Swing from Berlin (1) Kurt Widmann - Woran liegt's, dass ich dir nicht gefalle ? ft. Rudi Schuricke

The popularity of swing music was not limited to the Anglo Saxon countries... In 1920s Berlin - with its vibrant nightlife - jazz had quickly become very popular and its influences were clearly heard in popular dance music and even in schlager music. When the nazis came to power in 1933, strict rules were introduced.

Jazz and later on swing music were considered "entartete Musik" (Degenerated Music) yet remained enormously popular with the German audience. Thus many clever musicians who had remained in Germany sought ways to record swing music or play swing variations of popular songs... So despite officially being frowned upon, swing music found an ever larger audience in Germany.

Foreign bands such as Jack Hylton's band regularly performed in Germany and the Belgian orchestras of Stan Brenders, Fud Candrix and Jean Omer were extremely popular (the latter two played at the Delphi Palast in Berlin in 1942/43) and their recordings were released on the Telefunken label. Even during their performances in Germany they played titles that were officially banned but whose names had been changed - for example the "Tiger Rag" became "Schwarzer Panther"
The young generation listening to swing became known as the swing kids and even had their own dress style (this was not without danger - some were arrested and sent to reform institutions)...

Among the many talented German bands of this era were those of Die goldene Sieben, Heinz Wehner, Teddy Stauffer, Willy Berking, Erhard Bauschke, Michael Jary and Kurt Widmann.

Kurt Widmann (1906-54) started his career in 1933 at the Imperator Hotel in Berlin... His band and its swing repertoire soon became very popular but also attracted the attention of nazi censors who warned him several times against playing "entartete Musik". He made his first recordings in 1938 and that same year played with his band at the Haus Vaterland, an enormous entertainment complex at the Potsdamer Platz. The would stay there until 1942 when he was drafted into the wehrmacht. He was released due to injuries in 1944 and returned to the partially destroyed Haus Vaterland which know housed soldiers on their way to the front. There - in front of an enthusiastic crowd - Widmann played pure swing music - even forbidden titels... This time the censors closed their eyes... After the war Widmann formed a band and entertained American troops. He started started recording again as soon as 1946... He died of a brain hemorrhage in 1954. He was the only German bandleader whose life was the subject of a biographical movie : "Musik im Blut", released in 1955.

The video's theme is once again cinema : randomly picked young actresses under contract at the German Ufa Studios.
All pictures including Ufa-Album from personal collection.

It also included scenes from :

Immer nur Du! (1941)
Hab' mich lieb (1942) / Marika Rökk
Es leuchten die Sterne (1938) / La Jana
Münchhausen (1943) / Ilse Werner
Die Frau meiner Träume (1944) / Marika Rökk

About the Record

This song could be translated as "Why don't you like me?".
The singer is Rudi Schuricke who is using on of his aliases "Michael Hofer".

Tempo 5006/mx.1535

The record is in mint condition (except for a slight wobble at the beginning)
Transferred without modification.

Sound equipment used :
Ortophon om78 Cartridge & Stylus
Turntable : Stanton T.90
TerraTec 78RPM Phono Pre-amp

After processing, this video will also be offered in HD.
However whether this function works will depend on your Internet connection and the abilities of your computer (your screen may freeze).

After uploading it will take some time for the image to be fully processed (and become sharp)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Swing
• 78rpm
• Kurt
• Widmann
• Rudi
• Schuricke
• Woran
• liegt's
• dass
• ich
• dir
• nicht
• gefalle
• Hot
• Foxtrot
• Tempo
• Schallplatten
• Berlin
• 1939
• Jazz
• Schellack
• Schellac
• Haus
• Vaterland
• 1930s
• Deutschland
• Musik
• Marika
• Rökk
• Ilse
• Werner

[spannerworks1]

Hi

I see the Cd of Kurt do turn up on ebay - do the 78's from time to time do you know?

Richard

[Leotaurus1975]

Hi, I'm not quite sure as I don't really buy 78s over the internet. I have collected most by visiting flea markets / 2nd hand stores over the years...

[formiggini]

Marginally, the MUSIC style Swing had never been banned, only the DANCE swing....

Toll !!

[Leotaurus1975]

Danke Ulli!

[ferdgeislersingt]

jaaa, viel Schwung !

*****

[max1941]

wunderbar...vielen dank fur diese musik....gracias por esta musica bellisima....thanks for this beautiful music....Max

[barkking]

Warum?

[IPMVerlag]

Rudi Schurike, kann man´s glauben?Ist ja voll abgefahren, das ist richtig gute Musik, wenn auch die Zeit sehr trübe war. Die Tanzeinlage am Ende ist ja der volle Knaller. .........Superknaller.

DAs das durch die Zensur des wirren Reichsministers J. Goebbels gegangen ist, zeigt, dass die ziellos operierten.

Swing, wenn auch zu der Zeit und dass muss man sich immer wieder in Erinnerung rufen, der dreckige, menschenverachtende hitlerische Repressionsapparat schon in voller Aktion war.

[N9155E]

Sahnehäubchen!

[roybo1930]

FANTASTIC!!!!

[DarthChess]

Ja, dis ist wunderbar, danke, this really captures the edge that Berlin had during its economic growth in the 1920's under Weinmar, got to love it, : )

[FrauleinMarlene]

Großartig! :)

Ich bin wirklich begeistert!

Vielen Dank!