Attila Zoller

The Hungarian-born Attila Zoller was under no circumstances quite a home name, but jazz music artists in the know considered him among the music’s finest & most original guitarists. After primarily achieving a popularity as a fantastic bop-oriented participant, Zoller developed a pastime in free of charge jazz, and in the ’60s became among the music’s most achieved practitioners. As a kid, Zoller was trained traditional violin by his dad, a specialist violinist. In his teenagers, he turned to flügelhorn, after that jazz bass, and lastly acoustic guitar. Zoller quit college through the Russian profession of Hungary pursuing World Battle II and started playing expertly in Budapest jazz night clubs. He escaped Hungary in 1948 right before the long term Soviet blockade of the united states, hiking over the mountains to Austria, transporting just his acoustic guitar and some articles of clothes. Zoller became an Austrian resident, settling in Vienna, where he created a jazz group using the accordionist Vera Auer. Zoller relocated to Germany within the ’50s, where he used pianist Jutta Hipp and saxophonist Hans Koller. Going to American music artists (notably Oscar Pettiford and Lee Konitz) adored Zoller’s function and urged him to go towards the U.S., which he did in 1959 after earning a scholarship towards the Lenox College of Jazz. There he analyzed with Jim Hall and roomed with Ornette Coleman, whose impact sparked Zoller’s desire for free of charge jazz. Zoller performed in drummer Chico Hamilton’s group in 1960 along with flutist Herbie Mann from 1962-1965. In 1965, Zoller started leading a free of charge jazz-influenced group using the pianist Don Friedman, and in 1968 co-led an organization with Konitz and trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff. Zoller by no means turned his back again on even more traditional types of jazz, playing golf swing with vibist Crimson Norvo and clarinetist Benny Goodman, and bop with saxophonist Stan Getz, among numerous others. In 1974, Zoller founded the Attila Zoller Jazz Treatment centers in Vermont (Zoller integrated in 1985 as well as the treatment centers became the Vermont Jazz Middle). He continued to be active like a performer — within the U.S. and abroad — before end of his existence. Through the ’80s and ’90s, he documented many albums for the Enja label with such performers as vibist Wolfgang Lackerschmidt and guitarist Jimmy Raney, in addition to longtime collaborators Konitz and Friedman. Zoller was also a developer of electronic devices; he trademarked a bi-directional pickup for guitars in 1971 and helped style his own personal type of guitars using the Framus and Hoefner businesses. He also designed a type of strings for the LaBella organization. Zoller’s last gig was at New York’s Zinc Pub with pianist Tommy Flanagan and bassist George Mraz on January 6, 1998; the trio documented the very next day. Zoller passed away of cancer of the colon significantly less than three weeks later on.