The appeal of versatility
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Dr. Langner Jazz Master scholarship holder Fynn Großmann on a compositional treasure hunt
Also a kind of cultural mix: after completing his bachelor's degree in saxophone and composition, Fynn Großmann studied double bass at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. The multi-talented musician also plays the oboe and actively contributes his extensive instrumental skills to many jazz bands, classical orchestras and crossover projects. He is also active as a composer and arranger, instrumental teacher and workshop leader.
"There are still many treasures to discover."
But that's not all. Since October last year, the all-rounder, who was born in Berlin in 1992, has been rounding off his musical CV with the Dr. Langner Jazz Master at the HfMT. This includes the assumption of university costs amounting to 19,000 euros, including a contribution to living costs of up to 4,800 euros per year and student. "Despite the strict selection criteria, receiving this scholarship offers all ambitious jazz musicians an excellent opportunity to develop professionally. To be one of only eight scholarship holders is an honor in itself. What's more, I personally really wanted to work with Professor Wolf Kerschek. In this respect, these four semesters are a real stroke of luck for me."
Is there a sense of togetherness in the group of scholarship holders, or is everyone primarily concerned with their own musical career? "Yes and no. We are in contact with the other scholarship holders because we take some courses together. And of course we exchange ideas with each other. But there have hardly been any concrete musical projects outside the HfMT."
Fynn takes a pragmatic view of the fact that - unlike most of the others - he doesn't concentrate on one instrument. "I would definitely see that as my strength. My knowledge of different instruments and genres enables me to combine musical styles in an appealing way in my compositional work. I find the use of instruments that are not typical of jazz, such as the oboe or bassoon, because they are too quiet, very exciting. There are still many treasures to discover."
A quintet on a "detour" - award-winning musical expedition as a means of cultural understanding and temporal fusion
In order to adequately stage his own compositions, he has founded his own band project - the Fynn Großmann Quintet. "With two saxophones, piano, double bass and drums, our sound is multi-layered and multi-faceted. Experimental passages are just as much a part of the concept as fully composed parts in the spirit of jazz tradition and improvisation. The result is music that can clearly be classified as jazz, but is characterized by European and Asian influences." The ensemble, which is dedicated to contemporary jazz, has already won prestigious awards and is currently working on the album Halbwahrheiten, which will be released on nWOG Records in fall 2019.
"Simply good music"
Fynn can sum up the source of inspiration for his own compositions in just a few words: "Simply good music". And for him, this ranges from jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter to Bach, Debussy and Tchaikovsky, as well as new composers such as John Cage. "I have already registered well over 50 compositions with GEMA. The stylistic spectrum ranges from works for symphony orchestra to works for jazz combos. However, these are only the pieces that have made it onto the concert stage. A large number of ideas, sketches and almost finished pieces can be found in my desk drawer."
Fynn lives in Hanover with his wife, who is also a musician. For the duration of the Jazzmaster, he commutes between the two cities apart from his concerts, which are scattered all over Germany. "Hamburg is of course the more attractive place for jazz musicians, but I find it harder to get gigs here than in Hanover or Kiel. But I'm optimistic about the future."
Fynn will be performing live with the Walddörfer-Kammerorchester in Rahlstedt at the end of April, while his quintet will be appearing in Kiel on April 15 and in Bremen on April 18. Further concert dates can be found on the website www.fynngrossmann.de
TEXT DIETER HELLFEUER
PHOTO: FYNN GROSSMANN CHRISTINA KÖRTE