“Calling Till Brönner the new aspiring German trumpet talent is obsolete, since he has sold more records than any other German jazz musician. He plays big time now and is well known in the New York jazz circuit, which itself is top of the crop.” ME SOUNDS/Rolling Stone
Born in 1971 in Viersen, Germany and raised in Rome, Italy, Till experienced his outset with the help of Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker: “Hearing Bebop for the first time, Charlie Parker; that set the whole thing off for me. I was 13 years old and it was an almost erotic sensation. I thought that it was indecent. The music was like a woman having a go at me.” Till stems from a family of musicians; after a well-protected childhood, he enjoyed a classical education followed by a study of the jazz trumpet at Cologne’s Music Academy. After only three semesters he convinced the leader of Berlin’s “RIAS-Tanzorchester” at an audition, taking his first hurdle at the age of 20.
Only two years later, he raised more than one eyebrow with “Generations of Jazz”, being both a classic mainstream recording and his debut as a bandleader. By the time he released “German Songs”, his third album of old German film songs, arranged for jazz quartet and classical orchestra, he was the talk of the trade.
- in 2008 he is nominated for a Grammy Award in the category “Best Classical Crossover Album” for “The Jazz Album”, an album he produced with classical bass-baritone singer Thomas Quasthoff
- for “The Christmas Album” he wins the 2008 Echo Award in the jazz category
- as a celebration of “50 years of bossa nova” he releases on September 19, 2008 his new album “Rio” recorded with stellar guests (such as Annie Lennox, Milton Nascimento, and Aimee Mann)
- in 2009 he is nominated for a Grammy Award in the category “Best Jazz Instrumental Solo” for his solo on the album “The Standard” made by the legendary vocal ensemble Take 6
- for his album “Rio” he wins the 2009 Echo Award in the jazz category (it is his third consecutive win in this category)