Sebastian Gramss is a German

double bassist The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Simila ...

, cellist, and composer of

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 contemporary music. He received the

Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...

award for double bass in 2013 and 2018.

Biography

Gramss studied double bass at

Conservatorium van Amsterdam The Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) is a Dutch conservatoire of music located in Amsterdam. This school is the music division of the Amsterdam University of the Arts, the city's vocational university of arts. The Conservatorium van Amsterdam ...

and

Hochschule für Musik Köln ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...

. He is composing for various groups as well as for radio plays, drama, film soundtracks and ballet. (He wrote among others for

Pina Bausch Philippine "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to a neo-expressionist dance tradition now known as . Bausch's approach was noted for a stylized blend of dance m ...

.) Since 2009 he teaches Ensemble/Improvisation and double bass at

and at "Institut für Musik Osnabrück". In 1993 Gramss founded the group "Underkarl" with Frank Wingold (guitar), Lömsch Lehmann (saxophone), Dirk-Peter Kölsch (drums) and

Nils Wogram Nils Wogram (born 7 November 1972) is a jazz trombonist, composer and bandleader. He began classical study at the age of fifteen. He was a member in the National German Youth Big Band, participated in classical competitions and formed his own ba ...

(trombone), still active as of 2017. He played with Frank Gratkowski, Tatsuya Nakatani, Rudi Mahal,

Marilyn Crispell Marilyn Crispell (born March 30, 1947) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Scott Yanow described her as "a powerful player... who has her own way of using space... She is near the top of her field." Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrot ...

, Fred Frith,

Tom Cora Thomas Henry Corra (September 14, 1953 – April 9, 1998), better known as Tom Cora, was an American cellist and composer, best known for his improvisational performances in the field of experimental jazz and rock. He recorded with John Zorn, ...

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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 ...

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Karl Berger Karl Hans Berger (born March 30, 1935 in Heidelberg, Germany) is a German jazz pianist, composer, and educator. Career Berger played piano in Germany when he was ten and worked in his teens at a club in Heidelberg. He learned modern jazz from v ...

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 ...

Hannes Bauer Johannes "Hannes" Bauer (22 July 1954 – 6 May 2016) was a German trombonist of improvised music and free jazz. He was the brother of the trombonist Conny Bauer. He was born in Halle. From 1979 onwards, he worked as a freelance musician in Be ...

, Heinz von Cramer, Terry Jenoure, Marjana Sadowska. He organized several groups for double bass such as the 50-member band "Bassmasse".

Discography (selection)

* ''The Remedy'', with

, among others (JazzHausMusik, 1993) * Underkarl – ''20th Century Jazz Cover'' (Tcb, 1996) * Underkarl – ''Jazzessence'' (Tcb, 1999) * Underkarl – ''Maraton'' (Scat, 2001) * Underkarl – ''Second Brain'' and ''Freemix (Second Brain Revisited)'' (

Enja Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...

, 2003) * Terry Jenoure / Helios String Quartet / Sebastian Gramss – ''Looks Like Me'' (Free Elephant, 2006) * Underkarl – ''Goldberg'' (Enja, 2007) * oirTrio – ''Kanata'' (Nottwo, 2008, with Frank Gratkowski and Tatsuya Nakatani) * Das Mollsche Gesetz – ''Catalogue of Improvisation'' (

WERGO WERGO is a German record label focusing on contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1962 by German art historian and music publisher (1903–1975) and the musicologist Helmut Kirchmeyer. Their first release, filed under "WER 60001", was ...

, 2008) * Fossile3 – ''Chomics'' ( Konnex, 2010, with

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 ...

, Etienne Nillesen) * Sebastian Gramss / Frank Gratkowski / Alexei Lapin / Helen Bledsoe – ''Unplugged Mind'' ( Leo, 2009) * Leonhard Huhn / Sebastian Gramss – ''Duke Ellington's Far East Suite'' (fixcel, 2011) *

/ Erwin Ditzner / Sebastian Gramss – ''Free Flight'' (fixcel, 2011) * Underkarl – ''Homo Ludens'' (Rent a Dog, 2012) * ''Atopie'', solo (JazzHausMusik, 2012) * ''78 RPM'', Fossile 3 (Gligg-Records 2013) * ''Bassmasse / Schwarm'', Kontrabassorchester (Gligg-Records 2013) *Clarinet Summit ''Clarinet Summit'' (2017), with

Perry Robinson Perry Morris Robinson (September 17, 1938 – December 2, 2018) was an American jazz clarinetist and composer. He was the son of composer Earl Robinson. Early life and education Robinson was born and grew up in New York City. He attended the Le ...

, Gianluigi Trovesi, Bernd Konrad,

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 improvisi ...

, Annette Maye, Albrecht Maurer and

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 ...

References

External links

Homepage Sebastian Gramss

Hörproben
at

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gramss, Sebastian Living people 1966 births Avant-garde jazz musicians 20th-century German musicians Enja Records artists Leo Records artists