members
Werner G. Seifert


Werner G. Seifert
Instruments: Hammond B 3, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer Piano

Biography: born in 1949, one daughter. Werner obtained a PhD in economic science and after his business career with McKinsey, Swiss Re and Deutsche Boerse he retired and settled down in West Cork, Ireland. He still is a professor at the European Business School, Chairman/non-executive director of companies and is developing small businesses. He has written a couple of books (most recently The invasion of the locusts) and is advisor to several institutions. Werner has restored a period house in Ireland and a farm house in Burgundy. He sails his yacht Baltic Girl, races his collection of vintage cars, nurses his tractor and enjoys the company of dogs and donkeys.

Werner started his musical training at the age of four on the piano and later on the church organ. He is involved in jazz and rock for 45 years but turned down the idea of becoming a professional musician early on. Throughout his business career he always kept up his dedication to music and played with various jazz and rock groups, participating in many sessions. A veteran keyboarder of the rock groups The InCrowd in the early sixties and Appleton from 1965 until 2005 he performed occasionally as a soloist with the big bands BigBrazzPack and SAP Big Band. Eventually he decided to assemble a group of professional jazz musicians, to learn from them and grow musically. Thus Werner built up JazzXChange in 2004 together with August-Wilhelm Scheer who left the group in late 2007. With various groups he has played concerts and festivals in Bulgaria, England, Germany, Holland and Ireland.

In 2008 he established the fusion group MunsterFunk in West Cork together with Stephen Housden and local drumming legend Les Sampson. Later he convinced Stephen to join JazzXChange as well. Werner collects vintage keyboards and organs in his studio built behind his main house where he invites friends and neighbors occasionally for concerts.

Werner is interested in the sociology of jazz and is researching parallels between running a band and a company.

Albums: Stick to Appleton (Appleton), Taking stock (Appleton), The cart of groove (SAP - Bigband), Santa Claus is jammin´ into town (BigBrazzPack), Crime Time (BigBrazzPack) and Well you needn’t (JazzXChange). Werner produced Suspense (Music Liberation Unit, 1992), Finally Back Home (Klaus Göbel Group in 2000), Santa Claus is jammin’ into town and Crime Time (both by BigBrazzPack, 2004 and 2005) as well as the two albums of JazzXChange.

Favourite Albums: The out-of-towners (Keith Jarrett), Trio of Doom (John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorius and Tony Williams), Brooklyn Shuffle (Thomas Heidepriem) and Mozart’s piano concerts.