Tuesday, 08 August, 2023 - 16:29

Alexander Frangenheim

After receiving classical double bass training, Alexander Frangenheim has worked since the late-1980s with numerous musicians from the national and international free improvisation scenes. In the mid-1990s, he spent extended periods in London engaging in an intensive exchange with the English scene. In addition to his duo with Phil Durrant, key collaborations included groups with Butcher/Minton/Russell, Turner/Wachsman/Thomas, and the trio with Denley/Noble.

He played in Günter Christmann’s vario34 and the Zeitkratzer ensemble, collaborated with dancers Julyen Hamilton, Nigel Charnock, and Benoit Lachambre, and composed the music for the experimental film ‘EZB 2011–2012,’ which was nominated in 2015 for the German Film Critics’ Award for Experimental Film (Director: Sabine Schöbel).

With studioboerne45, he created a production space in Berlin for the independent arts scene. Under his label ‘concepts of doing,’ founded in 1992, he organized festivals focusing on interaction with dance, as well as free improvisation and new music.

He has released two solo CDs and, in recent years, has released, among others, ‘Vario 34-3’ (Christmann, Gustafsson, Lehn, Lovens, AF), ‘Murmuration’ with Michel Doneda, ‘Basic Tracks’ with trombonist Patrick Crossland, and ‘NAIL in Ulrichsberg’ with Roger Turner and Michel Doneda—a trio with which he has toured repeatedly. Upcoming CDs: a duo with Celine Voccia, and a quartet featuring Zerang, Angel, Crossland and Frangenheim. Current ensembles: a quartet with Binder/Hertenstein/Duthoit, and trios with Grew/Scott and Voccia/Doneda. Alexander Frangenheim lives in Berlin and Herrischried in the Black Forest.