Rock & Roll

Already in my early childhood big bands like those of Glenn Miller, Count Basie and Duke Ellington had a formative influence on me. When saxophone solos by Lester Young and Ben Webster penetrated from the brilliant swing bands, it was at once clear to me: I want to learn to play the saxophone!

In the fourth grade when my fingers were finally long enough to reach all the keys of the alto saxophone I could give up playing the recorder and take saxophone lessons with Marcel Lüscher. Because of the daily practising and making music with my grandfather he too could familiarize me with swing music – he then was a saxophonist in a swing band and gave countless concerts all over Europe.

Soon I could play in a saxophone ensemble and switched to the tenor saxophone. A year later I also took clarinet lessons and was active in the Jugendmusik Kulm (youth band of Kulm) as a stand-in player of both instruments. In the senior classes I concentrated on the saxophone and piano lessons and reduced the clarinet playing a bit.

In my first year of apprenticeship I began as a tenor saxophonist in a swing/funk/latin big band. By using contacts of this band I soon was also playing in a Jazz septet. Suddenly I was also interested in blues, funk, latin and rock ‘n’ roll. So my musical horizon has been broadened continuously. In the year 2007 I became a member of a blues rock band. With all these bands I could give various concerts and gain many experiences.

In the year 2008 I decided to reduce my qualified profession and to get a little closer to my dream to be a musician. In Winterthur I have begun to study music. At the Winterthurer Institut für aktuelle Musik WIAM (institute of current music of Winterthur) I enjoy a very useful as well as varied education of music and the saxophone. Among my most favourite saxophonists are Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker and Jerry Bergonzi.

I am very pleased to have found this band and very happy that I have been accepted so warmly.