Joachim Kühn
Kühn was born in Leipzig, Germany.[1] He 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, clarinetist Rolf Kühn, he simultaneously grew 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 the GDR. In 1966, he left the country and settled in Hamburg. Together with his brother, he played at the Newport Jazz Festival and recorded with Jimmy Garrison and Aldo Romano for Impulse!.
Having settled near Paris again, he played in an acoustic trio with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Daniel Humair since 1985. In the summer of 1996, he joined Ornette Coleman[2] for two concerts at the Verona and Leipzig festivals, which opened the way for his Diminished Augmented System. In 2015 he formed the New Joachim Kühn Trio with Chris Jennings and Eric Schaefer.
Year recorded
Title
Label
Notes
1967
Impressions of New York
Impulse!
Quartet, with Rolf Kühn (clarinet), Jimmy Garrison (bass), Aldo Romano (drums)[4]
1969?
Sound of Feelings
BYG Actuel
Trio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Aldo Romano
1969?
Paris Is Wonderful
Byg Actuel
Trio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Aldo Romano
1973?
This Way Out
BASF/MPS
with Gerd Dudek, Peter Warren, Daniel Humair
1974
Cinemascope
1975?
Hip Elegy
MPS
with Terumasa Hino, Philip Catherine, John Lee, Naná Vasconcelos, Alphonse Mouzon
1976?
Solo Now
with Albert Mangelsdorff, Gunter Hampel, Pierre Favre
1976
Springfever
Atlantic
Most tracks quartet, with Philip Catherine (guitar), John Lee (bass), Gerry Brown (drums); one track with Zbigniew Seifert (violin), Curt Cress (drums) added[5]
1977?
Charisma
Atlantic
Solo piano
1978
Sunshower
Atlantic
With Jan Akkerman and Ray 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
With Michael Brecker and Bob 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 as Wandlungen[8]
1985
Easy to Read
Owl
Trio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark (bass), Daniel Humair (drums)[9]
1988
From Time to Time Free
CMP
Trio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark (bass), Daniel Humair (drums)[8]
1988
Ambiance
Ambiance
Duo, with Walter Quintus (digital sound-board)[8]
1988?
Situations
Atlantic
Solo piano
1989
Live: Théâtre De La Ville, Paris, 1989
CMP
Trio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Daniel Humair; in concert[10]
1990?
Dynamics
CMP
Solo piano
1990
Let's Be Generous
CMP
With Miroslav Tadic (guitar), Tony Newton (bass), Mark Nauseef (drums, percussion)[8]
1991
Get Up Early
Ambiance
Duo, with Walter 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, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Daniel 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, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark (bass), Daniel Humair (drums); in concert; other tracks released on Europeana; 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, with Ornette Coleman (alto sax, trumpet, violin); in concert
1997?
Generations from (East) Germany
KlangRäume
Duo, with Connie Bauer
1998?
Triple Entente
Mercury/PolyGram France
Trio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Daniel Humair
1999
The Diminished Augmented System
EmArcy
Solo piano[9]
2001?
Universal Time
with Chris Potter, Scott Colley, Horacio 'El Negro' Hernandez, Michel Portal
2002?
Bach Now - Live
with Thomanerchor
2003
Piano Works I: Allegro Vivace
ACT
Solo piano[9]
2004
Poison
In + Out
Trio, with Jean-Paul Celea (bass), Wolfgang Reisinger (drums)[9]
2005?
Journey to the Centre of an Egg
Enja
with Rabih Abou-Khalil, Jarrod Cagwin
2006
Kalimba
ACT
Trio, with Majid Bekkas (guembri, oud, kalimba, vocals), Ramón López (drums)[14][15]
2008
Piano Works IX: Live at Schloss Elmau
ACT
Duo, with Michael 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, with Majid 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, with Archie Shepp
2011–12
Voodoo Sense
ACT
With Majid Bekkas (guembri, vocals, kalimba, balafon), Ramón López (drums, percussion); with Archie 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, with Chris Jennings (bass), Eric Schaefer (drums)[23]
2017
Love & Peace
ACT
Trio, with Chris Jennings (bass), Eric Schaefer (drums)[24]
2018
Piano Works XIII: Melodic Ornette Coleman
ACT
Solo piano[25]
2020
Speaking Sound
ACT
Duo with violinist Mateusz Smoczyński[26]
2021
Touch the Light
ACT
Solo piano[27]
2024
Duo
ACT
Duo, with Michael Wollny (piano); in concert, 2023