Leo Mathisen
Encyclopedia
Leo "The Lion" Mathisen (10 October 1906 – 16 December 1969) was a Danish
jazz
pianist
, composer
, arranger, singer and bandleader
. He was a leading figure of the thriving Danish scene during the years around World War II
—a period which has been labelled the Golden Age of Danish Jazz—and he is considered to be one of most significant and original jazz musicians of his day.
Mathisen's main source of inspiration was Fats Waller
, both his piano play and his singing, but the later years of his career saw some Bebop
influence. His most famous tracks are Take it Easy and To be or not to be. His nickname is a reference to his first name as well as MGM
's mascot Leo the Lion
. He is also remembered for his characteristic appearance with his flat, centrally parted hair, his thin moustache and, most notably, his fondness of large cigars.
in 1906. He worked in a record shop
, listened to records and tried to copy the virtuous piano play that he heard. After completing a merchant education, he started working professionally as a pianist in restaurant Arena and with Kai Ewans
' band in Restaurant Adlen. The same year he also recorded his first album, The More We Are Together, in collaboration with Victor Cornelius
. From 1927 to 1928 he was also part of a trio with Otto Lington and Anker Skjoldborg.
From 1928 through 1931 he performed with Adrian Rollini
's orchestra Germany
and Sweden
and with Max Lefkos' band in Germany and Sweden
.
also in Germany. They also served as backup band
s for various popular singers.
Among the members of his band were Erik Parker, Henry Hagemann and John Steffensen while the trumpeter Jørgen Ry joined the ensemble in the years after the war. During the was, a time which has been labelled as the Golden Age of Danish Jazz, he reached huge popularity, particularly at the München establishment where he performed regularly for several years during the Occupation of Denmark
. When he was forbidden to perform in English, he resorted to Scat singing
with a destinctive Copenhagen-English sound.
From 1951 he performed as a solo pianist around Denmark but in spring 1953 he retired from music altogether due to health problems. He died in 1969 and is interred on the Mariebjerg Cemetery
in Gentofte
in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen.
, both in his piano play and in his singing, and particularly his recordings from 1941 to 1943 are considered to be among the swing music's finest. His most famous songs are Take it Easy and To be or not to be. With larger orchestras he recorded tracks like Long Shadows which is a typical example of his original arrangements. In 1952 he retired from music due to health problems.
Mathisen also recorded popular hits of his time such as Lionel Hampton
's Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop
, Five Minutes More
, Near Yo and Makin' Whoopee. With Erik Parkerm he also created Danish lyrics to songs such as De 24 Røvere that Fats Waller
recorded in 1941 and Jack McVea
’s The Key's In The Mailbox.
His music is featured in the films Der var engang en krig (1966), Midt i en jazztid (1969) and in I Tvillingernes tegn (1975).
He is also the subject of the biographical 1986 film Take it Easy where he is played by Eddie Skoller.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, arranger, singer and bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
. He was a leading figure of the thriving Danish scene during the years around World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
—a period which has been labelled the Golden Age of Danish Jazz—and he is considered to be one of most significant and original jazz musicians of his day.
Mathisen's main source of inspiration was Fats Waller
Fats Waller
Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
, both his piano play and his singing, but the later years of his career saw some Bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
influence. His most famous tracks are Take it Easy and To be or not to be. His nickname is a reference to his first name as well as MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
's mascot Leo the Lion
Leo the Lion (MGM)
Leo the Lion is the mascot for the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and one of its predecessors, Goldwyn Pictures, featured in the studio's production logo, which was created by the Paramount Studios art director Lionel S. Reiss....
. He is also remembered for his characteristic appearance with his flat, centrally parted hair, his thin moustache and, most notably, his fondness of large cigars.
Early life and career
Leo Mathisen was born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 1906. He worked in a record shop
Record shop
A record shop or record store is an outlet that sells recorded music. Although vinyl records and audio cassettes are no longer sold in the majority of music stores, in favour of compact discs and home video recordings products, people in some countries, like the UK, still use the term "record...
, listened to records and tried to copy the virtuous piano play that he heard. After completing a merchant education, he started working professionally as a pianist in restaurant Arena and with Kai Ewans
Kai Ewans
Kai Peter Anthon Nielsen, better known as Kai Ewans was a Danish jazz reedist.Ewans played initially as a banjoist, but switched to saxophone in 1923 when he formed the Blues Jazz Band. The group disbanded in 1924, after which Ewans joined Valdemar Eiberg's ensemble from 1924-26...
' band in Restaurant Adlen. The same year he also recorded his first album, The More We Are Together, in collaboration with Victor Cornelius
Victor Cornelius
Victor Cornelius was a Danish composer, pianist and singer.He is best known for his songs Toner fra himlen, Tre røde roser, Lille kammerat, Tak for gode som for onde år, I en sal på hospitalet and Mor er den bedste i verden.Cornelius also composed for a number of films including:*Alle går rundt...
. From 1927 to 1928 he was also part of a trio with Otto Lington and Anker Skjoldborg.
From 1928 through 1931 he performed with Adrian Rollini
Adrian Rollini
Adrian Francis Rollini was a multi-instrumentalist best known for his jazz music. He played the bass saxophone, piano, xylophone, and many other instruments. Rollini is also known for introducing the goofus in jazz music...
's orchestra Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and with Max Lefkos' band in Germany and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
With own bands
In 1936 Mathisen formed his own band and until 1952 he led various acclaimed orchestras which performed in restaurants in Copenhagen and toured in Scandinavia after the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
also in Germany. They also served as backup band
Backup band
A backing band or backup band is a musical ensemble that accompanies an artist at a live performance or on a recording. This can either be an established, long-standing group that has little or no change in membership, or it may be an ad hoc group assembled for a single show or a single recording...
s for various popular singers.
Among the members of his band were Erik Parker, Henry Hagemann and John Steffensen while the trumpeter Jørgen Ry joined the ensemble in the years after the war. During the was, a time which has been labelled as the Golden Age of Danish Jazz, he reached huge popularity, particularly at the München establishment where he performed regularly for several years during the Occupation of Denmark
Occupation of Denmark
Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark began with Operation Weserübung on 9 April 1940, and lasted until German forces withdrew at the end of World War II following their surrender to the Allies on 5 May 1945. Contrary to the situation in other countries under German occupation, most Danish...
. When he was forbidden to perform in English, he resorted to Scat singing
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
with a destinctive Copenhagen-English sound.
From 1951 he performed as a solo pianist around Denmark but in spring 1953 he retired from music altogether due to health problems. He died in 1969 and is interred on the Mariebjerg Cemetery
Mariebjerg Cemetery
Mariebjerg Cemetery is located in Gentofte north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was laid out between 1926 and 1933 to the design of the landscape architect Gudmund Nyeland Brandt and is considered an important example of European Modernist landscape architecture...
in Gentofte
Gentofte
Gentofte Kommune is a municipality in the Capital Region of Denmark on the east coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 68,913...
in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen.
Works
Mathisen recorded numerous albums with his band, often with his own compositions. His main source of inspiration was Fats WallerFats Waller
Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
, both in his piano play and in his singing, and particularly his recordings from 1941 to 1943 are considered to be among the swing music's finest. His most famous songs are Take it Easy and To be or not to be. With larger orchestras he recorded tracks like Long Shadows which is a typical example of his original arrangements. In 1952 he retired from music due to health problems.
Mathisen also recorded popular hits of his time such as Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
's Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop
Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop
"Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop" is a 1946 song by Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra. The song's lead vocals were performed by Lionel Hampton himself and featured Herbie Fields on alto sax. The song went to number one on the R&B Juke Box charts for sixteen non-consecutive weeks and reached number nine on the...
, Five Minutes More
Five Minutes More
"Five Minutes More" is a 1946 American pop song written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne , originally recorded by the Ross Sisters and later recorded by Frank Sinatra. The song was often referred to as "Give Me Five Minutes More"....
, Near Yo and Makin' Whoopee. With Erik Parkerm he also created Danish lyrics to songs such as De 24 Røvere that Fats Waller
Fats Waller
Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
recorded in 1941 and Jack McVea
Jack McVea
Jack McVea was an American swing, blues, and rhythm and blues woodwind player; he played clarinet and tenor and baritone saxophone...
’s The Key's In The Mailbox.
In films
Leo Mathisen appears as himself in the films 5 raske piger (1933), 7-9-13 (1934), Mit liv er musik (1944) and Teatertosset (1944).His music is featured in the films Der var engang en krig (1966), Midt i en jazztid (1969) and in I Tvillingernes tegn (1975).
He is also the subject of the biographical 1986 film Take it Easy where he is played by Eddie Skoller.