Joachim Kurt Kühn (born 15 March 1944) is a German jazz pianist.
Biography Kühn was born in Leipzig, Germany. He was a musical prodigy and made his debut as a concert pianist, having studied classical piano and composition, 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. With a trio of his own, founded in 1964, 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!.
Kühn has largely lived in Paris since 1968 and worked with Don Cherry, Karl Berger, Slide Hampton, Phil Woods, Michel Portal, Barre Phillips, Eje Thelin, Ray Lema, Hellmut Hattler, and Jean-Luc Ponty. As a member of Pierre Courbois's Association P.C., he turned to electronic keyboards. During the second half of the 1970s, he lived in California and joined the West Coast fusion scene and recorded with Alphonse Mouzon, Billy Cobham, Michael Brecker, and Eddie Gómez.
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 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.
Discography As leader/co-leader Year recordedTitleLabelNotes1967Impressions of New YorkImpulse!Quartet, with Rolf Kühn (clarinet), Jimmy Garrison (bass), Aldo Romano (drums)1969Sound of FeelingsBYG ActuelTrio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Aldo Romano1970Paris Is WonderfulByg ActuelTrio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Aldo Romano1973This Way OutBASF/MPSwith Gerd Dudek, Peter Warren, Daniel Humair1974Cinemascope1976Hip ElegyMPSwith Terumasa Hino, Philip Catherine, John Lee, Naná Vasconcelos, Alphonse Mouzon1976Solo Nowwith Albert Mangelsdorff, Gunter Hampel, Pierre Favre1976SpringfeverAtlanticMost tracks quartet, with Philip Catherine (guitar), John Lee (bass), Gerry Brown (drums); one track with Zbigniew Seifert (violin), Curt Cress (drums) added1977Charisma AtlanticSolo piano1978SunshowerAtlanticWith Jan Akkerman and Ray Gomez (guitar), Tony Newton (electric bass, piccolo bass), Glenn Symmonds (drums), Willie Dee (vocals)1979Kiel/Stuttgart Live!InakDuo, with Jan Akkerman (guitar, electric guitar, synthesizer); in concert1980Snow in the DesertAtlanticSolo piano1981Nightline New YorkInakWith Michael Brecker and Bob Mintzer (tenor sax), Eddie Gómez, Billy Hart (drums), Mark Nauseef (percussion)1983I'm Not DreamingCMPWith George Lewis (trombone), Ottomar Borwitzky (cello), Mark Nauseef (piccolo, tenor sax, percussion), Herbert Forsch (percussion)1984DistanceCMPSolo piano1985TransformationsCMPSolo piano; also known as Wandlungen1985Easy to ReadOwlTrio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark (bass), Daniel Humair (drums)1988From Time to Time FreeCMPTrio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark (bass), Daniel Humair (drums)1988AmbianceAmbianceDuo, with Walter Quintus (digital sound-board)1988SituationsAtlanticSolo piano1989Live: Théâtre De La Ville, Paris, 1989CMPTrio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Daniel Humair; in concert1990DynamicsCMPSolo piano1990Let's Be GenerousCMPWith Miroslav Tadic (guitar), Tony Newton (bass), Mark Nauseef (drums, percussion)1991Get Up EarlyAmbianceDuo, with Walter Quintus (digital sound-board)1991CarambolageCMPWith the WDR Big Band1991–92Sometime AgoNew EditionWith Harry Beckett (trumpet, flugelhorn), Jerry Bergonzi (tenor sax), Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Jesper Lundgaard (bass), Thomas Alkier (drums); released 20061993?Usual ConfusionTrio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Daniel Humair 1994?Joachim Kühn Plays Lili MarleenSolo piano1994EuropeanaACTWith Radio Philharmonie Hannover NDR1987–95Joachim Kühn Birthday Edition / EuropeanaACTSome tracks trio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark (bass), Daniel Humair (drums); in concert; other tracks released on Europeana; released 20141995Famous MelodiesLabel BleuSolo piano1995?AbstractsLabel BleuSolo piano1996Colors: Live from LeipzigHarmolodic/VerveDuo, with Ornette Coleman (alto sax, trumpet, violin); in concert1997?Generations from (East) GermanyKlangRäumeDuo, with Connie Bauer1998?Triple Entente Mercury/PolyGram FranceTrio, with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Daniel Humair 1999The Diminished Augmented SystemEmArcySolo piano2001?Universal Timewith Chris Potter, Scott Colley, Horacio 'El Negro' Hernandez, Michel Portal2002?Bach Now - Livewith Thomanerchor 2003Piano Works I: Allegro VivaceACTSolo piano2004PoisonIn + OutTrio, with Jean-Paul Celea (bass), Wolfgang Reisinger (drums)2005?Journey to the Centre of an EggEnjawith Rabih Abou-Khalil, Jarrod Cagwin2006KalimbaACTTrio, with Majid Bekkas (guembri, oud, kalimba, vocals), Ramón López (drums)2008Piano Works IX: Live at Schloss ElmauACTDuo, with Michael Wollny (piano); in concert2008Out of the DesertACTWith Majid Bekkas (vocals, guembri, kalimba, molo), Ramón López (drums, tabla), guests2010ChalabaACTTrio, with Majid Bekkas (vocals, guembri, oud), Ramón López (drums, tabla, percussion)2010Out of the Desert LiveACTWith Majid Bekkas (vocals, guembri, oud), Ramón López (drums, tabla, percussion), hr-Bigband / Frankfurt Radio Bigband; in concert2011?Wo!manArchie BallDuo, with Archie Shepp2011–12Voodoo SenseACTWith 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 tracks2012?LifelineBoutiquewith Rolf Kühn, John Patitucci, Brian Blade2014?MoscowACTDuo, with Alexey Kruglov (alto sax)2015Beauty and TruthACTTrio, with Chris Jennings (bass), Eric Schaefer (drums)2017Love & PeaceACTTrio, with Chris Jennings (bass), Eric Schaefer (drums)2018Piano Works XIII: Melodic Ornette ColemanACTSolo piano2020Speaking SoundACTDuo with violinist Mateusz Smoczyński2021Touch the LightACTSolo piano2024DuoACTDuo, with Michael Wollny (piano); in concert, 2023
As sideman Jan Akkerman, Jan Akkerman (Atlantic, 1977) Gary Bartz, Lee Konitz, Jackie McLean and Charlie Mariano: Altissimo (Philips, 1973) Larry Coryell - Catherine - Kühn: Live! (Elektra, 1980) Association P.C. (Pierre Courbois) and Jeremy Steig: Mama Kuku (Live) (BASF/MPS, 1974) Joe Henderson Collective: Black Narcissus (Milestone, 1976) The Rolf Kühn Group: Solarius (Amiga, 1965) The Rolf Kühn Group: The Day After (BASF/MPS, 1972) featuring Phil Woods The Rolf Kühn Group: Connection 74 (BASF/MPS, 1974) featuring Randy Brecker Werner Müller Quintett, on side one of anthology Modern Jazz Studio Nr. 2 (Amiga, 1966) Zbigniew Namyslowski Quartet with Joachim Kühn: Live at Kosmos, Berlin (ITM, 1965, released, 2008) Zbigniew Seifert: Man of the Light (BASF/MPS, 1976) with Cecil McBee, Billy Hart, and Jasper van 't Hof SHQ, led by Karel Velebný - SHQ A Přátelé (Supraphon, 1965) Alan Silva: Seasons (BYG, 1971)
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