Emil Mangelsdorff ([ˈɛmɪl ˈmaŋl̩s.dɔʁf]; 11 April 1925 – 20 January 2022) was a German jazz musician who played alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet and flute. He was a jazz pioneer under the Nazi regime which led to his imprisonment. After World War II and years as a prisoner of war, he was a founding member of the jazz ensemble of Hessischer Rundfunk in 1958. He played with several groups and was active, also as an educator, until old age.

Emil Mangelsdorff
Mangelsdorff in 2015
Mangelsdorff in 2015
Background information
Born(1925-04-11)11 April 1925
Frankfurt am Main, Hesse-Nassau, Prussia, Germany
Died20 January 2022(2022-01-20) (aged 96)
Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany
GenresJazz
Instrument(s)alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, flute
Mangelsdorff in 2009

Life and career

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Mangelsdorff was born in Frankfurt,[1] as the son of the bookbinder Emil Albert Joseph Mangelsdorff (1891–1963), born in Ingolstadt, and his wife Luise, née Becker (1896–1976), from Wertheim.[2] Mangelsdorff was introduced to jazz at age nine, when his mother switched to Radio Luxemburg, and he heard the voice of Louis Armstrong.[3] His first instrument was accordion.[3][4] In 1942 and 1943, Mangelsdorff studied clarinet at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt.[5] As a member of the Frankfurt Hotclub Combo [de], with trumpeter Carlo Bohländer [de], bassist Hans Otto Jung and drummer Hans Podehl [de], he performed jazz and became a figurehead for Swing Youth,[2] which led to his being imprisoned by the Gestapo.[3][6] He was forced into the German army and was a Russian prisoner of war for four years.[7] In 1949, he returned to Frankfurt and decided to become a professional jazz musician. He played in the groups of Joe Klimm and Jutta Hipp, and was also a member of the Frankfurt All Stars and of the jazz ensemble of the broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk from 1958.[8][9] In 1966, he founded Swinging Oil Drops, with Joki Freund, Volker Kriegel, Fritz Hartschuh [de] and Günter Lenz.[5][10]

Mangelsdorff was influenced by swing.[5] He continued to develop musically, playing bebop, fusion and cool.[11][12] In 1964, Mangelsdorff wrote an instruction manual for jazz saxophone.[13] He played with Charles Mingus in New York[5] and performed often in the Jazzkeller (jazz cellar) in Kleine Bockenheimer Straße, Frankfurt, sometimes together with his brother, trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff.[8][14] He gave his last concert in Frankfurt's Holzhausenschlösschen on 1 November 2021.[5] He also informed in schools about the Nazi era as a witness of the time, continuing remembrance work until old age.[4]

His first wife Simone [de], an operatic soprano, died in 1973.[5] Monique (died 2018[15]) was his second wife.[16] Mangelsdorff died in Frankfurt am Main on 20 January 2022, at the age of 96.[9][8]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Jazzlegende Emil Mangelsdorff gestorben". BR24 (in German). 22 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b Mozer, Isolde. "Mangelsdorff, Albert". Frankfurter Personenlexikon (in German). Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Jürgs, Alexander (15 June 2019). "Jazz-Musiker Emil Mangelsdorff: Swing Heil". FAZ (in German). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b Halbig, Matthias (22 January 2022). "Jazz gegen Hass – Saxofonist Emil Mangelsdorff stirbt mit 96 Jahren". RND.de (in German). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Wegbereiter des deutschen Jazz: Trauer um Emil Mangelsdorff". Süddeutsche.de (in German). dpa. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  6. ^ Lange, Georg (6 September 2016). "Gaienhofen: Wie sich Emil Mangelsdorff als Jazzer durch die NS-Zeit kämpfte". SÜDKURIER Online (in German). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Botschafter des Jazz". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). 6 April 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Riethmüller, Christian (21 January 2022). "Saxofonist Emil Mangelsdorff gestorben". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Frankfurter Jazzlegende Emil Mangelsdorff ist tot" (in German). Hessenschau. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Swinging Oil Drops – CD (2008, Re-Release, Remastered) von Emil Mangelsdorff". Musik-Sammler.de (in German). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  11. ^ Göpfert, Claus-Jürgen (10 April 2020). "Jazz als Friedensbotschaft". Frankfurt (in German). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Der Frankfurter Jazzmusiker Emil Mangelsdorff ist tot". swr.online (in German). 22 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Anleitung zur Improvisation". Schott Music. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Traurige Nachricht: Frankfurter Jazz-Legende Emil Mangelsdorff ist tot". Frankfurt (in German). 22 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  15. ^ Sandner, Wolfgang (23 January 2022). "Pionier und Zeitzeuge: Jazzer der ersten Stunde". FAZ.NET (in German). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  16. ^ Teutsch, Oliver (10 April 2010). "Die Puste reicht noch – Jazz-Saxophonist Emil Mangelsdorff wird 85 – neue musikzeitung". nmz (in German). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  17. ^ "KulturPortal Frankfurt: Goetheplakette der Stadt Frankfurt am Main". KulturPortal Frankfurt (in German). Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Jazzer Emil Mangelsdorff wird Ehrenprofessor". Die Welt (in German). 4 December 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2022.

Further reading

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