Heinz von Hermann was born in 1936 in Vienna, Austria. He learned violin at the age of eight, and undertook his first approach to jazz at seventeen. He took a few clarinet lessons with Fatty George, and learned all other instruments autodidactically. He began to play in jazz clubs around Vienna. He won first prize in the Friedrich Gulda Youth Competition as the best young jazz saxophonist of 1958. In the late fifties he went to Germany with the legendary Uzi Förster Band, and was on the road from that time on. When the Uzi Förster Band returned to Vienna, Heinz von Hermann remained in Germany and played at the few existing jazz clubs and later in the American clubs. 1961 he was already working with the Peter Herbolzheimer Band in an American club in North Africa, and later with the Gerry Hayes Band in the Netherlands, and again in North Africa for two years. He spent half a year in France, and then four years in Spain. He worked there for two years leading the house band in the famous Madrid jazz club "Whiskey & Jazz" with such guest stars as Tete Montoliu, Lee Konitz, Donald Byrd, Booker Ervin and Billy Brooks. Several radio and movie scores, and other recording sessions were undertaken in Madrid. He also led the band for Donna Hightower on her concert tours in Spain.
After spending a half year in Italy he returned to Germany in 1968 to work with the Max Greger TV Big Band, simultaneously performing as a member of the Bavarian Radio Jazz Combo, playing with Joe Haider, Benny Bailey, Frank St. Peter, Mal Waldron and Rudi Fuesers. Later in this period he had his own quartet with Joe Harris, Jimmy Woode and Mike Thatcher. He also played in Dusko Goykovich's Munich Big Band and his Quintet, and undertook countless recordings of all kinds in the Munich studios.
Paul Kuhn called him to Berlin in 1971 for his Radio Big Band (SFB Big Band) as a permanent soloist and band member. In Berlin he formed a quintet with Carmell Jones, and some other small groups that included Ake Persson and Leo Wright. He played in Berlin with the Slide Hampton Super Band and was a soloist in several other radio big bands and TV shows. Since then he was a permanent member of the Peter Herbolzheimer Big Band. Later in the seventies he formed his trio with Hans Rettenbacher and Ronnie Stephenson, and in the late seventies he founded the band "Candombe" together with Wilson de Oliveira. In the eighties, after the demise of the SFB Radio Big Band, he worked as a freelance musician Milo Pavlovic´ Berlin Bigband and with Barry Ross' Swingmachine and formed the Berlin Salsa Band "Salsanco." He worked a great deal in duet with Walter Norris and recorded the CD "Second Trio" with him and Mads Vinding. He continued to record as a soloist for the German radio and TV stations. Was a steadily featured soloist in the 3 SAT TV show "Swing and Talk" with Horst Jankowski.
After 1991, following his return to Austria, he began teaching at the Klagenfurt Conservatory of Music and he formed another trio with Erich Bachträgl and Uli Langthaler, then 1996 the JazzAhead Quintett with Andy Haderer and Bruno Castellucci. Since 2001 several concert tours with the "JazzAhead Chamber Jazz Trio" with Erwin Schmidt and Uli Langthaler. By the end of 2004 the "Straight Six" sextet was founded and several concerts are in preparation.
2007 "H.v.Hermann Swingtet" with Tom Henkes, Franz Scharf, Herbert Otahal, Robert Goodenough and Fred Mühlhofer.
2010 Quartet with Fritz Pauer, Johannes Strasser and Joris Dudli.
2011 "JazzAhead picante" with Johannes Herrlich, Markus Gaudriot, Uwe Urbanowski, Walter Grassmann, Andy Steirer and Carole Alston.
PERFORMANCES AS SIDEMAN
Small Bands:
Joe Tauscher, Herbert Fahringer, Uzi Förster (with Rudi Wilfer, Hans Rettenbacher, Karl Prosenik, with Werner Giertz) Herman Wilson (with Sammy Walker, Hartwig Bartz), Peter Herbolzheimer (Sextet 1961), Gerry Hayes (with Jan Huydts, Robby Langereijs, Frans Elsen, Karl Barthelmes), Kai Rautenberg (with Alfons Bleses, Victor Kaihatu), Mano Negra, Donna Hightower, Fred Henderson, Dusko Goykovic, Charlie Antolini, Salsanco, Connection Latina, Johannes Faber, Jörg Reiter, Erich Kleinschuster Sextet (with Claudio Roditi), Jazzcombo des Bayr. Rundfunks (Joe Haider, Mal Waldron, Benny Bailey, Frank St. Peter, Makaia Ntshokho, Rudi Fuesers, and many others), Albert Mair & Jimmy U Quintet, Elly Wright Band, Art Farmer - Robert Pollitzer Nonet, Manfred Josel, Manfred Stern, Heinz Czadek - Leo Wright Memorial Band, Lady P. and Friends, Herbart Sattler Quartet, Johnny Schütten, Gale Anderson, David Gazarov, Petra Linecker, Sandra Rose Band and many others.
Big Bands:
Pepe Nieto Big Band (Madrid), Max Greger (Munich ZDF), Dusko Goykovic's Munich Big Band, Gil Evans (Berlin Dream Band), Maynard Ferguson (2 tours), Lionel Hampton (1 tour), SFB Big Band with Paul Kuhn (10 years - numerous TV shows), Slide Hampton's Superband, Peter Herbolzheimer RCB (30 years! - numerous TV shows), Barry Ross' Swingmachine,Milo Pavlovbic´ Berlin Bigband, HR Big Band, NDR Big Band, RIAS Big Band (numerous TV shows), Cologne Concert Big Band (Jerry van Rooyen), RIAS Bigband, RTV Big Band Radio Ljubljana, OyOyOy Bigband Salzburg, Dusko Gojkovic International All Star Bigband, Wine and Roses Swingorchestra (München), Teddy Ehrenreich Bigband (Wien), Manfred Stoppacher Bigband (Wien)
Radio & TV:
Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Caterina Valente, Bill Ramsey, Marianne Mendt, Joe Williams, Dianne Warwick, Shirley Bassey, Jose Feliciano, Wencke Myhre, Sammy Davis Jr., Henry Mancini, Victor Borge, Paul Anka, Ray Charles, Bert Kaempfert, Al Jarreau, Manhattan Transfer, Bobby McFerrin, New York Voices, Judy Niemack and many others.
SFB "Paul's Party", ZDF "Jazzclub", 3 SAT "Swing & Talk", SWF "Ohne Filter", WDR "Bio's Bahnhof", "Bei Bio", Jazz shows at RTV Belgrade with Milo Pavlovic and with the RTV Bigband Ljubljana and many others.
Studio Works:
As many as a couple of thousand titles since 1966, recorded at all major studios in Madrid, Munich, Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Dortmund, Hanover, Vienna.
PERFORMANCES AS BANDLEADER
Combos:
1960 Quartett mit: Werner Giertz, Hartwig Bartz, Joop Christoffer
1963-66 Hausband im Madrider Jazzclub "Whisky & Jazz" mit Tete Montoliu, Booker Ervin, Lee Konitz, Billy Brooks, Donald Byrd u.v.a
1970 (Munich) Quartett mit: Mike Thatcher, Jimmy Woode, Joe Harris
1972 (Berlin) various Quintets/Sextets with: Carmell Jones, Ake Persson, Leo Wright
1975 Trio with Hans Rettenbacher & Ronnie Stephenson
1979 Quintett with: Rolf Ericson, Roman Dylag, Ronnie Stephenson
1989 "2nd Trio" with Walter Norris & Mads Vinding
1994 Trio "JazzAhead" with Erich Bachträgl & Uli Langthaler
1996 "JazzAhead" Quintett with Andy Haderer, Bruno Castellucci, Erwin Schmidt u. Uli Langthaler, amongst others in this band also played Judy Niemack, Karl Ratzer, Christian Havel, Joris Dudli, Walther Grassmann, Joschi Schneeberger, Aaron Wonesch, Dilvia Droste, Mario Gonzi, Ines Reiger, Christian Salfellner
2004 with the Nené Trio in Sao Paulo and Brasilia (BRA)
2005 with the Bruno Castellucci Trio featuring Roger van Haaverbeeck and Johan Clement
2005 "Straight Six" with Dusko Goykovic, Adrian Mears / Joe Gallardo, Mads Vinding / Marc Abrams, Joerg Reiter and Bruno Castellucci
2007 "H.v.Hermann Swingtet" with Tom Henkes, Franz Scharf, Herbert Otahal, Robert Goodenough and Fred Mühlhofer.
2008 Coproduktion with "ETNA" Munich (GER)
2010 Quartet with Fritz Pauer, Johannes Strasser and Joris Dudli.
2011 "JazzAhead picante" with Johannes Herrlich, Markus Gaudriot, Uwe Urbanowski, Walter Grassmann, Andy Steirer und Carole Alston
Bigbands:
NDR Big Band, RIAS Big Band, RTV Big Band Radio Ljubljana (TV show), Berliner Landesjugendjazzorchester (BJJO), Bigband of the Conservatory Klagenfurt, Franz Kirchner Bigband (with Paul Kuhn), OyOyOy Big Band Salzburg, Bigband Jazzcamp Kranj, Ferry Ilg Bigband, Wine and Roses Swingorchestra, Krsko Bigband, Bigband der Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien, Pittwater High School Symphony Band (AUS).
He worked within most of the above-mentioned bands as an arranger and composer.