Max Greger (Munich, April 2, 1926 – Munich, August 15, 2015) was a German big band leader, jazz musician, saxophonist and conductor. Originally, Greger was planning to take over the parental business.
However, in 1936 his grandfather donated him an accordion, laying the foundation for the musical development of Greger, who was 10 years old at the time. In the following years Greger developed further in music and studied clarinet and saxophone at the Munich Conservatory. At the age of 18 he was drafted into the army towards the end of the Second World War, in 1944-’45.
Immediately after the end of the war he played as one of the first Germans in American officers’ casinos and thus became a pioneer in the post-war German swing and big band world. In 1948 he founded his first ensemble under the name Max-Greger-Sextett. In the following years he mainly played music for the Bayerischer Rundfunk and in American clubs, where his first meetings with Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, among others, took place.
This was followed by his first LP recordings and tours of Germany and the rest of Europe. As the first western band in 35 years, Greger was allowed to tour the then Soviet Union in 1959. From 1963 to 1977 he worked as a permanent member of the German broadcaster ZDF. As a result, he was a regular guest on programmes such as Vergißmeinnicht, Musik ist Trumpf and Der große Preis. In 1970 he was the only German orchestra to perform at the world exhibition in Osaka, Japan. In addition, he was a regular guest with his orchestra at dance competitions and recorded many records especially focused on ballroom dancing.
In 1986 Greger celebrated his sixtieth birthday at the ZDF with a “Super-Band”, in which famous colleagues such as Hazy Osterwald, Paul Kuhn, Hugo Strasser and James Last performed. Since 1992 he has worked as a guest conductor at public performances and studio productions of the SWR Big Band. For several years, he toured Germany with his colleagues Hugo Strasser and Paul Kuhn under the name Swing-Legenden.
Together with the SWR Big Band they played songs by jazz greats like Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington. From April 2, 2006 Greger celebrated his eightieth birthday with a birthday tour that started on his birthday at the Philharmonic Munich in his hometown. Max Greger continued to perform regularly until July 2015. That month he was diagnosed with cancer. A month later he died from the consequences of the disease.
Songs of Max Greger you can hear at Instrumentals Forever:
| A Hard Days Night |
| A Man And A Woman |
| Abendmelodie (Brahms) |
| Abends in Moskau |
| Aber Dich gibt’s nur einmal für mich |
| Aber die Liebe bleibt |
| Adios Amor |
| Alexander’s Ragtime Band |
| Almenrausch und Edelweiss |
| Alo Ahe |
| Am Rio Negro |
| Amore mio |
| Aquarius |
| Arrivederci Claire |
| At The Woodchopper’s Ball – Jumping At The Woodside |
| Atlantic |
| Auf der Heide blüh’n die letzten Rosen |
| Aufforderung zum Tanz (von Weber) |
| B R Boogie |
| Ballettmusik ”Fürst Igor” (Borodin) |
| Banks Of The Ohio |
| Barcarole (Offenbach) |
| Basin Street Blues |
| Bei dir war es immer so schön |
| Bei mir bist du schön |
| Bei mir bist du schön – Sheik Of Araby – Tiger Rag |
| Bella Vita |
| Big Train |
| Blue Berry Hill |
| Blue Hawaii |
| Blue Narzissus (Nevin) |
| Blue Tango – La Violetta |
| Born To Be Alive – Does Your Mother Know |
| BP |
| B-R Boogie |
| Bye Bye Blues |
| C Jam Blues – Skyliner |
| Cabaret |
| California Blue |
| Can’t Help Falling In Love |
| Carioca |
| Carmen (Bizet) |
| Chicago – St Louis Blues |
| Chiquitita – Blue Bayou |
| Cielito Lindo – The Girl From Ipanema |
| C-Jam Blues |
| Creole Love Call |
| Cute |
| Da geh’ ich zu Maxim – Niemand liebt dich so wie ich – Gern hab’ ich die Frau’n geküsst |
| Das hab’ ich in Paris gelernt |
| Das Pfennig-Lied |
| Das war in Schöneberg |
| Der Junge mit der Mundharmonika |
| Desafinado |
| Die ganze Welt ist himmelblau |
| Die Sonne und du |
| Dirty Mambo |
| Do You Really Want To Hurt Me |
| Don’t Go Breaking My Heart |
| Dreamwaltz |
| Dschingis Khan – Moskau |
| Du du du |
| Du hast so wunderschöne blaue Augen |
| Du und du |
| Durch dich wird diese Welt erst schön |
| Eager Beaver – Begin The Beguine |
| Edelweiss |
| Eight Days A Week |
| Ein Glück dass man sich so verlieben kann |
| Ein Herz für Kinder – Sag nicht es war einmal |
| Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Mozart) |
| Eine Reise ins Glück |
| El Choclo – Olé Guapa |
| El Lute – Lago Maggiore |
| El Negro Zumbon |
| Emotions Of Love |
| Endless Love – Up Where We Belong |
| Erst wenn’s aus wird sein |
| Es ist nur die Liebe |
| Es leuchten die Sterne |
| Etüde Nr3 E-Dur (Chopin) |
| Everybody Salsa – Don’t Stop That Crazy Rhythm – High Life |
| Fast Steps |
| Festival |
| Flamingo |
| Flashdance – Footloose |
| Flyin’ Home |
| Follow Me |
| Footloose – Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go |
| Four Brothers |
| Gern hab’ ich die Frau’n geküsst |
| Gloryland – Dark Eyes – Down By The Riverside – When The Saints Go Marchin’ In |
| Golden Bavaria |
| Golden Ireland |
| Gonna Fly Now |
| Good Morning Starshine |
| Grüsse aus der Ferne |
| Hallelujah – So bist Du |
| Hallo kleines Fräulein |
| Harlem Nocturne |
| Heal The World |
| Heatbreaker |
| Hello Again – Ci Sara |
| Hello Dolly – Mack The Knife – Mame |
| Herz-Schmerz-Polka – Rosamunde |
| Hey Mambo |
| Hi Hi Hi |
| High Noon |
| Hot Seats |
| How Do You Do |
| Humoreske (Dvorák) |
| I Cant Stop Loving You |
| I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do |
| I Feel Fine |
| I Got Rhythm |
| I Got Rhytnm – I Get A Kick Out Of You |
| I Just Called To Say I Love You |
| I Just Can’t Stop Loving You |
| I Left My Heart In San Francisco |
| I´m Gettin’ Sentimental Over You – Moonlight Serenade – Perfidia |
| Ich hab so Heimweh nach dem Kurfürstendamm |
| I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing |
| Im Chambre Séparée |
| I’m Getting Sentimental Over You |
| In A Sentimental Mood |
| In The Mood |
| In The Navy – YMCA |
| Intermission Riff |
| It’s Raining Again |
| Jenseits von Eden – Abschied ist ein scharfes Schwert |
| Jesus Christ Superstar |
| Jet Propulsion |
| Jumpin’ At The Woodside |
| Just In Time |
| Kaiser Walzer |
| Kauf’ dir einen bunten Luftballon |
| Keine Sterne in Athen |
| King Porter Stomp |
| La Bamba |
| La Golondrina |
| La Golondrina – Guantanamera |
| La Paloma |
| La Provence |
| La Violetta (Verdi) |
| Lady Of Ice |
| Lagunenwalzer (Strauss) |
| Lasst uns tanzen (Weber) |
| Last Date |
| Last Rumba |
| Lay Love On You |
| Let’s Dance – Don’t Be That Way |
| Liebestraum (Liszt) |
| Lil’ Darlin’ |
| Little Willy |
| Love Is Blue |
| Love Is Everything |
| Love Me Tender |
| Love Story – Schiwago-Melodie |
| Love Waltz – The Last Waltz |
| Lovebird |
| Ma Baker |
| Mack The Knife |
| Madeleine |
| Major Tom (völlig losgelöst) |
| Mama Leone |
| Mama Leone – Bright Eyes |
| Mambo No. 5 |
| Maria Elena |
| Massachusetts |
| Meditation aus Thais (Massenet) |
| Meine Liebe deine Liebe – Ach ich hab’ sie ja nur |
| Meine Welt ist die Musik |
| Melodie in F (Rubinstein) |
| Memories |
| Memphis Tennessee |
| Mexican Flavour |
| Miss You So |
| Misty |
| Misty |
| Monday Monday |
| Mood Indigo – Creole Love Call |
| Moon River |
| Moon River – Tammy |
| More – Love Letters |
| Moskauer Nächte – I Love Paris |
| Moten Swing |
| Mr Anthonys Boogie |
| Mr Sandman |
| Muskrat Ramble – Royal Garden Blues – South Rampart Street Parade – Darktown Strutters’ Ball |
| Muy Macho |
| My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean – Rock Around The Clock |
| Nachts ging das Telefon |
| Never Can Say Goodbye |
| New York New York – All Of Me |
| Nice And Sweet |
| Night Fever – Stayin’ Alive |
| Night Train |
| No Doubt About It |
| Nocturne (Chopin) |
| On The Sunny Side Of The Street |
| On The Sunny Side Of The Street – I´m Beginning To See The Light – April In Paris |
| One O’Clock Jump |
| One Way Ticket – Sunday Girl |
| Only You |
| Opus No 1 – I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm |
| Opus One |
| Patricia – In A Little Spanish Town |
| Perdido |
| Petite fleur |
| Pianoconcerto (Tschaikowsky) |
| Pizzicati (Delibes) |
| Playa Blanca |
| Poéme (Fibich) |
| Pour un flirt |
| Prelude (Rachmaninoff) |
| Proud Mary |
| Que Sera Sera – Chim Chim Cheree |
| Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head |
| Red River Valley Shuffle |
| Reet Petite |
| Ring My Bell – Bad Girls |
| Rio Chico |
| Risco Del Gato |
| Rivers Of Babylon |
| Rosetta |
| Sail Along Silvery Moon |
| Samba Rico |
| San Miguel |
| Sassa – Die Juliska aus Budapest |
| Save Me – Hot Stuff |
| Save Your Love |
| Schau mich bitte nicht so an – Blueberry Hill |
| Schenkt man sich Rosen in Tirol |
| Schwarze Augen |
| See You Later Alligator – Shake Rattle And Roll |
| Self Control – High On Emotion |
| Sempre Sempre |
| Sentimental Journey – Memories Of You – You Made Me Love You |
| Sie will nicht Blumen und nicht Schokolade |
| Silberfäden |
| Sing Sing Sing |
| Skyliner |
| Smoke Gets In Your Eyes |
| So bist Du |
| Some Girls – Hooray! Hooray! It’s A Holi-Holiday |
| Some Of These Days – Baby Won’t You Please Come Home – Blue Berry Hill |
| Something |
| Somewhere Over The Rainbow |
| Song Of India |
| Song Sung Blue |
| Sonntag ist’s |
| Soul Breeze |
| Soul House |
| Spinning Wheel |
| Star Dust |
| Stranger On The Shore |
| Sugar Blues |
| Super Girl |
| Sweet Candy |
| Symphonie Nr40 (Mozart) |
| Take The ”A” Train – In The Mood |
| Tango Guitar |
| Tanz der Stunden (Ponchielli) |
| Tanze Samba mit mir – España Olé |
| Tea For Two – Honeysuckle Rose – All Of Me – It’s A Long Way To Tipperary |
| Tennessie Girl |
| The Continental – I’ve Got You Under My Skin |
| The House Of The Rising Sun – Love Is In The Air |
| Tie A Yellow Ribbon |
| Tik-Tak-Polka |
| Time After Time – Send Me An Angel |
| Tin Roof Blues – Rock-A-Bye Your Baby – St Louis Blues |
| Tiramisu |
| To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before |
| To Know Him Is To Love Him |
| Träumerei (Schümann) |
| Tritsch-Tratsch Polka |
| True Love – Plaisir d’amour |
| Trumpet Blues |
| Trumpet Blues – Caravan |
| Tu soltanto tu |
| Ungarischer Tanz Nr5 (Brahms) |
| Unter einem Regenschirm am Abend |
| Up To Date |
| Vergissmeinnicht |
| Vilja-Lied |
| Vogel der nacht – Das Lied von Manuel |
| Voulez-vous couchez avec moi |
| Walking |
| Warum müssen Jahre vergehen |
| Weisser Holunder |
| Wenn der weisse Flieder wieder blüht |
| Wenn die Glocken hell erklingen |
| Wenn ein Schiff vorüberfährt |
| Wenn ein Stern vom Himmel fällt |
| Whiter Shade Of Pale |
| Wien du Stadt meiner Träume |
| Wiener Blut (Strauss) |
| Will You Still Be Mine |
| Wind Of Change |
| Without You |
| Wo die Alpenrosen blüh’n |
| Wonderful Copenhagen – Tulpen aus Amsterdam |
| Woodchoppers Ball |
| Wooly Bully |
| Words |
| You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Oh Happy Day |
| You Want Love |
| You’re The One That I Want |
| Zig Zag Mambo |