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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Discography
16 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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A Walk In The Black Forest (Jazz Club)
Jazz - Released by Boutique on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jankowskeynotes
Horst Jankowski, Horst Jankowski and his Studio Orchestra
Jazz - Released by MPS on 1 Jan 1970
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 2 Jul 1965
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Meet Horst Jankowski
Rolf Kühn, Wolfgang Schlüter (Geb. 1933), Horst Jankowski
Jazz - Released by Sonorama on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classic Easy Listening, Vol. 2 (1950S-1970S)
Horst Jankowski, Franck Pourcel, Xavier Cugat, Xavier Cugat Orchestra
Lounge - Released by Intersound on 31 Mar 2017
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Mr. Black Forest
Lounge - Released by Intersound on 27 Dec 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 9 Oct 2014
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Vintage Pearls: Cocktail Swing
Horst Jankowski, Bernd Rabe, Kai Rautenberg
Jazz - Released by Intersound on 19 May 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Inspirations - Piano Solo
Jeff Newmann, Franko Mladen, Horst Jankowski, Vladislav Sendecki
Relaxation - Released by Sonoton Music on 22 Mar 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo