Jens Lindemann bringing holiday cheer and country flair to Banff Centre performance

Trumpet Virtuoso Jens Lindemann still remembers the moment his life changed.

“(Doc Severinsen) stormed on stage in pink leather pants and a lime green jacket and a shirt that matched none of it, and before he even said a word, I was hooked and wanted to be a performer,” Lindemann said during an interview with CTV News.

That’s when Lindemann was 12, growing up in Edmonton.

On Saturday, Dec. 14, Lindemann will pay tribute to Severinsen and other trumpet legends in a holiday concert at the Banff Centre.

Lindemann has since become good friends with his idol.

“He’s 97 years young, and if you sat down with him, he’s still happy to talk about mouthpieces and bell flares and lead pipes. He has all the spirit of somebody who’s just still in college,” says Lindemann.

• Watch the full interview in the video player above

While Lindemann will play many holiday season favourites on Dec. 14, he’s also planning his “country music debut.”

“I am deep in the proverbial musical woodshed, practicing my butt off,” he said, as he works to perfect a trumpet version of the Charlie Daniels’ classic The Devil Went Down to Georgia.

“It’s going to be epic.”