Rosemarie Waldrop

Drummer, vibraphonist, and composer Michael Waldrop's second release on Origin is an ambitious and diverse representation of his work, highlighted by a wide-ranging, cross-genre aesthetic and his wildly dynamic big band. Inspired by the earthy and primal works of Cuban artist Wilfredo Lam, arranger Jack Cooper transformed three of Waldrop's compositions into an evocative and epic "Origin Suite," with the movements titled after three of his paintings. Featuring Waldrop's Big Band, guitarist Jimi Tunnell, saxophonist Mario Cruz, and German vocalist Marc Secara, it's a dramatic opening for an album that goes on to feature several other very distinctive voices including percussionists Brad Dutz & Jose Rossy, and keyboardist Scott Kinsey, and compositions by Jimi Tunnell, Gerald Stockton, Waldrop and Jack Cooper.

Based on the true story of a modern-day courtesan. During West Germany's rise to economic recovery in the 1950s, Rosemarie Nittribit (Hoss) pulls out of orphaned destitution by selling herself, using her wits as much as her charms to slowly elevate her social status. She gets embroiled with a wealthy industrialist named Konrad Hartog (Heiner Lauterbach) whom she expects to marry–only to discover that he already has a fiancée. While coping with this blow to her plans, a French businessman trains her in good manners and upper-class fashion so that she can help him blackmail German businessmen; but Rosemarie never stops trying to win back Hartog, until utter abandonment leads her to seek revenge. Attention to detail and compelling performances make this movie an exemplary portrait of sex, power, and manipulation.

Era il 1° novembre 1957 quando Rosemarie Nitribitt veniva trovata strozzata nel proprio appartamento di Francoforte. La prematura scomparsa della cocotte di lusso, famosa per la clientela di magnati dell'industria e per l'inseparabile Mercedes 190SL, ebbe un forte impatto mediatico: i giornali si prodigarono in rivelazioni piccanti e le indagini sul delitto appassionarono per mesi l'opinione pubblica della Germania occidentale. Tuttavia, come nel caso italiano della ventunenne Wilma Montesi (1953), l'assassino è rimasto ignoto. Da protagonista di un episodio di cronaca nera, Rosemarie è diventata il simbolo di ciò che sta dietro la facciata del miracolo economico tedesco grazie all'interpretazione critica che il giornalista Erich Kuby diede del delitto e del suo contesto. Questa è stata accolta con enorme successo sia nella versione cinematografica (La ragazza Rosemarie, 1958, regia di Rolf Thiele) sia in quella narrativa.