BIOGRAPHY Studied classical trumpet. Got interested in modern jazz during the sixties with opportunities to play with musicians like Kenny Clarke, Mal Waldron, Oscar Pettiford, Abdullah Ibrahim (then Dollar Brand), George Gruntz, Irène Schweizer, Pierre Favre and others. Member and partly co-leader of groups like Magog, Jazz Community as well as numerous participations in experimental groups and free improvisation projects (Urs Blöchlinger). During the eighties he founded the chamber music improvisation group Habarigani (see discography), toured Switzerland with Carla Bley, lead projects with Art Lande, John Tchicai, recorded Audience (see discography) with Lesley Stephenson, Franco d’Andrea, Glenn Ferris and others. Third Stream concert with Gunther Schuller (Darius Milhaud, Charles Mingus etc.). During 92/93 Hans Kennel got called by Steve Lacy (see discography) with whom he recorded two highly praised CDs. He also recorded his own quintet Stella (featuring Mark Soskin) and his Habarigani Brass (see discography). Kennel also composed music for various radio plays and theater productions, such as Mars for Hans Kresnik for the Basle and Hamburg Schauspiehaus. Music for various films, mainly documentaries, such as the wonderful “Hirtenreise ins Jahr 2000” and “Alpine Saga” by Erich Langjahr (see links). Since more than twentyfive years Hans Kennel has also started to search for his personal and family roots in Alpine music and become the initiator of a new wave of interest in some of Switzerland’s cultural heritage, triggering a movement among younger musicians to make their own experiments with traditional music. It all started with Alpine Jazz Herd (co-lead with musicologist Jürg Solothurnmann), Alpine Experience and finally Mytha, the pacemaking alphorn quartet. With this group, Kennel initiated a truly new and original method of playing and writing for alphorns and other related untempered natural horns of different basic pitch (see alphorn polyphony). The group has recorded two CDs which, after a short out-of-print period are again availabe in a compilation “How it all started” on hatART records. Also available is Mytha Three, recorded in 2003. Alpine Experience has two highly acclaimed records, Rosa Loui and Call From The Alps (see discography), which contain mainly instrumental music with Alpine roots, but speaking a new language. On the later Kennel also features S’Heuis (The Schönbächler Sisters), a vocal quartet (natural yodel, or Jüzli) whose cristal clear and vibratoless voices are often compared to those of Bulgaria. Kennel now, among other activities, also has a close and inspiring cooperation with the outstanding singer/songwriter Betty Legler with whom Mytha just recorded a live demo CD which is available shortly (see discography) and which features the very intriguing sound combination of büchels and alphorns together with the fully integrated female voice and accordion. Other activities are teaching, giving lectures on untempered music of the Alps, workshops etc.. For his commited work as a musical catalyst in the triangle of folk, classical and improvised music, Kennel was honoured with the Cultural Award Of Central Switzerland 1998.
 
 
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