Norbert Susemihl
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Norbert Susemihl - (b. August 26, 1956 in Hamburg, Germany) plays jazz trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet and drums.
He began to play at the age of 14, as the co-founder of Papa Tom's Lamentation Jazzband. First he played the guitar and sang Spirituals and Gospels, inspired by the Golden Gate Quartet.
In 1971 he began to play trumpet. More recently he started using the Fluegelhorn and the Cornet in order to be able to use a wider spectrum of sounds. Since 1980 he is also playing the drums.
In the late 70s, Susemihl started to perform regularly in Norway, Denmark, Holland and Belgium. In 1977/78 he toured with Sammy Rimington, one of the leading European New Orleans style clarinet and saxophone players. This co-operation inspired him to take his first trips to New Orleans in 1978 and 1979.
In 1980 he joined the New Orleans Musicians Union and stayed a whole year to absorb the New Orleans culture and lifestyle and to study how it affects and produces the music. This was the turning point in his career, having an outstanding effect on his knowledge of the music and his style of playing.
Between 1981 and 1990 Susemihl has lived in New Orleans every year for 3-4 months. He came into daily contact and played with the last living old-style musicians like Kid Thomas Valentine, Percy and Willie Humphrey, Louis Nelson, Josia "Cie" Frazier, Thomas Jefferson, and Danny Barker, to name just a few.
He played regularly with many local musicians of all ages, covering all styles of New Orleans Music. Other strong influences were the gospel choirs of the black Baptist churches, as well as the Rhythm&Blues Music and the young Brass Bands.
Susemihl has made recordings in New Orleans with Willie Humphrey and Father Al Lewis for the GHB-Label, and with CoCoMo Joe on his own Sumi-Records Label. At times he also led his own band in New Orleans, the ARLINGTON JAZZBAND with Raymond Burke on clarinet.
Since 1986, he is leading his own Hamburg based Band: "NORBERT SUSEMIHL'S ARLINGTON ANNEX", a quintet that covers all facets of New Orleans Music. With this band he plays regularly in Hamburg and North Germany, and has been performing on festivals and concerts in South-Germany, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway. The band has also recorded.
He has also toured as a guest, or member with various bands, e.g.: Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble, Lillian Boute, Lars Edegran New Orleans Jazzband, Wanda Rouzans Taste of New Orleans, Sammy Rimington Band, Caledonia Jazzband(Oslo), New Orleans Delight(DK), Finn Burichs New Orleans Jazzband(DK), Maryland Jazzband(D), and he has appeared on many Jazzfestivals as a soloist.
Since 1997, he is also living in Copenhagen and often performs in Denmark with different bands.
Susemihl is today considered as one of the leading trumpet players in the New Orleans Style.
