There’s music in there at the edge of the forest on the Bruser Berg: Rainer Goetzendorf: Video, Photos

The magnificent Catalpa dominates the idyllic garden at the edge of the forest on the Brüser Berg. “That’s exactly the right tree,” laughs Rainer Goetzendorf, looking at the large leaves and the prominent pods. After all, the plant from North America is called the trumpet tree in this country. “And the trumpet is the instrument that has accompanied me my whole life,” says the 81-year-old.

His trumpet is still ready to hand in the living room on this day. “What’s better than starting the day with music? Music just makes you happy,” smiles the retired lawyer. A motto that still describes his life. He has just written and composed new songs that he has published on YouTube. In it he once again deals with political and social issues.

He actually comes from jazz. “Jazz is the music of freedom,” he says and smiles. As a member of the legendary “Hot Pepper Jazz Band” he has made a name for himself in the music scene since 1989. The Hot Peppers can still be heard today, albeit in a smaller formation. Goetzendorf recalls that the fact that the enthusiastic musicians found each other more than 30 years ago “is actually thanks to the General-Anzeiger”.

At that time, on the occasion of the 2000th anniversary, the GA invited all the bands that had been formed in Bonn since the end of the war to a veteran jazz festival. They met, performed without obligation, got into conversation and in the end a new formation was formed with the Hot Pepper Jazz Band.

Born in Brussels, Rainer Goetzendorf came to Bonn with his parents at the age of eleven. He graduated from the Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium and then began studying law. As a youth, he joined a group of migratory birds. Joint excursions, campfires and guitar music determined the common free time.

In order to set the mood perfectly, “somebody had to provide the right music,” he says. So he first learned to play the guitar and quickly founded his first school band. At that time, the 81-year-old was already writing his own songs. He even got an invitation to Berlin via “Bravo” to present some of his songs to stars like Michael Holm (Mendocino) and Drafi Deutscher (Marmor, Stein und Eisen rupt) in the famous Hansa Studios.

Although both singers were very interested in the compositions of the young musician from Bonn, the collaboration they had hoped for did not come about in the end. Nevertheless, Goetzendorf and his bandmates couldn’t complain about a lack of attention. Appearances in southern France and an engagement on a cruise ship provided variety.

Nevertheless, the now 81-year-old always kept an eye on his studies. After graduating from university, his path led him to the Ministry of Construction. Bonn, Berlin and Brussels were professional stations. However, the family – he was now married and the two children (39 and 37 years old today) were born – always stayed in Bonn. “No, we wouldn’t have moved away from here. Bonn has always been our home port,” he explains. This is certainly also due to the garden with the trumpet tree. Despite all the commitments and the music, Goetzendorf had enough time for hobbies. He masters the surfboard, skis and tennis racket just as confidently as his jazz trumpet.

Fortunately, he passed his love for music on to his children. “Both have really great talent,” he says. And he has long since made sure that his two grandchildren love music just as much as their grandfather. “When my oldest grandson was born, I immediately brought the guitar and played something for him,” he says, delighted with the response.

The youngest member of the family, just one year old, now hums along as soon as the first chords sound. The young musicians in the Goetzendorf house are well taken care of and the grandfather hopes to set the beat for as long as possible. “I wish that I could make music with my jazz friends and someday also with my grandchildren for a long time. Because music is my heart,” he says.