Prof. Manfred Bründl

Prof. Manfred  Bründl
Photo: private

Professor of Double Bass/ Electric Bass (Jazz)

Hochschulzentrum am Horn

manfred.bruendl(at)hfm-weimar.de

www.manfredbrundl.com

Manfred Bründl studied jazz and classical music from 1980 to 1985 at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria. From 1983 to 1985 he was a member of the Heinz Sauer Quartett and worked subsequently with Albert Mangelsdorff, Norma Winstone, Terumasa Hino, Martial Solal, Herb Ellis, Charlie Mariano, Christof Lauer, Dave Liebman, Walter Norris, Craig Harris, Phil Wilson, Aldo Romano, Bill Elgart and Wayne Krantz amongst others, as well as with numerous other musicians in the Austrian Jazz Scene such as Fritz Pauer, Harry Pepl, Leo Wright and Erich Kleinschuster.

In 1987 he formed his own group “Brüma, Brüma” with Matthias Schubert, Bob Degen and Janusz Stefanski. In his later quartet “Basslab” he recorded the Album “Live” (1992) together with Schubert, Simon Nabatov and Barry Altschul. In 1989 he toured Africa on behalf of the German “Goethe Institute”, thereafter in 1990 Asia, 1994 Canada and 1995 Latin America. During the same period he played in a trio with Tomasz Stańko and Michael Riessler. In 1995 he founded the Hessische Art Ensemble Wiesbaden that explored the intersection of jazz and contemporary music, culminating in Bründl’s composition “Farblichtklänge”. In the same year he received the City of Frankfurt am Main Jazz Award. In 1999 he founded the crossover ensemble Composers Orchestra and in 2000 he recorded the music for the film Mein Bruder der Idiot (ZDF/Arte) with trumpeter Till Brönner. In 2012 he also played together with John Tchicai, Conny Bauer and Günter “Baby” Sommer.

The CD “Respect” by his current group Silent Bass was nominated for the German Record Critic’s Award in 2006. From 2007 Silent Bass performed in a new formation with Hugo Read, Achim Kaufmann and Jonas Burgwinkel with guest appearances by Liisi Koikson and Wolfgang Schlüter on their CD “Crosshatched”, released in 2008. Tours followed on the invitation of the Goethe Institute in Estonia. The CD “Crosshatched” was voted the Best German Jazz Album of 2008 by the German radio station Deutschlandfunk. In 2009 and 2010, Bründl toured widely, playing concerts and taking part in numerous workshops and festivals, amongst others in Budapest, Tallinn and Salerno (Martucci Jazz Festival, Villa Guariglia Vietri Sul Mare). In September 2011, Manfred Bründl and Silent Bass released the CD “Tip of the Tongue – A Tribute to Peter Trunk”, featuring Hugo Read, Rainer Böhm and Jonas Burgwinkel. The CD comprises eleven compositions by Bründl, which manifest their reverence to Peter Trunk in diverse ways. Trunk, who died in an accident in 1973, was one of the leading jazz musicians of the 1950s and 60s. Manfred Bründl received the SWR Jazz Prize, one of the most important jazz awards in Germany, in 2012.

In 2013, tours took Bründl to Hungary (Budapest Jazz Club) and Italy as well as festival appearances including the Sopot Jazz Festival 2014 with Grzegorz Nagórski (tb), Kalman Olah (piano) and Klemens Marktl (drums). He played in a duo with Janusz Stefanski (drums) and in a trio with Michael Küttner (Michael Küttner – drums, Hugo Read – sax) before founding the Trio BrüDaer feat. Nastja (Carsten Daerr – piano, Nastja Volokitina – voice) in 2015, playing at the Jazzmeile Thüringen festival. 2015 saw the founding of the TRE Trio with Andreas Schmidt (piano) and Hannes Clauss (drums), and in 2016 Manfred Bründl’s Silent Bass started in a new edition.

Bründl taught at the University of Mainz from 1989 to 1996. In 1996 he was appointed professor at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar, where he teaches to the present day.

CDs

  • 1984 LP METAL BLOSSOMS (Heinz Sauer-Quartett)
  • 1986 LP BLUE LIGHT (with Walter Norris, Matthieu Michel, Wilson Oliveira)
  • 1986 LP/CD GOD IS A SHE with Bob Degen and Gabriele Hasler
  • 1989 CD LISTENING TO LÖBERING with Gabriele Hasler
  • 1991 CD BRÜNDL'S BASSLAB AISHA (Lippmann & Rau, bellaphon)
  • 1992 CD BRÜNDL'S BASSLAB Live, feat. BARRY ALTSCHUL (ITM-Records)
  • 1993 CD SUITE TALK with Tomasz Stanko and Michael Riessler (ITM-Records)
  • 1998 CD FARBLICHTKLÄNGE, ArtE Wiesbaden with Stefan Bauer, Wollie Kaiser, Ingrid Schmithüsen and Michinori Bunya auf Konnex
  • 2006 RESPECT Manfred Bründl's SILENT BASS with Hugo Read, Achim Kaufmann and Jo Thönes (Laika-Records); nominated for the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis
  • 2008 CROSSHATCHED Manfred Bründl's SILENT BASS with Hugo Read, Achim Kaufmann, Jonas Burgwinkel, Wolfgang Schlüter and Liisi Koikson (Laika-Records)
  • 2011 TIP OF THE TONGUE, A TRIBUTE TO PETER TRUNK Manfred Bründl's SILENT BASS with Hugo Read, Rainer Böhm and Jonas Burgwinkel (Laika-Records)

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