JONNY TEUPEN-LOVE AND HARP A LA LATIN-'65 LATIN HARP JAZZ-NEW LP

JONNY TEUPEN – LOVE AND HARP A LA LATIN

This album can be considered as the great lost latin music album in the scarce genre of “harp jazz”.

In the 60s and early 70s, Jonny Teupen stood out as the European counterpart to Dorothy Ashby`s “hip harp” in the US and recorded many harp jazz & soul tracks here in Germany mainly for Saba/ MPS.

This very early album on the Vogue label was completely different to his later approaches, fusing blues, latin sounds and bossa nova in a truely warm and soft manner. Producer and arranger Friedel Berlipp set up a small latin ensemble with brilliant soloists from the Orchestra Kurt Edelhagen (that later became the WDR Big Band) and added the beautiful voices of Blanche Birdsong and Rob Pronk to the enchanting mix. The result is a stunning latin & vocal jazz album with brilliant arrangements to play over and over again, intelligent music for relaxation and “after-work, when we actually want to listen to nothing anymore”, like Joe Schevardo puts it right in his original liner notes. (Ekkehart Fleischhammer, May 2008)

Besides the Blues there has been no similarly lasting movement in Jazz music as the Latin American. Already at the turn of the century, creole songs with a rhumba-like rhythm were popular in New Orleans. That time brought about some friendly connection between jazz and Latin American Folklore, no matter, how strange this may sound to a purist`s ear. The first bar of the evergreenest of all jazz evergreens, the St. Louis Blues, are more similar to a habanera than to a blues. Since that time jazz was flirting again and again with Latin American Folklore. “Love and harp à la Latin” is exactly what the title indicates: Latin music in leisurely time and impressionistic colour. Melodies and rhythms just right for a dreamy, romantic mood after midnight. (Joe Schevardo, from original liner notes 1965)

“I would like to thank everybody who worked with us on the planning and producing of this record. Even if it had never been released, the making of it would have been enough fun in itself.” (Jonny Teupen, from original liner notes 1965)

Jonny Teupen is one of the leading and most requested harp players from Europe. He is developing sounds and rhythmic patterns, that even the royal harp players in ancient Egypt were not able to dream about. Born in Berlin, he studied at the University of Music, played the National Opera House and nearly every important concert venue in Europe. After World War II he joined various American big bands and combos. Jonny rose to fame in the early 50s throughout Europe when his festival performances from Venice, Knokke, Monte Carlo, London and others were broadcasted over radio and TV. He loves Mozart, Bach, Tschaikowsky and Jazz. If you should wonder how somebody is able to play jazz on an instrument as old as the concert harp, you should listen to Jonny`s unique solos.

Leonard Blech of course is a pseudonym for a well known trumpet player from the West Indies (his record contract does not allow him to appear under his real name). He studied literature at the University of London and later on worked as a journalist for BBC and as a jazz soloist, until a famous German band learder managed to bring him to Germany. He also made himself a name as the Fluegelhorn soloist in the combos of Joe Harriott, Johnny Keating and Bob Jarnon.

Robert Pronk stands out as one of the most important jazz musicians from the Netherlands. As a trumpet player and arranger, he was responsible for bringing the right amount of tingling spice to the Orchestra Kurt Edelhagen. Today he is employed by Edelhagen as a musical arranger and moreover as some of the most requested arrangers for TV. You will probably beat the time to his lively piano staccati and brilliant vocal work.

Blanche Birdsong studied at the internationally famous Julliard School of Music in New York. Except for this album, on which she sings, she is an excellent harp player aswell. Blanche belonged to the celebrated SWF Orchestra of Eddie Sauter out of Baden Baden in the late 50s. In the meantime she got happily married and lives in Bonn. Everyone who attended the recording session was completely overwhelmed by her brilliant voice.

Karl Heinz Kästel revealed himself as an outstanding old school guitar player, surrounded by music lovers, who did not forget about real guitar sounds without any modern technical “arming” - like the fuzzy guitar playing of the Beatles. Born in 1929 he began to play the guitar at the age of 15 without having a teacher until today. Later on he worked independently and became a studio musician. Math is his hobby.

John Fischer from Vienna is one of the few jazz musicians, who took the time to obtain his school-leaving exam. Instead of studying afterwards, he played with the most requested combo on the continent, the famous Hans Koller-Combo. Later on he joined the Edelhagen Orchestra and became one of the leading studio bass players within the European phonographic industry.

Stuff Combe is one of the best drummers and made himself a name within Europe`s Big Band No. 1, The Kurt Edelhagen Orchestra. In the past he was responsible for the necessary beat in the groups of Hazy Osterwald and Cedric Dumont. It is an internationally known fact that an inexhaustible amount of up-and-coming drummers are recruited from Switzerland. It seems that every first class German Big Band features a drummer from Switzerland.

Friedel Berlipp, producer and composer, smoothed the way for numerous singing stars on their road to fame. Although a good arrangement remains the real power of a good recording, arrangers have to be seen as the music industry`s lonely wallflowers. He was born in Hannover, attended the conservatories of Hannover and Peine, and later on worked as an arranger and guitar player at the WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) before getting employed by an internationally reknown record company.

Producer for re-release: Ekkehart Fleischhammer, original recordings mastered by Jury Lutz, unreleased session photos courtesy of Friedel Berlipp (shot by Ines Kaiser and Bernard Aug), reproduction of original cover by Patrick Haase (rab.bit) & Ekkehart Fleischhammer. Thanks to Friedel Berlipp and Michael Teupen.


S 01

01
Mody
Pronk
3:22
02
Jonny and Blanche
Berlipp
2:43
03
Linda
Kästel/Weber/Aviles
2:59
04
Cielito Lindo
Trad. Arr. Teupen
2:47
05
Frankie And Jonny
Trad. Arr. Kuhn
2:57
06
Auprès De Ma Blonde
Trad. Arr. Teupen
2:29
07
Jonny`s Harp
Berlipp/Teupen/Colpar
3:26


S 02

01
La Mucura
Trad. Arr. Combe
2:25
02
Sur Le Pont D`Avig
Trad. Arr. Berlipp
2:28
03
Reservado
Berlipp/Teupen/Colpar
2:57
04
C`est Re-Na-Ta
Pronk
2:58
05
Ding
Blech
2:13
06
Ballade
Combe
3:08
07
No Name Samba
Fischer
2:40
08
Sambleebloo
Pronk
2:40

Recorded 1965 in Cologne, produced by Friedel Berlipp aka Berry Lipman
Soloist: Jonny Teupen – Harp, Vocals: Blanche Birdsong & Rob Pronk, Fluegelhorn: Leonard Blech (Pseudonym)
Piano: Rob Pronk, Bass: John Fischer, Guitar: Karl-Heinz Kästel, Drums: Stuff Combe
Producer: Friedel Berlipp, Recording Engineer: Franz Zimmermann/ Manfred Klabunde
Published by Belmont Musikverlag
Original recordings mastered 2008 by Jury Lutz

Jonny Teupen ‎– Love And Harp A La Latin
Label:
Sonorama ‎– Sonorama L-33, Sonorama ‎– L-33
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country:
Germany
Released:
2008
Genre:
Jazz, Latin
Style:
Soul-Jazz, Latin Jazz, Easy Listening
Tracklist
Hide Credits
A1     Mody

    Written-By – Pronk*

    3:22
A2     Jonny And Blanche

    Written-By – Berlipp*

    2:43
A3     Linda

    Written-By – Weber*, Kästel*, Aviles*

    2:59
A4     Cielito Lindo

    Arranged By – Teupen*Written-By – Trad.*

    2:47
A5     Frankie And Jonny

    Arranged By – Kuhn*Written-By – Trad.*

    2:57
A6     Aupres De Ma Blonde

    Arranged By – Teupen*Written-By – Trad.*

    2:29
A7     Jonny's Harp

    Written-By – Berlipp*, Teupen*, Colpar*

    3:26
B1     La Mucura

    Arranged By – Combe*Written-By – Trad.*

    2:25
B2     Ur Le Pont D'Avignon

    Arranged By – Berlipp*Written-By – Trad.*

    2:28
B3     Reservado

    Written-By – Berlipp*, Teupen*, Colpar*

    2:57
B4     C'est Re-Na-Ta

    Written-By – Pronk*

    2:58
B5     Ding

    Written-By – Blech*

    2:13
B6     Ballade

    Written-By – Combe*

    3:08
B7     No Name Samba

    Written-By – Fischer*

    2:40
B8     Sambleebloo

    Written-By – Pronk*

    2:40
Companies, etc.

    Mastered At – SST Brüggemann GmbH
    Pressed By – Optimal Media Production – B839070
    Distributed By – Groove Attack
    Copyright (c) – Sonorama Records (3)
    Record Company – Sonorama Records (3)
    Published By – Belmont Musikverlag

Credits

    Artwork [Reproduced] – Patrick Haase (rab.bit)*
    Bass – John Fischer*
    Drums – Stuff Combe
    Engineer [Recording] – Franz Zimmermann, Manfred Klabunde
    Flugelhorn – Leonard Blech
    Guitar – Karl-Heinz Kästel*
    Harp, Soloist – Jonny Teupen
    Mastered By – SST (8)
    Photography By – Bernard Aug, Ines Kaiser
    Piano – Rob Pronk
    Producer – Berry Lipman
    Producer, Performer – Friedel Berlipp
    Reissue Producer, Liner Notes – Ekkehart Fleischhammer
    Remastered By – Jury Lutz
    Vocals – Blanche Birdsong, Rob Pronk

Notes
Recorded 1965 in Cologne.
Originally released 195 on Vogue Records.

From The Liner Notes:
Leonard Blech is a pseudonym of a well known trumpet player from the West-Indies. His record contract does not allow him to appear under his real name. He studied literature at the University of London and later worked as a journalist for BBC ad as a jazz soloist. He also made himself a name as a fluegelsoloist in the combos for Joe Harriot, Johnny Keating and Bob Jarnon.

Thanks to Friedel Berlipp and Michael Teupen.

© Sonorama Records 2008
Also available as CD.
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Barcode: 882119 003314
    Rights Society: GEMA