# The jazz world in Luxembourg. What also becomes clear with the death of Michel Pilz? Videos, Photos

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2023/11/10/the-jazz-world-in-luxembourg-what-also-becomes-clear-with-the-death-of-michel-pilz-videos-photos/
- Published: 2023-11-10T00:02:36+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**What he meant for the jazz world in Luxembourg from its early days to today only
becomes clear with his death: As the former director of the Center opder Schmelz,
Danielle Igniti, announced on her Facebook profile, Michel Pilz has died. Many scene
leaders joined in the mourning.**

Luxembourg’s distinctive jazz bass clarinetist and pioneer of the genre in the country
has died, according to information from scene insiders.

The further circumstances are not known. Pilz, who says he was born in Germany in
1945, grew up in Luxembourg and learned to play the clarinet at the capital’s conservatory–
he ultimately found his personal creative means of expression with the bass clarinet
and jazz. At a time when jazz was still completely new territory, he and the jazz
generation of the time, such as the pianist Marc Weber, were ultimately seen as 
pioneers for the genre in the country, including as a co-founder of the “jazzclubluxembourg”.
And he was also active as a man in the background of the “JAM -Jazz am Minett” initiative
and supported the forum.

![Meister der Improvisation: André Mergenthaler und Michel Pilz traten beim Apéro's
Jazz 2010 in Neimënster auf.](https://i0.wp.com/img.wort.lu/public/kultur/tle2j0-
th-ccrn-0110-0-20100111.jpg/alternates/SIXTEEN_NINE_1920/TH_CCRN_0110_0_20100111.
jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

This exciting time is mentioned in LW’s obituary for the pianist Weber von Wolf 
von Leipzig in January 2000. “After the first concert in the Walsheim restaurant,
the club was bankrupt. But the friends were not discouraged. A new home was found
in the ‘Napoleon House’, an outbuilding of the ‘Hastesch Millen’ in the city grounds,
the basement of which was converted into a private club in a Sisyphean effort. Marc
Weber writes: ‘From then on there was live music here every Friday, initially with
local musicians, then increasingly with professional groups from abroad. The most
memorable event at the time was the performance of the still largely unknown pianist
Keith Jarrett in a trio in front of a full house. After moving to the ‘Melusina’
in 1972, jazz experienced a small blossoming in the 70s and 80s – when the concert
offerings in Luxembourg were still poor: Highlights were performances by Charles
Mingus, Art Blakey, Clark Terry, Elvin Jones, Gary Burton, Chet Baker, Anthony Braxton,
MyCoy Tyner… There were 24 concerts in the 1978/1979 season – i.e. one almost every
14 days.

But anyone who looks at the expressions of condolence quickly realizes that Pilz
also had a much broader impact. In recent years, the bass clarinetist has repeatedly
been involved in projects by drummer Benoît Martiny and has been involved in cross-
generational collaborations such as concerts by the hip-hop troupe “De Läb”. This
also goes back to Danielle Igniti’s commitment.

Among other things, an evening in 2014 at the Like A Jazz Machine Festival in the
opder Schmelz Dudelange was a great opportunity: Martiny got involved with the old
masters of the Luxembourg scene such as Pilz and the saxophonist Roby Glod. The 
result: a storm for musical ears. “What the two of them, who come from free jazz
backgrounds, were able to achieve with themselves and their instruments was simply
fantastic. Their experience on the international stage paid off immensely,” said
Martiny, looking back at the team under the project title “The Grand Cosmic Journey”.

In concert, Michel Pilz dominates the stage with his infallible technique, his cascades
of surging notes, unusual phrases and a rare ability to shake the audience as soon
as a slight climate of satisfaction sets in.

Dabei wirkte Pilz’ besonderes Charisma am Instrument, wie das Center opderschmelz
es in einer Konzertankündigung von Pilz’ eigenem Quartett betonte: „He regularly
participates in various musical experiences with local artists, notably in Luxembourg
where he spent his youth and where he resides again at present. In concert, Michel
Pilz dominates the stage with his infallible technique, his cascades of surging 
notes, unusual phrases and a rare ability to shake the audience as soon as a slight
climate of satisfaction sets in. For him, jazz is a musical language in its own 
right which can even function as a means of social communication.“

The trained Charisma is an unused instrument – Davon abgesehen, was Pilz in und 
für Luxemburg leistete, war er schlicht einer der besten Jazz-Bassklarinettisten
Europas. Dafür sprechen nicht nur die Würdigungen im „Jazzbuch“ des Musikproduzenten
Joachim-Ernst Berendt, ein Standardwerk der deutschsprachigen Jazzmusikszene. In
the Foren des Genres oder Platttformen wie YouTube wird die Anerkennung von Pilz’
Schaffen deutlich. Besons aber die bis in Alter bleibenden Auftritte wie an der 
Seite des Kölner Pianist Georg Ruby zeigen, wie stark er bestimmte Facetten des 
Jazz ausleuchtete. Die komplett freie und wilde Improvisation, das Schaffen im Moment
war für Pilz essenziell.

Wichtig dabei: seine Erfahrung, seine früheren Kooperationen. 1968 by the Manfred
Schoof Quintet (with Alex von Schlippenbach, Buschi Niebergall and Mani Neumeier).
We also have biographical information here: „In 1970-Jahren tourte Michel mit dem
Quintett „German All Stars“, dem „Globe Unity Orchestra“ and in Japan mit dem Trompeter
Itaru Oki durch den Nahen Osten, Asia und Sudamerika. Today I’m here for international
Jazz festivals, including Montreux, Bombay, Tokyo, Frankfurt and Chateau-Vallon.
Im Oktober 1999 released within Trio Deutschland auf dem European Jazzfestival in
Damaskus. ft.“

**What also becomes clear with the death of Michel Pilz? **

Based on the model of the authors’ lexicon and the new music lexicon, we actually
also need a music lexicon. Ursula Anders-Malvetti, Alain Nitschké, Damien Sagrillo
Jean Thill, and Tina Zeiß-Zippel have published the “Luxemburger Musiklexikon – 
Volume 2; Personalities of Luxembourg musical life: 20th and 21st centuries” took
an important path. But even with the other initiatives such as those from the Center
d’Études et de Documentation musicales (Cedom) of the National Library, the Center
national de l’Audiovisuel (CNA) or, in the area of female musicians, the archive
of the CID Fraen a Gender is still standing There is no widely accessible and wide-
ranging database of the country’s musical creations available.

This then raises the question: How should the musicians, composing and producing
creatives be remembered in the future who have had a lasting impact on the country
in their own way and left an international mark? Pilz would certainly be a candidate
for an initiative in this direction.

![Pilz (r.), hier bei Aufnahmen mit Marc Mergen für die Pädagogik-Initiative Script,
gilt als eine der Leitfiguren des Luxemburger Jazz seit den 1960er-Jahren.](https://
i0.wp.com/img.wort.lu/public/kultur/yl0587-marcmergen-michelpilz.jpg/alternates/
SIXTEEN_NINE_1920/MarcMergen_MichelPilz.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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