The trombonist Thorben Schütt from Heidelberg initially gave little indication that he could become a musician: “I’m the first in our family,” reports the 32-year-old. After all, even as a little boy he was allowed to try out all the instruments and choose one: He chose the trombone “because it was the loudest”. Despite a classic basic training, the profession was by no means predetermined. After graduating from high school, Schütt decided to do a double degree in business administration and mathematics, for which he got a place in Munich. It was only here and during his studies that he discovered that he actually enjoys music much more.
As soon as he had graduated, he successfully applied for the next place at the music college: jazz trombone. The fact that an exceptional talent has emerged from this can be seen, for example, in performances by the Jazz rush big band see where Schütt has been sitting in the trombone movement for a long time. But he has another musical passion. Already at the beginning of his studies, Schütt attended a salsa concert – and immediately fell in love with this music. “I went straight to the band and said: ‘If you ever need a trombonist, call me!’ That’s what they did, and then, as is so often the case, it was through contacts and recommendations.”
DJ Fabrizio Zorro was such a contact. He runs a label and the band in Milan la Maximum 79. One day he fetched Schuett for a performance in Spain. He’s been in the band ever since. The fact that he always has to travel from Germany is not a problem, as the games are played all over the world anyway; I’ve been to a good 20 countries. Unlike here, salsa is a big hit in many regions of the world, the sideman Schütt has already been streamed millions of times.
As the only very blond German among all Latinos and southerners – at Maxima 79 as in general in the scene – Schütt was quickly given a suitable nickname by the others: “El Vikingo de la Salsa.” A name he gladly adopted for his own local salsa project. This has a higher jazz content than usual, and so denies El Vikingo de la Salsa now one “Jazz Summer Week” in Unterfahrt. Schütt has put together an impressive group of aficionados: from the Munich scene come the Venezuelan bassist Wilbert Pepper, the percussion star (and professor) Christian Lettner, who has strong ties to Brazil and who also fell in love with Latin jazz when he was in New York -Guru Matthias Bublath and percussionist Roberto Guerra Madden. From La Maxima 79 come the trumpeter Samuele Davì – “an amazing virtuoso who could have a world career but would rather live a simple life in Sicily,” as Schütt explains – and for the last two days the percussionist Umberto Nocita.
A band of the extra class – which is difficult to convey in this country, as Schütt explains: “Latin American music is often downgraded here. There are lots of amateurs cavorting at some fun evenings. It’s extremely demanding, rhythmically complex music. I have like a Crazy practiced and invested a lot to be good.” There is El Vikingo de la Salsa above all, “because it’s just so much fun for all of us,” as Schütt explains. What you can now convince yourself five days in a row.
El Vikingo de la Salsa, Tuesday to Saturday, Aug. 15 to 19, 8.30 p.m., Unterfahrt, Einsteinstr. 42, www.unterfahrt.de