Ralf Nowy -

Ralf Nowy (April 12, 1940 — 2007) was a German composer, arranger, and reedist who led his own band on the 1973 jazz-rock Intercord release Lucifer’s Dream, followed by the 1974/75 Atlantic albums Escalation and Nowy 2.

Background

Ralf Nowy was born on April 12, 1940, in Berlin, Germany. He trained as a technical draftsman and formed a rock ‘n’ roll band at eighteen. Two years later, Nowy passed entrance examinations for engineering school and the Stern Conservatory, opting for bassoon and composition studies at the latter. He played flute in a modern-jazz trio from 1961 and toured Germany as a dance-band musician after his 1964 graduation.

In 1968, Nowy joined Saarländischer Rundfunk in Saarbrücken as music editor and production manager for the station dance orchestra. He left in 1971 to work independently as a composer and arranger, with assignments for singers Udo Jürgens, Ireen Sheer, Peter Horton, Joy Fleming, and Su Kramer. Nowy also entered the Munich rock scene as a guest flutist on the Polydor album Drosselbart, a psychedelic-rock project with singer Monika “Jemima” Vincent-Gunia.

In 1972, Nowy arranged and played woodwinds on Feelin’ Alright, a Global Records album by singer-keyboardist Edo Zanki under the name Don Anderson. The sessions featured Fleming alongside bassist Lothar Meid, drummer Keith Forsey, and guitarists Andy Marx and Paul Vincent. The latter played beforehand with Missus Beastly and Klaus Doldinger’s Motherhood before teaming with Forsey in Hallelujah, which cut the 1971 Metronome album Hallelujah Babe.

Nowy retained Vincent and Forsey for his own project with pianist Sylvester Levay, bassist Gary Unwin, and percussionist Bernie Prock. He also enlisted sitarists Al Gromer and Liz van Nienhoff and tabla player Sankha Chatterjee. In 1973, the musicians entered Trixi Tonstudios in Munich with engineer Günther Zipelius for the self-produced Global/Intercord debut Lucifer’s Dream.

Discography:

Lucifer’s Dream (1973)
Escalation (1974)
Nowy 2 (1975)

References and notes

Ralf Nowy Group — Escalation (1974). Contemporary biography covering Nowy’s training, early bands, broadcasting career, and session work. (Album notes)
Ralf Nowy — Hartmann & Stauffacher. Conservatory studies, Saarländischer Rundfunk, and arranging credits. (Biography)
Drosselbart — MIG Music. Nowy’s early Munich session work. (Reissue notes)
Don Anderson — Feelin’ Alright (1972). Edo Zanki pseudonym and session personnel, including Nowy, Vincent, and Forsey. (Album credits; Zanki biography)
Ralf Nowy — Lucifer’s Dream (1973). Debut personnel, Munich studio, and production credits. (Reissue notes; Original credits)