Bluesin’
the Groove
Tommy Schneller ((tsax,voc)
Christian Rannenberg (p,voc)
Alex Lex (dr)
What happens when two Giants of the German Blues Scene cross paths
with a Young Lion playing drums at a jam session and discover they are
made for eachother?
They decide to form a joint project to present their amazing Groove -
and as they all came together through sheer love of music a trio is
born that seeks to express that freshness and spontaneity.
There's no guitar or bass but that's no drawback: the sound is
uniquely light and clear.
When tenor sax player and singer TS, the legendary piano player CR and
drummer AL make music together, the seasoned Blues lover experiences a
totally new and thrilling sound.
Tommy Schneller
The name of Tommy Schneller has fixed itself into the European Music
scene, with a list of international colleges with whom he joins at
Concerts, Festivals, Tours and Studio-work with his down to earth
Saxophone is like Who is Who at a Music Gala.
The way there was a long stony road: together with some school friends
he formed a school band, took lessons from the legendary Todor
Todorovic, the mastermind behind the Blues group “Blues Company” For
Tommy This was the musical way to go. From 1986 Tommy Schneller was a
member of the Blue Monday Jam Sessions In Legendary Pink Piano, the
Blues nest in the northwest of Germany, where so many Famous musicians
started their carrier.
Since then Tommy Schneller presents a band from International Fame
depending on what is needed, Tommy Schneller can present a band with 5
members also from time to time with a Horn section (Trumpeter,
Trombone, and Sax) This group plays their own compositions influenced
by R&B, Funk and Soul everything you want is there, the musicians
make sure that the audience have got there dancing shoes on and get up
and move to the rhythm.
Red Holloway, one of the greatest Saxophonists said >>“Anybody
that doesn’t move to Tommy’s music must be dead!”<<The
Bandleader (Tommy) presents himself in a live performance not only as
a great Saxophonist and Singer, but also as one of a small group of
musicians that can also entertain his audience to a point of
enjoyable, warm glowing feeling. Tommy can also rely on his First
class musicians not only as a backing group but also as a band in
there own right. >>This is not a one man show but a band that
knows where to be and what to do, and also contributes there own sound
and style into the band. (Tommy Schneller). <<
If you want to listen to the Band go to the Homepage
(www.tommyschneller.de) there you will find the actual tour dates.
At regular intervals (Monthly Events) with Tommy Schneller´s
participation in North Rhein Westphalia>> Greg’s Blues
Night<<in Muenster, Rheine, Bergkamen and Guetersloh Here Tommy
plays as a sideman and accompanies Gregor Hilden with International
Guests.
After the first two CD´s (´Blown Away´/1997 and ´Blues For The
Ladies´/2000) Tommy’s new CD (A Heartbeat Away´) will be released in
February 2004 by Inakustik. We will be surprised what sort of movement
therapy Tommy Schneller and the his Band come up with. The Company
“The Aristo Watches” has now taken notice of Tommy they are presenting
a watch called `Heartbeat´ a Tommy Schneller-Edition. Tommy has also
been recognised by D.B.- Technologies, Experts for wireless
transmissions from Saxophone Producer from London, Trevor James.
Christian
Rannenberg
Christian Rannenberg (piano,
vocals) was born in Solingen, Germany. He learned his Blues directly
from the Blues piano masters Blind John Davis, Henry Gray, Willie
Mabon and Sunny Land Slim when he was working as driver/tour manager
for Rolf Schubert's booking agency. He was a founding member of "Blues
Company", one of Germany's best known Blues bands. He also cooperated
with German Blues band "Das Dritte Ohr". With this band, he did tours
backing up Billy Boy Arnold, J.B. Hutto and Eddy Clearwater.
Encouraged by Eddy Clearwater and Sunny Land Slim, Christian moved to
Chicago in 1982, where he fell in with the still hustling and bustling
Blues scene. He landed a gig with John Littlejohn's band and worked
the Delta Fish Market on Jackson&Kedzie every Friday and Saturday
afternoon, as well as working with Jimmy Rogers, Sam Lay, Lefty Dizz
and others and touring the U.S. and Canada with their bands. While in
Chicago, he teamed up with tenor saxophonist Detroit Gary Wiggins to
form the "International Blues Duo", also often working as quartett
with bassist Aron Burton and drummer Robert Covington.
In 1983, the Duo went to Europe, working the clubs and festivals,
quickly becoming an established act on the scene. They did tours with,
a.o., Aron and Larry Burton, Charlie Musselwhite, Angela Brown, Guitar
Crusher, John Heartsman and Big Jay McNeely and recorded two LPs.
In 1990, Christian moved to California and settled in the San
Francisco Bay area, where he worked with Cool Papa and the Survival
Band, Birdlegg and the Tight Fit Blues Band, Jimi Mamou and many more.
He hooked up with the great Buddy Ace with whom he toured the so
called Chitlin' Circuit in the American south as well as Europe later
on.
From 1991 on, Christian was working out of Europe again, recording an
award winning duo album with Big Jay McNeely on the Acoustic Music
label. He formed his own band, the "First Class Blues Band" with Jan
Hirte (g); Thomas Feldmann (Sax,harp); Kevin DuVernay (b) and Tommie
Harris (dr). They recorded another award winning album, also for the
Acoustic Music label and did many tours backing up Big Jay, Guitar
Crusher, Johnny Copeland, amoung others, and joined forces with Bay
Area guitarist/singer/songwriter Frank Biner.
Throughout the 90ies, Christian kept a busy schedule, working with
Keith Dunn, Aron Burton, Angela Brown and a host of others. The turn
of the century saw him playing and recording with (once again after
many years!) Billy Boy Arnold, Jody Williams, Deitra Farr, Jackie
Payne, James Harman, Doug Jay and Junior Watson. He also hosts a
regular Blue Monday jam session in Osnabrück/Germany and did the
famous Talking Blues show with Richard Bargel in Cologne while it
lasted.
In 2004, Christian produced an album on the legendary Blues piano
player Ernest Lane, the man that recorded all these beautiful classic
recordings with Robert Nighthawk in the late 40ies. This is Lane's
first full length recording under his own name! -keep on keepin' on,
Mr. Lane!!-
in 2006, He produced and played on the "Hot Tin Roof" album of the
Spanish Blues/Funk band "Los Reyes del KO" (check them out, they are
something else!) and has been working with them ever since. He still
finds time for a lot of other activities, playing with Angela and
Keith, for instance, and recording a tribute to the extremely
important and totally forgotten Blues singer and piano player Walter
Davis, together with Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Mussel-white and Jimmy
McCracklin.
Alex Lex
Alex Lex is a newcomer on the Blues-scene. But he is one of the few
young musicians today, world-wide, who embrasses the art of
Blues-drumming with all of it’s tradition. His minimalistic and
tasteful playing is a direct link to the old masters Fred Below, Odie
Payne and Cilfton James, among others.
Alex has been sought out to play with musicians like Angela Brown, Big
Dave, Kai Strauss, Guitar Crusher, "Sax" Gordon Beadle and Keith Dunn.
When you add to this that he has also recorded with legends like Aron
Burton (former Albert Collins, Junior Wells, a.o.) or Billy Boy
Arnold, of „I'm A Man“ and „I Wish You Would“ fame, then you begin to
get a picture of the level of commitment
and intensity that Alex brings to the drums.
Press Photos
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Copyright 2011 by Merkle Kulturkonzepte