Oliver Schwerdt (born 13 November 1979) is a German

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

and musician (piano,

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. Exc ...

) in the field of

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician(s) involved. The term can refer to both a technique (employed by any musician in any genre) and as a recognizable genre in its ...

Academic career

Born in

Eisenach Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...

, Schwerdt attended school in Eisenach until his university entrance qualification and received classical piano lessons at the municipal music school there. He did his military service as a piano accompanist in the training music corps of the German armed forces. He began his studies of music and cultural sciences as well as art history at the

Leipzig University Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December ...

in 1999 and completed them in 2006 with a master's thesis on

Georg Simmel Georg Simmel (; ; 1 March 1858 – 26 September 1918) was a German sociologist, philosopher, and critic. Simmel was influential in the field of sociology. Simmel was one of the first generation of German sociologists: his neo-Kantian approach l ...

and

Dadaism Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Paris ...

submitted to . In 2012 he received his doctorate from

Sebastian Klotz Sebastian Klotz (18 January 1696 – 20 January 1775) was an influential German violin maker, one of three sons of Mathias Klotz. Klotz was born in Mittenwald on 18 January 1696, the second son of Mathias Klotz, from whom he learnt the art of ...

at the , for which he also worked as a lecturer. His dissertation focuses on the musical strategies of central actors in the scene of free improvised music in the wake of

Free Jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...

and their spatial theoretical interpretation. He has taught at the

Museum of Musical Instruments of Leipzig University The Museum of Musical Instruments of the University of Leipzig (german: Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Universität Leipzig) is a museum in Leipzig, Germany. It is located on Johannisplatz, near the city centre. The museum belongs to the University o ...

and with the

Bauhaus Dessau Foundation The Bauhaus Dessau Foundation is a nonprofit organization devoted to research and teaching in the field of experimental design. It was founded by the German Federal Government in 1994 and is based in the Bauhaus Dessau building in the state of S ...

. From his musicological work, Schwerdt identified the challenge facing contemporary museum practice in relation to the "reinvention of the drum set combination" as they are "in European improvised music" of the 20th century became reality. He is committed to securing the "acutely endangered, historically so delicate, aesthetically highly fascinating and epistemologically valuable object complexes". the first generation of European free jazz or contemporary improvised music. As an author of music-critical articles, Schwerdt wrote for the '' Neue Musikzeitung'', the ' and the ', among others. He also wrote accompanying texts for albums by

Günter Sommer Günter "Baby" Sommer (born 25 August 1943) is a German jazz drummer. Career Sommer was born in Dresden 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 studie ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

Urs Leimgruber Urs Leimgruber (1 January 1952 in Lucerne) is a Swiss saxophonist. He lived in Paris from 1988 to 2005. Then he came back to his home town, Lucerne. His fields of activity are improvisation, Jazz and 20th-century classical music. Discography ...

. In 2003 he founded the publishing house ''Euphorium Productions''.

Activity as a musician

Since 1999 Schwerdt has been artistic director of the ''EUPHORIUM_freakestra'', a project ensemble between contemporary

improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

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 ...

, ''

Neue Musik Neue Musik (English ''new music'', French ''nouvelle musique'') is the collective term for a wealth of different currents in composed Western art music from around 1910 to the present. Its focus is on compositions of 20th century music. It is char ...

'' and theatre with Günter Sommer,

Friedrich Schenker Friedrich Schenker (23 December 19428 February 2013) was a German avant-garde composer and trombone player. Life Born in the German town of Zeulenroda, Schenker learned trombone and piano as a child and made his first compositional attempts at ...

Rudi Mahall Rudi Mahall (born December 23, 1966) is a contemporary jazz bass clarinetist. While studying classical clarinet, Mahall shifted towards contemporary music, improvisation and jazz. He is, or was a member of following bands: Avantgardeband ''Die ...

, Paul Rutherford,

Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky (10 December 1933 – 10 July 2023), often called Luten Petrowsky, was a German jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, flautist, composer and author. He is considered the father of free jazz in East Germany (GDR). He was one of f ...

Frank Möbus Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curre ...

Axel Dörner Axel Dörner (born 26 April 1964 in Cologne, Germany) is a German trumpeter, pianist, and composer. Biography Dörner studied piano in the Dutch town Arnhem (1988–89) and at the Music Academy in Cologne (1989–1996). From 1991 he studied t ...

Barre Phillips Barre Phillips (born October 27, 1934, in San Francisco, California, United States) is an American jazz bassist. A professional musician since 1960, he moved to New York City in 1962, then to Europe in 1967. Since 1972, he has been based in south ...

, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Evan Parker, Paul Lovens,

Sven-Åke Johansson Sven-Åke Johansson (born 1943 in Mariestad) is a Swedish composer, drummer, poet, author and visual artist associated with European free jazz and free improvisation, who has lived in Berlin since 1968. Johansson is one of the first European free ...

Ulrich Gumpert Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Al ...

, Manfred Hering,

Dietmar Diesner Dietmar is a German forename. * Dietmar I (archbishop of Salzburg), ruled 874 to 907 *Dietmar von Aist, Minnesinger from a baronial family of Upper Austria, documented between 1140 and 1171 * Dietmar Bär (born 1961), German actor * Dietmar Barts ...

, Roger Turner, Barry Guy,

Akira Sakata Akira Sakata (born 21 February 1945) is a Japanese free jazz saxophonist. Early life Sakata was born in Hiroshima on 21 February 1945. He first heard jazz on short-wave radio and Voice of America, then became more interested in it from listening ...

and others worked together. At the 2009 ''33. Leipziger Jazztage'', he performed with the project ''Transatlantic Freedom Suite Tentets'' at the

Leipzig Opera The Leipzig Opera (in German: ) is an opera house and opera company located at the Augustusplatz and the Inner City Ring Road at its east side in Leipzig's district Mitte, Germany. History Performances of opera in Leipzig trace back to Singspi ...

. From the project ensemble the quartet ''ember'' with Urs Leimgruber developed,

Alexander Schubert Alexander Schubert (born 13 July 1979) is a German composer. Much of his music is experimental, involving multimedia, improvisatory, and interactive elements. He draws upon free jazz, techno, and pop styles. Biography Alexander Schubert was born ...

and

Christian Lillinger Christian Lillinger (born 21 April 1984) is a German drummer, composer and percussionist. He was born in Lübben, grew up in the German village of Kuschkow, and has been living in Berlin since 2003 working as a musician and composer. Christian ha ...

. From 2006 to 2016 Schwerdt worked with Lillinger and Petrowsky in the ''New Old Luten Trio''. The recording of Petrowsky's late works, documented from 2013 to 2015 with the albums ''Tumult!'', ''Krawall!'', ''Rabatz!'' in a quintet formation expanded by the double bassists John Edwards and

Robert Landfermann The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

received great attention. With Schubert and Friedrich Kettlitz, Schwerdt operates the electrified

Noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...

-Ensemble ''trnn''. In 2006, Schwerdt received the ''Leipzig Jazz Young Talent Scholarship'' of the ''Marion-Ermer-Foundation'' for his performance as pianist and ensemble leader. The critics Ken Waxman (''Jazzword'') and Rigobert Dittmann (Bad Alchemy) hear reminiscences of

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, ...

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

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 Alexander von Schlippenbach in Schwerdt's piano playing. Schwerdt uses the following pseudonyms: Edithrakneff Weinermond, Frautastem!, Ingrid Ingulfwieher, Rita Deixis, Solveig Reberp-Klamt and Elan Pauer.

Discography

As leader

* ''Dry Swing/Tandem Spaces'' with

(Euphorium, 2013) * ''Peripherduette'' with Romondoprath Ulfkutter (Euphorium, 2013) * ''Prestige/No Smoking'' (Euphorium, 2017) * ''Storming Bauhaus'' (Euphorium, 2019) With Ember * ''Oullh d'baham'' (Euphorium, 2006) * ''Aurona Arona'' (Creative Sources, 2008) With Euphorium Freakestra * ''2 Trios & 2 Babies'' (Euphorium, 2006) * ''Free Electric Supergroup'' (Euphorium, 2007) * ''Die Abenteuer des Birg Borgenthal'' (Euphorium, 2017) * ''Grande Casino'' (Euphorium, 2018) With others * ''Karacho!'' 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 ...

(Euphorium, 2019) * ''Tumult!''/''Krawall!''/''Rabatz!'' with Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, John Edwards, Robert Landfermann and Christian Lillinger (Euphorium, 2017)

Publications

* ''Mein Bauhausgang. Eine Harzreise durch die moderne Architektur''. (EUPHORIUM: EUPH 023, 2016) * ''Jubelheft für Baby. Festschrift zum 70. Geburtstag Günter Sommers''. (EUPHORIUM: EUPH 042, 2013) * ''Baby Sommer XXL! Wie der Schlagzeuger mit dem Free Jazz den Raum bestellt. Die große Monografie zu Günter Sommers Siebzigsten! 5 Bände'' (EUPHORIUM: EUPH 038e, 2012) * ''Zur Konstitution, Repräsentation und Transformation des Räumlichen in der Musik. Eine Untersuchung des von Günter Sommer realisierten Symbol-, Instrumental- und Handlungs-Raums''. (EUPHORIUM: EUPH 038c, 2012) * ''Geld und Unsinn, Georg Simmel und der Dadaismus. Eine systematische Studie zu relativistischer Philosophie und Kunst''.''Geld und Unsinn, Georg Simmel und der Dadaismus : eine systematische Studie zu relativistischer Philosophie und Kunst''
on worldCat (EUPHORIUM: EUPH 022, 2011)

References

External links

Webpräsenz

Veröffentlichungen
auf EUPHORIUM * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwerdt, Oliver 1979 births Living people People from Eisenach Jazz writers German musicologists German record producers German jazz pianists German percussionists