Walter Lang

by Eleanor DitzelAs a young child, Walter Lang was immersed in a household vibrating with his father and grandfather's lively accordion and piano playing. He joyously began his own musical training on the piano when he was nine years old. Raised in Germany, Lang went to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music, and then returned to Europe to graduate from the Amsterdam School of the Arts. Blending his unique jazz rhythm with the skills of talented friends, Lang helped found the Rick Hollander Quartet. The group toured almost constantly throughout the '90s, covering America, Japan, and Europe many times. In between travels, they managed to create five CDs and in 1990, the quartet won the Europ' Jazz Contest in Hoeilaart, Belgium. During this same time, Lang, as an active freelance pianist, played with artists such as James Moody, Don Menza, and Chico Freeman. As a lively jazz artist in Munich, Germany, he worked with Harald Rueschenbaum, the Jason Seizer Quartet, and Johannes Herrlich's Collage. The town of Gersthofen, Germany, awarded Lang its Artist of the Year award in 1998, showing its deep appreciation for his unique style. In 1997, Lang formed his own trio with Rick Hollander (drums) and Nic Thy (bass). Their first release was Walter Lang Trio Plays Charles Chaplin, which showcased the beloved music of the comedian. It was co-produced with Radio DRS in Switzerland, recorded in Zurich, and released by the Japanese label Nippon Crown. Lang started the new millenium by recording his Tales of 2 Cities with Ekkehard Roessle on sax, Karoline Hoefler on bass, Peter Tuscher on trumpet, and his longtime friend, Rick Hollander, on drums. The CD was released on the Double Moon label, and provided the diversity of Lang's talent an opportunity to express itself in the merged rhythms of the lively South Americas and the classical North Americas, plus adding popular tunes from America. The result was appropriate for Lang: breathtaking.