Albert Mangelsdorff

Mangelsdorff was born in Frankfurt on September 5, 1928.[1] He was given violin lessons as a child and was self-taught on guitar in addition to knowing trombone.[1] His brother, Emil Mangelsdorff, had a jazz record collection, but during the Nazi period Albert's enthusiasm for the music had to be restrained.[1]

Mangelsdorff performing in 1987

Albert Mangelsdorff performing in 1992

Mangelsdorff made his recording debut in 1952, playing with Hans Koller.[1] In the same decade, he also worked with small groups and the Dance Hesse Radio Orchestra throughout the decade.[1] As the German representative for the Newport Jazz Festival International Band in 1958, he collaborated with the American musicians Gerry Mulligan and Louis Armstrong.[1]

Mangelsdorff recorded prolifically in the 1960s, including sessions with his own quintet, his brother, and with pianist John Lewis.[1] By the time of his solo performance at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972, he was playing more free jazz.[1] "He made solo trombone – a heretofore unknown concept in jazz – a reality via multiphonics, the physically and technically demanding simultaneous blowing and singing of notes into his horn; the method opened vast new dimensions like harmonies and chords".[1]

He later worked with the NDR Big Band, Old Friends (led by Manfred Schoof), and the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble.[1] He died in Frankfurt on July 25, 2005.[1]

• Tension (CBS, 1963)
• Now Jazz Ramwong (CBS, 1964)
• Animal Dance with John Lewis, Zagreb Jazz Quartet (Atlantic, 1964)
• Folk Mond and Flower Dream (CBS, 1967)
• Zo-Ko-Ma with Attila Zoller, Lee Konitz (MPS, 1968)
• Albert Mangelsdorff and His Friends (MPS, 1969)
• Open Space with Karin Krog, John Surman, Francy Boland, Niels H.O. Pedersen, Daniel Humair (MPS, 1969)
• Wild Goose with Colin Wilkie, Shirley Hart, Joki Freund (MPS, 1969)
• Never Let It End (MPS, 1970)
• Live in Tokyo (Enja, 1971)
• The End with Brotzmann, Van Hove, Bennink (FMP, 1971)
• Couscouss de la Mauresque with Brotzmann, Van Hove, Bennink (FMP, 1971)
• Elements with Brotzmann, Van Hove, Bennink (FMP, 1971)
• Spontaneous with Masahiko Sato, Peter Warren, Allen Blairman (Enja, 1972)
• Trombone Workshop with Jiggs Whigham, Slide Hampton, Ake Persson (MPS, 1972)
• Trombirds (MPS, 1973)
• Birds of Underground (MPS, 1973)
• It's Up to You with Friedrich Gulda (Preiser, 1974)
• The Wide Point with Elvin Jones, Palle Danielson (MPS, 1975)
• Outspan No. 1 with Brotzmann, Van Hove, Bennink (FMP, 1975)
• Solo Now with Pierre Favre, Joachim Kuhn, Gunter Hampel (MPS, 1976)
• Trilogue Live at the Berlin Jazz Days with Alphonse Mouzon, Jaco Pastorius (MPS, 1977)
• Tromboneliness (MPS, 1977)
• Solo with John Tchicai (FMP, 1977)
• A Jazz Tune I Hope (MPS, 1979)
• Horns with Gerd Dudek, Paul Rutherford, Manfred Schoof, Kenny Wheeler (FMP, 1979)
• Trombone Summit with Winding, Watrous, Whigham (MPS, 1981)
• Live in Montreux! with J.F. Jenny-Clark, Ronald Shannon Jackson (MPS, 1981)
• Solo (MPS, 1982)
• Two Is Company with Wolfgang Dauner (Mood, 1983)
• Triple Entente (MPS, 1983)
• Reflections with Manfred Schoof, Wolfgang Dauner, Eberhard Weber (Mood, 1984)
• Pica Pica with Brotzmann, Sommer (FMP, 1984)
• Ochsenzoll with Michael Naura, Wolfgang Schlueter, Herbert Joos (Mood, 1985)
• Hot Hut (Musikant, 1986)
• Moon at Noon with Wolfgang Dauner (Musikant, 1987)
• Art of the Duo with Lee Konitz (Enja, 1988)
• Listen and Lay Back (Dino Music, 1988)
• Rooty Toot (Dino Music, 1990)
• Purity (Mood, 1990)
• Dodging Bullets with John Lindberg, Eric Watson (Black Saint, 1992)
• Room 1220 with John Surman (Konnex, 1993)
• Live: The Very Human Factor (Muffin, 1993)
• Lanaya (Plainisphare, 1994)
• The Wake Keeping with Chico Freeman (Amori, 1996)
• Live at Montreux with Reto Weber (Double Moon, 1999)
• Shake Shuttle & Blow with Bruno Spoerri, Christy Doran, Reto Weber (Enja, 1999)
• Looking Outside (Altrisuoni, 2001)
• Music for Jazz Orchestra with NDR Big Band (Skip, 2003)

• Jazz in Germany

• Jazz pages article on Mangelsdorff
• FMP releases
• Recording at Murecstudio Milano
• Discography Song by Song