Barbara Dennerlein is starting the engines of her Bebabaloo Airplane....

California Concerts

Barbara Dennerlein is starting the engines of her Bebabaloo Airplane and will soon take off towards California. Santa Cruz and San Francisco will be the Jazz organist's venues in April.

She returns to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz where she had played in 2007. Now, she plays in trio line-up with two musicians from thy Bay Area on April 14th.

"Hammond B3 player Barbara Dennerlein, a.k.a. “the organ tornado from Munich”, got her start on the professional scene in the early 1980’s. Barely 20 years old, she made a number of appearances on German television; this quickly led to studio time with a series of international labels. In the intervening time, she was has recorded over 20 dates as bandleader and crafted an envelope-pushing sound that incorporates everything from sweet ballads to MIDI and sampler-driven funk. Bay Area native Barry Finnerty, an alumnus of the Brecker Brothers, Miles Davis and the Crusaders, ably handles the guitar chair. Akira Tana’s deeply musical percussion work (featured by the likes of Sonny Rollins, Jim Hall and Paquito D’Rivera) rounds out Dennerlein’s powerhouse trio."

“…crackling with the concentrated power and focus of a laser beam…” - Jazz Observer

On the next day Barbara continues at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. She has been there in 2000: "As part of the weeks festivities, the 5th Annual Hammond B-3 Organ Summit supplied a lineup of acclaimed all-female jazz organists. The lineup included the hot licks of Germany's Barbara Dennerlein, France's Rhoda Scott, and Philadelphia's Trudy Pitts. The talented, yet diverse styling between each of these fine ladies was an education in itself and a thrill to behold."

Now, a "B3 Bash" is announced with Dr. Lonnie Smith and the Barbara Dennerlein Trio at the
Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco.

"Alert the fire department! With two incendiary Hammond B-3 masters, the wily veteran Dr. Lonnie Smith and the astounding German organist Barbara Dennerlein, this double dose of soul threatens to ignite a greasy conflagration. Awarded his doctoral honorific by his peers, Smith is a seminal figure in the soul-jazz movement who put the groove into Lou Donaldson’s classic 1967 Blue Note record Alligator Boogaloo. ... More recently, he’s released a series of acclaimed albums on Palmetto, leading the Jazz Journalists Association to vote him “Organ/Keyboardist of the Year” six times since 2003.

Representing the rising B-3 tide, Dennerlein quickly ascended to jazz’s top ranks in the mid-1980s, gaining attention in the US with a series of torrid sessions on Enja and Verve featuring extroverted improvisers like Randy Brecker, Ray Anderson, Roy Hargrove, and Jeff “Tain” Watts. With her dexterous footwork and love of fleet tempos, she’s a dynamo who leaves audiences with jaws agape."

“A phenomenal B3 burner who can light up a room with visceral intensity or lay down some of the nastiest funk ever played on an organ.” - JazzTimes


Out of the tube

YouTube is expanding quickly. New Barbara Dennerlein video clips have been posted.

The 2008 Jazz Festival in Sigean, France, is being showcased by to more clips, one from the Trio Concert and one from the Summit with Rhoda Scott.

The trio concert clip starts while Barbara is playing a solo in "Farewell To Old Friends". Then Jean Michel Cabrol on tenor sax takes over:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJYbkyHvpZ8

The second clip is "Yes Or No". Barbara Dennerlein and Rhoda Scott are playing their parts in different styles what is interesting to compare. Again André Charlier plays the drums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F147JBFy7f8

Like Rhoda Scott who is tickled pink about the funny title "Funkish" concert manager and organist Eddie Delhaye likes Barbara's composition and plays his own interpretation here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za0p9CDS5-8

In 2005, Barbara played a trio concert in Wiesen/Austria with Chico Freeman (sax) and Daniel Messina (dr). This is "Jimmy's Walk":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwvjoJOcDf4

Friends of Big Band sound may want to check out the follwing clips with Barbara and the Thilo Wolf Big Band perforning Barbara's originals "Just Play", "Take Off" and "Victory Blues":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VHeSnrwfAA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AeGbjfyHX4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzeH0TceEWk


Concerts in April

As mentioned above, Barbara comes to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz on April 14th and to the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco on April 15th.