Alex Deutsch 50 Years of Smoking Drums

I feel deeply touched and honored, and I am looking forward to celebrating my 50th stage anniversary as a drummer with some of the most outstanding and slammin' musicians and artists on this planet, with whom I have been blessed to make music and create magic over the past decades, including some of my dearest friends and family. (Alex Deutsch)

The drummer, originally from East Styria, never wanted to limit himself to one genre. In his rich career, which began after studying at the Jazz University in Graz and then starting in New York, Alex Deutsch also made a name for himself in this country as a producer of high-quality dancefloor electronics. His love for jazz came in stages but eventually became the center of his musical passions. During his student years, he had the opportunity to play with American trumpeters Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard, creating indelible impressions. Deutsch moved to New York and gained positive attention in a trio with Wolfgang Muthspiel and Peter Herbert.

Back in Austria, he made a career as the rhythm maker of the dancefloor jazz formation Café Drechsler, reaching beyond national borders. A glorious side project at that time was his Gelee Royal sessions, which connected him to electronic music. When he entered the scene with the young and talented singer/songwriter Anna F., people spoke of him as having the Midas touch. And with his most recent band, Alex & The Candy Killers, he returned to the music he heard on the radio as a child: hits, back when they weren't yet a disparaging term. His fascination with rhythmic sounds also traces back to childhood. He was captivated by the soft "tk tk tk" sound when lightly placing his foot on the stroller's spokes. It drove his mother half mad, but it became the foundation of the rhythm artist Alex Deutsch. (Press Text)

Program and cast

Alex Deutsch: drums