Albert Vossen, born 22 May 1910 in Aachen, was a German jazz accordionist, bandleader and composer. He began piano studies at the State Academy for Music in Cologne in 1925, and by 1930 had switched to the piano accordion, a transition that would define his career. In 1932 he assembled the ensemble Albert Vossen and His Solisten, which became the house band of Berlin’s Ciro-Bar; the group recorded its first releases for Telefunken, establishing Vossen as a leading accordionist in Germany. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s he continued recording for Telefunken and collaborated with musicians such as Eugen Henkel, Ernst Höllerhagen and Hans Klagemann, contributing original compositions that were issued on early LPs and EPs. In 1942 Vossen joined the Deutsche Tanz- und Unterhaltungsorchester as a soloist, and after the war he settled in Cologne, where he performed on radio and the nascent television medium and managed the popular venue Im Örgelchen. His 1956 Polydor single "Vineta‑Polka" / "Rheinpromenade" achieved commercial success, and he remained active in recording and touring until his death on 10 August 1971 in Cologne. Vossen’s recordings continued to be re-issued over the years, preserving his role in the development of German jazz accordion music.
