Benedikt Jahnel

Pianist, composer, and bandleader Benedikt Jahnel is a technically gifted performer known for his nuanced, classically influenced jazz recordings. A native of Geretsried, Germany, Jahnel took classical piano lessons while growing up and gained early jazz experience playing in the Bavarian and German Youth Big Bands. He furthered his training studying at Berlin's University of Art under David Friedman and Hubert Nuss, and later honed his skills at New York's City College studying with Kenny Werner, Jean-Michel Pilc, and John Patitucci. Since leaving school, he has built an impressive array of credits performing with such luminaries as Phil Woods, Johannes Enders, Frank Möbus, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Dave Liebman, John Abercrombie, Clarence Penn, Dan Weiss, Steve Davis, and others. Along with his solo work, he has played and recorded regularly with the jazz ensemble Max.Bab and he is also a longtime member of vocalist Cymin Samawatie's Cyminology group. As a leader, Jahnel made his debut with his trio featuring bassist Antonio Miguel and drummer Owen Howard on 2008's Modular Concepts for ECM. Another trio effort, Equilibrium, followed in 2012. In 2017, Jahnel delivered his third trio recording on ECM, The Invariant, which found him drawing inspiration from his love of mathematics.
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