Hannes Beckmann (composer/violinist):

Hannes Beckmann is portrayed by the press as one of the „world’s finest jazz violinists“ (Süddeutsche Zeitung). He studied violin in Düsseldorf as well as composition and law in Munich. At the age of 17 he recorded his first album as a drummer but soon concentrated on his ability as violinist. He started playing with his own bands as a street musician and in the swing bands of the Reinhardt and Weiss families but also in Peter Hamels avantgarde-ensemble „Beetween“. In 1972 he founded the Afro-Brasilian jazz band „SINTO“ (audio example) which gave more than 1800 concerts in West and East Europe, and Japan until 1985.

In 1985 he founded the „Hannes-Beckmann-Quartett“. Since then he has used (East)European as well as African and South-American ethno-elements. In addition to about 140 songs and instrumental pieces he has also composed serious music (suites for big orchestra) like the „European Suite“ and  “Canto Migrando” .

As one of the co-founders and committee member of the of jazz musicians initiative in Munich (Jazzmusiker-Initiative München e.V. (J.I.M.) in 1990 he played a substantial role in the organisation of the Munich Jazz Festival for more than 10 years. In 1995 Beckmann was appointed professor for Jazz violin in Belgrade and since 2001 he has lectured at the University for Music and Theatre (Hochschule für Musik und Theater) in Munich, where he instigated and leads the Jazz improvisation, free music and ethno-elements courses (Jazz-Improvisation, Freies Spiel, Ethno-Elemente).

Beckmann’s virtuoso violin playing and his captivating presence on stage has made him, according to the press the “devil’s violinist” (Teufelsgeiger) and a „dervish of the jazz violin” (Derwisch der Jazzvioline). The musicians in his quartet, all virtuosos at their instruments and highly esteemed in the international music scene, make the live concerts a special experience. To this core group Beckmann adds other soloists, groups and even whole orchestras.

In his compositions he integrates ethnic influences in new and unusual ways from Europe and the Balkans, from Brazil, Argentina and the Caribbean, Arabia and Africa with elements from classical music and jazz. His music is distinctive and his musical ideas and their realisation varied. Beckmann carries away his audience with his compositions and concepts yet meets high musical standards and attaches great importance to the fact that the audience enjoys and understands his music. Due to his excellent connections in the European and international music scenes he is able to use the best performers. As well as an obligatory cooperation with international stars he also manages to integrate talented newcomers in his projects.

Beckmann also works with multimedia, designing programmes in which optical and acoustic effects are combined. Examples include „Die blaue Krone – Kreuzwegstationen“ (the blue crown – stations of the the cross) (Audio example) (see photos) a work commissioned by the archbishopric München-Freising relating to the works of the painter Cäsar Radetzky (www.caesar-w-radetzky.de) and the meditations of abbot Odilo Lechner (also as multimedia-event) and „Zeitgleich“ a multimedia performance with the artist Haralampi Oroschakoff.

He is interested in world-music projects like „Canto Migrando“ (audio example) as well as in the concept for the promotion of the Mercedes A-class for which he holds a worldwide patent. “Canto Migrando” will be performed at the beginning of the FIFA World Cup June 2006 in front of the Munich city hall.

„By opening up to new influences especially from the Brazilian and Afro-Cuban genres but also the South-East-European and classical music he has enriched the style of Stephan Grapelli and the Hot Club legacy in a decisive way and unified them to an original language in which the rhythmic intensity of the American school is as present as the finely chased elegance of Sinto music or the long rhapsodic breath à la Ray Nance ... (read more in the rororo Jazz lexicon).