Torben Ulrich

Poet, painter, film maker and tennis player

Writing:

1940s: Apprenticeship at Reuters (News Agency) in Copenhagen. Weekly column for Danish daily newspaper Information.
1950s: Wrote primarily about music, reviews on jazz and weekly column (illustrated by first Jørgen Ryg, then Klaus Albrectsen), for Danish daily Politiken. Co-editor of literary magazine Bazar and jazz music trade journals.
1960s: With Klaus Albrectsen weekly music column, jazz reviews, roving reports on assorted cultural themes for Danish daily newspaper BT.
1970s onwards: Contributions on athletics, music, film, etc., as U.S. correspondent to Information sports and cultural pages (Poul Albret, Kristen Bjørnkjær).
Music:

1950s: New Orleans-type jazz band in Copenhagen, playing clarinet. (Later, saxophone and flute.) Based out of own jazz club Blue Note, traveled through Scandinavia, Europe. Played several tunes with Louis Armstrong ("Ain't Misbehaving","Sunny Side of the Street"). Was scolded by Sidney Bechet.
Athletics:

1940s: Copenhagen and Danish junior championships in soccer, table tennis, speed skating, tennis. Club handball and bandy through school years. Began play on international tennis circuit, off and on over five decades (some 20 years at Wimbledon, around 100 Davis Cup matches).

1970s: While still on Open tour, invited to join (senior) Tennis Grand Masters tour (over 45): 1974 to 1985. With Sven Davidson won Wimbledon Centennial senior doubles. 1976 number one world ranking on senior circuit.

1980s-1990s: Three U.S. Senior National singles titles (in 60s and 65s).

1970s-1980s: Clinics-cum-exhibitions, films and commentary, world wide.
Speaking engagements: e.g., USTA Teachers Conference in New York, on "Pros(e) & Poetry". Co-teaching (with Molly Martin), "Sports & Gender," University of Washington Experimental College, Seattle (1984). "Psychology, Women & Sports" conference, Denmark (1985). Taught "Ballplaying: Western View, Buddhist Approach," Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, Rhinebeck, New York (1989). Seminars at Gerlev Idrtshjskole and other schools/institutions in Denmark (1980s-'90s).
Radio:

Late 1940s onwards: Associated with jazz music department at Danish Radio, throughout '60s as co-editor (with Erik Wiedemann) of weekly or biweekly news series called Jazz 61, Jazz 62, etc., and a monthly series Tangent (on contemporary classical music, jazz and world musics). Studio production work with visiting musicians (e.g., Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, Don Cherry & members of Danish Radio Symphony).

1970s-1990s: Continuing from U.S. as special correspondent on Olu Dara and Lucky Thompson (under editorship of Ib Skovgaard). Irregular contributor, later honorary U.S. correspondent to athletic monthly journal called first Clinch, then Sportsånden (edited by Jørgen Johansen and Claus Bøje).
Film and television:

Since early '50s worked in various settings as player/actor/musician or editor/co-director: e.g., Danish cinema ("Stjernevejen", with Birgitte Reimer, Jørgen Ryg), a television collaboration with Maria Marcus, four projects with Jrgen Leth including his two films "Motion Picture" (1969) and "Moments of Play" (San Francisco, 1986), Eske Holm film "Pearls of the Moment" (1987), Gil de Kermadec film "The Ball and The Wall" (Paris, 1988) and forthcoming (with Rick New and Molly Martin) "Body & Being: Before The Wall" (2000), filmed in Seattle.
Paintings: Several series of works, "Imprints of Practice", acrylic, later primarily ink on rice paper, starting 1971, continuing to the present, including exhibitions in Copenhagen, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle and Woodstock.
The movie: "Before the wall": www.beforethewall.com
Buddhist studies:

Root teacher: Tenga Rinpoche of Benchen Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal. Early readings, from later part of 1940s, included Evans-Wentz's Tibetan volumes and Suzuki's Zen series. Calcutta, Bombay, Kerala: in late l950s visited Indian teachers in music and yoga . Late '60s, in London, studied with Japanese Zen master Katsuki Sekida. Took refuge, early '70s, with Kalu Rinpoche, later with H.H. 16th Karmapa. Since then received teachings from lineage holders of main Tibetan schools -- Kagyu, Nyingma, Sakya, Gelug. In '80s and '90s continued with emphasis on practices of Dzogchen (Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche).

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