Köln 75
Fifty years ago, Vera Brandes organized a concert for pianist Keith Jarrett in Cologne, Germany. This concert became renowned as the best-selling solo jazz album and the best-selling piano recording of all time. Now, "Köln 75," a film by Ido Fluk and Sol Bondy, dramatizes the events leading up to the concert, which will premiere at the Berlinale next month.
Brandes met Ronnie Scott, a British jazz musician and club owner, who asked her to organize concerts for him in Germany. Thus, she became a music promoter, overcoming her father's objections. Her fifth concert was a huge risk, booking the Cologne Opera House for an improvised music concert by Jarrett.
However, things went awry when the piano provided by the opera house was out of tune and Jarrett refused to play. Determined, Brandes found a piano tuner who repaired the piano just in time. The concert was a triumph, filled with emotion and magic.
Brandes credits Gigi Campi, who ran an ice-cream parlor that doubled as a music venue, for fostering Cologne's jazz scene.
Throughout her career, Brandes worked with exceptional musicians, including Ralph Towner, Carla Bley, Andreas Vollenweider, and Astor Piazzolla. After establishing herself as a music promoter, she started her own record label. Later, she pursued psychology and became head of music medicine research at Salzburg Medical University.
Despite leaving the music business, Brandes remains involved in producing music and concerts. Today, she is enthusiastic about pianist Matthias Kirschnereit and Taj Mahal and his band.