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Christian Pabst

German pianist and (film-) composer Christian Pabst is a true storyteller.

While being deeply rooted and connected to the greats of jazz, Christian has an original, strong and genre transcending voice as a pianist and composer. Finding inspiration not only in the arts but also in travelling and everyday life, his radiant music is  very visual and inspires your imagination. “I want to create music that speaks to the heart and the mind alike” says the pianist.

Growing up in a small German village close to the French border, Christian always listened as a kid to his brother playing their 1980’s home organ. He also wanted to play music and started to take piano lessons. Later, when he heard the local youth bigband for the first time, he felt instantly connected to jazz and improvisation. His thirst for knowledge and understanding of music led him to study jazz piano and film music at the renowned conservatories of Amsterdam, Paris and Copenhagen. Now, he’s playing concerts all over the world.

Christian’s lyricism unfolds itself beautifully on his acclaimed records. The debut “Days of Infinity” (Challenge Records Int.) features the excellent trumpet player Gerard Presencer and was hailed by the international press. Jazzwise, the biggest British jazz magazine gave 4 stars and drew comparisons with EST. The follow-up “Song of Opposites” extends the trio beautifully with an international top-ensemble of strings, horns and voice. The unique sound of Christian’s writing for large ensemble reminded the press of “a small version of the Metropole Orchestra” (Jazzflits) and others thought “Song of Opposites” was “the most beautiful record of the year“ (Musenblätter). His release “Inner Voice”, mixed and mastered by ECM sound engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug, is described as a “surrender to the beauty of music” by All About Jazz USA. 

Appreciated by his colleagues for his dedication and open-mindedness, Christian lends his strong musical voice to a few select groups, amongst others a collaboration with the great Copenhagen based Czech saxophonist Lubos Soukup with whom he plays in duo as well as quartet. This project toured and recorded with the guitarist Lionel Loueke (known from Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, etc.).

When he is not playing the piano, Christian is busy composing (film-) scores and arranging. Many movies that he scored were awarded with prizes and are being screened all over the world. Recently, the short movie “Dancin’ the Camera” was nominated for the Dutch Oscar. As an arranger, Christian worked for a wide range of ensembles, a.o.

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4
Interview

Christian Pabst: Il momento del cambiamento

Read "Christian Pabst: Il momento del cambiamento" reviewed by Paolo Marra


Con il disco Balbec (etichetta Jazz Sick) il musicista e compositore Christian Pabst di origini tedesche ci trasporta nel luogo immaginario dove il protagonista de “Alla ricerca del tempo perduto" di Marcel Proust fugge per ritrovare un senso allo scorrere del tempo al di fuori del disordine urbano. Come nel libro, i sette brani originali contenuti nel disco diventavano sfumature sonore di un unico flusso di memoria nel quale l'arte diventa fonte ispiratrice per trovare l'equilibrio umano anche nei momenti ...

13
Album Review

Christian Pabst: Inner Voice

Read "Inner Voice" reviewed by Don Phipps


What is that quote from the movie American Beauty? “Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in." That's what German pianist Christian Pabst's album Inner Voice offers the jazz listener: a surrender to the beauty of music--not a sentimental beauty, but one that is profound yet entertaining at the same time. Pabst and his cohorts, Marco Zenini on bass and Erik Kooger ...

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"Brillant and deeply emotional" Musenblätter, Germany "Pabst is a virtuoso on his instrument." Der Kultur Blog, Germany "Poetic, introverted and with great intimacy (…) deep, sophisticated but never over-complicated jazz aesthetics" Soultrainonline.de "a mysterious soundworld whose fundament is an intriguing balance between composition and improvisation" wegotmusic.de "Days of Infinity is the group’s debut disc, and it resonates with the sound of a group that knows what it’s about. (...) On the disc, the trio functions impressively as a driving rhythm section

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Primary Instrument

Piano

Location

Perugia

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Palm Tree Line

JazzSick Records
2023

buy

Ida Lupino (Live in...

JazzSick Records
2022

buy

Unlikely Scenario

JazzSick Records
2022

buy

Balbec

JazzSick Records
2021

buy

Inner Voice

mochermusic
2018

buy

Strange Fish

Isolde Records
2017

buy

Unlikely Scenario

From: Unlikely Scenario
By Christian Pabst

Ida Lupino

From: Ida Lupino (Live in Estonia)
By Christian Pabst

Flight

From: Balbec
By Christian Pabst

Videos

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