Theo Bleckmann

Bleckmann was born in Dortumund, Germany. He planned to be an ice skater before becoming a vocalist. In 1989 he moved to New York City and recorded his first two albums, Theo & Kirk (1992) and Looking Glass River (1995) with Kirk Nurock. His mentor was Sheila Jordan, and he appeared on her album Jazz Child (1999).[1]

With guitarist Ben Monder he recorded his first solo album, Origami (2001), an album of impressionistic vocalese and lyrics sung in German and French.[2]

He collaborated with pianist Fumio Yasuda on the albums Las Vegas Rhapsody: The Night They Invented Champagne (2006), Berlin – Songs of Love and War, Peace and Exile (2007), and Schumann's Favored Bar Songs (2009). The last album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Classical Crossover Album.[1]

He was given the ECHO Jazz award for I Dwell in Possibility (Winter & Winter, 2010).[1] The album was inspired by the Arte Povera, the Italian art movement in the 1960s that created installations with the simplest materials. In making the album Beckman used music boxes, megaphones, autoharp, glasses, water, shruti, and toys.

Bleckmann's second collaboration with Yusada was an extension of his love for music from his native Germany, concerning the themes of love, war, and peace. The repertoire consisted of works by composers Hanns Eisler, Kurt Weill, Kristian Schultze with Bertolt Brecht providing much of the texts.[3]

In 2010 he recorded an album as the group Moss with vocalists Peter Eldridge, Lauren Kinhan, Kate McGarry, and Luciana Souza.[1]

With the jazz rock group Kneebody he recorded an album of unorthodox arrangements of compositions by Charles Ives. Four years later he recorded an album songs written by pop singer Kate Bush[1] with drummer John Hollenbeck, bassist Skuli Sverrisson, keyboardist Henry Hey, and Caleb Burhans on viola and guitar.

He has worked with Laurie Anderson, Anthony Braxton, Steve Coleman, Dave Douglas, Philip Glass, Michael Tilson Thomas, John Zorn, and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. He was a guest vocalist with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Estonian Radio Choir, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and Mark Morris Dance. For fifteen years he was a member of an ensemble led by Meredith Monk.

As a sound improviser, he has performed, created and developed movie, television, and theater scores, among them an alleged space Alien language for Men in Black by Steven Spielberg, Star Trek: Envoy (Meredith Monk) and Kundun (Philip Glass)

Bleckmann sang in John Moran's Book of the Dead at The Public Theater in New York, performed a lead in Bang on a Can's Obie Award-winning opera Carbon Copy Building, and frequently appears as a soloist with The Bang on a Can All-Stars.

In collaboration with director Laurie McCants and set designer Elaine F. Williams, he wrote the music and performed The Alexandria Carry On, which has been traveling the US and was performed at the actual library in Alexandria, Egypt.

• Grammy Award nomination, Best Classical Crossover Album, 2010
• ECHO Jazz Award, Best Singer of the Year, 2010
• Bessie Award, Presser Award for Outstanding Talent
• ASCAP/Gershwin Award for "Chorale No. 1 for Eight Voices"

• 1997 "Men in Black" alien language for soundtrack
• 2001 "DNA" for voice, piano, guitar, vibraphone, bass guitar, and percussion
• 2001 "None of the Above" for voice, piano and vibraphone
• 2003–04 "The Alexandria Carry On" songs and music for voice, flute, percussion, and shruti box (lyrics by Laurie McCants adapted from Ancient Greek and Egyptian sources)
• 2004 "Lament for a Jungle" for voices and paper
• 2004–05 "A Small House Can Carry as Much Happiness as a Large One" for voices and kalimba
• 2004–05 "Anteroom" for sixteen voices
• 2006 "Orchard" (poem by Rumi) for five voices and guitar
• 2007 "Happiness" for voice, piano, and drums
• 2007 "I Build My Time" (poem by Kurt Schwitters) for voice, piano, and string quartet
• 2007 "Longing" for four voices, cello, percussion and Fender Rhodes
• 2007 "Schmidt Lied" (poem by Kurt Schwitters) for voice, piano, and string quartet
• 2007 "To What Shall I Compare This Life" (lyrics Priest Monsei) for voice, piano, and percussion
• 2008 "Elegy" for two voices and loops
• 2008 "Take My Life" for voice, piano, Glockenspiel, and drums
• 2009 "Duet for One" for solo voice
• 2009 "I Am Not Enough" for voice and toy microphone
• 2009 "I Dwell in Possibility" (poem by Emily Dickinson) for voice and chimes
• 2009 "Roundabout (4 J.A.C.K.)" for string quartet (commissioned by Ensemble Noamnesia)

• Terry Gross interviews Theo Bleckmann
• Tangled in A Dreamscape with Friends in Tow, The New York Times review, 23 September 2010

• Official website