Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel]
Fritz Schulz-Reichel (July 4, 1912 – February 14, 1990) was a German jazz and pop pianist. Schulz-Reichel was born in Meiningen. His father was a classical musician, and he began playing piano at the age of six. He developed an unusual technique where he played the melody of a tune with the left hand and the rhythm with the right hand. While he trained to be a concert pianist, he chose a career in pop music, playing light jazz and pop tunes. He invented a device called the Tipsy Wire Box, which could be attached to a piano to make it sound like an out-of-tune barrelhouse upright. (Another interpretation is that "Tipsy Wire Box" was a slang expression for the piano itself, which was merely "detuned"; that is, one of the three strings that make up each note of the main section of the piano is slightly flatted, giving the piano the characteristic sound.) In 1953 he adopted the moniker Schräger Otto (Crazy Otto), and recorded for Deutsche Grammophon. His tunes became hits in Germany, France, England, and America; his albums were released on Decca and MGM in the U.S. and Polydor which were distributed by Philips Electrical Industries Pty. Limited in Australia. In 1955, American musician Johnny Maddox played a medley of his songs, entitled "The Crazy Otto Medley"; this went to #2 on the U.S. charts, and in the U.S. both Reichel and Maddox were subsequently known as "Crazy Otto", to some confusion. Schulz-Reichel continued to perform live and on film, and remained a popular jazz favorite in Germany for many years. "Crazy Otto" is referenced in the song "Ramble on Rose" written by Robert Hunter and performed by the Grateful Dead. |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-75 of 86 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | DU 1402 | 5/15/1957* | Love me or leave me ; Makin' whoopee ; Stop beatin' 'round the mulberry bush | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1403 | 5/15/1957* | It's a sin to tell a lie ; Sweet Jennie Lee ; And the angels sing | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1471 | 7/25/1957* | Medley: Big rock candy mountain ; Jesse James ; Ol' Texas ; The streets of Laredo | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1472 | 7/25/1957* | Medley: Bill Bailey ; Hello central give me heaven ; I guess I'll have to telegraph ; She may have seen better days | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1473 | 7/25/1957* | Medley: Down went McGinty ; Down where the cotton blossoms ; My old New Hampshire home | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1478 | 2/18/1958* | Dinah | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1479 | 2/18/1958* | Georgia on my mind | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1480 | 2/18/1958* | Whispering | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1483 | 2/18/1958* | Ain't misbehavin' | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1484 | 2/18/1958* | Little white lies | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1485 | 2/18/1958* | [Unknown title(s)] | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1486 | 2/18/1958* | Lady be good | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1533 | 2/11/1958* | As time goes by | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1534 | 2/11/1958* | Sentimental journey | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1535 | 2/11/1958* | Little brown jug | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DU 1536 | 2/11/1958* | It had to be you | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DGG 6391 | 11/2/1955* | Gaslight medley: When my baby smiles at me ; Wait till the sun shines Nellie ; I want a girl ; A bird in a gilded cage | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DGG 6392 | 11/2/1955* | Tin Pan Alley medley ; Have I told you lately that I love you? ; Into each life some rain must fall ; I'm walking behind you | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 24275A | 2/23/1961* | Spanish holiday | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 24419B | 2/23/1961* | Piccadilly | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DGG 66616A | 12/15/1958* | Chopin's Polonaise | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DGG 66616B | 12/15/1958 | Sunrise serenade | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 220637A | 10/27/1960* | Christmas medley: Part 1: Sleigh ride ; Winter wonderland ; White Christmas | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | 220637B | 10/27/1960* | Christmas medley: Part 2: I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus ; Jingle bells ; Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | DGG 1033735 | 12/30/1958 | Goody goody | Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel] | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel]," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/310135.
Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel]. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/310135.
"Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel]." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Crazy Otto
Discogs: Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel]
Allmusic: Crazy Otto [Fritz Schulz Reichel]
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Crazy Otto - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98025175
Wikidata: Crazy Otto - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1468321
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/63620985
MusicBrainz: Crazy Otto - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/64882ce0-05f8-4224-bdc5-4fde467fbeca
ISNI: 0000 0000 5932 2507 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000059322507
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