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Martin Schulte

Cologne based guitarist Martin Schulte (*1979) is one of the most asked-for sidemen of the Rhine-Ruhr jazz scene in Germany. With his guitar rifts, this “brilliant instrumentalist” (Westdeutsche Zeitung), traverses the spaces between modern jazz, pop, rock and funk.

Born in Duisburg, Martin Schulte has quickly become an important part of the dynamic Cologne jazz scene as a member of the jazz bands Oktoposse, Magnus Mehl Quintett, Duo Doyna, or with his own quartet ��" the Martin Schulte Quartett. His much appreciated presence comes from his ability to be free with musical style, his deep feel for improvisation and his dexterity in moving between tension, intensity and relaxation. Forming his own musical style gained important impetus not only through his study of jazz guitar at the Hochschule fuer Musik und Tanz in Cologne, but also from lessons by international jazz celebrities such as John Abercrombie, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Hiram Bullock, Wayne Krantz, Peter Berstein, John Taylor and Ben Monder who says about Martin Schulte: “He impressed me immediately as an extremely talented guitarist.“

In 2003 Martin Schulte spent 12 months at the Escola de Musica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, on the ERASMUS scholarship programme. Starting in summer 2009 his next year abroad was studying “Performing Arts” in Queens College at the New York City University with the support of a scholarship from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). Since Summer 2010 he lives in Cologne again.

Awards

1995 3rd Prize for Jazz Guitar at the Competition "Jugend Jazzt" NRW 1996 3rd Prize for a composition at the competition "Jugend komponiert" 1997 1st Prize for Jazz Guitar at the Competition "Jugend Jazzt" NRW for playing with an own group 1999 1st Prize for Jazz Guitar at the Competition "Jugend Jazzt" NRW as soloist 2003 Winner of the Jazz-Prize of the "LAG-Jazz", 2005 Best international Newcomer-Band at the Festival "Jazz an der Donau" with the band "Oktoposse" 2005 Best international Newcomer-Band at the International Jazz Competition Granada, Spain, with the band "Oktoposse" 2006 1st Prize at the Competition "Biberacher Jazz- Preis" with the Band "Mumble Jumble" 2006 2nd Prize at the Hoilaart Jazz Competition, Belgium, with the "Magnus Mehl Quintett" 2009 German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Full Scholarship to do the master of performance program at the Queens College, New York City


Tags

2
Album Review

Martin Schulte Trio: Time Remembered: Standards and Other Songs

Read "Time Remembered: Standards and Other Songs" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


German jazz guitarist Martin Schulte's previous album Walking Distance (Laika-Records, 2016) was a quartet (sometimes quintet) recording of Schulte's compositions. Here the instrumentation is stripped back to a solid trio with bassist Henning Gailing and drummer Jens Düppe, and as the subtitle would have it, the program is mostly standards (although Schulte sneaks in three of his own tunes). The guitarist sticks to a clean sound throughout, so it is a mainstream program in most ways. The title ...

10
Album Review

Martin Schulte Quartet featuring Frederik Köster: Walking Distance

Read "Walking Distance" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


German jazz guitarist Martin Schulte opens this excellent quartet outing with the title tune. The title must be a play on the prominent walking bass line provided by bassist Matthias Nowak, but it's also a catchy, swinging piece with dramatic, unexpected stops (as well as a showcase for guest trumpeter Frederik Köster). Tenor saxophonist Peter Ehwald gets plenty of space to strut his stuff on the following “Driftin.'" The longest track “On A Silent Day" brings Köster back for his ...

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152

Recording

Acclaimed German guitarist Martin Schulte redefines contemporary jazz on new CD

Source: Lauren Rogers

In his young, tragic life, Kurt Cobain probably never imagined one of his songs would be converted into a freewheeling jazz number. But that's exactly what guitarist Martin Schulte accomplishes on his new album, In Transit, reworking Nirvana's 1993 fuzz bomb “Heart-Shaped Box" into quirky, screeching jazz, complete with sizzling saxophone and Schulte capturing the soft/loud pattern of the original albeit minus the rock element. Indeed, this is not your father's jazz. Born in Cologne, Germany in 1979, Schulte belongs ...

"New album from Germany-based jazz guitarist Martin Schulte is a thrilling experience" Jazz Corner

"[...] An astounding show of musical ideas from Cologne [...]" Hans-Jürgen von Osterhausen in Jazzpodium (May 2007)

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Time Remembered:...

LAIKA Records
2018

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Walking Distance

LAIKA Records
2016

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Walking Distance

LAIKA Records
2015

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Martin Schulte NY...

JazzHausMusik
2011

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Videos

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