Solo Project Barbara Dennerlein Duo Barbara Dennerlein & Bebab Jazz Meets Church Organ Barbara Dennerlein & Big Band Hammond Meets Orchestra Dennerlein Presents
DennerleinTwo Ladies Of The Hammond Organ:
Barbara Dennerlein & Rhoda ScottBarbara Dennerlein Meets
Ignatz Netzer & Thomas Scheytt
Barbara Dennerlein knows how to convey to an audience what inspires her: enthusiasm and dedication. She is a thoroughly unmistakable musician who fell in love with the sound of the Hammond organ at a very young age and through her mastery of it, she has made an outstanding contribution to the renaissance of the instrument. She has appeared in many major jazz festivals, but she feels equally at home in internationally renown clubs. The recipient of many prizes and awards for her music, Barbara Dennerlein knows the value of maintaining a close and direct connection with her audience.
Performing as a duo with a drummer while touring the globe, Barbara Dennerlein has performed hundreds of concerts and developed an intimate musical symbiosis that is captured on the CDs "Love Letters" and "10th Anniversary - It's Magic", numerous TV performances and countless fans.
The duo's music is based on musical freedom. They have achieved a high level of compatibility, nurtured by mutual inspiration, which at times makes the duo sound like a large orchestra. By using two manuals, synthesizer and a foot pedal technique which has been developed to the point of perfection, Barbara Dennerlein not only creates fine melodic lines and rich chords, but she also knows how to build bass figures which have all the refined flexibility of a double bass. Barbara's duo partners are attuned to her drive and alternate between straight rhythmic backing and the use of complex percussive patterns to achieve a wide range of moods.
On nine original tracks, the music of "Love Letters" (Barbara Dennerlein's duo CD released in 2001) reveals a nuanced self-portrait. It is an impressive display of Dennerlein as both a brilliant composer and gifted musician. The music on this album abounds with creative ingenuity. Yet a vital element in her approach to music involves a sense of well-being. This is not to say that hers is a comfortably laid-back approach; her music reflects the rich variety of life and covers the full spectrum of emotions - from the tranquillity of romantic moods to explosive power driven solos, from somber contemplation to ecstasy.
The eagerly awaited live album "It's Magic" was released on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of collaboration with the Argentinean drummer Daniel Messina. Again the well-rehearsed and musically convincing duo prepares a deep ambience with their intoxicating performance. They don't serve up the usual buffet associated with anniversary parties, instead the menu includes the joy of playing, virtuosity and verve, served with individuality and plenty of spice.
Barbara Dennerlein continues to push the envelope of what it means to master the Hammond B3 as she swirls over the keyboard and bass pedals. The rich multicoloured sounds of her Hammond B3 and the ingenious drum and percussion work blend into a near perfect whole. They continue to reach new heights, and just when one thinks they can't take it any further, they step it up and take the listener to a whole new level, or with a soulful blues number like, "The Long Way Blues" Barbara Dennerlein brings about a mellow change of pace.
The duo project displays Barbara Dennerlein's tremendous musical maturity and demonstrates that she has developed her own unmistakable stylistic identity. Her live performances are a declaration of love she feels for her audience and for music - music which engenders good feelings in both creator and listener.
