Biography Hans Lüdemann

Hans Lüdemann, born 1961 in Hamburg, 1978/79 in Los Angeles/USA, since 1982 in Cologne, 2009/10 and 2015/16 in Philadelphia/USA. Private jazz studies with Joachim Kühn, classical piano studies at the Hamburg Conservatory, jazz piano at the Cologne Music Academy with Reiner Brüninghaus and Frank Wunsch and the Banff Centre/Canada with Dave Holland, Richie Beirach and Anthony Davis. Graduated in 1990 with the first jazz concert exam in Germany. 1986 as member of the group of Eberhard Weber/Jan Garbarek on tour in Asia on behalf of the Goethe Institute. Collaboration with many important musicians - including Muhal Richard Abrams, Paul Bley (Duo CD), Hayden Chisholm, Chiwoniso, Toumani Diabate, Marc Ducret, Mark Feldman, Sol Gabetta, Dobet Gnahoré, Lee Konitz, Joachim Kühn, Albert Mangelsdorff, Phil Minton, Angelika Niescier, Yves Robert, Heinz Sauer, Gebhard Ullmann and Eda Zari.

Hans Lüdemann is a "wanderer between worlds" who has formed top-class European ensembles with the piano trio ROOMS and the German-French octet "TransEuropeExpress" (T.E.E.) and in the TRIO IVOIRE with the balaphonist Aly Keita creates transcultural connections between Africa, Europe and jazz. As a solo pianist, he improvised a "hommage a Köln concert" at the Cologne Opera, he expands the acoustic piano sound into a microtonal instrument with his "virtual piano" and has developed new playing techniques for the historical clavichord. In the concert series "die kunst des trios" (the art of the trio), which began in 2007, a whole series of piano trio concepts is being created together with an international squad of exquisite musical partners.

As a soloist and in ensembles, with his compositions and projects, Lüdemann is at home worldwide at festivals, concert stages and clubs between Berlin, Bamako, Paris, Hong Kong, Havana, Capetown and New York, including Musiktriennale Cologne, EXPO 2000 in Hanover, Jazzfest Berlin, HIFA - Festival Harare, Copenhagen Jazzfestival, Elbjazz Hamburg and Budapest Music Centre. Solo tours have taken him throughout Europe, Africa and to North America. His music has been documented on more than 40 CD releases on renowned labels and through radio and television productions. The most extensive release to date, the CD box set "die kunst des trios", was awarded the "ECHO Jazz 2013".

From the beginning, the creation and realisation of his own works was the focus of his work and his projects. In 1988 he presented his first orchestral work, "Geschichte 2", and in 1994 the song cycle "Verloren ins weite Blau" for voices and chamber ensembles. Hans Lüdemann has received commissions from the WDR, SWR, hR, Ensemble Indigo, the NDR Bigband, the Duo Slaato/Reinecke, Steinway & Sons and the Kunststiftung NRW and was a fellow of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. His catalogue of works includes compositions ranging from solo and song to chamber music, big band, choir and orchestra, as well as numerous arrangements, adaptations and improvised music. He has published a number of volumes of sheet music, most recently the "Rhythmic Etudes" for piano with Schott in 2015.

Lüdemann was on a trip to Africa with Federal President Johannes Rau in 2002, a member of the Federal Jury for Composition for the Villa Massimo 2003 - 2007, directed the "Creative Jazz Workshop" at the European Academy Montepulciano/Italy, taught jazz piano, ensemble and composition at the Musikhochschule Köln from 1993 - 2008 and was appointed "Cornell Visiting Professor" at Swarthmore College/USA in 2009/2010 and 2015/16. Hans Lüdemann lives as a freelance musician and composer in Hoffnungsthal near Cologne.

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