Joachim Kühn | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Joachim Kurt Kühn |
Born | (1944-03-15)15 March 1944 (age 81) Leipzig, Germany |
Genres | Classical,jazz,avant-garde jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
Instrument(s) | Piano, keyboards |
Years active | 1961 – present |
Labels | Impulse!,BYG Actuel,MPS,ACT |
Joachim Kurt Kühn (born 15 March 1944)[1] is a German jazz pianist.
He was born inLeipzig, Germany.[1] Kühn was a musical prodigy and made his debut as a concert pianist, having studied classical piano and composition,[1] with Arthur Schmidt-Elsey. Influenced by his elder brother, clarinetistRolf Kühn, he simultaneously got interested in jazz. In 1961, he became a professional jazz musician.[1] With a trio of his own, founded in 1964,[2] he presented the first free jazz in theGDR. In 1966, he left the country and settled in Hamburg. Together with his brother, he played at theNewport Jazz Festival and recorded withJimmy Garrison andAldo Romano forImpulse!.
Kühn has largely lived in Paris since 1968, and worked withDon Cherry,Karl Berger,Slide Hampton,Phil Woods,Michel Portal,Barre Phillips,Eje Thelin,Ray Lema,Hellmut Hattler, andJean-Luc Ponty.[3] As a member ofPierre Courbois'sAssociation P.C., he turned to electronic keyboards. During the second half of the 1970s, he lived in California and joined the West Coastfusion scene and recorded withAlphonse Mouzon,Billy Cobham,Michael Brecker, andEddie Gómez.
Having settled nearParis again, he played in an acoustic trio withJean-François Jenny-Clark andDaniel Humair since 1985. In the summer of 1996, he joinedOrnette Coleman[2] for two concerts at theVerona and Leipzig festivals, which opened the way for hisDiminished Augmented System. In 2015 he formed the New Joachim Kühn Trio withChris Jennings and Eric Schaefer.
Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | Impressions of New York | Impulse! | Quartet, withRolf Kühn (clarinet),Jimmy Garrison (bass),Aldo Romano (drums)[4] |
1969? | Sound of Feelings | BYG Actuel | Trio, withJean-François Jenny-Clark andAldo Romano |
1969? | Paris Is Wonderful | Byg Actuel | Trio, withJean-François Jenny-Clark andAldo Romano |
1973? | This Way Out | BASF/MPS | withGerd Dudek,Peter Warren,Daniel Humair |
1974 | Cinemascope | ||
1975? | Hip Elegy | MPS | withTerumasa Hino,Philip Catherine,John Lee,Naná Vasconcelos,Alphonse Mouzon |
1976? | Solo Now | withAlbert Mangelsdorff,Gunter Hampel,Pierre Favre | |
1976 | Springfever | Atlantic | Most tracks quartet, withPhilip Catherine (guitar), John Lee (bass),Gerry Brown (drums); one track withZbigniew Seifert (violin),Curt Cress (drums) added[5] |
1977? | Charisma | Atlantic | Solo piano |
1978 | Sunshower | Atlantic | WithJan Akkerman andRay Gomez (guitar), Tony Newton (electric bass, piccolo bass), Glenn Symmonds (drums), Willie Dee (vocals)[6][7] |
1979 | Kiel/Stuttgart Live! | Inak | Duo, with Jan Akkerman (guitar, electric guitar, synthesizer); in concert[8] |
1980? | Snow in the Desert | Atlantic | Solo piano |
1981 | Nightline New York | Inak | WithMichael Brecker andBob Mintzer (tenor sax),Eddie Gómez,Billy Hart (drums),Mark Nauseef (percussion)[8] |
1983 | I'm Not Dreaming | CMP | With George Lewis (trombone), Ottomar Borwitzky (cello),Mark Nauseef (piccolo, tenor sax, percussion), Herbert Forsch (percussion)[8] |
1984 | Distance | CMP | Solo piano[8] |
1985 | Transformations | CMP | Solo piano; also known asWandlungen[8] |
1985 | Easy to Read | Owl | Trio, withJean-François Jenny-Clark (bass),Daniel Humair (drums)[9] |
1988 | From Time to Time Free | CMP | Trio, withJean-François Jenny-Clark (bass),Daniel Humair (drums)[8] |
1988 | Ambiance | Ambiance | Duo, withWalter Quintus (digital sound-board)[8] |
1988? | Situations | Atlantic | Solo piano |
1989 | Live: Théâtre De La Ville, Paris, 1989 | CMP | Trio, withJean-François Jenny-Clark andDaniel Humair; in concert[10] |
1990? | Dynamics | CMP | Solo piano |
1990 | Let's Be Generous | CMP | WithMiroslav Tadic (guitar), Tony Newton (bass), Mark Nauseef (drums, percussion)[8] |
1991 | Get Up Early | Ambiance | Duo, withWalter Quintus (digital sound-board)[8] |
1991 | Carambolage | CMP | With the WDR Big Band[10] |
1991–92 | Sometime Ago | New Edition | With Harry Beckett (trumpet, flugelhorn),Jerry Bergonzi (tenor sax),Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Jesper Lundgaard (bass), Thomas Alkier (drums); released 2006[9] |
1993? | Usual Confusion | Trio, withJean-François Jenny-Clark andDaniel Humair | |
1994? | Joachim Kühn Plays Lili Marleen | Solo piano | |
1994 | Europeana | ACT | With Radio Philharmonie Hannover NDR[11] |
1987–95 | Joachim Kühn Birthday Edition / Europeana | ACT | Some tracks trio, withJean-François Jenny-Clark (bass),Daniel Humair (drums); in concert; other tracks released onEuropeana; released 2014[12] |
1995 | Famous Melodies | Label Bleu | Solo piano[9] |
1995? | Abstracts | Label Bleu | Solo piano[13] |
1996 | Colors: Live from Leipzig | Harmolodic/Verve | Duo, withOrnette Coleman (alto sax, trumpet, violin); in concert |
1997? | Generations from (East) Germany | KlangRäume | Duo, withConnie Bauer |
1998? | Triple Entente | Mercury/PolyGram France | Trio, withJean-François Jenny-Clark andDaniel Humair |
1999 | The Diminished Augmented System | EmArcy | Solo piano[9] |
2001? | Universal Time | withChris Potter,Scott Colley,Horacio 'El Negro' Hernandez,Michel Portal | |
2002? | Bach Now - Live | withThomanerchor | |
2003 | Piano Works I: Allegro Vivace | ACT | Solo piano[9] |
2004 | Poison | In + Out | Trio, withJean-Paul Celea (bass),Wolfgang Reisinger (drums)[9] |
2005? | Journey to the Centre of an Egg | Enja | withRabih Abou-Khalil,Jarrod Cagwin |
2006 | Kalimba | ACT | Trio, withMajid Bekkas (guembri, oud, kalimba, vocals), Ramón López (drums)[14][15] |
2008 | Piano Works IX: Live at Schloss Elmau | ACT | Duo, withMichael Wollny (piano); in concert[16] |
2008 | Out of the Desert | ACT | With Majid Bekkas (vocals, guembri, kalimba, molo), Ramón López (drums, tabla), guests[17] |
2010 | Chalaba | ACT | Trio, withMajid Bekkas (vocals, guembri, oud), Ramón López (drums, tabla, percussion)[18] |
2010 | Out of the Desert Live | ACT | With Majid Bekkas (vocals, guembri, oud), Ramón López (drums, tabla, percussion), hr-Bigband / Frankfurt Radio Bigband; in concert[19] |
2011? | Wo!man | Archie Ball | Duo, withArchie Shepp |
2011–12 | Voodoo Sense | ACT | With Majid Bekkas (guembri, vocals, kalimba, balafon), Ramón López (drums, percussion); withArchie Shepp (tenor sax), Kouassi Bessan Joseph and Gouria Danielle (percussion, vocals), Dally Jean Eric (calabas), Gilles Ahadji (jembe), Abdessadek Bounhar (karkabou) added on some tracks[20] |
2012? | Lifeline | Boutique | with Rolf Kühn,John Patitucci,Brian Blade[21] |
2014? | Moscow | ACT | Duo, with Alexey Kruglov (alto sax)[22] |
2015 | Beauty and Truth | ACT | Trio, withChris Jennings (bass), Eric Schaefer (drums)[23] |
2017 | Love & Peace | ACT | Trio, withChris Jennings (bass), Eric Schaefer (drums)[24] |
2018 | Piano Works XIII: Melodic Ornette Coleman | ACT | Solo piano[25] |
2020 | Speaking Sound | ACT | Duo with violinistMateusz Smoczyński[26] |
2021 | Touch the Light | ACT | Solo piano[27] |
2024 | Duo | ACT | Duo, withMichael Wollny (piano); in concert, 2023 |
☆"Jan Akkerman" , [WEA] 1977