Thomas Borgmann, born in 1955 in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state d ...

, is a German musician (

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

, soprano, and

Sopranino saxophone The sopranino saxophone is the second-smallest member of the saxophone family. It is tuned in the key of E, and sounds an octave higher than the alto saxophone. An F sopranino (an octave above the F alto (also called mezzo-soprano) saxophone) ...

) and composer of

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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

free Jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians dur ...

, and

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician(s) involved. The term can refer to both a technique (employed by any musician in any genre) and as a recognizable genre in it ...

music.

Biography

Borgmann began his career in the early 1980s, working mainly with the ''Berlin Art Ensemble'' with Nick Steinhaus (participating in the 1981 South American tour for the

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (, GI, en, Goethe Institute) is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange an ...

and the 1982 Nickelsdorfer Konfrontationen). He went on to the '' Sirone Sextet'' in New York in 1987. He also spent some time playing with the ''Hidden Quartet'' (with Dietmar Diesner, Erik Balke, and Jonas Akerblom), and the ''Noise & Toys'' (with Valery Dudkin, Sascha Kondraschkin). In 1991 Borgmann founded the ''Orkestra Kith’N Kin'', bringing together Hans Reichel,

John Tchicai John Martin Tchicai ( ; 28 April 1936 – 8 October 2012) was a Danish free jazz saxophonist and composer. Biography Tchicai was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to a Danish mother and a Congolese father. The family moved to Aarhus, where he st ...

, Pat Thomas, Jay Oliver, Mark Sanders and

Lol Coxhill George Lowen Coxhill (19 September 1932 – 10 July 2012) known professionally as Lol Coxhill, was an English free improvising saxophonist. He played soprano and sopranino saxophone. Biography Coxhill was born to George Compton Coxhill ...

, amongst others. Later he toured with his

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations ...

''Ruf der Heimat'', and with the trio, ''Blue Zoo'', (with

Borah Bergman Borah Bergman (December 13, 1926 – October 18, 2012) was an American free jazz pianist. Training and influences Bergman was born in Brooklyn to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents.Kelsey, Chris (December 2004Chris Kelsey ''Borah Bergman: His F ...

and Brötzmann). Throughout 1984, and continuing until 1996, he also organized the ''STAKKATO'' festival in Berlin. In 1995 Borgmann began working with

Wilber Morris Wilber Morris (November 27, 1937 - August 8, 2002) was an American jazz double bass player and bandleader. He was the brother of the cornetist, composer, and conductor Butch Morris.Allmusic/ref> Wilber Morris recorded widely, and performed with ...

and

Denis Charles Denis Alphonso Charles (December 4, 1933 – March 26, 1998) was a jazz drummer. Biography Charles was born in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, and first played bongos at age seven with local ensembles in the Virgin Islands. In 1945, he moved to ...

, forming the ''BMC-Trio''. After Charles' death in 1998, Borgmann and Morris teamed with

Reggie Nicholson Reginald "Reggie" Nicholson (born July 17, 1957) is an American jazz drummer. Nicholson took a bachelor's degree in percussion performance at Chicago State University and became a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musician ...

creating the "BMN-Trio", which continued performing until 2002. Borgmann also participated in the quartet ''Alliance'' with Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, Jayrope, and Michael Griener. Initially teaming with Tony Buck, and Joe Williamson, Borgmann formed the trio "Boom Box", releasing their album ''Jazz'' in 2011. He continues to perform with the group, now playing with Willi Kellers and Akira Ando. He also continues to tour international Jazz festivals around the world.Todd S. Jenkins Free Jazz and Free Improvisation: An Encyclopedia, Band 1
p. 48 During his career, Borgmann has taken part in concerts, tours, and recordings with artists including

Caspar Brötzmann Caspar Brötzmann (born 13 December 1962) is a German guitarist, vocalist and bandleader. Brötzmann typically performs with the power trio lineup of Caspar Brötzmann Massaker (his early band), with guitar, bass guitar and drums. He uses rock ...

, Tony Buck, Paul Lytton,

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ...

, Conny Bauer, Johannes Bauer,

Charles Gayle Charles Gayle (born February 28, 1939) is an American free jazz musician. Initially known as a saxophonist who came to prominence in the 1990s after decades of obscurity, Gayle also performs as pianist, bass clarinetist, bassist, and percussio ...

Phil Minton Phil Minton (born 2 November 1940) is a British avant-garde jazz/ free-improvising vocalist and trumpeter. Minton is a highly dramatic baritone who tends to specialize in literary texts: he has sung lyrics by William Blake with Mike Westbrook' ...

, William Parker, Jason Hwang,

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American musician best known as a member of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. M ...

, Shoji Hano, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Rashied Bakr, Roy Campbell, Jr.,

Perry Robinson Perry Morris Robinson (September 17, 1938 – December 2, 2018) was an American jazz clarinetist and composer. He was the son of composer Earl Robinson. Early life and education Robinson was born and grew up in New York City. He attended the Le ...

, Kip Hanrahans ''Latin Groove'', and

Jean-Paul Bourelly Jean-Paul Etienne Bourelly (born November 23, 1960) is an American guitarist whose music crosses the boundaries of jazz fusion and rock. Bourelly was born in Chicago, Illinois, to parents from Haiti. His grandmother taught him Yoruba music. When ...

. Thomas Borgmann has twice been the recipient of the Berlin Jazz-Grant, first in 1994, and again in 1996.

Discography (selected)

* ''Orkestra Kith 'n Kin'' (1995), with Hans Reichel, Lol Coxhill, Dietmar Diesner, Mark Sanders, Martin Mayes, Pat Thomas, Eric Balke, Jonas Ackerblom, and Christoph Winckel, Cadence Jazz Records, (USA) * ''Machine Kaput'' (1996), with Peter Brötzmann, Willi Kellers, and Christoph Winckel, as Ruf der Heimat *''Cooler Suite'' (1997), with Brötzmann, William Parker, and Rashied Bakr *'BMN Trio ''...You See What We Sayin’?'' (1999), with Wilber Morris and Reggie Nicholson,

CIMP Creative Improvised Music Projects, usually abbreviated CIMP or C.I.M.P., is an American jazz record company and label. It is associated with ''Cadence Magazine'' and Cadence Jazz Records. The label is noted for its minimal use of electronic proc ...

, (USA) *''Live at Tunnel'' (2000), BMN-Trio (with Wilber Morris and Reggie Nicholson), Qbico Records (Italy) *''The Last Concert'' (2000), with Wilber Morris and Denis Charles, Silkheart Records, (USA) *''boom box — jazz'' (2011), boom box (with Willi Kellers and Akira Ando), jazzwerkstatt (Germany) *''Nasty & Sweet '', BMN-Trio (with Wilber Morris and Reggie Nicholson), (2012), NoBusiness Records, NBLP 57/58 *''One for Cisco '', Thomas Borgmann Trio (with Max Johnson and Willi Kellers), (2016), NoBusiness Records, NBLP 91 *''Some More Jazz '', KEYS & SCREWS (with Jan Roder and Willi Kellers), (2020), NoBusiness Records, NBLP 133 *''Secrets '', Ruf der Heimat (with Christof Thewes, Jan Roder and Willi Kellers), (2020), jazzwerkstatt, jw 2020

External links

Website of Thomas Borgmann

Entries for Thomas Borgmann
Catalog of the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

Thomas Borgmann
at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

allaboutjazz.com: portrait

Thomas Borgmann composition/scores
at Free Music Production
Thomas Borgmann interview by Mike Heffley (The Five Horsemen of the Pre-Millennium)
2000, page 261 – 269

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borgmann, Thomas 1955 births Living people Avant-garde jazz musicians German jazz composers Male jazz composers German jazz saxophonists Male saxophonists Jazz soprano saxophonists Jazz tenor saxophonists 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century German male musicians