Barbara Dennerlein

Barbara Dennerlein (born 25 September 1964 in Munich, Germany) is a hard bop, post-bop, and jazz Hammond B3 player, synthesist, and organist.

Early years
At age 11, Dennerlein began playing electronic organ. After starting organ lessons, she learned to play the two manual organ with a bass pedalboard. After one and a half years of lessons she continued to study without formal instruction. At age 15, she played in a jazz club for the first time. When leading her own bands, Dennerlein was often the youngest musician in the group, and she learned to cooperate with more experienced musicians. Her local reputation as the "Organ tornado from Munich" spread after her first TV appearances in 1982.

Recordings
When her third LP Bebab was issued, Dennerlein established her own record label in 1985. She received two German Record Critics' awards for self-produced albums. Later, she made three recordings for Enja Records and three for Verve Records. On these recordings she worked with Ray Anderson, Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers, Roy Hargrove, Mitch Watkins, and Jeff 'Tain' Watts.

Performance set-up
Dennerlein's performances on the Hammond organ include solo performances as well as quintets (e.g. her "Bebab" band). She has MIDI interfaces and triggers built into pedals and manuals of her Hammond B-3 organ, which allows her to add synthesizers and samplers to her sound.

After a variety of projects and after playing with renowned unconventional musicians, such as Friedrich Gulda, Dennerlein started playing the pipe organ in 1994. In 2002, she recorded the first of her three (to date) jazz albums on church organ. Since 2003 she has also developed jazz projects with symphonic orchestras.

Compositions
Dennerlein's first album included four of her own titles. Her compositions vary from traditional blues schemes, romantic, melancholic ballads to tempo driven compositions with elements of swing, bebop, funk and Latin rhythms. The fast tempos and rhythmic figures she uses in her interpretations of well-known standards, and in many of her own compositions, requires fast bass pedalboard foot work. Dennerlein often uses changing meter (e.g., 3/4 to 4/4), as well as unconventional harmonic changes to add expression to her compositions.

Awards

 * 1995: "German Record Critics Award" ("Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik") for "Take Off"
 * 1995: "Jazz Award" for "Take Off" for holding the number one position in the German Jazz Charts for several months and for being best selling Jazz Album of the year in Germany

Discography

 * 1983: Jazz Live
 * 1984: Orgelspiele
 * 1985: Bebab
 * 1986: Days Of Wine And Roses
 * 1987: Tribute To Charlie
 * 1988: Barbara Dennerlein Plays Classics
 * 1988: Straight Ahead! and Barbara Dennerlein Plays Classics
 * 1989: Live On Tour
 * 1990: Hot Stuff and Barbara Dennerlein Duo (Bootleg)
 * 1991: (Friedrich Gulda) Mozart No End
 * 1992: That's Me and Solo
 * 1995: Take Off!
 * 1997: Junkanoo
 * 1999: Outhipped
 * 2001: Love Letters
 * 2002: Spiritual Movement No.1 (Church organ recording)
 * 2004: In A Silent Mood
 * 2005: It's Magic
 * 2006: The Best Of Barbara Dennerlein
 * 2007: Change Of Pace (with Philharmonic Orchestra)
 * 2008: Spiritual Movement No. 2 (live at Kaiser William Memorial Church in Berlin)
 * 2010: Bebabaloo
 * 2012: Spiritual Movement No. 3 (live 2008 concert on the Rieger organ at the Stadtpfarrkirche in Fehring, Austria, with guitarist Edi Köhldorfer)