Ladi Geisler

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Ladi Geisler
Bear Family

Miloslav Ladislav "Ladi" Geisler (November 27, 1927 – November 19, 2011) was a German musician who established a high profile in the post-war German music scene. Best known for his work with pop musicians Bert Kaempfert, James Last and Freddy Quinn, Geisler developed the distinctive "Knack-Bass" percussive bass sound that helped popularize the Bert Kaempfert Orchestra. He later released numerous records under his own name.[1]

Life and work

As a child, Geisler received violin lessons and soon learned the trumpet. He first worked as an engineer in the electric company where his father was as a director. In the last phase of

self-taught player. His role model was Oscar Moore, guitarist of singer Nat King Cole. In the camp he also made the acquaintance of the German musician Horst Wende
, who brought him after discharge to Germany and made him a guitarist of his "Horst Wende Trio."

Geisler did some work for the

Polydor. In addition, while appearing with the Wende band in the Hamburg night club "Tarantella," Geisler met Freddy Quinn
, with whom he developed a long-term recording relationship. Until the early 1960s Geisler participated in numerous recordings with Quinn.

By this time, Geisler had already become a known guitarist. At NDR he was used in many ways, such as with the NDR Symphony Orchestra and at the premiere of a work by

Esther and Abi Ofarim and Hildegard Knef
.

From composer and

Easy Listening orchestra of Bert Kaempfert. Later, he used a Fender Jazz Bass model. Most recently, he used a Fender Precision Bass when he was invited to live or recording sessions. Geisler's knack bass sound was a treble staccato bass guitar sound in which the bass string was plucked with a pick
and immediately suppressed to cancel out any sustain.

In 1958, he recorded Happy Guitar / Samba estrella, his first solo record with the record company

Polydor, he recorded until 1965 several more solo albums, partly with the Polydor band "The Playboys". Under their label, he reached in 1961 No. 19 in the German charts with the cover of world hit Wheels. As a freelance musician, he was sought after by all the leading German record companies and worked, in some years, up to 1500 gigs. In 1988 and 1990 he went on tour in Japan, with the Alfred Hause
Orchestra.

In the 1990s, he founded his own music studio, "Studio 17," and increasingly turned to jazz. He founded his own jazz band, worked together with

GEMA
.

In 2008 he was featured on the

Polydor/Universal
) Strangers in the Night – The Music of Bert Kaempfert which was eventually released in 2012 after his death. In the spring of 2010, he was shown on the liner for Helen Schneider Swing CD – a tribute to Bert Kaempfert – where he participated as bassist. In his later years, Geisler used a compact and lightweight guitar amplifier, specially selected for its sonic characteristics. With this amp, and the sound of his Gibson L-4 CES guitar, and his unique sense of rhythm and soloing, he produced his distinctive guitar sound for enthusiastic audiences at numerous live performances.

Ladi Geisler died on November 19, 2011, shortly before his 84th Birthday in Hamburg.

Prizes and awards

In 2003, Geisler was awarded the Louis Armstrong Memorial Prize for Swinging Hamburg.

Discography

Solo-Singles

  • Happy Guitar / Samba estrella, Telefunken, 1958
  • Red River Rock
    / Dreaming Guitar    , Polydor, 1960
  • Navajo / Lonely Guitar, Philips, 1961
  • Auf einem persischen Markt / Immer nur lächeln (In a Persian Market / Always Just Smile), Polydor, 1961
  • Amazon Paddleboat / Tomahawk, Polydor, 1962
  • Guitar Tango / Zwei Gitarren, Polydor, 1962
  • Little Geisha / Helena, Polydor, 1963
  • Alte Kameraden / Einzug der Gladiatoren (Old Comrades / Entry of the Gladiators), Ariola, 1965

LPs and CDs

  • Mr. Guitar, LP, Polydor, 1962
  • Girls, Girls, Girls, LP, BASF, 1964
  • Memories of Spain, LP, Ex Libris, 1968
  • Guitar a la Carte Vol. 1, LP, AMG, 1968
  • Guitar a la Carte Vol. 2, LP, AMG, 1969
  • Guitar mit Disco 74, LP, Columbia, 1973
  • Swinging Guitar, LP, Intercord, 1977
  • Gitarrenträume unter Palmen (Guitar dreams under palm trees), Intercord, LP, 1978
  • Classics with the guitar, LP, EMI
  • Die Rock-Gitarre von Ladi Geisler (The Rock guitar Ladi Geisler), LP, Bear Family, 2000
  • Minor Swing, CD, Bear Family, 2000
  • Mr. Guitar, CD, BearFamily, 2000
  • Those Were The Days, CD, BearFamily, 2003
  • Günter Märtens trifft Ladi Geisler. Anekdoten eines Gitarrenspielers (Günter Maertens meets Ladi Geisler. Anecdotes of a guitar player), CD, Bear Family, 2007 (Audio Book)

References

  1. ^ "Ladi Geisler ist tot – Ladi Geisler: Der Knackbass ist verstummt – Kultur & Live – Hamburger Abendblatt". Abendblatt.de. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  2. ^ Lounge Legends, The Original Masters of Lounge, zaterdag 26 November 2011, In Memoriam-Ladi Geisler - (27 November 1927 – 19 November 2011) http://loungelegends.blogspot.com/2011/11/in-memoriam-ladi-geisler-27-november.html[permanent dead link].
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