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About Sebastian Schunke
Instrument: Piano
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar ToSebastian Schunke: Existential Intensities
by Mark Sullivan
German composer and pianist Sebastian Schunke has long taken inspiration from Latin music. But, when his album Elusive Beauty (Connector Records, 2018) won one of Latin America's most important music awards--the Premio Internacional presented during the Cubadisco Festival--he had a rare opportunity to engage directly with Cuban musicians. This album is a kaleidoscopic blend of two Cuban ensembles, Schunke's Berlin band and a Berlin-based chamber ensemble. “Abakuá [versión de ritual folclórico Abakuá]" opens the set with Los Muñequitos ...
read moreSebastian Schunke/Diego Pinera: Elusive Beauty
by Mark Sullivan
German pianist/composer Sebastian Schunke has a sound firmly rooted in Latin jazz, but he has never shied away from bringing in European influences as well. His previous album Genesis, Mystery And Magic (Nwog Records, 2014) employed a conventional sextet with horns and percussion--but also included Interludes of introspective solo piano. Elusive Beauty presents a conscious move into new stylistic territory: Schunke calls it “Fourth Stream," a symbiosis of Afro-Latin American music and the “New Music" of the 21st century.
read moreSebastian Schunke: Latin Jazz With a German Accent
by Mark Sullivan
German pianist/composer Sebastian Schunke began studying classical piano at age six. When he started learning jazz at age 12 he was quickly exposed to Latin jazz, and there was no turning back. He moved to New York City in 1996 (age 22) and divided his time between the Manhattan School of Music and immersion in the Latin jazz scene. There he was able to work on learning an authentic Latin feel while also integrating his European experiences. In ...
read moreSebastian Schunke: Genesis, Mystery And Magic
by Mark Sullivan
German composer/pianist Sebastian Schunke continues on his unlikely Latin jazz path with Genesis, Mystery And Magic. The band is a blend of members of his Berlin quartet and New York City players. This album was recorded in Berlin, but Schunke studied in New York and has recorded there in the past--in some ways this session integrates all of his playing experiences better than anything in his prior discography. The opener “Adelante" makes his case as a Latin jazz ...
read moreSebastian Schunke: Back in New York
by Raul d'Gama Rose
There are several aspects of Sebastian Schunke's new record, Back in New York (Connector, 2008) that make it stand out from the slew of records that young pianists produce. First is that the music is complex, sophisticated, and superbly crafted--a sure sign that its composer has already reached a high degree of maturation. Second, is the selfless manner in which the musical largesse has been distributed, not unlike what the great Duke Ellington used to do when he ...
read moreSebastian Schunke: Symbiosis
by Mark F. Turner
The fusion between European and Latin music styles is handled nicely on pianist Sebastian Schunke's release Symbiosis. Schunke intentionally merges the boundaries of classical piano and Latin rhythms to create music that is structured but spontaneous, familiar yet exotic. Trained on classical piano since the age of six, Shunke's main influences were Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, and Debussy. Years later, when exposed to Chick Corea, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Eddie Palmieri, he realized an epiphany of creativity in Latin American ...
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