Günter "Baby" Sommer (born 25 August 1943) is a German

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

drummer.

Career

Sommer was born in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

on 25 August 1943. His first instrument was the trumpet, which he studied at school. He started playing the drums aged 15 or 16. He studied music at Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden. A solo percussion album, ''Hormusik'', was released by FMP in 1979. In the same year, FMP also released a trio album recorded with

Peter Kowald Peter Kowald (21 April 1944 – 21 September 2002) was a German free jazz and free improvising double bassist and tubist. Career A member of the Globe Unity Orchestra, and a touring double-bass player, Kowald collaborated with many European f ...

and

Wadada Leo Smith Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (born December 18, 1941) is an American trumpeter and composer, working primarily in the field of creative music. He was one of three finalists for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for ''Ten Freedom Summers'', released on ...

. He has worked with Smith intermittently throughout his career. During the 1980s he also worked with

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (6 March 1941 – 22 June 2023) was a German jazz saxophonist and clarinetist regarded as a central and pioneering figure in European free jazz. Throughout his career, he released over fifty albums as a bandleader. Amongst his m ...

, Irene Schweizer,

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...

, and with the writer Gunter Grass. In the early 1990s he began leading a trio with Didier Levallet, then with Theo Jörgensmann, and joined in 1995 for 13 years as drums professor the faculty at Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber. His usual nickname ''Baby'' is due to a comparison, homage to the multifaceted US drummer Baby Dodds.see Discogs

Discography

* ''Gruppe Synopsis'' with Synopsis (Amiga, 1974) * ''Hormusik'' (FMP, 1979) * '' Touch the Earth'' with

(FMP, 1980) * ''Dedication'' with Hans-Günther Wauer (FMP, 1982) * ''Hormusik Zwei'' (Nato, 1983) * '' If You Want the Kernels You Have to Break the Shells'' with Peter Kowald (FMP, 1983) * '' Pica Pica'' with Peter Brotzmann and

Albert Mangelsdorff Albert Mangelsdorff (September 5, 1928 – July 25, 2005) was a German jazz trombonist. Working mainly in free jazz, he was an innovator in multiphonics. Early life Mangelsdorff was born in Frankfurt on September 5, 1928, as the son of the book ...

(FMP, 1984) * ''Percussion Summit'' with John Purcell, Urszula Dudziak (Moers Music, 1984) * ''Verschrankte Konstruktion'' with Hans-Günther Wauer (Amiga, 1986) * '' Live at Taktlos'' with

Irène Schweizer Irène Schweizer (2 June 1941 – 16 July 2024) was a Swiss jazz and free improvising pianist. Life and career Schweizer was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland on 2 June 1941. She performed and recorded numerous solo piano performances as well as ...

and

Maggie Nicols Maggie Nicols (or Nichols, as she originally spelled her name as a performer) (born 24 February 1948), is a Scottish free-jazz and improvising vocalist, dancer, and performer. Early life and career Nicols was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, as M ...

(Intakt, 1986) * '' Irène Schweizer & Günter Sommer'' (Intakt, 1988) * '' The Storming of the Winter Palace'' with Irene Schweizer (Intakt, 1988) * ''Reserve'' with Peter Brotzmann (FMP, 1989) * '' In East Berlin'' with

(FMP, 1989) * '' Riobec'' with Cecil Taylor (FMP, 1989) * ''Cordes Sur Ciel'' with Didier Levallet (European Music/Sud-Ouest, 1990) * ''Camino Fatal'' with Ekkehard Jost (Fish Music, 1990) * ''Cappuccini Klang'' with Peter Kowald (Splasc(h), 1992) * ''Sachsische Schatulle: Hormusik III'' (Intakt, 1993) * ''Merseburger Begegnung'' with Hans-Günther Wauer (Kip, 1994) * '' BIB'' with Sylvain Kassap, Didier Levallet (FMP, 2002) * ''Wokonda'' with Achim Jaroschek (Konnex, 2003) * '' Between Heaven and Earth'' with Conny Bauer and Peter Kowald (Intakt, 2003) * ''Hic Sunt Leones'' with Frank Paul Schubert (Jazz Haus, 2007) * ''Delphinius & Lyra'' with Raymond MacDonald (Clean Feed, 2007) * '' Wisdom in Time'' with Wadada Leo Smith (Intakt, 2007) * ''Abbara'' with

Rafik Schami Rafik Schami () (born Suheil Fadel ()Clauer, Markus (n.d.) (trans. by Jonathan Uhlaner) Goethe Institut. 23 June 1946) is a Syrian-German author, storyteller and critic. Biography Born in Syria in 1946, Schami is the son of a baker from a Chr ...

(Intakt, 2008) * ''Peitzer Grand Mit Vieren'' (Jazzwerkstatt, 2009) * ''Live in Jerusalem'' (Kadima Collective, 2009) * ''Songs for Kommeno'' (Intakt, 2012) * ''Jesper Lovdal Gunter Sommer'' (ILK Music, 2012) * ''Dry Swing & Tandem Spaces'' with Oliver Schwerdt (Euphorium, 2013) * ''Three Seasons'' (HGBS, 2014) * ''Sources'' with Johannes Enders (Moderntunemusic, 2016) * ''Fundstuecke'' with Gabriele Hasler (Laika, 2016) * ''Le Piccole Cose'' (Intuition, 2017) * ''Baby's Party'' (Intakt, 2018) * ''Grande Casino'' with EUPHORIUM_freakestra (Euphorium, 2018) * ''One For My Baby And One More For The Bass'' with

Barry Guy Barry John Guy (born 22 April 1947, in London, England) is an English composer and double bass player. His range of interests encompasses early music, contemporary composition, jazz and improvisation, and he has worked with a wide variety of or ...

and Oliver Schwerdt (Euphorium, 2020) * ''Karawane'' with The Lucaciu 3 (Intakt, 2022)

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sommer, Gunter 1940s births Living people Free jazz drummers German jazz drummers German male drummers German male musicians Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber alumni Avant-garde jazz drummers Recipients of the Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic German male jazz musicians Intakt Records artists FMP/Free Music Production artists Year of birth missing (living people)