TEDxSpeaker, Leading Charismologist
International Coach and Trainer
Jazz Singer, Author
This is my journey
Born in 1943 into a musical family – Father pianist, Mother ballet dancer – I was given piano
and ballet lessons from an early age, for which I’m very grateful. My family focussed almost entirely on classical music, which I also enjoyed, but for me there was always „something missing“. This „something“ I discovered when I encountered American folk music, skiffle and jazz. To my parents’ horror, I bought a guitar and started to belt out „John Henry“ and other Railroad Songs, at the same time visiting jazz clubs in London, which was totally forbidden.
I was born a rebel and their dislike of my music probably helped to cement my love for it. In the mid 1960s I moved to Birmingham to start work as a school teacher and in my free time made a name for myself in the folk clubs of the Midlands, singing the songs of Woodie Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Tom Paxton and later of course Bob Dylan.
In 1967 I met a young man who played with a university „trad jazz“ band. I immediately took
to this music and was allowed to join the band for a couple of songs every now and then – a new and exciting experience. The young man and I married and in 1968 relocated Munich, where we both still live and are still the best of friends.
Dixieland Jazz was very popular then and we were often to be found in one of the various clubs, in particular the „Türkenkeller“, a cold and damp cellar club in the old gate of the army barracks, now the site of the Modern Art Gallery. We were able to sit in with many of the bands: Pinky’s Courthouse Gang, Jazzkränzchen Immergrün, Footwarmers and enjoyed life in Munich to the full.
Gradually our interests shifted and we stopped visiting the clubs. I had started working as a typist in a large corporation. I learnt German and during the next 15 years I advanced via a variety of companies to become departmental secretary.
On returning to single life in 1984, I began to revisit the clubs, notably the Unterfahrt which soon became my „second living room“. I helped in the kitchen, worked on the door and sat in at all the jam sessions, helped and encouraged by many of the musicians. Finally I was unable to remain at my office desk and in 1986 what had up to now been a hobby became my profession. One memorable day I resigned from my job and awarded myself a “sabbatical year”, in which to devote myself to music and to see whether the music world wanted me in it.
It appeared to be a good decision; at the end of the first year I had completed a short tour of Italy and collected a small crop of pupils. And it was through them that I discovered my passion for teaching.
During the years that followed I attended numerous music workshops in Europe and the USA and widened my field of knowledge by taking training courses in other disciplines: Kinesiology, family constellation work (acc. to Bert Hellinger) NLP and ESP amongst others.
In 1990 I founded the „New Vocal Center“, an institute for work „with, for and about the voice“ where, apart from a regular teaching schedule, I was extremely fortunate take lessons from and host workshops with famous jazz and blues artists Mark Murphy, Jay Clayton, Theo Bleckmann, Angela Brown, Sheila Jordan, Rhiannon, to name but a few. These and many others enriched my life and the life of the New Vocal Center.
But my own travelling and teaching activities had increased to such an extent that in 1998 I closed the center to concentrate on my own career.
Now, many years later, I’m still involved in music, very much part of the jazz scene in Munich and during the course of the years have been fortunate enough to tour in Europe, Singapore, The USA and Canada, giving workshops and concerts. In addition, on various occasions I was invited to adjudicate local and national music competitions.
Being a musician can be quite a lonely profession. and travelling is not always the glamourous trip it’s made out to be. I have slept in cold, damp lofts on the floor with no proper washing facilities, miles away from a cup of coffee or a piece of bread. I have been told that artists usually prefer “simple lodgings” because they would feel out of place in a proper hotel. I have slept in my car in a public car park and used hotel facilities to clean up in the morning….
But I have also been invited to stay at people’s private homes and experienced enormous hospitality and generosity – and made some life-long friends along the way.
5 CDs appeared under my own name: Scapelands (free improvisation) with Georg Janker (b) and Eric Zwang-Eriksson (dr,perc), Voice Meditations with sound engineer Peter Lübke, guitarist Thorsten Bendzko and I co-produced „From Dylan to Lear“ and collaborated again on the quintett CD „Nightmares and Lullabies“ together with Jim Dvorak (tp), Ingo Nagel (b) and Harald Müller (dr). The CD and Songbook „One Woman“ featuring 12 of my own songs is the latest CD to date.
In 2013 my book „Postkarte aus Bali … ein Kinderbuch für Erwachsene“ (Postcard from Bali … a children’s book for grown-ups), which was originally conceived as a music project for children, was published and featured at the 2014 Frankfurt International Book Fair.
From 2017 to the beginning of 2019 I took a creative break and attended many varied workshops and courses of training. Among other things I had the honour and pleasure to meet and talk to Hollywood star John Travolta. I was also invited to join a panel of celebrities to talk about charisma – my passion.
At the beginning of 2018 I founded the Institute of Charismology in Munich and now (January 2019) I’m coming out of “hibernation” to build up with Institute. I will present many new and revised workshops and also invite experts to give workshops for the institute.
Life is one amazing adventure. I am grateful for everything I have been fortunate enough to learn, to experience and to pass on.
I’m looking forward to whatever lies ahead!
Munich, January 2019