Günter "Baby" Sommer (born 25 August 1943) is a German

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 major ...

drummer.

Career

Sommer was born in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

on 25 August 1943. His first instrument was the trumpet, which he studied at school. He started playing the drums aged 15 or 16. He studied music at

Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber The Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber (Carl Maria von Weber College of Music; also/formerly known as Dresden Conservatory or Dresden Royal Conservatory) is a university of music in Dresden, Germany. History The Hochschule opened ...

in Dresden. A solo percussion album, ''Hormusik'', was released by FMP in 1979. In the same year, FMP also released a trio album recorded with

Peter Kowald Peter Kowald (21 April 1944 – 21 September 2002) was a German free jazz and free improvising double bassist and tubist. Career A member of the Globe Unity Orchestra, and a touring double-bass player, Kowald collaborated with many European ...

and

Wadada Leo Smith Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (born December 18, 1941) is an American trumpeter and composer, working primarily in the fields of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation. He was one of three finalists for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for ''Ten Free ...

. He has worked with Smith intermittently throughout his career. During the 1980s he also worked with

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (born 6 March 1941) is a German saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Early life Brötzmann was born in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied painting in Wuppertal and was involved with the Fluxus movement ...

Irene Schweizer Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in complex ...

, and with the writer

Gunter Grass Gunter or Günter may refer to: * Gunter rig, a type of rig used in sailing, especially in small boats * Gunter Annex, Alabama, a United States Air Force installation * Gunter, Texas, city in the United States People Surname * Chris Gunter ( ...

. In the early 1990s he began leading a trio with

Didier Levallet Didier Levallet (born 19 July 1944, in Arcy-sur-Cure, France) is a French jazz double bassist, composer, arranger and leader. A self-taught bassist, Levallet made his professional debut in Paris in 1969, working with such artists as Ted Curson, J ...

, then with

Theo Jörgensmann Theodor Franz Jörgensmann (born 29 September 1948) is a German jazz clarinetist. Activities Theo Jörgensmann belongs to the second generation of European free jazz musicians. He was part of the clarinet renaissance in the jazz and improvisin ...

, and joined in 1995 for 13 years as drums professor the faculty at Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber. His usual nickname ''Baby'' is due to a comparison, homage to the multifaceted US drummer

Baby Dodds Warren "Baby" Dodds (December 24, 1898 – February 14, 1959) was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. He is regarded as one of the best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era, and one of the most important ...

.see Discogs

Discography

* ''Gruppe Synopsis'' with Synopsis (Amiga, 1974) * ''Hormusik'' (FMP, 1979) * '' Touch the Earth'' with

(FMP, 1980) * ''Dedication'' with Hans-Günther Wauer (FMP, 1982) * ''Hormusik Zwei'' (Nato, 1983) * '' If You Want the Kernels You Have to Break the Shells'' with Peter Kowald (FMP, 1983) * ''

Pica Pica The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (''Pica pica'') is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family (corvids) designated magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic r ...

'' with

Peter Brotzmann Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

and

Albert Mangelsdorff Albert Mangelsdorff (September 5, 1928 – July 25, 2005) was a German jazz trombonist. Working mainly in free jazz, he was an innovator in multiphonics. Early life Mangelsdorff was born in Frankfurt on September 5, 1928, as the son of the book ...

(FMP, 1984) * ''Percussion Summit'' with John Purcell, Urszula Dudziak (Moers Music, 1984) * ''Verschrankte Konstruktion'' with Hans-Günther Wauer (Amiga, 1986) * ''

Live at Taktlos ''Live at Taktlos'' is a live album by pianist Irène Schweizer. It was recorded in February 1984 during a three-day improvisation meeting, and was released by Intakt Records on LP in 1986, and on CD in 2005. On the album, Schweizer is joined by vo ...

'' 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 ...

and

Maggie Nicols Maggie Nicols (or Nichols, as she originally spelled her name as a performer) (born 24 February 1948), is a Scottish free-jazz and improvising vocalist, dancer, and performer. Early life and career Nicols was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, as Mar ...

(Intakt, 1986) * ''Irene Schweizer & Gunter Sommer'' (Intakt, 1988) * ''

The Storming of the Winter Palace ''The Storming of the Winter Palace'' was a 1920 mass spectacle, based on historical events that took place in Petrograd during the 1917 October Revolution. Taking place on the third anniversary of the revolution, it was directed by Nikolai Evrei ...

'' with

(Intakt, 1988) * ''Reserve'' with Peter Brotzmann (FMP, 1989) * ''

In East Berlin ''In East Berlin'' is an album featuring two concerts by Cecil Taylor, one solo and one accompanied by Günter Sommer, recorded in Berlin on June 20 and 21, 1988 as part of a month-long series of concerts by Taylor and released on the FMP label. ...

'' with

(FMP, 1989) * ''

Riobec ''Riobec'' is a live album by pianist Cecil Taylor and drummer Günter Sommer recorded in Berlin on June 17, 1988 as part of month-long series of concerts by Taylor and released on the FMP label.Didier Levallet Didier Levallet (born 19 July 1944, in Arcy-sur-Cure, France) is a French jazz double bassist, composer, arranger and leader. A self-taught bassist, Levallet made his professional debut in Paris in 1969, working with such artists as Ted Curson, J ...

(European Music/Sud-Ouest, 1990) * ''Camino Fatal'' with Ekkehard Jost (Fish Music, 1990) * ''Cappuccini Klang'' with Peter Kowald (Splasc(h), 1992) * ''Sachsische Schatulle: Hormusik III'' (Intakt, 1993) * ''Merseburger Begegnung'' with Hans-Günther Wauer (Kip, 1994) * '' BIB'' with Sylvain Kassap, Didier Levallet (FMP, 2002) * ''Wokonda'' with Achim Jaroschek (Konnex, 2003) * '' Between Heaven and Earth'' with

Conny Bauer Konrad "Conny" Bauer (born 4 July 1943) is a German free jazz trombonist. He is the brother of the trombonist Johannes Bauer. As a student at senior high school in Sonneberg between 1957 and 1961, he was enthusiastic about modern music and danc ...

and Peter Kowald (Intakt, 2003) * ''Hic Sunt Leones'' with Frank Paul Schubert (Jazz Haus, 2007) * ''Delphinius & Lyra'' with Raymond MacDonald (Clean Feed, 2007) * '' Wisdom in Time'' with Wadada Leo Smith (Intakt, 2007) * ''Abbara'' with

Rafik Schami Rafik is the given name of: *Rafik Al-Hariri (1944–2005), business tycoon, former Prime Minister of Lebanon *Rafik Bouderbal (born 1987), French-born Algerian player currently playing for ES Sétif in the Algerian Championnat National *Rafik Deg ...

(Intakt, 2008) * ''Peitzer Grand Mit Vieren'' (Jazzwerkstatt, 2009) * ''Live in Jerusalem'' (Kadima Collective, 2009) * ''Songs for Kommeno'' (Intakt, 2012) * ''Jesper Lovdal Gunter Sommer'' (ILK Music, 2012) * ''Dry Swing & Tandem Spaces'' with Oliver Schwerdt (Euphorium, 2013) * ''Three Seasons'' (HGBS, 2014) * ''Sources'' with Johannes Enders (Moderntunemusic, 2016) * ''Fundstuecke'' with Gabriele Hasler (Laika, 2016) * ''Le Piccole Cose'' (Intuition, 2017) * ''Baby's Party'' (Intakt, 2018) * ''Grande Casino'' with EUPHORIUM_freakestra (Euphorium, 2018) * ''One For My Baby And One More For The Bass'' with

Barry Guy Barry John Guy (born 22 April 1947, in London) is an English composer and double bass player. His range of interests encompasses early music, contemporary composition, jazz and improvisation, and he has worked with a wide variety of orchestras ...

and Oliver Schwerdt (Euphorium, 2020) * ''Karawane'' with The Lucaciu 3 (Intakt, 2022)

References

External links

Official site
* 1940s births Living people Free jazz drummers German jazz drummers Male drummers German male musicians Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber alumni Avant-garde jazz drummers Recipients of the Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic German male jazz musicians Intakt Records artists FMP/Free Music Production artists {{Germany-musician-stub