Christian Wolfarth (1960 in Zurich) is a Swiss

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

player.

Biography

Wolfarth moved to Bern in 1981, where he studied under Billy Lewis Brooks at

Swiss Jazz School Swiss Jazz School in Bern is the first autonomous jazz school in Europe, which offers continuously jazz lessons. The school was founded in 1967. The Swiss Jazz School has currently two departments: * General School: The general school of the Swiss ...

from 1982 to 1986. Then, he studied under

Pierre Favre Peter Faber (french: Pierre Lefevre or Favre, la, Petrus Faver) (13 April 1506 – 1 August 1546) was a Jesuit priest and theologian, who was also a co-founder of the Society of Jesus, along with Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier. Pope Fra ...

at ''Konservatorium Luzern'' (1992–96) and had an education in the field of composing under Siegfried Kutterer in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

(1995). He worked with musicians like Christine Sehnaoui, Burkhard Beins, Urs Leimgruber,

Jacques Demierre Jacques Demierre (born 4 January 1954, in Geneva) is a Swiss improvisation musician and composer. Life and works Demierre studied at the University of Geneva at the (piano, jazz piano, electroacoustic music) and at the Conservatoire de Musique ...

, Enrico Malatesta,

Ingar Zach Ingar Zach (born 29 June 1971 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian percussionist and businessman, known from several recordings. Career In the 1990s Zach played within Chateau Neuf Spelemannslag and 'Harnihomba', while studying music at the Univer ...

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...

, Albert Mangelsdorff,

Werner Lüdi Werner Lüdi (April 22, 1936 in Poschiavo, Graubünden – June 21, 2000 in Zurich) was a Swiss jazz musician ( alto- and baritone saxophone) and author. Biography Lüdi spent the early years of his life in Val Poschiavo and spent his youth ...

Paul Lovens Paul Lovens (born 6 June 1949) is a German musician. He plays drums, percussion, singing saw, and cymbals. He has performed with the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra and Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. He was born in Aachen, Germany. In the early ...

, Norbert Möslang,

Alexander von Schlippenbach Alexander von Schlippenbach (born 7 April 1938) is a German jazz pianist and composer. He came to prominence in the 1960s playing free jazz in a trio with saxophonist Evan Parker and drummer Paul Lovens, and as a member of the Globe Unity Orchest ...

Hans Koch Hans Koch (16 August 1893 – 24 April 1945) was a German lawyer, a member of the Confessional Church and a member of the German resistance against Nazism. Koch was born in Bartenstein, East Prussia (modern Bartoszyce, Poland), he graduated ...

Simon Picard Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

or Jürg Solothurnmann and participated in interdisciplinary projects in the fields of theater, movies, videos, contemporary music and dance (such as Dance-Company of Nina F. Schneider). In 1996, he published his first solo album ''3-3-2''. After the ''For4Ears'', he published his second solo album ''Wolfarth'' in 2005. In 2009, he established his own label hiddenbell records. His later solo albums were published under this label. In duet formations, he collaborated with

Irène Schweizer Irène Schweizer (born 2 June 1941) is a Swiss jazz and free improvising pianist. She was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. She has performed and recorded numerous solo piano performances as well as performing as part of the Feminist Improvis ...

, Donat Fisch (''Circle & Line''), Michael Vorfeld (''Vorwolf'') and also Joke Lanz (''Tell''). In trios, he played with Jason Kahn and

Günter Müller Günter Müller (born October 20, 1954) is a German sound artist who originally performed as a percussionist and drummer, active primarily in free improvisation. He was born in Munich, West Germany, but has lived in Switzerland since 1966. Ba ...

, with

Michel Wintsch Michel Wintsch (born 1964) is a Swiss avant-garde jazz composer and pianist who has worked with musicians such as Franz Koglmann and Gerry Hemingway Gerry Hemingway (born March 23, 1955) is an American drummer and composer. Hemingway was a me ...

und Christian Weber (''WWW''), and also with Tomas Korber and Christian Weber (''Mersault''). Besides, he worked in a duet with the guitarist

Christian Buck Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

Discography

* Christian Wolfarth/Franz Aeschbacher ''Ersatz ist Besser'', 1992 Arche Z (AZ CD 002) * ''3-3-2'' (8 Pieces for drums) Solo-CD, 1996 Percaso Productions (Percaso 15) * Momentum 2 ''The Law of Refraction'' with Gene Coleman,

John Wolf Brennan John Wolf Brennan (born 13 February 1954) is an Irish pianist, organist, melodica player, and composer based in Weggis, Switzerland. Career Brennan was born in Dublin, Ireland. His family moved to Switzerland when he was seven years old. He be ...

and

Alfred Zimmerlin Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, 2000

Leo Records Leo Records is a British record company and label which releases jazz from Russian, American, and British musicians. It concentrates on free jazz. Leo Records was founded in 1979 by Leo Feigin (also known under his broadcasting name Aleksei L ...

(CD LR 296) * Korber / Weber / Wolfarth ''Mersault'' with Tomas Korber and Christian Weber, 2005 Quakebasket (CD 23) * Weber / Koch / Moser /

Siewert Siewert is the surname of: * Alfons Siewert (1872-1922), Ukrainian physician * Brian Siewert, television composer * Clara Siewert (1862–1945), German Symbolist painter, graphic artist and sculptor * Eva Siewert (1907–1994), German writer * J ...

/ Wolfarth „3 Suits & a Violin“ 2006 (hatOLOGY 634) * Vorwolf ''Snake's Eye'' mit Michael Vorfeld, 2008 formed records (formed 109) * Fisch / Wolfarth ''Circle & Line 2'' 2009 Leo Records (CD LR 552) * Irmler / Wolfarth ''Illumination'' with Hans Joachim Irmler, 2010 Klangbad (LP57) * Kahn / Müller / Wolfarth ''Limmat'', 2010 Mikroton Records (CD 7) * ''acoustic solo percussion vol. 1-4 & Remixes'' Doppel-CD 2009-2011 hiddenbell records (006/007) * Wintsch Weber Wolfarth ''The Holistic Worlds of …'' 2012 Monotype Records (MonoLP010) * Wintsch Weber Wolfarth ''Willisau'', 2012 (hatOLOGY 725) * ''Scheer'' Solo-CD cymbals, 2013 hiddenbell records (008) * Wintsch Weber Wolfarth ''Thieves Left That Behind'', 2015 Veto Exchange (012) * Spuren Solo-LP percussion, 2016 hiddenbell records (009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfarth, Christian Swiss jazz drummers Musicians from Zürich 1960 births Living people 20th-century Swiss musicians 21st-century Swiss musicians