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 "DEMS Bulletin 03/03 DEMS 2
- December 2003 - March 2004".Non members about Karl Emil Knudsen 03/3 DEMS 2 Karl Emil Knudsen passed away yesterday, Friday, September 5th. Death caused
by a coronary thrombosis after only two weeks in hospital.
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 I am stunned. I
met with Mr. Knudsen only two months ago and we were talking about
future projects. What a loss. He had some great things planned for
Ellington listeners. |
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Mr. Knudsen intervened when the Storyville CD "Duke in Munich" almost got
shelved. He personally saw to it, early this year, that the CD was produced.
He called me to make sure the liner notes were all in order and even though he had a hearing problem, he was patient enough to listen to my detailed corrections. And had them all done. He leaves a treasure, and we should all be very grateful. Loek Hopstaken |
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 Truly
depressing news from Doug Pomeroy - the passing of Karl Knudsen in
Copenhagen. Karl was the last remaining super-champion of
traditional jazz in Europe. |
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| I knew Karl Emil Knudsen slightly while with the American Embassy in Copenhagen (1965-70). He was an amiable, efficient Danish businessman with a passionate interest in jazz. I fully agree that the scope of his contributions is irreplaceable. Ernie Nagy | ||||
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A discreet, but influential personality in Danish Jazz history has passed
away, all too soon. Karl Emil Knudsen's major effort to document Danish jazz
through his record and film label SONET/STORYVILLE cannot be appreciated too
much. Some of the biggest names among the Jazz, Blues and Gospel artists
were to be found in his catalog. He could come around as very edgy, and drive a hard bargain, but beneath all of this, he was a very kind and generous person. To share everything in his invaluable collection of records, movies, and books with fellow jazz lovers, was only one way to show his generosity. To me, it was like stepping into Aladdin's cave and it has given me many exciting and instructive musical experiences. I hope this collection will be treated in the best possible way. Illness was unfortunately a severe part of his life, but his unfailing energy was always the winner in the end, until he had to give up. In jazz, one does not get rich on mammon, but in so many other ways, jazz enriched Karl Emil's life, the same way it has done for many others. Danish jazz has lost a cornerstone, and I will miss his friendship and our small conversations between the thousands of records in his collection. Ole '"Fessor" Lindgreen |
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 For those
who didn't have the pleasure of knowing him: Karl Emil Knudsen was a
man who truly loved the music and dedicated his life to
discovering, recording and disseminating it, first in sound, then also
in sight. Later, he also became a publisher of discographies of the
highest quality, and, after years of laborious organization, Bill
Russell's epic "Oh, Mister Jelly." KEK, as he was fondly known, began as
a collector and remained one at heart all his life. Nothing pleased him
more than unearthing some hitherto unknown performance, on disc, tape or
film, and then (unlike some of the collecting ilk) sharing his discovery
with the public, but this always only after having found, more often
than not through diligent digging, who had rights, and coming to terms
with the owners. He did so even after everything in recorded music
seemed to become fair game for anyone able to produce a CD,
and paid good money (which he could ill afford) to issue legitimate,
quality product even when bootleggers had already issued
it in shoddy form. Karl Emil started as a lover of traditional jazz, and
kept a place in his heart for that music. It was a great pleasure for him to
be able to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his label with a bonanza survey
of classic Danish Trad, larded with a soupcon of visitors, such as a still
young Chris Barber. |
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But his musical horizon broadened with the years, and he became responsible for some great nuggets of Warne Marsh, Dexter, Monk and others who never came near a banjo or washboard. Typically, he was at the end embarked on a truly major Ellington project (the Treasury Broadcasts) and a marvellous series of Live Tatum material. And on his publishing schedule was a definitive discography of Louis Armstrong. In later years, he called himself Doctor in Jazz Archaeology-a just title. The future of his legacy is now in the hands of fate. Aside from jazz, Karl Emil loved football (what Americans call soccer), the main reason for his big-screen satellite TV. And as, alas, he lost his ability to properly listen to music, watching games (and finding jazz on film or video that he at least could see) became his great pleasure in life. He also loved modern art and was a connoisseur in particular of graphic arts and had a fine collection of prints and books. But not only books on art, and jazz, but also on Danish humor (not an inconsiderable subject, as Danes happily know), theatre, film and other things. But with all his interests, he was the most unpretentious and straightforward of men, as well as the most helpful. Some of you will have experienced his generous hospitality at first hand, and I think that when he lost that great big beautiful apartment of his, due to a change of landlords, his biggest regret was that he could now only accommodate one guest at the time. I first met Karl Emil well before the advent of Jazzpar, and had already experienced his hospitality to me and my family (fortunately, my boys behaved well and didn't break or dislodge anything) before then, but for the past l5 years in a row, no annual visit to Denmark was spent without at least a few days as Karl Emil's guest. No matter how bad he might be feeling, and in later years his energy, while still greater than that of most people half his age, was running down, he would insist on driving me to the airport. We were almost exactly the same age, and for next year, which may be the final Jazzpar, I had planned to take him to one of the best restaurants in Copenhagen to pre-celebrate our upcoming 75th, in spite of what I knew would have been his protestations. Now I will have to drink a solitary skaal to one of the kindest and most decent men I've had the good fortune to know. Dear Doctor in Jazz Archaeology, we will cherish the treasures you've left us and think of you when we do. |
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| Dan Morgenstern (Photo Ed Berger) | ||||
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 Farewell Good FriendI first met Karl-Emil some thirty-five years ago in a jazz record shop in Manhattan. We became very good friends and over the years he was a house guest at my homes on LongIsland, Florida, and most recently in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. I would help him plan his visits to the States, picking him up at airports and driving with him to IAJRC conventions and Ellington conferences. One of the highlights of our visit to Europe in 1997 was a trip to Denmark. Karl picked up my wife Barbara and myself at the Copenhagen railroad station and took us to his home. We spent the next three days enjoying the beauty of Denmark, visiting the Storyville studios, looking at Karl's fantastic collection of records, books and films, and spending a few late nights in his apartment watching TV and videos. On one of his Florida visits he arrived Thanksgiving Day on crutches. We got him home for a fine turkey dinner. I remember that at the New Jersey record bash, Karl stayed in his hotel room to watch the games of the World Soccer Cup. We drove him to Pittsburgh from North Adams to attend an Ellington conference. Another time at an IAJRC convention in New Orleans I went with him to visit his good friend Bill Russell who was close to death. On the way back to our hotel Karl could not hold back the tears. Among the happiest moments with him were the ones we spent in my basement in Plainview and the hours on my Florida porch room just conversing and listening to good music. Saying goodbye is very hard. It is, even now, hard for me to realize that he is gone. I hope that somewhere in the eternity of this universe he is now relaxed and enjoying good music. God rest your soul good friend. |
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| Jerry Valburn | ||||
(Allan Stephensen 4-feb.-2007)
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Some Footnotes