Erich Kleinschuster:
Posaunist, Bandleader, Pädagoge
This documentation attempts to display the most important stages of Erich Keinschuster’s musical career as renowned Austrian Jazz trombone player, bandleader, composer, arranger and teacher. As leader of the ORF Big Band and Sextet, the “poet of the trombone” – as André Heller called him – has decisively stimulated modern Jazz in Austria. Originally influenced by J. J. Johnson and Bob Brookmeyer he belongs to the leading European soloists of his instrument. Kleinschuster was born in Graz in 1923, he studied law as well as trombone and piano. He started his career in 1953 as trombone player in the Kleine Tanzorchester von Radio Graz of the broadcasting station Alpenland. After having participated in the Newport Jazz Festival 1958 as Austrian representative in the Newport International Youth Band he finally decided to become professional musician. Among his many activities his appearances in the 1960s and his recordings with the Jazz-Workshop-Ensemble of the Norddeutsche Rundfunk (NDR), the Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big Band and Friedrich Gulda’s Euro Jazz Orchester are outstanding. In 1966 he founded the Erich Kleinschuster Sextet, through which he gained recognition as avant-garde musician of the international Jazz scene. He has earned high reputation through his many concerts, broadcasts, and recordings. As composer he has mainly dealt with hard bop – his larger works include three Jazz masses. From 1971–1981 he was head producer of popular music for the Austrian Radio Station (ORF) as well as leader of the ORF Big Band, which he had founded. As initiator and organizer of numerous Jazz productions on radio and TV he successfully presented various well known soloists. As teacher he has been equally successful. In 1969 he founded the Jazz Institute at the Vienna Conservatory, in 1985 the Jazz Department at the Carinthian Conservatory. In 1981 he became University professor of improvisation and Jazz trombone, respectively, at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Graz. Since 1998 he has organized the “Grazer Jazz Sommer” – his latest successful initiative.