Circus tents, persecution of Jews, the GDR, and the child prodigy from Leipzig. From the working-class district of Lindenau to the penthouse of Benny Goodman and onto the stage of Carnegie Hall with Lester Young. The wounds of Billie Holiday, the performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, and recordings with Ornette Coleman. The stumbling stones of Leipzig, broadcasting in the American sector, the bathtub, freedom: The jazz life of clarinetist Rolf Kühn.

“It may be the most exciting German jazz book of the year, and one wonders why no one thought earlier to document the story of clarinetist Rolf Kühn. A book that explains much of what is perhaps omitted in more factual books on jazz history, shaking up the categories a bit, as jazz biographies rarely fit neatly into a single aesthetic box. It is a prime example of an autobiography skillfully guided by the editor.” (Jazz Institute Darmstadt)

“Maxi Sickert aimed to bring this life story to life by interviewing Rolf Kühn and allowing him to tell his story. In doing so, she succeeded in breaking the conventional patterns of music journalism and delving deeply into the experience. The conversations that Maxi Sickert elicited from Rolf Kühn win the sympathies of readers - also, and perhaps precisely because, they are not idealized anywhere, but rather critically questioned, subjectively reflected upon, and authentically documented. A wonderful book about a moving musician's life. 'Clarinet Bird' - the title refers to a confession from Rolf Kühn: The sky is vast, and a bird must be free and able to fly. That is jazz.” (Deutschlandfunk).