Jazz – You don’t need anything more

In the summer of 2022, Rolf Kühn, the first and only world-class German jazz clarinetist, died. Born in Cologne in 1929, he experienced his musical socialization in Leipzig in the 30s and 40s. But actually existing socialism was not an easy place for jazz musicians, especially in the early years – Walter Ulbricht had declared jazz the “monkey culture of imperialism” as a representative of the zeitgeist in the SED leadership at the time. In this hostile climate, Kühn left the city and state in 1956 and lived in the USA from then on, where he played with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Chet Baker, among others. He later moved to western Germany.

Kühn’s oeuvre is characterized by a remarkable diversity: captured by the spirit of swing in his early years, he later turned to bebop, free jazz and fusion and finally transcultural sounds. At the same time he produced theme music for films and television. In 2023 he was posthumously awarded the German Jazz Prize for his life’s work together with his brother, the jazz pianist Joachim Kühn. Why he deserves it is once again underlined by this album, “Fearless,” which he recorded shortly before his death and which has only now been released.

The ten songs included combine everything that Rolf Kühn’s clarinet playing stood for throughout his life: the clear, warm tone, his inimitable expressiveness and his light-footed movement between structure and spontaneity, composition and improvisation. Once again he proves to be a wanderer between different styles and moods: the opening track “Alpha 47” is characterized by a restless atmosphere with its staccato melody, while the following “Fun for Kids” underlines the groovy potential of his excellent band. In other pieces such as “A Lost Story”, “The Summer Knows” or the fantastic Clapton cover “Tears in Heaven” he shows his longing, sometimes melancholy side.

A special highlight is the single “Somewhere”, which Leonard Bernstein once composed for the famous musical “West Side Story” and which now shines in new splendor in the version presented here. The languishing vocal melody is taken over by Kühn’s clarinet in a purely instrumental interpretation, combining the beauty and sadness of the entire world into one in just three and a half minutes.

You can find an accompanying video of the song on YouTube, in which the elderly Kühn, sitting alone in the recording room, records his soundtrack with noticeable bliss – a downright touching sight. If you look closely, you get the feeling: He didn’t need anything more than that. A little peace, time and a clarinet. Life can be so simple.

Rolf Kühn: »Fearless« (Music Production Schwarzwald/Edel)