Joachim Kühn is one of the few German jazz world stars.

With his playing that transcends all categories, he has established himself as a world-class musician. In contemporary jazz, pianist Joachim Kühn has already left a significant mark and has paved new paths.

Kühn, a musical cosmopolitan, sees himself in the tradition of jazz while also being connected to European classical music. However, he is committed to a contemporary musical language.

He reveals vehemence and sensitivity, virtuosic technique and imagination, a distinctive touch culture, and an unerring sense of dynamics. In his interplay with long-time musical partners, in constantly new and often unusually challenging playing constellations, or when performing solo concerts, Joachim Kühn manages to turn music into an event. Throughout his life, he has demonstrated curiosity, openness, and a spirit of experimentation like few others.

Thanks to this intellectual flexibility, he transitioned from being a young classical pianist in East Germany to embracing jazz. After escaping to the West in 1966, he quickly became one of the most important representatives of the jazz avant-garde in the very different scenes of Paris, Los Angeles, New York, and Hamburg. He constantly sought encounters with a wide range of musicians, from Michel Portal, Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, Jean-François Jenny-Clark to Daniel Humair, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker, Rabih Abou-Khalil, and German musicians like Heinz Sauer and Michael Wollny.

In June 2011, Joachim Kühn was honored with the Echo Jazz award for his exceptional lifetime achievement in music.