founder of Weather Report in the 1970s.

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - The period until about 1980

- In the 1960s - as everywhere else - a decline in the audience and a consequent financial

slump in the jazz scene. This leads to different reactions:

- Emigration: Fatty George leaves Austria in 1963 (for the second time after 1949), Fritz Pauer

1964, Michael Mantler 1962 ("Berklee" => New York: Jazz Composers' Orchestra founded,

active in cultural politics with the JCO Association, Jazz Composers' Guild, with his wife Carla

Bley WATT (label, studio, publishing house), own distribution: New Music

Distribution Service)

- Strengthening of the amateur scene: the exodus leaves room for new players in the field; 1962-69

there is an Austrian Amateur Jazz Festival (also in Switzerland and Germany!)

- Strengthening of the modern scene:

- Gulda organises an "International Competition for Modern Jazz" in 1966.

- The jury includes Cannonball Adderley, Art Farmer (who stays in Vienna for six months)

Vienna for half a year, finally moves to Austria completely in 1968, works for the ORF big band and
with

Erich Kleinschuster) and other musicians from the Eurojazz Orchestra.

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - the period until about 1980

- Participants and/or winners included Fritz Pauer, Randy Brecker, Franco Ambrosetti,

Miroslav Vitous, Jan Hammer or Jiggs Whigham - all of them will make their way in the international

make their way in the international scene

- Restructuring of ORF in 1967 leads to new station Ö3, which also has jazz programmes.

- Erich Kleinschuster is the driving force behind the founding of the ORF Big Band in 1971;

this exists until 1981 and offers the scene secure working conditions and exchange

- Academisation of Jazz

- In 1965, the first European university jazz education begins in Graz.

generation of teaching staff is made up exclusively of the local Graz jazz scene around

the New Austrian Big Band, which was founded by Friedrich Körner.

- A prehistory can be found in the Forum Stadtpark, where Körner headed the music department.
- With the Swedish free jazz trombonist Eje Thelin, the first European

teacher to Graz

- Listening tip: Graz 1969, with the Swedish bass player Palle Danielsson and the Graz-based

John Preininger (dr, later with Glawischnig and Oberleitner in the Neighbours-Trio)

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - the period until about 1980

- Since 1971 there has been scientific jazz research in Graz at the Institute for Jazz Research of the
same name.

for Jazz Research.

- Graz can thus be recognised as an important crystallisation point for the Austrian

jazz development:

- Graz teachers included Dieter Glawischnig (p, => Neighbours, Anthony Braxton,

NDR Bigband leader), Rudolf (dr) and Manfred (tb) Josel (=> Josel Trio), Harald Neuwirth

(p) or - a woman! - Sheila Jordan

- Graz students included Mathias Rüegg (p, SWI => Vienna Art Orchestra),

Christian Muthspiel (tb), Wolfgang Muthspiel (git), Peter Herbert (b), Karlheinz Miklin

(sax; was director of the Jazzinstitut for a long time after his studies), Heinrich von Kalnein

(sax, GER, stayed in Graz after his studies and still teaches there)

- 1968 Vienna follows the chosen path - with help from Graz: Erich Kleinschuster is responsible for
the

Erich Kleinschuster is responsible for the start of jazz education at the Vienna Conservatory (today
MUK).

- In the rest of the country, jazz departments at conservatoires follow much later: Klagenfurt in 1985,
Linz in 1991, Innsbruck in 1991.

1985, Linz 1991, Innsbruck 1998.

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - Jazz Festivals

- From the seventies onwards, the establishment of the first jazz festivals, some of which are still
running today, had a lasting effect.

jazz festivals (all those still active are shown below in bold) had a lasting influence on the structure of

jazz life.

- 1970s: Jazz Festival Wiesen, Jazz Festival Saalfelden

- 1980s: Confrontations, Kaleidophon, Jazz Festival Sigharting (today INNtöne), Music

Unlimited

- 1990s: Hörfest Stainach, Jazzfestival Leibnitz, Jazz Over Villach

- 2000s: Artacts, Intersections of Music Jazz Festival, Chilli Jazz

- City Jazz Festivals resp. City Marketing

- Graz: Graz Meeting (1992-2002), Jazzsommer (1998-2011)

- Salzburg: Jazz in the Theatre (1982-2001), Salzburger Jazzherbst (1996-2012), Jazz & The City

(since 2000)

- Vienna: Jazzfest Wien (since 1992)

- => the comparatively high consistency or resilience of these festivals is astonishing, indicating an
intact

an intact jazz scene.

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - Free Jazz

- Ekkehard Jost explains what he calls the kaput phase of European free jazz as a

necessity to break away from the US-American models. It began almost everywhere in the

the 1960s, in Austria a little later around 1970.

- Andreas Felber (2005) locates the "first" free jazz concert in 1961 in the Graz Forum

Stadtpark (Ahmad Pechoc Trio), in the vicinity of which Dieter Glawischnig also developed his vision
of a "motivically and formally bound free jazz".

"motivically and formally bound free jazz".

- But it was not until the mid-1960s that the free jazz scene in Vienna broadened: RAU

(Reform Art Unit) was founded around Fritz Novotny in 1965, the Masters of Unorthodox Jazz (with
Pechoc) in 1966.

Recordings follow later: MoUJ record the "first Austrian free jazz record" Overground (1969), RAU
(Reform Art Unit)

Overground (1969), RAU an early world music inspired record in 1970 (Darjeeling). Listening tip:
Vienna Jazz Avantgarde (1971) by RAU and MoUJ

- In the 1970s Dieter Glawischnig started the trio Neighbours with Ewald Oberleitner and John
Preininger.

Neighbours, with whom he performs all over the world; in particular, his affinity with the Chicago

scene of the AACM leads to many collaborations with Fred Anderson or Anthony Braxton (for
example

Braxton (e.g. on the "Erzherzog-Johann-Lied" on Neighbours with Anthony Braxton, 1984).

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - Free Jazz

- In 1970 Hans Koller returned to Austria and started Hans Koller Free Sound a

transnational free jazz/jazz rock ensemble.

- Audio sample from the album Nome, released in 2017, a live gig in Cologne in 1974 with Koller (ts,

ss, AUT), Wolfgang Dauner (p, GER, deceased earlier this year), Zbigniew Seifert (viol,

as, POL), Adelhard Roidinger (b, AUT, former Graz student), Janusz Stefanski (dr,

POL, since 1981 in GER - with Seifert part of the Tomasz Stanko Quintet => Tip: Music for K,

1970)

- 1971 Friedrich Gulda records a free improvisation album, The Long Road to Freedom

- Franz Koglmann (tp) recorded Flaps with Steve Lacy in 1973, Opium/For

Franz, again with a transnational line-up. In 1983, Koglmann formed the Pipetett, in which he

the gap between classical and jazz musicians.

- => All these groups succeed in connecting to and exchanging with the

transnational network of European free jazz (in which many US musicians also participate).

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - Free Jazz and more

- The best-known fusion groups in Austria are Gypsy Love with the guitarist Karl

Ratzer and Harri Stojka Express, founded in 1973 by the sixteen-year-old Viennese Roma Stojka.

Stojka; e.g. "Right On" from the debut Sweet Vienna by the Harri Stojka Express in 1978.

- The Vienna Art Orchestra was founded in the late 1970s by Mathias Rüegg and Wolfgang

Wolfgang Puschnig. With their avant-garde approach, which opened up in many directions, they had

international success, and many younger jazz musicians have emerged from the VAO.

- e.g. Wolfgang Puschnig: The current director of the Vienna Institute for Popular Music, an

institute at the mdw, played with the international avant-garde and conducted his own

avant-garde and led his own local projects such as Alpine Aspects

- => absolute listening order: Alpine Aspects, 1991 - music from Carinthia, jazz-musically in the most

beautifully performed.

- e.g. Harry Sokal: Besides VAO he played jazzrock with Art Farmer and in the trio Depart,

various own projects, e.g. Rave the Jazz!, Reloaded

- A larger and long-lived formation is Nouvelle Cuisine, who are a funk, free and improv big band.
band; sound samples at nouvelle-cuisine.at and at the Institute (sometime again).

Jazz in Austria after 1945 - Free Jazz and More Sprawl

- The tendencies of jazz in recent years to refuse to be categorised under a single stylistic

can also be seen in Austria. These, but above all the lack of time for a deeper

more in-depth study of it make it necessary to abruptly break off the historical overview here.

abruptly here.

- To whet your appetite, here are at least a few tips:

- Jazz and electronic music, for example:

- Franz Hauzinger's Rain Orchestra Projects with Changing Line-Ups

- Mats Gustafsson's project (Fake) The Facts with turntableism and live (glitch) electronics;

- Trapist with e.g. The Golden Years (2012)

- e.g. jazz and music of the Balkans, Bulgaria, Turkey etc.

- Sandy Lopicic Orkestar, Balkan Band, Jazzta Prasta, Fatima Spar, Freedom Fries etc.

To Whom It May Concern: Literature

- Felber, Andreas (2005). The Viennese Free Jazz Avant-Garde. Revolution in the back room. Vienna:

Böhlau.

- Felber, Andreas (2018). "Austria." In The History of European Jazz. The Music, Musicians and

Audience in Context. Ed. by Francesco Martinelli. Sheffield, Bristol: Equinox, pp. 356-377.

- Glanz, Christian / Permoser, Manfred (eds.) (2012). Jazz Unlimited. Contributions to Jazz Reception
in

Austria (= Anklaenge 2011/2012. Vienna Yearbook for Musicology). Vienna: Mille Tre.

- Kahr, Michael (2016). Jazz & The City. Jazz in Graz from 1965 to 2015. Graz: Leykam.

- Kolleritsch, Elisabeth (1995). Jazz in Graz. From its beginnings after the Second World War bus

to its academic establishment (= Beiträge zur Jazzforschung / Studies in Jazz Research

10). Graz: Adeva.

- Kraner, Dietrich / Schulz, Klaus (1972). Jazz in Austria. Historical developments and

discography of jazz in Austria (= Beiträge zur Jazzforschung / Studies in Jazz Research.

2). Graz: Universal Edition.

- Schulz, Klaus (2003). Jazz in Österreich 1920-1960. Vienna: Album Verlag.

- Schulz, Klaus (2008). Steffl Swing. Jazz in Vienna between 1938 and 1945. Vienna: Der Apfel.