Currently I am focusing on my main job as a mathematician at Bonn University. However, when my family gives me some time off in my spare time, I like to compose, play the saxophone, perform, record CDs. Obviously, time is limited, but I have had some wonderful highlights in my musical growth.
One of my biggest projects so far has been my work with the Saxophone Cartel , which I had founded in 2003 during my PhD studies at the Indiana University. It was originally a woodwind sextet, performing original compositions as well as collaborative improvisations. We released our debut CD "Caught in the Act" of the Saxophone Cartel in 2005. When I moved to Bonn, Germany, they stayed together and still play as a quartet or quintet. Most of them are active in Brooklyn, NYC. An entire outdoor concert had been recorded in 2005 by the local TV station "CATS TV". You will find it under "band members" to the left. Two of my compositions "Crook" and "Don't look back" are part of the sound clips on this page.
My PhD advisor Paul Kirk happens to be a wonderful guitar player as well. For the years of my graduate studies, I played with him in various formations. With the last group we did a studio recording in 2004 to document the group. One of my compositions "If I knew" is part of the sound clips.
At a mathematics conference in Oberwolfach in August of 2006 ("4-manifolds"), Rob Schneiderman and I gave a spontaneous performance. "There is no greater love" was one of my favorite pieces of that evening and is part of the sound clips.
Currently I am occasionally playing with two sax-guitar-bass trios. I played with Gregor Salz (guitar) and Joe Policastro (bass) for a year. I happened to record our first concert, which was outdoors. "Whisper not" is one of my favorite pieces from that recording and is part of the sound clips. After Joe moved back to Chicago, Max Schaaf from Cologne is now playing with Gregor and me. The other trio is on the modern side of things. Guitarist Alexander Sobocinski writes wonderful tunes. I play with him in a duo, in a trio setting with Benjamin Trawinski on bass or as part of a quartet.
Another group that I would like to play with more often is a trio with Peter Schmutter on harmonica and Wolfgang Engelbertz on double bass. It is a wonderful combination. I only have a few nice videos of this group, recorded at the Gauß-Vorlesung at Bonn University in 2008.
I had started playing the piano at an early age, but picked up the saxophone in 1990, when I was 14. I was trained classicallly, but shifted towards Jazz after a few years. I studied the Saxophone and/or Jazz from Wolfgang Kogler, Ulrich Krieger, Gebhard Ullmann, Mack Goldsbury, Uli Lenz, David Baker, Tom Walsh. At the Abitur I had to decide, if I wanted to continue with mathematics or music. The only way for me to do and enjoy both was to study mathematics and play music on the side. Nevertheless, I wanted to become very good at both. This is an ongoing struggle...
My main instruments are the tenor and baritone. I also like to play the soprano occasionally, but don't touch the alto very often. During my time in the USA, I added the bass sax, which I enjoy using in certain situations (like the Saxophone Cartel, or a trio experiment with guitar and trumpet). My most recent acquisition is the bass clarinet, which I hope to include in my future projects.
Instruments:
soprano saxophone
alto saxophone
tenor saxophone
baritone saxophone
bass saxophone
bass clarinet