Fred Dömpke

The bandoneón is conquering a significant role in jazz. Many bandoneón players are exploring this genre and are enriching it with interesting sounds and musical feelings, especially from tango.

Thanks to an assiduous German reader of this blog, I discovered a mysterious and unknown musician from the '30s and' 40s that played with a clear jazzy style: Fred Dömpke.

I have already written about an almost unknown German bandoneón virtuoso, Walther Porschmann. If in the case of Porschmann the information is scarce, in the case of Fred Dömpke it is practically zero.

All I was able to find are some YouTube videos, citations in books and documents, and a collaboration mention with the Alfred Arnold factory (today he would probably be considered an endorser).

By listening to the available recordings, it is clear that he was also a virtuoso and that he played the Swing style. Moreover, it was not so strange that in those years the bellows instruments complemented the Swing orchestras: some coeval formations of Duke Ellington could be an example.

Unfortunately, the information I have been able to find on Fred Dompke stops there. I invite all those who have more information to share it, it will be published here on the blog.

I leave you with a selection of two songs from the several ones that are available on YouTube.
Happy listening!

Sources

• Hot Bandoneon Swingin Guitar Die Fred Dompke Bio-Discographie, book on sale;
• Dömpke playing W. Porschmann's Polka (78 rpm on sale);
• Tausend Muntere Noten, album on sale;
• Dömpke mentioned in the programming of Radio Barcelona, 1948 (PDF);
• Dömpke mentioned in the programming of BBC, 1939;
• Accordion in Ellington's Orchestras.

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