Hans Koller (pianist)
Hans Koller (born November 10, 1970 in Landshut ) is a German jazz pianist and composer who lives in England and has emerged in the field of modern creative jazz .
Live and act
Koller grew up in a musical pastor family; his mother is a music teacher and all of his sisters also play instruments. As a teenager he attended summer schools held by Brian Abrahams District Six in Ingolstadt. In 1991 he went to England to study and completed a master's degree in composition at Middlesex University and then a further degree in ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies . He played in the groups of Stan Sulzmann and Chris Batchelor before forming his own band Neverland (with bassist Dave Whitford, saxophonist Rob Townsend and drummer Stuart Laurence). For his debut album Magic Mountain (1997) he expanded this formation to a nonet . This first album already earned him the reputation of one of the new jazz composers in Great Britain, which he was able to expand further over the next few years. The follow-up album Lovers and Strangers (2001) was created with harpist Helen Tunstall, singer Christine Tobin and percussionist Corrina Sylvester. Critic John Fordham compared the album New Memories (2002) with the works of the Loose Tubes . Over the next few years he worked with Steve Lacy ( London Ear ) and Evan Parker as well as Kenny Wheeler , Bob Brookmeyer and Phil Woods . He also wrote for the NDR Big Band ( Scenic Routes ) as well as for the BBC Big Band, for the WDR Big Band Cologne and the hr Big Band .
As a pianist he can also be heard in various groups of Michael Gibbs (and toured with him in 2007, as well as with Steve Swallow , Bill Frisell and Adam Nussbaum ). Furthermore he accompanies with his trio Gerd Dudek ( Day & Night , 2012).
Koller is a member of the teaching staff at the Birmingham Conservatoire and teaches composition, arrangement, repertoire and history of jazz .
Prizes and awards
Koller won the JOEY Prize for Composers in 2000 and has received several commissions from Birmingham Jazz and the Freden International Music Festival.
Discographic notes
- Hans Koller with Bill Frisell Cry, Want (Psi Records 2009, with Percy Pursglove , Robbie Robson, Jim Rattigan, Mark Nightingale , Sarah Williams, Finn Peters, Robin Fincker, Evan Parker, Dave Whitford, Jeff Williams )
Lexical entries
- Ian Carr et al. a. Jazz Rough Guide London 2004 (3rd edition)
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Koller, Hans |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 10, 1970 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Landshut |