First archive of a jazzman deposited with the Cedom Marc Mangen Collection

Luxembourgish jazz composer and pianist Marc Mangen, renowned for his creativity and innovation, recently deposited his works with the Centre d’études et de documentation musicales (Cedom) of the National Library of Luxembourg.

The deposit includes a diverse selection of the artist’s compositions, including jazz pieces, works written for his own jazz group Afrodisax, works for big band as well as vocal works for choir and organ music.

Notable compositions include those specially created for his jazz ensemble Afrodisax, such as The Ballad of the Solitary Bird and Life out of Balance, as well as Forests Ancient as the Hills, composed for the Orchestre National de Jazz du Luxembourg. Press cuttings documenting Marc Mangen’s artistic development complete the collection.

The summary inventory of the Marc Mangen collection can be accessed online via the a-z.lu search engine using the keyword “Fonds Mangen”. All the inventories of the Cedom’s Music Collection can be searched using the keyword “Fonds musicaux” and by activating the “Archival collections” filter in the “Type of publication” section.

Marc Mangen is an emblematic figure of jazz in Luxembourg, and his career has been punctuated by a multitude of collaborations with artists from all over the world, e.g. Boris Schmidt and Niels Engels (Marc Mangen Trio), Michel Reis (piano), as well as Ted Curson (trumpet), Emmanuelle Somer (oboe) and Uli Beckerhoff (trumpet). His performances as a solo jazz pianist have captivated audiences worldwide.

The National Library expresses its sincere gratitude to Marc Mangen for the trust he placed in the Cedom. The deposit, made while still alive, of the estate of Marc Mangen, a versatile jazz pianist, organist and composer, has enabled the Cedom to broaden the range of genres within its collection of music archives, from so-called “classical” music to jazz, thus strengthening the BnL’s ongoing commitment to the preservation of music.