Saturday 4 July 2020

Fritz Schulz-Reichel born 4 July 1912


Fritz Schulz-Reichel (July 4, 1912 – February 14, 1990) was a German jazz and pop pianist and composer.

Fritz Schulz-Reichel was born in Meiningen, Thuringia, Germany. His father was a classical musician, and he began playing piano at the age of six. He developed an unusual technique where he played the melody of a tune with the left hand and the rhythm with the right hand. 

When the young Fritz came to Berlin in 1934 he got his first permanent engagement with the dance orchestra of the Romanian bandmaster James Kok , which was continued by Erhard Bauschke after his emigration in 1935 . Schulz-Reichel then played in the band founded by Kurt Hohenberger in 1937 and with Herb Flemming . From 1939 he accompanied Rosita Serrano and in 1942 he played with Herbert Velmer in Oslo; At that time - at least abroad - he was already considered the best German swing pianist.

When he wasn't performing in clubs in Berlin or Paris (where he was elected an honorary member of the Hot Club of France for his improvisational abilities), he wrote songs in a pop vein. In March 1943, he was called up. A year later he was wounded on the eastern front by splinters of shell in his right hand, but the doctors managed to maintain his playing ability. During the war years he played with Otto Stenzel and the orchestra of the Berliner Varietés Scala and with the Swing-Kapellmeister Heinz Wehner in the German show, which was broadcast from Oslo for soldiers. After the end of the war, Schulz-Reichel was able to return to his profession in Berlin as early as July 1945

From 1946 he participated in the former Soviet zone of occupation in the Radio Berlin dance orchestra, accompanied Walter Dobschinski, Johannes Rediske and Helmut Zacharias . In the same year he also composed his first successful hit If I see you, then I start dreaming, which followed, among others, in 1949 in the Café de la Paix in Paris, 1951 on Saturday at four and 1960 two lovers in Paris .

From 1952 he became really popular as "Schräger Otto". He was largely oriented towards the style of ragtime and Honky-Tonk pianist Winifred Atwell , which was very popular in Great  
Britain at the time ; in contrast to her, however, he played the post-war German evergreens in a ragtime-like rhythm and not on a grand piano, but on a piano with the middle string slightly out of tune (he also used pushpins to record some titles) into the felt of the sledgehammers), so a distinctive - unmistakable - quirky - sound emerged that reminded something of a bar piano from the turn of the century.

There were extensive tours to America, Australia, South Africa, not to mention performances in neighbouring European countries. And so the airline PAN AM named one of their Boeing Clippers 727 'Schräger Otto' after their famous guest (and good customer).


                            

In 1955 he was also very successful with his album of  "Crazy Otto" in the USA. The album reached number one on the charts - Schulz-Reichel was the first German to achieve this before Bert Kaempfert. With Glad Rag Doll and Smiles, the versions of two 
hits from the 1920s, he also had two successes in the single charts, which reached number 19 and 21 respectively. He won a Golden Gramophone in 1957 for selling a million albums in a knees-up pseudo-ragtime style.

A medley of German melodies titled The Crazy Otto in the style of Fritz Schulz-Reichel by American ragtime pianist Johnny Maddox stayed in the US charts as number 2 for a full 14 weeks in the same year and the first was sold over a million times Ragtime recording at all. Both Reichel and Maddox were subsequently known as "Crazy Otto", to some confusion.

In the 1960s Schulz-Reichel succeeded with a series of records, each with supplemented titles of the type: "In the bar ..." or "In a bar ...", presenting danceable medley's well-known songs as high-quality "bar music" The pub piano sound described above is only used in a few titles (e.g. in the Charleston medley of the album In der Bar next door).

In 1965 he had his own show called “Man should be able to play the piano.” He also recorded  more commercially oriented albums and worked as a soloist with several radio orchestras, composed a number of film scores, appeared in numerous films and regularly appeared on television entertainment programs in the 1960's and early 1970's. He continued to perform live and on film, and remained a popular jazz favourite in Germany for many years. He died in Berlin February 14, 1990.

(Edited from Wikipedia & Bear Family)

3 comments:

boppinbob said...

For “Crazy Otto - The Medleys: Die Beschwipste Drahtkommode” go here:

https://www.upload.ee/files/11966595/Crazy_Otto_-_The_Medleys.rar.html

1 1/1 (Alexander's Ragtime Band / Music, Music, Music / Bugle Call Rag / Harry Lime Theme) 3:25
2 1/2 (In Der Alten Hafenbar / In Der Nacht Ist Der Mensch Nicht Gern Allein / Das Machen Nur Die Beine
Von Dolores / Was Macht Der Alte Seemann / Spiel Mir Eine Alte Melodie) 3:03
3 Red Sails In The Sunset 2:19
4 2/1 (Ich Zähl Mir's An Den Knöpfen Ab / Lebewohl, Du Schwarze Rose / Sonntagnacht Auf Der Reeperbahn / Blaue Nacht Am Hafen / Auf Wiedersehn) 3:11
5 2/2 (Whispering / Some Of These Days / In The Mood / Mein Liebling Heißt Mädi / I Can't Give You) 3:11
6 My Melancholy Baby 2:53
7 3/1 (O, Mein Papa / Anna-Baiao / Du, Du, Du / Glaube Mir / Banjo Benny (The Man With The Banjo)) 3:31
8 3/2 (Tea For Two / Lullaby Of Broadway / Begin The Beguine / My Blue Heaven / Indian Love Call) 3:13
9 Smiles 2:13
10 4/1 (Sieben Einsame Tage (Seven Lonely Days) / Das Haus Von Rocky Rocky (This Ole House) / He, Mr
Banjo / Ich Möchte Auf Deiner Hochzeit Tanzen / Das Sind Die Damen In Der Bar Von Jonny Miller) 2:48
11 4/2 (Heut' Liegt Was In Der Luft / Gypsy Band / Paris Träumt Von Der Liebe / Willi, Gilt Oxenpfeffer) 2:58
12 Rose Of Washington Square 2:15
13 Lights Out 2:34
14 Glad Rag Doll 2:32
15 Paddlin' Madeleine Home 2:09
16 5/1 (Heimweh / Macke Messer / Arrivederci Roma / Eventuell) 2:49
17 5/2 (Rock Around The Clock / Steig In Das Traumboot Der Liebe / Minne-Minne-Haha / Rosalie) 2:54
18 Shine 2:21
19 Lena From Palesteena 2:18
20 The Darktown Strutter's Ball 2:22
21 If You Knew Susie 2:32
22 6/1 (Buona Sera / Diana / Ricky Tick) 2:42
23 6/2 (Cassata In Canada / Der Lachende Vagabund / Colonel Bogey March) 2:37
24 Indiana 2:24
25 Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh 2:22
26 I'll Always Be In Love With You 2:23
27 Alabamy Bound 2:34
28 7/1 (Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Honolulu Strand Bikini / Mustafa / Alle Mädchen Wollen Küssen) 2:15
29 Die Beschwipste Drahtkommode, 7/2 (Kalkutta Liegt Am Ganges / Milord / Down By The Riverside) 2:47


In 1953 the worldwide success story of 'Crazy Otto' began. An amusing and catchy series of songs turned composer-pianist Fritz Schulz-Reichel into 'Crazy Otto', and very soon his records were sought after everywhere.

This CD contains all the medleys of the 'Beschwipste Drahtkommode' series ('Tipsy Piano'), as well as bonus tracks from two LP's, 'Oldtimers' and 'Crazy Otto Favorites'. They are guaranteed to provide some cheerful, recognizable tunes rendered in an unforgettable way. It's ideal party music for any season...and for any reason.

Eric said...

https://mega.nz/file/6wIRRC6b#4OymThtC_Zv_TbFFmSZw8x16tWcB8OwNVS_jwxl0CK8

Not So Crazy Otto is a pleasant "Piano with Rhythm" album which is quite the antithesis of the jangling good time merrymaking of the above.

This is not my rip, but it is my rip-off, so praise to the original poster, and thanks to Boppinbob for Boppinbob-bob-bobbing along.

boppinbob said...

Thanks Eric. Here is a selected discography found on various music blogs. A big thank you to all the up-loaders for active links.

(2) jose sandoval @ A Walk In The Black forest
(3) zokyat @ Only Instrumental Music

1963 - Fritz Schulz-Reichel – In der Bar Gegenueber (3)

https://mega.nz/file/2NcVmbRD#z6hb-aoj20DPWPDTmbZVP0Lj8BkeKtxvSGZ4kUdyUB4

1963 - Fritz Schulz Reichel – In Der Bar Um Mitternacht (3)

https://mega.nz/file/iEdDSYKL#1RG9FclUodD9SSS6_XKbZaxzP9OpvSxoSacMszPMi9I

1966 - Fritz Schulz-Reichel - Golden Hits (2)

https://mega.nz/file/iKgxjJaD#u80UgyAO__a4xCo9exrsrpcqcKV0Dg2oaNvYxQel98s

1966 - Fritz Schulz Reichel - In Einer Bar In Paris Ruck (2)

https://mega.nz/file/g84WRKBS#jpbAKvalLEjGnXw9YcZGliNp9XHsR9fe3VvSwaQx3WQ

1966 - Fritz Schulz-Reichel - Paris Night Club (2)

https://mega.nz/file/yTRXQSCA#B6mRxQVDrjhyVi-a-Z9bKpvmqaV2Cj4QT0NXkHgkSjg

1971 - Fritz Schulz-Reichel – In Einer Bar Am Broadway (3)

https://mega.nz/file/fNU2hbLJ#B7qXUAYvOkyCCU3th94JfTNj7HY4dGbODC3AHpj8V2s

1972 - Fritz Schulz-Reichel – Hits Intim (3)

https://mega.nz/file/zB90SCbC#-vQQ-KpL3u-kQj-wCbqzwCy1jq5h9_tvyU4ohX3dG90

1973 - Fritz Schulz-Reichel – Die internationale Schlager-Bar 1 (3)

https://mega.nz/file/7UtX0RLZ#fIdxJQin3k7KaS--XeU8w_9UdlKbonfxTcHtLe9kMTk

1973 - Fritz Schulz-Reichel – In Einer Bar Am Broadway (3)

https://mega.nz/file/7VciAIYI#wmZDWTGQTHLX8BJiZ4dH7oqgYiMgL9IGUCBFCn5W3xw

1980 - Fritz Schulz Reichel – In einer Bar in Wien (3)

https://mega.nz/file/PEtXkIaB#lgAETjT1NENC67uo_FhbeQyqtMMkxak_z2jjqLC-k84

1985 - Fritz Schulz-Reichel – Wodka Bei Veruschka (3)

https://mega.nz/file/PMVAUCjS#Com-70T1hxWigyThA-hqKkIje7ClJRZwzLaZnNB1p_s

1989 - Fritz Schulz-Reichel - Musik aus der Piano-bar (2)

https://mega.nz/file/WewjiJ5B#0pLWDYSee5m-oIQ8IhU52e9M90W-lesJVj3LBnk9YuM