Christoph Spendel is one of the best-known contemporary German pianists and keyboardists in the field of tension between Jazz, Pop, Latin and Prog Rock and enjoys a far-reaching international reputation.
Born in Upper Silesia/Poland, raised in Düsseldorf and musically matured in New York, Havana and Frankfurt, he has become an integral part of the German fusion scene. To call him just a jazz pianist would not be enough due to his extensive stylistic horizon and his thinking beyond the piano lid.
After briefly studying classical music at the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf, he became a member of the Jazztrack formation in 1975, with whom he performed at the Berlin Philharmonie on the occasion of the Jazztage in the same year. He later focussed on his Christoph Spendel Group, which still exists today in changing line-ups, as well as his work as a solo pianist and his new project ‘Piano Graffiti’. With both programmes, which mainly contain his own compositions, he has produced numerous CDs that have been released worldwide. This year, Christoph Spendel is celebrating various anniversaries, such as 30 years as a Blue Flame artist, 50 years of stage presence, 30 years of endorsement with Kawai, 30 years as a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt am Main and his 70th birthday!
Two special releases to celebrate: the ‘Jubilee Remix EP’, which contains a small selection from the Spendel catalogue in a new guise, reworked by artists from the Blue Flame family, including a remix by Bossasonic and a rework by Jazzamor, will be released on 13 June 2025. And ‘Piano Graffiti’, a brand new album, will follow on 24 October 2025. The Spendel year will be rounded off with numerous live dates.
