Fredi Luescher

[Nate Dorward]

Someone just told me that the pianist Fredi Luescher died "a couple of weeks ago". I'd like to get his obit into Cadence but have no further info (websearches turn up little, & nothing in English). Anyone know the date of death, cause, city, & the pianist's age? (I believe 63, or 62 if he'd not reached his birthday.)

I've mentioned Luescher before here but now's the occasion to remark that he was a consummate player. Participants in my BFT will recall that his version of Carla Bley's "Sing Me Softly of the Blues" was on there.

[king ubu]

I'll have to check, Nate. There were small notes in papers here, but no real obits, just some announcements including a few sentences about his career. I was quite sad to learn the news and thought for a moment to post it on the board but decided against since I wasn't aware of anyone being aware of him, really (but you did mention him before I remember now, or even include something on your BFT?).

I saw him live once - tough gig to play after a marvellous Lacy solo set (a few months before Lacy died - maybe a bad omen?). Anyway, Lüscher played a very beautiful trio set, interesting arrangements on standards and freer stuff, too... was the only live show of his I caught.

I'll search for those (I think two, maybe only one, even) little press clippings - are you in a hurry? If so, please email me, as otherwise I might take some time!

[Nate Dorward]

Ubu--thanks--yeah, if you could dig up those obits ASAP I think I can squeeze the listing into the next Cadence (I was told "by the end of the week"). Otherwise it'll have to wait till the Sept. issue I guess.

I have the birth & death dates now via the Altrisuoni website (30.12.1943-30.05.2006), but no cause of death or location.

[king ubu]

Ok Nate, here I am again - I'll post the original articles in German and then give the main points in english below

Neue Zürcher Zeitung - June 7, 2006, p 50, No 129

Fredi Lüscher gestorben

Liebmann N.

kl. In seinem Kopf schlummerten noch zahlreiche Pläne, ein letztes «Work in Progress» widmete er den Komponisten Jimmy Giuffre und Olivier Messiaen. Leider wird das Projekt nun nicht mehr realisiert, der Zürcher Jazzpianist Fredi Lüscher starb am 30. Mai an den Folgen eines Herzinfarkts. Die Karriere Lüschers, der am 1. Dezember 1943 in Zürich geboren wurde, verlief untypisch: Hauptamtlich war er bis 1985 Sprachlehrer, bevor er sich für die wirtschaftlich dornenvollere Tätigkeit eines Jazzmusikers entschied. Bemerkenswert ist dabei, dass er sich als Autodidakt gerade Komposition und Arrangement widmete. So bearbeitete er Stücke von Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Thelonious Monk oder Carla Bley zu Meisterwerken subtiler Klangfarben. Überdies liebte Lüscher aber auch das freie Fabulieren. Ausserdem war er als Dozent an der Musikhochschule Luzern tätig sowie als Publizist und Gestalter von Radioprogrammen. Er hinterlässt eine Handvoll Aufnahmen, darunter wunderbare Alben mit Musik von Ellington und Carla Bley.

He still had many projects in his head when he died - his last, on-going "work in progress" wa dedicated to Giuffre and Messiaen, alas it won't be realized since FL died from the consequences of a cardiac infarction. Lüscher was born in Zurich Dec. 1, 1943, his career was rather atypical: until 1985 he worked mainly as a language teacher, before deciding to become a jazz musician. Remarkable that he, an autodidact, chose to dedicate himself to composition and arrangement. Thus he arranged pieces by Ellington, Strayhorn, Monk or C. Bley and created masterpieces of subtle sound colours (not sure how to translate "Klangfarben" any better). But he also loved free story-telling. Also he worked as a teacher at Lucerne Music Academy (not sure what that would be in US school system, it's some kind of university/college where you can only study music), and as a journalist and radio moderator/redactor. He leaves a handful of recordings, among the wonderful albums with music by Ellington and C. Bley.

(now that turned into a more or less exact translation...)

Tages-Anzeiger - June 6, 2006, p 51

Jazzmusiker Fredi Lüscher gestorben

Der Pianist Fredi Lüscher, 1943 geboren, ist letzte Woche an einem Herzversagen gestorben, wie aus seinem Freundeskreis verlautet. In Zürich konnte man den Musiker in jüngerer Zeit etwa am Unerhört-Festival hören. Lüscher, ursprünglich Sprachlehrer in Zug und autodidaktischer Pianist, hatte sich seit 1985 als Berufsmusiker betätigt. Unter anderem machte der im zürcherischen Uerzlikon wohnhafte Jazzer durch mehrere Platten mit dem Zürcher Saxofonisten Nathanael Su oder durch seine Trio-Arbeit mit Daniel Studer und Marco Käppeli von sich reden. (cme)

Pianist F.L., born 1943, died last week after a heart attack, as friends of him have made public. In Zurich this musician could lately been heard for instance at the Unerhört festival [that's where I saw him - and I think he mainly played Voerkel tunes, not free and standards...]. Originally language teacher in Zug, the autodidactic pianist turned into a professional musician in 1985. Living in Uerzlikon in the region of Zurich, he got known through several albums he recorded with the Zurich sax player Nat Su or through the work of his trio with Daniel Studer (bass) and Marco Käppeli (drums).

The above two articles are all I have, I think. There's one swiss jazz magazine - let me also check their latest number, but I guess if he will appear in there, only next time (almost 2 months from now), as they usually are about as much behind as downbeat, as far as artists dying are concerned.

Edited July 15, 2006 by king ubu

[king ubu]

Nice, that magazine ("Jazz'n'more", 4/2006, July/August) has a lenghty personnal recollection by sax player Martin Buergi (more here: http://www.altrisuoni.com/pub/artist.php?code=27 - wouldn't work on Opera on my computer).

Some more points I take from there (no use in translating it - it's too many just so stories of a personnal character and uninteresting for someone not swiss, plus it's much longer than the above two):

- he came from free improv to jazz

- he was divorced, had daughters (don't know how many but more than one)

- had a heart attack 12 years ago already, doctors gave him 3 more years to go then, but he continued living in clover (don't know that expression in english... leo also gives "to live it up", "to live on the fat of the land", "to riot away one's days"), using up all his funds within 3 years, but then he didn't die... and had to begin from scratch again.

- Buergi's personnal remembrance of FL will be as: open, curious, vital, crazy, free from prejudices, full of joie de vivre

I hope all of this is of use, Nate! Please post your write-up here or PM it my way, as otherwise I'll never see it!

[king ubu]

For any others reading this thread, here's a link to a short english biography (with a photo of Lüscher):

http://www.musinfo.ch/index.php?content=ma...&action=open_it

Lüscher's are on Altrisuoni: www.altrisuoni.com (steep prizes... not for swiss market, but you'll likely find it expensive...)

[Nate Dorward]

Hey, thanks for all the trouble--that's exceedingly helpful. He sounds like an intriguing character, too.

[king ubu]

Hey, thanks for all the trouble--that's exceedingly helpful. He sounds like an intriguing character, too.

Yes - seems like he was one to take chances... a loner, and kind of a weirdo, too, as I understand... (not in a negative way - just some idiosyncratic character...)