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Walter Lang

Walter Lang was born May 13th, 1961 in Schwäbisch Gmünd, a small city some 50 kilometers from Stuttgart, Germany. He grew up with the sound of accordion and piano being played around the house by both his father and grandfather. He studied piano and composition at the Berklee School of Music in Boston; finished his studies at the Amsterdam School of Arts.

In 1988 Walter had the fortune of becoming a founding member of the Rick Hollander Quartet, a group which has enjoyed countless tours of Europe, Japan and America. The group’s 5 CD’s all feature Walter’s trademark piano playing. The Quartet won the 1st prize at the „Europ‘ Jazz Contest“ in Hoeilaart, Belgium in 1990.

Since 1999 he is leading his own Walter Lang Trio with Nic Thys on bass and Rick Hollander on drums. They released very succesful Cd's such as „Walter Lang Trio plays Charles Chaplin“ (1999), „Across The Universe“ (2002), „Softly as in a morning Sunrise“ (2005) „The Sound Of A Rainbow"(2005), that received the "Best Sounding CD Award" by the japanese "Swing Journal", as well as the recent CD "Romantische Straße"(2007) that got the Gold Disc Award by "Swing Journal".

In 2008 he regrouped the Walter Lang Trio: Thomas Markusson from Göteborg/Sweden is playing bass and Sebastian Merk from Berlin/Germany is the new drummer.

Along with drummer Gerwin Eisenhauer and bassist Sven Faller he founded TRIO ELF in 2005. Their first CD "ELF" for ENJA RECORDS was a big success and the second CD will come out in the autumn of 2008.

His recent groups are, besides Trio ELF and the Walter Lang Trio, his quintet Walter Lang‘s Romance, Daktarimba as well as his duo with master saxofonist Lee Konitz.

Walter Lang has also played with James Moody, Chico Freeman, Don Menza, Roy Hargrove, Jenny Evans, Dusko Goykovich, Lisa Wahlandt and many others.

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9
Album Review

Trio Elf: Music Box Music

Read "Music Box Music" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


German pianist Walter Lang leads something of a double life, musically. On the one hand, he fronts standard piano trios with an impressionist bent--in the mode of a Marc Copland--on recordings like Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (Hagel Neyer Records, 2005) and Eurasia (M & I Records, 2009); on another hand, he heads up Trio ELF, a group with very modernized approach to the piano trio format, one that incorporates synth-like grooves and dance club beats, and staccato hip ...

3
Album Review

Trio ELF: Amsterdam

Read "Amsterdam" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


One aspect of German pianist Walter Lang's artistry involves his work in the traditional piano trio format, evinced on stellar recordings like Eurasia (M & I Records, 2009) and Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (Nagel Heyer, 2005). His approach here comes out of the Bill Evans school of the piano trio, with a light and subtle keyboard touch and vivacious interaction with the bass drums. Lang's own sweet and lovely way with a melody, inside the interaction of the ...

294
Album Review

Walter Lang Trio: Eurasia

Read "Eurasia" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


German pianist Walter Lang is big in Japan, with Eurasia being the sixth CD released there on the M&I Records label. A listen to any of these discs reveals something for the discerning taste of the Japanese jazz fan. Lang records mostly in the trio format--piano, bass and drums--and his approach in this setting can be said to fall in the interactive Bill Evans Trio mode, with a graceful lyricism, a supple use of touch, and an exquisite ...

394
Album Review

Trio ELF: 746

Read "746" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


With Trio ELF, Walter Lang takes the traditional piano trio format off on a dance groove tangent. The German pianist works and records prolifically with different piano trios, mostly acoustically, with a Bill Evans-like lyricism, a great respect for the form and an erudite depth to his artistry--which makes the groove-laced 746 a surprise for those not clued in to this direction by the group's debut set, ELF (Enja Records, 2006).Souping up the piano trio for a more ...

263
Album Review

Walter Lang Trio: Softly As In A Morning Sunrise

Read "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


You'll oftern hear it said of a jazz record that it pays to give the music your full attention. That's usually good advice; much of the jazz offered up doesn't fall into the “hit you over the head" category. Subtleties and nuance often prevail, which is especially true of piano trio sets. But I've found another tack to take on the initial encounter: I put a disc on as background music and go about my life. The winning sounds refuse ...

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Walter Lang & Lee Konitz Ashiya Pirouet 2007 by Ken Dryden

A few months prior to his 80th birthday last fall, Konitz entered the studio with the German pianist Walter Lang for a duo recording. Lang has previously collaborated with Konitz in a number of concerts, but Ashiya is their first CD together. Though quite familiar with this format, this is one of the few times that Konitz isn't playing a mix of standards and his own works. Lang is better known abroad since almost all of his work as a leader has appeared on European labels; he has made only a handful of appearances as a sideman on domestic releases.

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Music Box Music

Enja Records
2017

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Amsterdam

Enja Records
2013

buy

746

Enja Records
2009

buy

Eurasia

M&I
2009

buy

Softly As In A...

Nagel Heyer Records
2005

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