Claus Ogerman
Along with Lalo Schifrin, Ogerman created some of the best arrangements of the "now sound."
His two mid-60s instrumental albums for RCA--Watusi Trumpets and Saxes Mexicano--are well worth looking for, as are his arrangements for Cal Tjader's "Soul Sauce"-era albums on Verve.
Ogerman studied classical piano in Nuremberg after graduating from gymnasium, then joined Kurt Edelhagen's pioneering German jazz band. He spent five years with rival bandleader Max Greger, during which time he began doing arrangements and composed scores for 14 German films.
In 1959, he emigrated to the U.S. and worked for television and recording studios as a commercial arranger. By 1963, he had become something of a house arranger for Verve, where he worked on albums by Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Tjader. He then moved with producer Creed Taylor to Herb Alpert's A&M label, where he worked with Paul Desmond and others.
By the end of the 60s, he began moving away from commercial work and concentrated on his own compositions and recordings. He recorded intermittently for a variety of jazz labels, mostly complex pieces for larger ensembles.
Compositions by Claus Ogerman appear on
Such a Sky
Such a Sky gathers live Salon performances from the Melbourne Recital Centre. Cellist Imogen Manins and pianist Tony Gould are joined by Slava Grigoryan, David Jones, Gian Slater, Riley Lee and Eugene Ughetti.
From Within
Move's ARIA-nominated jazz duo returns to the studio for a long-awaited second album. The repertoire ranges further than before, lifting the energy of the spirited pieces and deepening the expression of the gentler ones.