German jazzy beats
Exhibition organised by the Annemarie-Schimmel-Haus German Cultural Centreis part of 2 day German Jazz Festival.
LAHORE:
The 1920s gave birth to a host of jazz cliches — saxophones, drums, banjos, black musicians, syncopated rhythms, lascivious dance, Charleston era short skirts and bobbed hair.
Berlin was the heart of jazz in Germany. There were countless bars, dance halls, nightclubs and small theatres where jazz was considered standard fare. However, in 1933, when the Nazis seized power, the restructuring of radio broadcasting began. Broadcasting jazz on German radio was officially outlawed in 1935. Musicians and jazz fans were subject to persecution, not so much due to their interest in jazz, but because they did not fit the system that the Nazis had planned for their youth. Nonetheless, a strong link continued to exist between Germans and jazz. Nine days after World War II ended, Carlo Bohlander, a trumpeter from Frankfurt, obtained a permit to perform a jazz combo in public.
In post-war Germany, the cities of Hamburg, Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt each developed distinct jazz sounds, which will be demonstrated through an exhibit on the history of German jazz that opened in Lahore on May 3. Organised by the Annemarie-Schimmel-Haus German Cultural Centre, the exhibit is on display at the Zahoorul Ikhlaq Gallery of the National College of Arts (NCA).
The exhibition is part of a two-day German Jazz Festival being held in Lahore. Thirty pictures illustrate the evolution, development and rise of jazz in post-war Germany.
This exhibit has already travelled around South Asia and will be at NCA till May 15. It demonstrates that even in the 21st century, jazz remains an important musical language in Germany and elsewhere. “In recent years, European musicians have developed an even more distinctly European self-perception... young musicians are giving jazz at the beginning of the 21st century a new face, ensuring an active scene, unafraid of grappling with both the tradition of modern jazz and the developments in other genres,” reads one of the exhibit display notes.
“The exhibition is very interesting and informative. It provided a quick but detailed glimpse into the history of German jazz,” said Ahmad Awan, one of the visitors at the exhibition, which had a healthy opening night crowd.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2011.
The 1920s gave birth to a host of jazz cliches — saxophones, drums, banjos, black musicians, syncopated rhythms, lascivious dance, Charleston era short skirts and bobbed hair.
Berlin was the heart of jazz in Germany. There were countless bars, dance halls, nightclubs and small theatres where jazz was considered standard fare. However, in 1933, when the Nazis seized power, the restructuring of radio broadcasting began. Broadcasting jazz on German radio was officially outlawed in 1935. Musicians and jazz fans were subject to persecution, not so much due to their interest in jazz, but because they did not fit the system that the Nazis had planned for their youth. Nonetheless, a strong link continued to exist between Germans and jazz. Nine days after World War II ended, Carlo Bohlander, a trumpeter from Frankfurt, obtained a permit to perform a jazz combo in public.
In post-war Germany, the cities of Hamburg, Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt each developed distinct jazz sounds, which will be demonstrated through an exhibit on the history of German jazz that opened in Lahore on May 3. Organised by the Annemarie-Schimmel-Haus German Cultural Centre, the exhibit is on display at the Zahoorul Ikhlaq Gallery of the National College of Arts (NCA).
The exhibition is part of a two-day German Jazz Festival being held in Lahore. Thirty pictures illustrate the evolution, development and rise of jazz in post-war Germany.
This exhibit has already travelled around South Asia and will be at NCA till May 15. It demonstrates that even in the 21st century, jazz remains an important musical language in Germany and elsewhere. “In recent years, European musicians have developed an even more distinctly European self-perception... young musicians are giving jazz at the beginning of the 21st century a new face, ensuring an active scene, unafraid of grappling with both the tradition of modern jazz and the developments in other genres,” reads one of the exhibit display notes.
“The exhibition is very interesting and informative. It provided a quick but detailed glimpse into the history of German jazz,” said Ahmad Awan, one of the visitors at the exhibition, which had a healthy opening night crowd.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2011.