About
Josef Wagner is an Austrian bassist/composer currently leading his own group "Memory Control" which released their debut album "The Wonderful Music Gives Happy You" in 2012 and the followup "Mardo" in 2015. Besides that, he works as composer for "Punches & Judies" as well as bassist/composer for the "LA Big Band" and bassist/arranger for "Thekla & The Freewheelin'". On this page you can find out more about Josef and his music.
Josef Wagner, born in 1982 in Amstetten (Austria), started playing electric bass at the age of 11. Soon he played in several bands around the Amstetten area. In 2001 he continued his bass studies at the University for Music and performing Arts Vienna with Willi Langer and Albert Kreuzer. With the trio "Morchestra" which played mainly Josef’s compositions he won the third prize of the "Austrian Young Lions Award" in 2002.
In the next few years the wide variety of his musical interests made him explore music styles as diverse as techno/electronica (with Breaking Pavel 2003-2008), world music (with Edward Powell 2003-2004, Livonia since 2007), poetry/music/improvisation (with Hermann Niklas and schalldicht 2005-2009), jazz (with Wolfgang Bräuer Trio since 2004, Verena Zeiner Trio 2010/2011), folkrock (with Tuskulum 2006-2009) and others.
Since 2009 Josef has been leading his own group "Memory Control" playing his personal version of modern jazz with various influences. The group released their debut album "The Wonderful Music Gives Happy You" in 2012 and the followup "Mardo" in 2015.
Besides his activity as a bass player Josef constantly tries to find his own voice as a jazz composer. The LA Big Band has played and recorded several of Josef’s compositions and in 2010 Josef wrote a full length program for the chamberpop group "Punches & Judies" based on the poems of E. E. Cummings. In 2012 he was asked to write a piece for the Lower Austrian "Viertelfestival" with lead to the foundation of the "Memory Control Sextet" with the addition of trombone and guitar to the usual quartet lineup. As a bass player Josef has also worked with Wolfgang Puschnig, Alegre Correa, Velvet Elevator, Heavy Tuba, Celia Mara, Lorenz Raab, Gerald Preinfalk and others.
Memory Control
Memory Control is my working group since 2009. We started out as a quartet (with Clemens Salesny, Philipp Jagschitz and Thomas Froschauer) playing gigs mostly in and around Vienna. With this line-up we recorded our debut album "The Wonderful Music Gives Happy You" in 2011.
In 2014 I turned the band into a sextet with the addition of Christian Maurer (bass clarinet and alto sax), Mario Vavti (trombone) and Frank Schwinn (guitar) to the "Memory Control" rhythm section. With this version of the group I recorded my second album "Mardo" for Sessionwork Records in 2014.
"Mardo" is available on (Sessionwork Records)
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Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose:
- Part I (4:19)
- Part II (4:05)
- Part III (6:13)
- Part IV (4:33) - Thistle, Utah (4:34)
- Kick-off (4:43)
-
Sansivieria Suite:
- Part I (5:48)
- Part II (5:57)
- Part III (2:47)
- Part IV (5:20) - High Five (6:14)
Credits:
- Christian Maurer: Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet
- Mario Vavti: Trombone
- Frank Schwinn: Guitar
- Philipp Jagschitz: Fender Rhodes
- Josef Wagner: Bass
- Thomas Froschauer: Drums
All music by Josef Wagner
Recorded December 21-22, 2014 at TSB
Mixed September 9, 2014 at TSB Recorded
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Roland Baumann
Cover-Artwork by Gottfried Ebner
"The Wonderful Music Gives Happy You" is available on Alessa Records (www.alessarecords.at).
- Alalia
- Blue Cup
- Bubbles
- Bil
- Hjuki
- Green Cup
- Melencolia I
- Kiourdi
- Monday
Credits:
- Clemens Salesny: Alto Saxophone, Saxello, Bass Clarinet
- Philipp Jagschitz: Piano, Fender Rhodes
- Josef Wagner: Bass
- Thomas Froschauer: Drums
All music by Josef Wagner
Recorded December 13-14, 2011 at TSB
Mixed January 12th, 2012, at TSB
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Roland Baumann
Cover-Artwork by Gottfried Ebner
Projects
What Am I Here For
What Am I Here For is a modern jazz quartet led by saxophonist Mathias Mayrbäurl. The other members are Michiru Ripplinger on guitar and drummer Michael Leibetseder. In 2016 we recorded our first album "Life Is Strange".
"Life Is Strange" is available on Hirsch Records
TRIS
TRIS is a recently founded Jazz-Trio consisting of Monika Dörfler (piano), Josef Wagner (bass) and Rainer Deixler (drums).
We play compostions by Monika and myself along with free improvisations.
For more information visit the band's website
Thekla & The Freewheelin'
Thekla & The Freewheelin' is a new group celebrating the music of George Gershwin and Bob Dylan. I really dig the two-guitar line-up which creates moods I would describe as "spheric country" or "abstract blues".
Our record "Gershwin & Dylan" is available on Hirsch Records
- Thekla Wagner: vocals
- Mathias Mayrbäurl: soprano saxophon, tenor saxophone, clarinet
- Michiru Ripplinger: electric/acoustic guitar, dobro, banjo
- Heinz Fallmann: electric guitar
- Josef Wagner: bass
- Thomas Froschauer: drums
Punches & Judies
Punches & Judies is a group I co-founded with singer Thekla Hörtler in 2010. Our idea was to write and arrange orchestral pop music performed within a relatively small but special instrumentation. The lyrics are poems by E. E. Cummings.
- Thekla Hörtler: vocals
- Emily Stewart, Simon Frick: violin
- Martina Engel: viola
- Gergely Koloszvarí: cello
- Thomas Franz-Riegler: marimba, glockenspiel, thumb piano, melodica
- Leo Geist: drums
LA Big Band
LA Big Band is an 18-piece big band led by Lois Aichberger. The band exists since 2004 and has released four records so far. In 2016 I was comissioned to write a one-hour "Jazz Symphony" for the band which features trumpet player Lorenz Raab.
For more information check out: www.labigband.at