Roland Zoss
Roland Zoss (born 1951 in Bern) living on the Aeolian Islands is a songwriter and novelist. Zoss studied anthropology and literature in Bern and Avignon.
Songwriter & novelist
Roland Zoss started his songwriter career in the Seventies in Switzerland and Germany. After travelling the world, performing in the "Troubadour" in L.A. he made success in Europe in 2004 with the album Härzland ('heartland') with Swiss German translations of the Leonard Cohen song First We Take Manhattan (Zersch näh me mer Manhattan), Halleluja and the Elvis Presley song In the Ghetto. He works with musicians and artists like Gottfried Helnwein, Michael Mish, Clare de Lune, Mauro Guiretti, Shirley Grimes. With Idan Raichel, Maggie Reilly, Marta Gomez he's producing a children's world music lullabies album "Slumberland".
Swiss Mouse Jimmy Flitz
Between 1999 and 2015 he released two dozen albums for kids, some in English, some Spanish, some French, becoming one of the most known Swiss German singers for children. His brand became the mouse Jimmy Flitz known in the multi awarded radio play serie about Swiss mythologies Jimmy Flitz ('a journey through Switzerland') in 2007. Starring his famous mouse on airlines. In 2010, the book Jimmy Flitz, die Schweizermaus ('the Swiss mouse') was released. Roland Zoss represents Switzerland in his native Swiss dialect on the world music children's CD European Playground with the song "Baerengeburi-Bubuland" and "Krokodil". Some songs are covered in English, French, Spanisch.
Swiss ABC Dino Xenegugeli
After three highly acclaimed recordings Muku-Tiki-Mu, Schlummerland and JimmyFlitz- Swiss Christmas, in 2014 the APP "ABC Dino Xenegugeli" became a worldwide success. The international educational app for kids shows handcrafted art pictures, animated and combined with animal songs to each letter of the alphabet in 5 languages, plus e-books. The ABC Dino was nominated at the Frankfurt bookfair 2015 as best children app, age 4-6.
Discography
1981 LP “Roland Zoss”, Cover art work by Gottfried Helnwein 1983 LP “Sternstunde” 1985 LP “Die Ewigkeit klopft an” 1989 CD “Fly my soul”, ©RZ 004/RZ 005 & Videoclip
- 1993 Radio Feature and e-book “Die Insel hinterm Mond”, "The Island beyond the moon", "L ile derriere la lune".
1998 CD „Saitenstrassen“, songs and novel about the Seventies
- 1999 CD ABC Xenegugeli, 28 animal songs, incl. Krokodil 2012 on a putumayo world music album
2001 CD 1 & 2 Muku-Tiki-Mu, World Children music, UNESCO patronage 2002 Güschi 1-6, a Swiss dialect radio play serie 2003-06 «Liedermärli», 8 CDs fary tales musicals in Swiss dialect
- 2004 «Härzland», CD, Rock-Pop-Poetry in Swiss with local stars as Linard Bardill, Yvonne Moore, Carin Lavey, Djamila Tahar-Chaouch, Christoph Kohli SPAN,
2004 «Schlumberland» Lullabys with Shirley Grimes and Asita Hamidi with sound ingeneer and harp of Andreas Vollenweider, incl. Bärengeburi Bubuland on putmayo world music European playground
- 2007 «Jimmy Flitz, the Swiss mouse» a radio play serie with Swiss stars.
2009 «Jimmy Flitz-Hits», CD 2011 «SingDing», Songs about the secret live of things.
- 2012 «Xenegugeli GOLD-ABC, 26 new animal songs. Release of "Krokodil" on Putumayo Sing-Along Sampler. 2012 "ÄngelsMusic" meditation music about 9 angels.
- 2013 «Jimmy Flitz ChinderWiehnacht» a Swiss Christmas musical with local stars and choirs: Steff la Cheffe, Tinu Heiniger, Christine Lauterburg (Jodel). Best children's album award 2015!
2015 «Jimmy Flitz - a trip to Helvetia» a radio play part 5 with Pedro Lenz, Eluveitie, Steff la Cheffe, Knackeboul, Shem Thomas, Christine Lauterburg and more
Awards
The singer and novelist got in 1993 a literary award for the Aeolian tale and e-book The Island beyond the Moon and a dozen Golden Crown awards for his unique music for children. Several awards for the ABC Xenegugeli a multilingual ABC app, book and songs in English, Spanish, French, German and Swiss German. 2010 the Swiss post honoured the work of Roland Zoss with a Jimmy Flitz stamp. 2015 Golden Crown award for the best children album.
- ABC Dino was nominated in 2015 at the Frankfurt bookfair as best children app, age 4-6
External links
- Dino Demo video
- Dino, iTunes Store
- ABC Dino Information site
- Homepage Roland Zoss
- Swiss Writers Union
- Island Beyond The Moon
- «Island beyond the moon" e-book
- http://www.rolandzoss.com/en/bibliographie/tkindturm.htm]]
- Music page