LULU WEISS - PORTRAIT
Lulu Weiss is a guitarist from Landau in der Pfalz, Germany. He is a Sinti and one of the key names in Sinti jazz (often also called Sinti swing).Lulu Weiss was born in Illingen an der Saar in 1959 and grew up like many German Sintis of the time in the traditional manner of a traveller in a caravan. Weiss is from a Sinti family with a long history in music. During his childhood, he and his brother Caruso were taught by Oskar Weiss to play guitar. Oskar often took the young Lulu to performances, where he would play for a meal and a round of the hat. According to Lulu Weiss, his experiences from back then greatly influenced him, leaving their mark on his musical development.
Lulu Weiss released his first album entitled “Gypsy Dreams” in 1990 with the Lulu Weiss Quartett. Violinist, pianist and Sinti jazz musician Romeo Franz is among those featured on the album.
In the meantime, Lulu Weiss formed the Lulu Weiss Ensemble with which he has recorded several albums and given many concerts since the 1990s. Besides himself on guitar, the members of the ensemble include his cousin guitarist Nello Weiss, tenor saxophonist Sergio Parra and double bass player Otmar Klein. Characteristic of the band is that the violin, normally obligatory in Sinti music, has been replaced in the Lulu Weiss Ensemble by the saxophone. In addition to traditional Sinti swing and jazz, the ensemble also bring elements of French chanson and musette, bossa nova and Hungarian folklore to their music.
Aside from his work with the Lulu Weiss Ensemble, Lulu Weiss is a soloist in demand and has performed numerous gigs in Germany and abroad.
Discography:
1990 Gypsy Dreams - Lulu Weiss Quartett
1995 Guitares & Gitanes - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
1997 Lulu III - Hommage an Rudi - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
1998 Petit Noir - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
2001 Allez Hopp - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
2004 Palatine Summer - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
2006 Rouge Ordinaire - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
2014 Palatine Autumn - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
1995 Guitares & Gitanes - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
1997 Lulu III - Hommage an Rudi - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
1998 Petit Noir - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
2001 Allez Hopp - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
2004 Palatine Summer - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
2006 Rouge Ordinaire - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
2014 Palatine Autumn - Lulu Weiss Ensemble
Web:
Text: Robert Lippuner / Gypsy Music Network
Translation: Jamie Davies
