Theo Jörgensmann

Theodor Franz Jörgensmann (29 September 1948 – 6 October 2025) was a German jazz clarinetist and academic teacher. Professionally known as Theo Jörgensmann, he belonged to the second generation of European free jazz musicians, part of the clarinet renaissance in the jazz and improvising music scene, and one of few clarinet players for whom unaccompanied solo recordings were a significant part of his work. In 1975 he formed a quartet of clarinetists, Clarinet Contrast, and in 1997 a quartet was named after him. Jörgensmann played in many formations internationally. He wrote a philosophical book about improvising in music.