German drummer
Klaus Weiss appeared in groups with many American expatriates as well as leading his own bands in trio, quintet, sextet, and big-band settings from the '60s through the '90s. Influenced by such drummers as Big Sid Catlett and
Buddy Rich,
Weiss began playing professionally at age 16. His first gigs, with a group called the Jazzopators, provided accompaniment roles for trumpeter
Nelson Williams and vocalist Inez Cavanaugh.
Weiss also worked with
the Klaus Doldinger Quartet, and played at the Blue Note in Paris with
Bud Powell,
Kenny Drew, and
Johnny Griffin. He led a trio beginning in 1965, with pianist
Rob Franken and bassist
Rob Langereis, that played with
Booker Ervin, recorded his first LP as a leader (Greensleeves), and won the International Jazz Competition in Vienna in 1966, and would go on to win several Twen Jazz Polls as well. During the late '60s, he also played with
the Erwin Lehn Big Band, the Bayerischer Rundfunk Jazz Ensemble, and
Friedrich Gulda.
Weiss recorded half a dozen LPs during the early '70s, several with a quintet or sextet including work by trumpeter
Cecil Bridgewater, bassist
George Mraz, and pianist
Walter Norris. He also led an international all-star big band (with
Slide Hampton,
Herb Geller,
Philip Catherine, and
Don Menza, among others) for the live 1971 album I Just Want to Celebrate. During the late '70s and early '80s,
Weiss worked mostly with his quintet, but also toured with
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis,
Clifford Jordan, and
Horace Parlan while making frequent quintet albums as a leader. He recorded two albums during the '90s, including the trio outing L.A. Calling and the Christmas album
A Message from Santa Klaus (with
the NDR Bigband). Later in his career, as his extensive discography continued to grow,
Weiss also began composing music for movies and television. He died unexpectedly, reportedly of heart failure, on December 10, 2008 in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Germany. ~ John Bush