Rainer Brüninghaus

About

Rainer Brüninghaus (born 21 November 1949 in Bad Pyrmont, Germany) is a jazz pianist, composer and university teacher whose career spans more than five decades. He came to wider attention through Eberhard Weber's band Colours in the mid-1970s and has been a core member of the Jan Garbarek Group since 1988, appearing on several landmark ECM albums. As a leader he has released his own records on ECM - most notably Freigeweht (1981) and Continuum (1984) - and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung once called him the most imaginative user of minimal art in jazz.

785

Spotify monthly listeners

4

Solo albums as leader on ECM

1983

Year Continuum won the German Record Critics' Award (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik)

What's new

2025-01
ECM reissued Brüninghaus's debut album Freigeweht on vinyl as part of the label's Luminessence series.
2024-11
Brüninghaus performed with the Jan Garbarek Group at the Ingolstädter Jazztage festival in Germany.

Tracks

FreigewehtECM debut album (1981), described as 'airy, minimalist compositions' - reissued on vinyl 2025

ContinuumSecond ECM leader album (1984), won the German Record Critics' Award

TransformationsComposition featured on Jan Garbarek Group recordings

Twelve MoonsJan Garbarek Group album (1992) featuring Brüninghaus on piano

Shadows & SmilesAlbum with Manfred Schoof, part of his 1980s projects

Upcoming · 1

Jan Garbarek featuring Trilok Gurtu — Konsertsalen, Malmö

concert18:00

Sun 18.4. 18:00 Konsertsalen, Malmö 495–895 kr · ≈ $52–94

Jan Garbarek featuring Trilok Gurtu

Legendary saxophonist Jan Garbarek performs with his international quartet, featuring Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu. A rare concert with one of jazz's greatest figures.

concert Jazz

Where they play · 1

Konsertsalen

🎤 Rainer Brüninghaus