Till Brönner

Renowned as a trumpeter and vocalist, Till Brönner ranks among the foremost German jazz artists of his era by fusing core bebop traditions with touches of present-day R&B and hip-hop. After surfacing in the 1990s he first drew attention through agile improvisational skills showcased on his widely praised 1993 debut album Generations of Jazz. Later releases such as 1999’s Love, 2004’s That Summer and 2008’s Brazilian-flavored Rio reflected a shift toward contemporary methods while he applied his refined phrasing to fresh compositions and jazz-tinged pop interpretations. Even as he achieved broad commercial appeal he continued to pursue bold sonic territory on the 1970s-inspired jazz-soul set Till Brönner in 2013 and the experimental duo date Baby’s Party with drummer Günter Sommer in 2018. In 2020 he teamed with crossover jazz icon Bob James for On Vacation.

Born in Viersen Germany on May 6 1971 Brönner first encountered Charlie Parker’s music at age thirteen before enrolling in jazz trumpet studies at the Hochschule für Musik Köln. After completing only three semesters he began working professionally with pianist Horst Jankowski’s RIAS-Tanzorchester. In 1993 he recorded his initial solo effort Generations of Jazz a classic hard-bop tribute that featured bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jeff Hamilton among its guests. The album earned multiple honors including the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the Preis der Deutschen Plattenindustrie. On his third outing 1996’s German Songs Brönner reimagined vintage German film themes for jazz quartet and classical orchestra foreshadowing later creative explorations. Love arrived in 1998 marking his first project for the storied Verve label and his initial foray into singing while two years afterward he delivered Chattin with Chet a recording that underscored his deepening admiration for American cool-jazz master Chet Baker.

Following his score for the lauded 2001 documentary Jazz Seen which highlighted photographer William Claxton Brönner returned in 2002 with the expansive Blue Eyed Soul a partnership alongside Japanese DJ Samon Kawamura and jazz singer Mark Murphy that incorporated electronic textures to refresh his sound for a contemporary audience. A concert tour alongside soul vocalist Joy Denalane paved the way for his strongest mainstream success That Summer in 2004 which climbed to number sixteen on the German pop charts and established him as the country’s top-selling jazz artist ever. Two years later he issued the Larry Klein-produced Oceana an ensemble project that drew contributions from vocalists ranging from Madeleine Peyroux to model Carla Bruni.

With 2009’s Rio Brönner honored Brazilian music particularly bossa nova and recruited Melody Gardot Kurt Elling Annie Lennox Sergio Mendes and Luciana Souza to join his own vocals on the recording. A set of understated rock interpretations At the End of the Day followed the next year and featured an unexpected collaboration with metal band Type O Negative on a respectful reading of Seals & Crofts’ Summer Breeze. He omitted vocals entirely on the subsequent 2012 self-titled album which spotlighted his regular ensemble plus subtle string arrangements. Drawing inspiration from the production aesthetics of CTI and Creed Taylor-era Verve the collection placed his trumpet front and center within a thoroughly updated jazz framework.

In 2014 Brönner realized a long-held ambition with The Movie Album recorded in Los Angeles alongside leading session musicians and spanning film themes from the classic period through the twenty-first century including As Time Goes By from Casablanca and Happy from Despicable Me 2. The project also included guest appearances by singers such as Gregory Porter and appeared via Universal International in September 2014. He next partnered with vocalist Lisa Bassenge on 2015’s Canyon Songs.

Brönner made his Sony Masterworks/OKeh debut in 2016 with The Good Life a predominantly acoustic blend of straight-ahead jazz and standards. He then joined bassist Dieter Ilg for the close-knit duo album Nightfall which mixed original pieces with readings of works by Leonard Cohen the Beatles Johann Sebastian Bach and additional sources. In 2018 he worked with percussionist Günter Sommer on the daring duo session Baby’s Party.

The year after he welcomed pianist composer and longtime associate Bob James to the historic La Fabrique Studio in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence France. The two-hundred-year-old estate known for hosting sessions by Charles Aznavour Juliette Greco Kanye West and Nick Cave among others supplied an immediately stimulating environment. Together they captured a dozen tracks both original and interpretive using varied rhythm sections and released the results as On Vacation in autumn 2020.