Rudi Wilfer
| Rudi Wilfer | |
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Rudi Wilfer
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rudolf Wilfer |
| Born |
September 14, 1936 Vienna, Austria |
| Genres | Jazz, classic, jazz fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, keyboardist, composer |
| Instruments | Piano, electric piano, keyboards: |
| Years active | since 1952 |
| Associated acts | Rudi Wilfer Trio, wilfer&wilfer, Felix Wilfer, Joe Zawinul, Friedrich Gulda, Jimmy Heath, Fatty George, Art Farmer, Karl Drewo, Leo Wright and Carmell Jones Quintett, Slide Hampton, Billy Mitchel, Oscar Klein, Charly Antolini, Oliver Nelson, Heinz von Hermann |
| Website |
www |
Rudi Wilfer (born September 14, 1936) is an Austrian pianist and composer.
Rudi Wilfer was born in 1936 in Vienna and grew up there. He studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and Performing Arts, majoring in trumpet and piano, and then went on to study composition and notation at the Vienna Municipal Conservatory. Despite his many talents, it was the piano that became his principal musical interest. Over the course of his long career, Rudi Wilfer has played with such greats as Uzzi Foerster, Fatty Georges, Eich Kleinschuster, Clifford Jordan and Friedrich Gulda, with whom he shared both a rich professional relationship and a close personal friendship. As the leader of his own ensemble, Rudi Wilfer helped shape the course of jazz history. His musical career began in the Vienna of the 1950s, where he joined the formation headed by the world-famous clarinetist Fatty Georges, taking over from pianist Joe Zawinul who had relocated to New York.
At the time, "Fatty´s Saloon" was considered one of the world’s finest jazz clubs. Duke Ellington once famously remarked: “I´ve never seen a club like this in the whole world.” Here, Rudi Wilfer was given the opportunity to share stages with some of the greatest living jazz artists for whom Vienna was an important stop on their European tours. Over the years, he played and became friends with such stars as Count Bassie, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Quincy Jones, Art Blakey, Stanz Getz, Jimmy Heath and many more, at times adding his influence to their own musical development. The 1970s saw the formation of the legendary “Rudi Wilfer Trio” which created many popular recordings, some featuring his own original works, which were produced in cooperation with Austrian National Radio and frequently broadcast on its fledgling “OE3” channel. One of Rudi Wilfer’s career highlights was his membership in the Leo Wright and Carmell Jones Quintett in Berlin which he joined in 1970. He was also in demand as an accompanist for artists such as Slide Hampton (trombone), Billy Mitchel (tenor sax), Harold Jones (drums), Art Farmer (trumpet), and many more. The famous arranger and saxophonist Oliver Nelson invited Rudi Wilfer to join his famous “Berlin Dream Band”.
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Wikipedia