Biography
Born on 29 October 1960 in Næstved, Denmark, trumpeter and composer Winther joined the Cadentia Nova Danica big band while still a teenager. The ensemble served as John Tchicai and Hugh Steinmetz’s training ground for free jazz and ethnic music. During the 1980s he became a member of Erling Kroner’s group, which blended Argentinian tango with American jazz. Frequent trips to New York have brought encouragement from players such as Bob Brookmeyer, along with opportunities to sit in with local ensembles. Winther moves comfortably through every current strain of black American popular music and deliberately turns away from the restrained Nordic aesthetic often labeled “cool.” His phrasing delivers rhythmic drive and sidesteps melodic formulas through unexpected interval leaps. Among the few Danish jazz artists to document original material with the Danish Radio Big Band, he reveals his debt to Chet Baker and Miles Davis most clearly in the stark, desolate passages that appear on sections of The Planets.
Albums
