Rolf Becker (*April 8th, 1962) is a German saxophonist (clarinets & flutes), composer, arranger, conductor, producer & author.
As a 10 year old Rolf started learning clarinet, 3 years later tenor saxophone and after that flute.
As a 16 year old he had a key moment, listening to a Count Basie album and got busy to absorb all kinds of Jazz.
In 1980 he was accepted to join Germany’s first officially recognized Jazz Class at the prestigious
"Staatliche Musikhochschule" Cologne.
Leader of the jazz department was Jazz icon, Professor Jiggs Whigham,
and his Saxophone / woodwind teachers have been James Towsey (former member of the Airmen Of Note, Peter Herbolzheimer or Bert Kaempfert) and Ferdinand Povel (who joined the Maynard Ferguson Big Band).
During that time he already subbed at the RIAS Big Band, Radio Orchestra based in Berlin
or at the HR Big Band, Radio Orchestra in Frankfurt.
After graduating he had to join the German army where he was the youngest member of the only Army Big Band;
with this orchestra he toured around the world, played e.g. at Mount Rushmore or even at the Space Centre close to Moscow (this concert was live broadcasted up to the spaceship for the cosmonauts).
During that time Rolf started to arrange and compose charts for various orchestras & music publishing houses.
He was fortunate, backing up great artists as Sammy Davis Jr., Shirley Bassey, Eartha Kitt, Caterina Valente (Tour 1987), Lou Rawls, Gloria Gaynor, Charles Aznavour, Sylvia Vrethammar, Deborah Sasson and many others - either as member of various orchestras or with his own band before he moved to Los Angeles in 2002 where he commuted between L.A. & Las Vegas,
playing and writing show content.
At the same time he worked as a composer / arranger for the record label BMG (Munich), GERIG Music, a publishing house based in Cologne but also for the London based MUSIC SALES Group, wrote music content for TV shows, TV series & movies and published 7 music teaching / play along books mainly for Saxophone but also Trumpet & Trombone starting in 1997.
Upon moving to Shanghai in 2004, Rolf became the most sought after professional Big Band director in China where he was instrumental in developing the Big Band in China.
He founded the JZ Big Band, performing live in Shanghai and International music festivals around the world with jazz greats such as Laura Fygi.
He keeps writing music soundtracks for movies and large production pieces.
Rolf currently has developed an online learning website for almost every music instrument:
He created this unique concept (memorizing phrases & patterns as ‘pictures’ on the long run) for beginners, professionals and music teachers, focusing on improving sight reading skills of all kinds of Jazz & Pop Charts.
Rolf loves spending time with his wife Amira and his daughter Natalie-Maryam (Nana), is a passionate cook, loves to be with good friends but sometimes the silence of nature...
Rolf Becker's Bio