Press
Biography

|

Concerts/Recordings

|

Teaching

»Johannes Lauer collects ideas and thinks outside the box. Questioning the innovative traditions of the twentieth century with great respect, he adapts them to fit his own style and transcends them for the future. He knows exactly what he wants to express and with whom, and needs no external justification for his actions.«  (Wolf Kampann, Liner Notes CD "Konstanz Suite")

»The deep recognition and thinking of musical statements are typical of the trombonist, composer and bandleader.«  (Alfred Krondraf, Concerto 2/2010 A)

»The trombone player and composer Johannes Lauer produces here in a tender sound direction and thought-provoking developing times the encounters with his brilliant players from East and West.«  (Ulrich Olshausen, FAZ, 24.04.10)

»One of the most talented brass players and composers in Germany (…) A meticulous sound architect and one who has inhaled the literature of jazz with deep breaths.«  (Udo Eberl, Südwestpresse, 09.01.07)

»Lauer´s Suite is autonomous, and that´s just because he is conscious of the tradition of orchestra jazz from the classic big band to the global unity orchestra and uses this as a catalyst for the conversion of his own musical language. Furthermore he is a polyglot storyteller who knows as much about the acceptable pattern of composed music as about tonal und metrically independent improvised music. (…..) Here the transformation from existing becomes a basis for timeless improvisational music.«  (Martin Laurentius, Jazzthing April/Mai)

»This 28-year-old Johannes Lauer (…) is an extraordinary talent – as a soloist on the piano but especially on the trombone, as a composer crossing borders between jazz, modern classic and `musica nova´. A third talent is his sensitivity in uniting other musicians into ensembles with quite a unique sound.«  (Wolfram Frommlet, Schwäbische Zeitung, 25.01.10)

»Astoundingly good«   (Oliver Hochkeppel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 18.06.06)

»The 24-year-old trombonist Johannes Lauer inspired  (…) drives a constant picture puzzle with his sounds, rhythms and melodies which cannot be classified anywhere and produce an unmistakable unique musical language (…) kept the audience in suspense from beginning to end.«  (Dieter Lohr, Schwäbische Zeitung, 10.01.07)

»Lauer is a sensitive composer who extends his radius concentrically. His second album “Less Beat More” is a leap into life in all its intensity. Lauer has definitely succeeded in combining his highbrow standards of musical thinking with his urban zest for life. The powerful Spree Blues of the trombonist and his men is as angular and unwieldy as Berlin itself. Yet it is full of cheerful memories that are heaved bravely into the chaos of the present time. In reality this courageous translation of Ellington´s inheritance into the Berlin setting earns the rating `extra large´.«  (Wolf Kampmann, Jazzthing Nov/Dez 2011)





Biography
pdf-download: long|short


born on 08/10/1982 in Tuebingen (Germany), grown up in Tuebingen / Firenze (Italy) / Mochenwangen / Ravensburg

until 2002
trombone-lessons with Ernst Hutter, Jiggs Whigham, Adrian Mears
piano-lessons with Roland Klugger

several prizes at the final round of the nationwide competition "Jugend Musiziert" in different categories: piano for four hands, brass-quartet and trombone solo

performance of the "Concerto for trombone and chamber orchestra" written by Lars Erik Larsson

first prize at "Jugend Jazzt" Bavaria

newcomer-prize of the "Sueddeutsche Zeitung", largest newspaper in southern germany with the band "Fast Break Quintet"

1998 - 2002
member of the national youth jazz orchestra of germany under the direction of Peter Herbolzheimer; concerts featuring John Ruocco, Phil Woods, Gunter Schuller, Lalo Schiffrin and others; lessons with Bart and Erik van Lier

2002-2004
student at the University of the Arts, Berlin (main subject jazz-trombone),
lessons with Adrian Mears, Hubert Nuss, David Friedman, Joachim Mittelacher, Jerry Granelli, Owen Howard

2003
winner of the internationally reputated "Frank Rosolino Competition" for young jazz-trombone players in Helsinki

tour through Sibiria with the Summit Jazz Orchestra

foundation of the "Johannes Lauer Quintet"

2004
Concerts at the International TongYeong Music Festival (South Korea) with own quintet ("Quinquilation 2004")

Erasmus-scholarship to study one year in Lucerne (CH), main subjects trombone and composition; lessons with Nils Wogram, Dieter Ammann, Ed Neumeister, David Angel, Ludwig Wicki, Markus Wuest, Kurt Rosenwinkel

invitation to attend the program of the Unesco on the occasion of the "International Music Day Celebrations" (Paris)

2005
member of the sextet "Young Friends" feat. Axel Schlosser, Florian Trübsbach, Michael Wollny, Eva Kruse, Eric Schaefer, CD "Great German Songbook" produced by Wolfgang Haffner (ACT 9652-2),
concerts on international festivals (Frankfurt, St. Ingbert, Munich, Augsburg...) and at NDR (Hamburg)

winner of the Prix "Coup de C½ur" at the "Premier Concours de Jeunes Solistes de JAZZ" Fribourg, Switzerland

music for Simon Eltz' short film "Wolkenbruch", who was rewarded the Swiss Film Prize in the category "best animated film" and shown on film-festivals in India, Russia, Japan, Denmark and Czechia

2006
diplomas in "Jazz-Performance" (trombone) and "Jazz-Composition" at Lucerne School of Music, both "with distinction"

foundation of Die Zusammenkunft and Johannes Lauers Streicheinheit

one year full-scholarship of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) to study at City College, New York (Master program), lessons with John Patitucci, Josh Roseman, Tony Malaby, Steve Turre a.o.

admission to the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop with Jim McNeely and Michael Abene

2007
permiere of "Scenes" at Carnegie Hall, composition for two voices and chamber music ensemble commissioned by the Weill Music Institute as part of the "Professional Training Workshop" with Dawn Upshaw and Oswaldo Golijov

comission to write music for large ensemble for the opening concert of the festival "Jazzherbst" in Constance, foundation of Lauer Large and the Duo Lauer/Sorey

upon invitation by the Goethe-Institute participation at the first EurOpen Meeting at Copenhagen Jazzhouse with Médéric Colignon (F), Søren Kjærgaard (DK), Jonas Westergaard (DK), Paal Nilssen Love (NO)

2008
february to june in West-Africa; on tour with Abdoulaye Diabaté and the Koutiala Orchestra (Mali / Burkina Faso)

on tour in South Korea with the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra, concert at Jazzfest Berlin

2009
member of "Jazz Kollektiv Berlin" (Wanja Slavin, Marc Schmolling, Felix Wahnschaffe, Daniel Glatzel, Gerhard Gschlössl, Ronny Graupe, Philipp Gropper)

theatre-music for the theatre company "Chawwerusch", summer-tour with 35 (mostly sold out) shows

foundation of Lauer/Malaby/Gress/Sorey, Johanna und Johannes and Morf

2010
CD-Release Lauer Large - "Konstanz Suite" on the label Jazzwerkstatt Berlin-Brandenburg and subsequent Release-Tour (D/DK)

study / concert trip to Peru

portraits in jazz magazines JAZZPODIUM (06-2010) and SONIC (03/04-2010, coverstory)

music to Christoph Schlingensief's production "Via Intolleranza II"

composition, premiere and recording: Lauer Large - Less Beat More! (released April 2012)

2011
study / concert trip to Peru

CD-production Olivia Trummer “Poesiealbum”, release and tour in autumn

tour of south-america with Andromeda-Mega-Express Orchestra

2012
board member of "Union of German Jazz Musicians" (UDJ)

soloist on CD production of SWR Big Band "Die Besten aus Südwesten"

composition and premiere Lauer Large: "Suite Peru I"

2013
foundation of trio Lauer Westergaard Smith

study / concert trip to Peru

composition and premiere "Kein Mensch Hats Ausstudieret" for RIAS Chamber Choir and MORF

composition grant of Berlin Senate

2014
music to "Au Prêt du Temps" (choreography and dance: Ahmed Soura), premiere at Tanztage Berlin

lectureship composition and arrangement, Mannheim conservatory


Concerts / Recordings
with


Rias Big Band, NDR Big Band, WDR Big Band, Bobby Burgess Big Band Explosion, Sunday Night Orchestra, Summit Jazz Orchestra, Zürich Jazz Orchestra, Copenhagen Art Ensemble

Chris Speed, Steffen Schorn, Loren Stillman, Christian Weidner, Wanja Slavin, Lenny Pickett, Tony Lakatos, Domenic Landolf, Ernst Ludwig Petrowski, Niels Klein, Lotte Anker, Jukka Perko, Robert Dick, Al Porcino, Bill Forman, Claus Stötter, Eric Vloeimans, Axel Schlosser, Médéric Colignon, Thomas Gansch, Matthias Spillmann, Peter Evans, Jen Shyu, Kalle Kalima, Ronny Graupe, Marc Ducret, Frank Möbus, Kathrin Pechlof, Michael Wollny, Jasper van`t Hof, Rainer Tempel, Søren Kjærgaard, Achim Kaufmann, Benedikt Jahnel, Henning Sieverts, Jonas Westergaard, Daniel Schröteler, Dejan Terzic, Holger Nell, Eric Schaefer, John Schröder, John Hollenbeck, Dan Weiss, Paal Nilssen Love, Tyshawn Sorey, Laura Robles
Teaching



Private lessons, as well as

Lecturer for trombone and conductor of big band, "Jazz-meeting of the schools" Baden-Württemberg" (2003)
Workshop, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-City, South Korea (2004)
Workshop, Nuremberg conservatory (2007)
Guest-lecturer for composition, Lucerne School of Music and Bern University of the arts (2008/2009)
Workshop, Highschool Bensheim (2009)
Workshop, Jazz Jaus Big Band, Lima (2011)
Workshop, Highschool Weingarten (2011)
Lecturer for trombone, Youth Jazz Orchestra of Berlin-Brandenburg (since 2011)
Workshop Police-Orchestra of Peru (2013)
Lecturer for trombone, Youth Jazz Orchestra of Hessen (2013)
Lecturer Brass-Section, Youth Jazz Orchestra of Brandenburg (2013)

Lecturer composition and arrangement, Mannheim conservatory (vacation replacement summer semester 2014)