Klaus Doldinger (born 12 May 1936) is a German saxophonist known for his work in

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 ...

and as a

film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

composer. He was the recipient of 1997's

Bavarian Film Awards The Bavarian Film Awards (german: Bayerischer Filmpreis) have been awarded annually since 1979 by the state government of Bavaria in Germany for “exceptional achievement in German filmmaking.” Along with the German Film Awards, these are th ...

Life and work

Doldinger was born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

, Germany, and entered a

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

conservatory in 1947, originally studying piano and then clarinet, graduating in 1957. In his student years, Doldinger gained professional performing experience, starting in 1953 in the German

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

band ''The Feetwarmers'', and recording with them in 1955. Later that year he founded Oscar's Trio' modeled on

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

's work. During the 1960s, he worked as a tenor saxophonist, working with visiting American jazz musicians, Beat groups like Ian and the Zodiacs and recording in his own right. Passport E8245089

Doldinger's recurring jazz project

Passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

, started in 1971 (then called "Klaus Doldinger's Passport"), still enjoys success in Germany. In its influence it was sometimes called the European version of

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and vocalis ...

. At various times members of Passport included Peter O'Mara (guitar), Roberto DiGioia (keyboards),

Patrick Scales Patrick Scales (born 24 March 1965) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany is a German electric bass guitar player and teacher. Biography Patrick Scales was born in a small town in the Bavarian Alps. As the town was a recreation area for the Amer ...

(bass, since 1994), Ernst Stroer ( :de:Ernst Ströer) (percussion, since 1989), Christian Lettner (drums, since 2000), Michael Hornek (keyboard since 2009), Biboul Darouiche (percussion, since 1995) and others. Guests include

Brian Auger Brian Albert Gordon Auger (born 18 July 1939) is an English jazz rock and rock music keyboardist who specialises in the Hammond organ. Auger has worked with Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Sonny Boy Williamson, an ...

(1973), Johnny Griffin (1973) and

Pete York Peter York (born 15 August 1942 in Redcar, Yorkshire, England) is a British rock drummer who has been performing since the 1960s. Biography Born in Redcar, he attended the Nottingham High School and learnt to play the trumpet and snare drum ...

(1973). The first true Passport album had strong ties to

Amon Düül II Amon Düül II (or Amon Düül 2, PronunciationAmon Düül is a German rock band. The group is generally considered to be one of the pioneers of the West German krautrock scene. Their 1970 album ''Yeti'' was described by British magazine ''The W ...

, containing contributions from Olaf Kübler, Lothar Meid and Jimmy Jackson. Doldinger contributed film scores to the German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

film ''

Das Boot ''Das Boot'' (, English: "The Boat") is a 1981 West German war film written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, produced by Günter Rohrbach, and starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, and Klaus Wennemann. It has been exhibited both as ...

'' (1981) and later ''

The NeverEnding Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several ...

'' (1984). He also composed the musical theme of the long ongoing German-Austrian-Swiss series, ''Tatort'' (''Crime scene''). Doldinger married Inge Beck in 1960; they have three children, Viola, Melanie and Nicolas Doldinger. Since 1968, they have resided in

Icking Icking is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria in Germany. People * Anita Augspurg, lived in Icking from 1916 until she fled the Nazis * Dieter Borsche, actor, lived in Icking in the beginning of the '60s. * ...

, a small Bavarian village, south of

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

. On 1 September 2022 he released his autobiography ''Made in Germany''.

Selected film and TV scores

*' (1968) *'' The Naughty Cheerleader'' (1970) *''

Baal Baal (), or Baal,; phn, , baʿl; hbo, , baʿal, ). ( ''baʿal'') was a title and honorific meaning "owner", "lord" in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied t ...

'' (1970) *''

Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed b ...

'' (1970–) *'' The Net'' (1975) *''

To the Bitter End ''To the Bitter End'' (german: Bis zur bitteren Neige) is a 1975 West German-Austrian drama film directed by Gerd Oswald and starring Maurice Ronet, Suzy Kendall and Susanne Uhlen.Goble p.428 It was shot on location around Vienna. Synopsis A fo ...

'' (1975) *''

The Swiss Conspiracy ''The Swiss Conspiracy'' is a 1976 action film directed by Jack Arnold and starring David Janssen, Senta Berger and Elke Sommer. It was co-produced between West Germany and the United States. Plot A Swiss bank learns that the confidentiality ...

'' (1976) *''

The Old Fox ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1977–) *''

The Second Awakening of Christa Klages ''The Second Awakening of Christa Klages'' (german: Das zweite Erwachen der Christa Klages) is a 1978 in film, 1978 cinema of Germany, West German drama film directed by Margarethe von Trotta, her debut solo film. Plot Worried about the prospects o ...

'' (1978) *''

Ein Fall für zwei ''Ein Fall für zwei'' (''"A case for two"'') is a German television series, which premiered on 11 September 1981 on ZDF. The series, set in Frankfurt am Main, features two main characters who solve crimes: a defense attorney and a private inves ...

'' (1981–2013) *''

'' (1981) *''

The Roaring Fifties ''The Roaring Fifties'' (german: Die wilden Fünfziger ) is a 1983 West German comedy film directed by Peter Zadek and starring Juraj Kukura, Boy Gobert and Peter Kern. It is based on the novel ''Hurra, wir leben noch'' by Johannes Mario Simmel. ...

'' (1983) *''

The Neverending Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several ...

'' (1984) *''

Nonni and Manni ''Nonni and Manni'' is an adventure children's television series produced as a joint venture between Iceland and West Germany. It debuted on 26 December 1988 on West Germany's ZDF channel and lasted for six episodes with the last one being aired on ...

'' (1988) *''

Peter in Magicland ''Peter in Magicland: A Fantastic Journey'' (german: Peterchens Mondfahrt) is a 1990 German animated children's fantasy film, based on Gerdt von Bassewitz's 1915 book ''Little Peter's Journey to the Moon''. The film was released on 29 November 1 ...

'' (1990) *'' Salt on Our Skin'' (1992) *'' Palmetto'' (1998)

References

External links

Official websiteFan site
(archived) *

in Jazzdimensions (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Doldinger, Klaus 1936 births Living people German jazz composers Male jazz composers German jazz saxophonists Male saxophonists Jazz fusion musicians Post-bop jazz musicians German film score composers Male film score composers German male composers ACT Music artists Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century German composers 21st-century German composers Musicians from Berlin Robert Schumann Hochschule alumni 20th-century saxophonists 21st-century saxophonists 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century German male musicians Passport (band) members Musical groups from Berlin 20th-century jazz composers 21st-century jazz composers