Der amerikanische Cellist und Komponist Fred Katz ist gestorben

Der 1919 in Brooklyn, N.Y., geborene US-amerikanische Kulturanthropologe, Komponist und Cellist Fred Katz ist am 7. September 2013 gestorben.

Foto: Archiv

In a far-reaching 2011 conversation that covered Katz’s deep interests in spirituality, music and progressive politics, Katz was humbled, even amused, by any accolades thrown his way. «’Art is long and life is short,’» Katz said, citing an old aphorism. «So that’s what I do, I do all of these things but without any feeling of accomplishing anything. I do it because I love it. 

»I have no interest whatsoever with fame — never did, never will,« he continued. »Because it’s all artificial to me. You do what you do and if people honor you for that or even pay you for that, fine, but you don’t do it for that. You do it because that’s what you do.»

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-fred-katz-dies-20130909,0,1766008.story

Er gilt als erster, der die Möglichkeiten seines typisch klassischen Instrumentes für den Jazz erforschte.

Der 1919 in New York geborene Fred Katz studierte Klavier und Cello – unter anderem mit Lektionen bei Pablo Casals – und spielte mit dem Washingtoner National Symphony Orchestra.

In den 1950er-Jahren mischte er sich unter die Jazzszene von Los Angeles. Als Dirigent, Arrangeur, Komponist und Cellist arbeitete er im Chico Hamilton Quintet und mit Grössen wie Lena Horne, Carmen McRae, Eric Dolphy und Sidney Poitier.

http://www.codexflores.ch/nachrichten_ind2.php?art=10230

Mr. Katz found himself attracted increasingly to the jazz he had heard in the Manhattan nightclubs he had haunted as a youth. A Communist as a young man – for him, art, spirituality and progressive politics formed a seamless, imperative whole – he was also deeply drawn to folk music.

«The Communist Party in those days, we used to do hootenannies,» he said in a 2007 interview with «All Things Considered» on NPR. «And that was part of the radical movement, to bring back American folk poetry. We really were terrific that way.»

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/arts/music/fred-katz-who-married-cello-to-jazz-dies-at-94.html?_r=0

Mehr:

http://www.fredkatz.com/

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/fred-katz-mn0000184923/biography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Katz_(cellist)

Video:

Fred Katz – The Idelsohn Society Interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zStfe8ISJCc