`How did this fraulein get so funky?`

Organ tornado sweeps over Budapest

At the beginning she was dubbed the “organ tornado from Munich” – Barbara Dennerlein, who began her career around 20 years ago in a small jazz club in Munich, is now regarded as one of the world’s most brilliant players of the Hammond B3 organ. Barbara Dennerlein will perform at 7.30pm at the Palace of Arts on Thursday 31 January.

For decades the Hammond organ was dismissed as anachronistic. The instrument has only experienced a renaissance in the last 15 years. Barbara Dennerlein’s interest, however, was awakened considerably earlier: She had her first encounter with the organ at the age of eleven, when she received a one-manual electronic organ for Christmas.

The instrument immediately appealed to her and she began organ lessons straight away. In the process she discovered a two manual and pedal Hammond organ and asked her parents to buy a larger organ.

Playing clubs at 15

Her enthusiasm didn’t wane: by the age of 15 she had already got her first gig in a jazz club.

Dennerlein soon established herself on the Munich jazz scene, becoming known as the “organ tornado” from Munich. Her first albums were released in the ‘80s, partly under her own label “Bebab”. Her international performances inspired audiences worldwide and in the ‘90s she cemented her reputation with three albums recorded under international jazz label Verve. “How did this fraulein get so funky?” asked the American magazine Harper’s Bazaar. Now there is no longer any surprise at the success of the 42-year-old organ virtuoso, who is lauded for her pedal playing and improvisations.

Palace of Arts
District, IX. Komor Marcell utca 1
Tel.: 555 3001
www.mupa.hu

Ágnes Lukács
www.budapesttimes.hu - Sunday, January 27, 2008