Helmut Plattner, born 1940, was one of the founding
fathers of the Jazz scene in his native Niederösterreich,
the largest of
As a trumpeter, bandleader, arranger, and sometimes
piano & reed player, he shaped many bands in the Krems
region–among them the Courthouse Jazzband and the legendary Studio
Combo–, but he also made his mark in the jazz scene of the Austrian
capital, where he was a welcome guest in Vienna’s foremost traditional bands:
the Barrelhouse Jazzband, the Blue Note Six, the Red Hot Pods
and the Storyville Jazzband, to name
just a few.
Not satisfied with this achievements alone, during the
1960’s he had–obviously not without the help of his wife Erika, who happened to
have played the guitar in the Studio Combo, but meanwhile had switched
her focus to Classical Music–fathered and raised three children, all of whom
turned out to have a proclivity to music, in particular to jazz. The next step
predictably was to incorporate his offspring into musical projects, and
eventually to unleash the
ultimate Austrian family band: the first of
international renown since the Trapp family of ‘Sound Of Music’ fame,
and certainly the first ever in Austrian jazz: Plattner & Plattners Jazz Corporation.
The original edition of
that ensemble comprised the domestic front line of Helmut Plattner (trumpet),
the younger son Bernhard (trombone) and the elder son Christian (clarinet &
alto saxophone). In the rhythm section there were two old friends from Krems: Gereon Wolter
(banjo & piano) and Peter Bauer (double bass); and Leslaw Tenczar on drums.
At least in the formative years, the stylistic emphasis remained on Traditional
Jazz of all varieties–Dixieland, New Orleans & Chicago Jazz, intermingled
with brief excursions into Swing & Bebop.
Appearances first at private parties, then in
Several occupational changes (Peter Bauer being called
to the University of Cologne, Germany, to hold a teaching post for Medical
Statistics; Christian Plattner concentrating on an international career in both
Management & Music; Bernhard Plattner quitting the music business
altogether) resulted in changes of personnel. Over the years, Plattner &
Plattners Jazz Corporation and the closely
related Swing and Mainstream outfit Plattner & Co have included the
family’s youngest offspring, Susanne Plattner (guitar & vocals), bass
player Martin Treml, trombone player & arranger Heinz Czadek, Thomas
Schwetz–a member of the equally musical Schwetz family from Böheimkirchen
& former pupil of Christian Plattner–on clarinet & tenor saxophone,
pianists Ronnie Weisz & Heribert Kohlich, and drummer Walther Großrubatscher.