JCT All Stars
The Jazz Club Thalwil (JCT) boasts almost 400 members, including some of the best professional musicians working in the Zurich region, so it comes as no surprise that the club has its own band. JCT All Stars brings together the experience of seven musicians who have played with a multitude of groups, from trios to octets, performing a wide range of different styles but with swinging mainstream jazz as their common ground.
The musicians
| Jürg Morgenthaler | Saxophone, clarinet |
| Daniel Baschnagel | Trumpet, flugelhorn |
| Lukas Heuss | Saxophone, clarinet |
| Robert Morgenthaler | Trombone |
| Thomas Grüninger | Piano |
| Hämi Hämmerli | Double bass |
| Elmar Frey | Drums |
JJürg Morgenthaler, born in 1953 in Berne, Switzerland Info
Jürg Morgenthaler was only 14 when he started playing in bands, mainly with a trad jazz leaning, such as the Roy King Band, Alex Welsh, the Smoking Band, Bob Wallis & his Storyville Jazzmen, the Tremble Kids and Hot Mallets. He won his first awards at the Zug and Lucerne jazz festivals. After attending the Konservatorium Zürich, he continued his studies at the Swiss Jazz School in Berne. He formed his own swing and modern jazz quartet, the J.M. Rhythm Four, in 1983.
Morgenthaler has performed with musicians including Benny Bailey, Sandy Patton, James Zollar, Peter Appleyard, Abdullah Ibrahim and Dan Barrett. He played lead alto in American Vince Benedetti’s Jazz Heritage Big Band and was later a member of Joe Haider’s International Big Band. He also performed in Pepe Lienhard’s show “The Swing Must Go On”.
Daniel Baschnagel, born in 1967 in Muri (canton of Aargau), Switzerland Info
Trumpeter Daniel Baschnagel studied at the Konservatorium Winterthur and continued his training with Mathieu Michel, Hal Crook and Nicholas Payton. He is a member of the Zurich Jazz Orchestra big band and teaches at the cantonal secondary schools in Bülach and Urdorf.
Lukas Heuss, born in 1961 in Zurich, Switzerland Info
Lukas Heuss started playing the clarinet when he was ten and switched to the saxophone at 15. He studied in the jazz department of the Lucerne School of Music and is a founder member of various jazz bands, including Clan Miller & the Hot Kotz, Köpfchen & Muskeln, Bari-Tones, Who is afraid of Cannonball-Flight and Lonely Horns. Heuss also plays in a number of big bands, among them the Zurich Jazz Orchestra and the Martin Streule Jazz Orchestra. He works as a freelancer in the fields of jazz, African, Latin and electronic music.
Robert Morgenthaler, born in 1952 in Berne, Switzerland Info
Robert Morgenthaler started attending festivals in his youth. He then studied the trombone at the Konservatorium Zürich and the Swiss Jazz School. He joined Roy Pellett’s band in 1972 before going freelance in 1974. In 1976, he became a member of the Swiss Jazz Quintet, with whom he recorded several albums and toured North America up to the mid-1980s. He played in Carla Bley’s bands in 1985 and 1986. After that, he worked with the Joe Haider Sextet and the Joe Haider-Mel Lewis Orchestra. He led his own quartet, backed by guitarist Günter Weiss, bassist Hämi Hämmerli and drummer Marc Huber. In the 1990s, Morgenthaler worked with various international greats, including Robin Eubanks, Franco Ambrosetti, Makaya Ntshoko, Lee Konitz, Moondog, Michel Godard and Lars Lindvall. He then toured mainly with his ethno-jazz trio Roots of Communication, which became a four-piece when Erika Stucky joined and performed not only in Europe, but also in Africa and Asia. As a sideline, he played alphorn jazz with Günter Baby Sommer & Swiss Horns and straight-ahead jazz with the Morgenthaler Brothers. Trombonist Morgenthaler feels at home with all styles of jazz and has taught since 1979 at the Bern University of the Arts and the Lucerne School of Music.
Thomas Grüninger Info
Pianist Thomas Grüninger studied under Adrian Frey at the Zurich Jazz School and later under Vince Benedetti. He spent a number of years at K.T. Geier’s workshops. Grüninger is a solid, swinging pianist for accompaniments and solos alike. Bud Powell, Tommy Flanagan and Wynton Kelly are his musical heroes.
Hämi Hämmerli, born in 1953 in Langenthal, Switzerland Info
Hämi Hämmerli studied the double bass at the Swiss Jazz School in Berne. He has worked as a freelance musician since 1978, joining such international luminaries as Franco Ambrosetti, Bennie Wallace, Mike Mossman, Bobby Watson, Charlie Mariano, Ernie Wilkins, Bennie Bailey, Walter Bishop, Jr. and Albert Mangelsdorff. Hämmerli also maintains a strong commitment to teaching jazz. He taught double bass and ensemble performance at the St Gallen Jazz School from 1988 to 1995, when he was appointed Artistic Director of the Lucerne Jazz School, which later became the jazz department of the Lucerne School of Music.
Elmar Frey, born in 1964 in Männedorf (canton of Zurich), Switzerland Info
Drummer Elmar Frey plays in a large number of Swiss bands, both big and small. Many international stars have also called on his outstanding backing skills. These include Horace Parlan, Benny Golson, Reggie Johnson, Mike Goodrick, Mark Soskin, Greg Osby, Dusko Goykovich, Bobby Shew and the New York Voices. His sought-after drumming talents make him indispensable to the Swiss jazz scene. With his swinging drive, he has a huge presence that continually grabs the attention of world-renowned musicians.
