Horst Jankowski
Horst Jankowski was a seemingly inexhaustible composer of easy listening instrumental and space age pop who started out as a classical pianist. Comparisons are often noted between Jankowski and campy space age pop arranger and composer Juan Garcia Esquival, easy listening arranger and composer Bert Kaempfert, and easy listening arranger Ray Conniff.
A student of the Berlin Music Conservatory, Jankowski moved on to performing jazz at German nightspots. For a time, he led the band that backed jazz vocalist Caterina Valenti. In addition to conducting, the Berlin native composed for his country's equivalent of Muzak. Jankowski's "A Walk in the Black Forest," alternately known in Germany as "Eine Schwarzwaldenfahrt," was popular in the 1960s. That popularity helped him land a record deal. Mercury released a number of Jankowski's albums. By the 1970s, Jankowski shifted more heavily to jazz and he did not receive as much airplay in the U.S. as he had previously. Albums from this period include his jazzed-up versions of the day's popular numbers, including "Light My Fire." These covers can be found on the Black Forest Explosion! compilation.
Jankowski possessed a rather distinctive style of piano playing, which some have likened to banging on the keys. A sample of this can be found on his solos. Other recordings include collaborations with jazz ensembles, among them that of clarinetist Rolf Kuhns.
© Linda Seida /TiVo
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Jankowskeynotes
Horst Jankowski, Horst Jankowski and his Studio Orchestra
Jazz - Released by MPS on Jan. 1, 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Genius Of Jankowski!
Pop - Released by Boutique on Mar. 20, 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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A Walk in the Black Forest / Blue Spring
Pop - Released by Beverly Hills Records on Jul. 2, 1965
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Pop Goes Swing
Jazz - Released by Monopol Records on Oct. 2, 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
More Genius Of Jankowski
Pop - Released by Boutique on May 27, 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Meet Horst Jankowski
Rolf Kühn, Wolfgang Schlüter (Geb. 1933), Horst Jankowski
Jazz - Released by Sonorama on Jan. 1, 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vintage Pearls: Cocktail Swing
Horst Jankowski, Bernd Rabe, Kai Rautenberg
Jazz - Released by Intersound on May 19, 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Classic Easy Listening, Vol. 2 (1950S-1970S)
Horst Jankowski, Franck Pourcel, Xavier Cugat, Xavier Cugat Orchestra
Lounge - Released by Intersound on Mar. 31, 2017
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Still More Genius Of Jankowski
Pop - Released by Boutique on Sep. 16, 1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Mr. Black Forest
Lounge - Released by Intersound on Dec. 27, 2002
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Jacques Offenbach in Paris - Impressions by Horst Jankowski and His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by MPS on Oct. 9, 2014
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
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