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Michael Wollny

Michael Wollny, born in 1978 in Schweinfurt, internationally successful jazz pianist, music inventor, unconventional thinker, popular figure. Nobody plays piano like him. His trademark: the unpredictable, the quest for the never-before-heard, the courage to devote himself to the moment, to make the unforeseen sound self-evident. His desire to keep reinventing himself, both in terms of sound and composition; that is what makes him a “consummate piano maestro” (FAZ) and “the biggest (jazz) musician personality that Germany has produced since Albert Mangelsdorff” (Hamburger Abendblatt).

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1
Live Review

Jazzfest Bonn, Opening Night With Niels Klein / EOS Chamber Orchestra And The Michael Wollny Trio

Read "Jazzfest Bonn, Opening Night With Niels Klein / EOS Chamber Orchestra And The Michael Wollny Trio" reviewed by Josef Woodard


JazzFest BonnBonn, Germany May 31-May 28, 2022 From the vastly populous files of shuttled cultural plans during pandemic times, JazzFest Bonn also played calendar catch-up on May 1. The kickoff concert of the festival's 12th annual edition opened at the Oper, a large theater venue nestled along the Rhine River, in overdue gala fashion. In the spotlight was a Germanic double-header featuring saxophonist-composer Niels Klein's enticing music for jazz trio and the EOS Chamber Orchestra and ...

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Interview

Michael Wollny: Treasures from the Wunderkammer

Read "Michael Wollny: Treasures from the Wunderkammer" reviewed by Kurt Ellenberger


German pianist Michael Wollny is one of the most exciting and important jazz artists of our time. His work is marked by exquisite pianism and a restless creativity and search for expression that knows no stylistic boundaries. Wollny's output has been remarkable both in quality and quantity--he is in his early 40s, and has released almost 20 recordings as leader, along with many more as sideman, making him one of Munich-based ACT Music most prolific artists.  All About ...

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Album Review

Wollny - Parisien - Lefebvre - Lillinger: XXXX

Read "XXXX" reviewed by Phillip Woolever


This unique group effort by a progressive team of virtuoso improvisers doesn't always hit the mark of inspired mastery, but the project certainly expands such possibilities. The album is culled from a four-night stand at Berlin's well-known A-Trane club which produced around eight hours of recorded material. The intriguing, unpredictable package presented here clocks in at around 45 minutes. The opening track “Somewhere Around Barstow" pops with multiple-sourced seeds which literally set a stage for the chaotic chops ...

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Album Review

Michael Wollny Trio: Weltentraum

Read "Weltentraum" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


The inventive German pianist Michael Wollny combines a delight in exploration with an impressively high work rate. As a result, he's become one of the European jazz scene's most prolific and most unpredictable performers. Weltentraum is the debut recording from the Michael Wollny Trio, a piano, bass, drum collaboration that on the surface at least bears a striking resemblance to [em], Wollny's previous piano, bass, drums collaboration. Given that [em] was one of the most enjoyable and talented bands on ...

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Album Review

Michael Wollny's [em]: Wasted & Wanted

Read "Wasted & Wanted" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


Michael Wollny's sleeve notes for Wasted & Wanted are emphatic: “MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN RULES. This is Jazz." Back in the day, this German piano trio used to be plain old [em]. Some re-branding has taken place, and now it's Michael Wollny's [em]. According to Wollny, the change is intended to help people who have been confused by the name [em], and to follow the well-worn tradition of naming a piano trio after the pianist. Hmm. Rather a strange approach, ...

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Ilugdin Trio
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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Ghosts

ACT Music
2022

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XXXX

ACT Music
2021

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Oslo

ACT Music
2018

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Wartburg

ACT Music
2018

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Nachtfahrten

ACT Music
2015

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Weltentraum

ACT Music
2014

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Wasted & Wanted

From: Wasted & Wanted
By Michael Wollny

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