CHRISTIAN DOZZLER

If these two meters should only specify the hight, I agree. But how can you describe Christian Dozzler's talent in meters? How do you measure his profound knowledge, his feeling for the blues? His masterly command of the instruments, of which he uses four to captivate and fascinate his audiences: bluesharp, piano, Louisiana-accordion and vocals.

C.D. plays the harp with the feeling and delicacy of Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter and Jimmy Reed. In contrast to others he doesn't use brute force on this small toy, he treats it with care.

Christian's personal piano-style is reminiscent of that great Chicago ivory-tickler, Otis Spann. He brings the old barrelhouse and boogie woogie pianists back to life and takes listeners from Chicago over the Delta to new Orleans where the blues is at home. This is blues played not merely with deep feeling but also with authenticity.

And the accordion! It rocks and swings and lets the prejudice against it as a hillbilly instrument vanish into thin air. C.D.'s playing makes this a blues instrument par excellance, as with Clifton Chenier, the "King of Zydeco". It's one of the greater moments of my life to be with Christian Dozzler on stage and to accompany hot Louisiana music on the rubboard.

Blues singing isn't a gift of every white man - that's why most of them make impossible attempts to sound "black". That is pointless and laughable. When C.D. opens his mouth, more for singing than for laughing, he sings blues without trying to sound like somebody else - why should he? He himself is somebody!

Christian Dozzler, born in 1958, has inherited all these talents from his long row of ancestors. Among them were a composer and piano accompanist for silent movies, a conductor and several choir singers. What could have been more natural than to start classical piano training very early, to fall in love with the blues and its many possibilities of expression at the age of 14 and to additionally learn -along with piano- harmonica, accordion and guitar? After seven years with his own Backyard Bluesband he joined the already renowned Mojo Blues Band in 1984, and was a major part of it until 1993. It would be too much to list all the European tours, festival appearances and co-operations with American Blues artists C.D. took part in. In addition to the numerous record productions with the Mojo Blues Band, Christian Dozzler also worked with John Littlejohn, Alabama Junior Pettis, Magic Slim, Axel Zwingenberger and Champion Jack Dupree, just to name a few other recordings. He has also found time for solo appearances as pianist and singer, in which he has developed his very own personal style.

How many meters is that by now? 2? 20? 200?
To really see Christian Dozzler's size, or rather to hear it, you must experience him "live" on stage.

That it's an experience you'll never forget, I guarantee personally !

Hans W. Ewert, Radio WDR Cologne, Germany