Baron Timme Rosenkrantz (July 6, 1911 – August 11, 1969) was a Danish aristocrat, author and jazz enthusiast. Rosenkrantz was an early supporter of African American jazz musicians and promoted many concerts and recordings. He also produced a 1938 session for the Victor label, assembling Rex Stewart,

Don Byas Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also l ...

, Russell Procope, Tyree Glenn,

Jo Jones Jonathan David Samuel Jones (October 7, 1911 – September 3, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. A band leader and pioneer in jazz percussion, Jones anchored the Count Basie Orchestra rhythm section from 1934 to 1948. He was sometimes k ...

and others as Timme Rosenkrantz and His Barrelhouse Barons. His private 1944 acetates of

Erroll Garner Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad "Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first re ...

, which subsequently saw release on

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

and other labels, were the pianist's first recordings. Rosenkrantz organized the 1946 European tour of an all-star band led by

Don Redman Donald Matthew Redman (July 29, 1900 – November 30, 1964) was an American jazz musician, arranger, bandleader, and composer. Biography Redman was born in Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. His father was a music teacher ...

, the first American jazz group to visit Copenhagen and Stockholm after World War II. A man of great humor, Rosenkrantz wrote witty short stories and vignettes for a number of publications, including ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'' magazine. His collection of jazz music (concentrated on the Swing Era) is placed in the Jazz collections at the University Library of Southern Denmark, Odense. Before Rosenkrantz died, he wrote down his memories in a Danish book and in several Danish and English articles. Fradley Garner, International Editor o
Jersey Jazz
and a friend of Rosenkrantz, translated and edited the Baron's memoirs for the English-speaking world. The resulting book
Harlem Jazz Adventures
is now available via the book's website a
JazzBaron.com

References

Additional reading

* Mike Matloff, "The Jazz Baron

* * Timme Rosenkrantz, ''Harlem Jazz Adventures A European Baron's Memoir, 1934-1969'' (Lanham, MD, Scarecrow Press, 2012).

External links

The jazz collections at the University Library of Southern Denmark

The Jazz Baron, website for Timme's book ''Harlem Jazz Adventures''
1911 births 1969 deaths Danish barons {{Denmark-bio-stub