Nipso Brantner

wayne nakamura

Wondering if anyone has any info on Nipso Brantner and the Hot Club of Munich? Specifically the album "Swinging Violin"? Wondering who is in the band and if HCM put out any other albums?

I did a search first before posting and couldn't find any info.

Cheers

Wayne Nakamura

Barengero

Hi Wayne,

Joseph "Nipslo" or "Nipso" Brantner was born in Austria, in Villach (Kärnten). His father was a musician, too. Nipso learned the violin when he was 7 years old from his father. During the Nazi Era the Brantner family went to Hungaria (btw like Schnuckenack Reinhardt and his family did, too). In 1945 they went to Germany. Nipso put aside his violin and started a career as a professional jitterbug dancer. He once became european champion and even took part in a world championship. But after a while Nipso went back to the violin and became student at the Conservatory of Munich (Professors: Walter Dorr and the famous Herma Studeny). But during this period Nipso also planned to become a professional boxer. He ended his studies at the age of 18.

After that he played jazz music for 5 years, but then changed his style for about 7 years and played Hillbilly and Country&Western music. The Bandleader Hazy Osterwald (Switzerland) heard him playing in that Hillbilly band and engaged him for his Restaurant in Basel (Switzerland). He made a lot of tours and TV-Shows. And of course he made some records.

As far as I know there are the following members in his band:
Romeo Taubmann - rhythm guitar
Bappist Taubmann - solo guitar
Laci Brantner - drums (he is from Hungary)
Helmut Wörsching - double bass (he once played in the band of Freddy Brocksieper)

Some records:
- Nipso Brantner And The Hot Club of Munich (Karussell 2415 087)

- Nipso Brantner & The Swinging Cowboys: Die Grosse Westernschau (Country & Western Stuff),

- Nipso Brantner: Swinging in (Koch records 321 932)

- Nipso Brantner and his Munich Swingtett: Swing is in (Elite Special SOLP 535)

- Nipso Brantner: Electric Gipsy (Liberty Rec. LBS 83472) 1970

- Nipso Brantner: Swinging Violin (BASF 10221563) This is a reissue of the LP "Nipso Brantner and the Hot Club of Munich", 1972
The CD "Gipsy Swing" is a reissue of the LP "Nipso Brantner and the Hot Club of Munich" 1972, too. The titles are:
1. Strings Sings and Swings
2. Sortilege
3. Czigan Swing
4. Czigan Love Song
5. Rendezvous mit Jeanne
6. Moment Supreme
7. Kosakenpatrouille
8. Bleib bei mir (Atsch Baschmande)
9. Schwarze Augen (= Dark Eyes, Les Yeux Noirs)
10. Guten Tag
11. Schöne Mädchen (Schuger Tschai)
12. Scheene Musik

Nipso also took part in the "Gypsy Jazz Violin Summit" on MPS 15548 = Metronome 68240 (1979, LP) with Schmitto Kling, Zipflo Reinhardt and Hannes Beckmann and in the New Violin Summit - Live at the Berlin Jazz Festival (MPS 15335 = BASF 22 227200 = Metronome 88025 (1971, LP). That was with Don Sugar Cane Harris, Jean-Luc Ponty and Michal Urbaniak.

Hope that helps.

Best,
Barengero

wayne nakamura

Barengero:

Thank you very much for the information. I will look for more of his music.

So many of these musicians have such colourful backgrounds.

Cheers

Wayne Nakamura