Siggi Loch

Siegfried Loch (born 9 August 1940) is a German record producer, a record industry executive, and the founder of the ACT Music record label. particularly European jazz.

During his career Loch has produced recordings for some of the most recognisable names in jazz, including Yusef Lateef, Eddie Harris, Joe Pass, Tim Hagans, Terri Lyne Carrington, Dave Brubeck, Vijay Iyer, Vince Mendoza, George Gruntz, Esbjörn Svensson Trio and Manu Katché; many more released albums on his ACT Music label.

Early life Loch was born in the German town of Stolp, now Słupsk in present-day Poland. Loch's interest in jazz developed after gatecrashing a Sidney Bechet concert in May 1956. Loch described this event as "life changing",

He developed as a jazz drummer in the years thereafter but considered his talents insufficient to become a professional musician. He therefore resolved to remain creatively connected to jazz music by engaging in alternative job roles within the music recording industry. By 1963, Loch had moved to Hamburg to assume label management responsibility for the jazz section of Philips. Live at the Star Club, Hamburg has since become widely regarded as one of the greatest live rock 'n' roll albums ever recorded.

By the late 1960s, Loch had become the managing director of the German arm of the newly formed Liberty Records/United Artists label in Munich, with special responsibility for the Blue Note Records catalogue. In 1971 he became founding managing director of WEA Music Hamburg (later to become Warner Music Germany). Loch's time at WEA enabled him to work alongside seminal Atlantic Records jazz producer, Nesuhi Ertegun, who later appointed him president of WEA-Europe in London. named after his commitment to encouraging signed artists to express themselves creatively. Jazzpaña received critical acclaim and enjoyed two Grammy nominations, quickly establishing the jazz credentials of the label. the Norwegian Spellemannprisen, the UK Mercury Music Prize, the US Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Swedish Grammis, among others. Loch has continued to develop an extensive catalogue for ACT Music and has projected the musical profiles of numerous European jazz artists, including Joachim Kühn, Michael Wollny, Nguyên Lê, Adam Bałdych, Marius Neset, Émile Parisien, and Lars Danielsson, as well as US artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa, and Scott DuBois.

Personal life Loch is a passionate collector of post-war and contemporary art, some of which features as artwork on ACT Music album releases. Some have been auctioned to support the Siggi & Sissi Loch Charitable Foundation. One of Loch's first art acquisitions was by Gerhard Richter, costing close to 15,000 Deutschmarks upon purchase in the early 1970s. Selling the artwork some 40 years later financed Loch's purchase of a house in Berlin. 2010 1st Class Knight, the Royal Order Of The Polar Star by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden : For work promoting Swedish jazz 2014 Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany : In recognition of his merits for the country and the people 2023 'Basisten' Award, Swedish Jazz Association : for support of Swedish jazz