Foundation: 04.09.1976

Name: 
Association for the promotion of the Bazillus Communication Center.

Purpose:
The purpose of the association is to financially support the music operation under the name "Bazillus" in a restaurant, as well as the management of a musician's center and the organization of other musical events.

Board of Directors:
Bernhard Uhlmann, President
George Gruntz, Vice President
Peter Rüedi, Board of Directors
Beat Kennel, Advisory Board Member
Dieter Schärer, Actuary
Edith Hügli, Treasurer
Marcel Bernasconi, Auditor

The first Bazillus Association was founded on September 4, 1976 in Zurich. President was "Adjunct" Bernhard Uhlmann from the then "Presidential Department of the City of Zurich".

Vice president was the most famous jazzman of Switzerland: George Gruntz. On the board were also, among others, the best jazz writer Peter Rüedi. The former Bazillus co-founder, pianist Marcel Bernasconi acted as auditor.

At this point I finally noticed that there can also be "fictitious" associations, where the prominent board hopefully doesn't have to do anything, but rather a person in the background. In our case it was club actuary Dieter Schärer, who turned out to be a shrewd club organizer. In later years I had told him again and again that he probably must have a club gene, because he later became president of two more Bazillus clubs…

He had organized everything to do with the association - from the foundation to the dissolution in 1979 and everything that went with it.

Bernhard Uhlmann (then Presidential Department of the City of Zurich) confirmed in a speech that his department was fully behind the project. This was immensely important for the jazz scene! George Gruntz spoke about the importance of jazz in general and the importance of a jazz club with a constant monthly program in Zurich. We showed the second sound picture show "Es war einmal ein Ton" for the first time. Dieter and I had produced it to introduce the project visually. Background speaker was Christian Heeb, the then business partner of Roger Schawinski of Radio 24. Heeb waived his fee.

In this audio-visual show, we showed pictures and photos: 

- All 34 locations that we had both considered since 1972 and some of which we had seriously examined. 

- A listing of all previous patrons who had contributed to the first Bazillus Workshop at Albisriederplatzt, which opened in 1975.

See Stories > A Bazillus for Zurich
See Stories > Bacillus Workshop I

The last part showed how a Bazillus club might look like, what it would need need and which program concept was planned. Unfortunately, the original 1976 sound picture show was lost by me at some point of moving apartments… six times. Here are a few original illustrations in color from our then "Atelier Kennel-Christiansen" that I still found. The text and the storyboard of this intro part came from me.

… and this is not a fairy tale - he is still alive today and his happy ending remains to be seen.

His species is soon to be found all over the world and yet he is received skeptically to unfriendly by his environment, i.e. also in Zurich.

This is probably also due to his origins. His family tree still confuses musicologists. 

The Zurich Code of Law also deals with him:

It seems to have been taken care of in the last century…

Translation.

Law concerning the market and peddling from 
1894 - 1975
State Chancellery 8090 Zurich

II. Peddling:
The production of shows, of commercial or artistic performances in which a higher scientific or artistic interest does not prevail (menageries, panoramas, picture galleries, carousels, actors, singers, musicians, trick riders, tightrope walkers, pickpockets).
________
Only around 1980, the authorities and the politicians began to recognize jazz and subsequently rock and related styles as youth culture, and from 1984 onwards, the politicians began to grant larger contributions for the first time.
In 1980, Bazillus received CHF 380,000 in annual support.) 

He thus belongs to a class of artists to whom "a higher scientific or artistic interest does not usually apply…".

However, some of his friends have come far in life, like this one, for example:

If our friend didn't also have a few thousand followers, who would also invite him to their homes one day,

things would be bad for him. It's true; at least in concerts he's allowed to let off steam.

and normally he also gets payed for it.

But now we would like to mention the biggest problem: After his work is done, he has to leave. He has no home.

There is no music venue in Switzerland, in which daily concerts are held. 

Our sound is doing very badly…

…very very bad!

In 1972, the Bazillus organization went public with the support of the Presidential Department of the City of Zurich. The theme: "A Bazillus for Zurich".

The idea was to create a restaurant with daily live music in the middle of Zurich.

Now we started looking for a suitable place in Zurich…

At that time, we examined more than 20 objects in detail. Unfounded fears of "youths" or not enough income, but also vetoes by the authorities, caused all attempts to fail.

In the heat of the moment, we thought of becoming more aggressive.

Or should we use conventional means to make ourselves more heard?

We have chosen the second option.

We have founded the "Association for the Promotion of the Bazillus Communication Center".

With this association we want to finally create a music pub in the city center and would also like to continue the existing Bazillus workshop at Albisrieder-Platz 6.

By joining and contributing to our association, you are directly helping to realize these two goals.

Our sound (arrow) is still wandering around.

END

At the end of the seventies, we published this excerpt of the audio-visual show on one A4 page of a "Bazillus-Gazette".

Schärer and I also produced a couple of "Bazillus Gazettes" to give the whole project more "public weight."

When the "Bazillus Music Restaurant" was realized at the end of 1979 and our joint-stock company "Bazillus AG" was founded, the association had reached its goal and was dissolved.

Press Release: