Rainer Tempel & NDR Bigband: Serious Fun - live at Studio 1, Hamburg 2010

Photo © Immo Klink

„serious fun“ independent popular jazz music
NDR Big Band
conducted by Rainer Tempel
Jim Black, drums

recorded live at NDR Studio 1, 2010

1. The Seamstress
2. The Shape Of Current
3. Two Hour Weekend
4. Neighbours
5. The What
6. 20 Minuten

As composer and pianist Rainer Tempel reguarlarily re-invents himself, it's no wonder he returned to big band for his new compositions, being a contrast to his latest small group works with Tempelektrisch. Tempel meanwhile must be rated as one of the most interesting and unique musician of the German jazz scene.
Clever compositions, musically logic and yet natural is Tempels writing. Every note seems to be thought over, leading to a convincing maturity in composing and arranging. Tempel always searches for progress in the music itself, and has been moving on this path for quite some years now. The collaboration with the NDR Big Band will be released on the album"Serious Fun" on Jazz'n'Arts Records.

Tempelektrisch live at Jazzclub Unterfahrt 2009

Photo ©by Ralph Horbascheck

Axel Schlosser (Trumpet/Flügelhorn)
Christian Weidner (Alto Saxophone)
Nils Wogram (Trombone)
Frank Möbus (Guitar)
Wolfgang Zwiauer (Bass)
Rainer Tempel (Fender Rhodes, Synthesizer)
Jim Black (Drums)

recorded live at Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Munich/ Germany, December 2009

1. "Lucy goes waltzing" (Rainer Tempel)
2. "The Striker" (Rainer Tempel)
3. "Selecâo" (Rainer Tempel)
4. "Trains" (Rainer Tempel)
5. "Pink" (Rainer Tempel)
6. "Elder Statesmen" (Rainer Tempel)

"I bought my first electric keyboard in 1986 and I still have it. Although it was one of the cheapest on the market I had to spend all the money I had on it. I just needed something that was loud enough to be heard in the rock band I was in at the time.
I took classical piano lessons as a kid and teenager and later studied jazz piano, but I also was influenced by the jazz rock music that was around me.
I prefer analogue instruments which are as old as myself. Their sounds, in the ears of today, hardly resemble any natural instrument but have become instruments in themselves. The Rhodes and The Wurlitzer Piano, as well as the Hohner Clavinet, cannot be played the same way a piano is played. In some situations, the Rhodes blends much better with wind instruments than the piano does.
So this album is called tempelektrisch, even though there are more natural instruments in the band than electric ones." (Rainer Tempel about tempelektrisch)