BIOGRAPHY
composer, arranger, pianist, educator
"Michael Arbenz plays in a league with Brad Mehldau and Jacky Terrasson, technically virtuously and precisely, fissuredly wide-rangingly, filled with crazy ideas that emerge between knotted hacked chords and tingly silver-reels, harmonious, cumbersome or mellifluous – an intimate dance with the spirits of Lennie Tristano and Thelonious Monk and one’s very own mind…" - Ulrich Olshausen, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung/D
"Michael Arbenz plays in a league
with Brad Mehldau and Jacky Terrasson, technically virtuously and precisely, fissuredly wide-rangingly, filled with crazy ideas that emerge between knotted hacked chords and tingly silver-reels, harmonious, cumbersome or mellifluous – an intimate dance with the spirits of Lennie Tristano and Thelonious Monk and one’s very own mind…"
Ulrich Olshausen, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung/D
A classically-trained pianist and self-taught jazz performer, Michael Arbenz brings the passionate curiosity of his investigations in jazz to the rigour of his classical performance practice. After studying classical piano in Basel, Michael Arbenz’s international classical career has included collaborations with Pierre Boulez, Heinz Holliger, Jürg Wyttenbach and the Swiss new music ensemble Contrechamps.
Discovering a love of jazz as a child, his self-guided exploration of both the techniques of improvisation and the history of jazz was fresh and personal, and his approach to improvisation is multilayered rather than linear, using the piano as an orchestra. His jazz influences are very eclectic and include major jazz pianists across the history of the music, as well as colours and ideas from classical music. He has performed widely with the acclaimed VEIN trio, and has collaborated with international stars including Greg Osby, Glenn Ferris, Dave Liebman, Marc Johnson, Doug Hammond, Wolfgang Puschnig, and Andy Sheppard.
Michael Arbenz is a skilled composer and arranger with extensive expertise. He has worked in diverse musical contexts, including small groups, big bands and classical orchestras.
Some of Europe's top ensembles have performed his compositions, including the Basel Sinfonietta (Switzerland), the Latvian Radio Orchestra Riga, the Jenaer Philharmonie (Germany), the NDR Big Band (Germany), Norrbotten Big Band (Sweden), and Aarhus Big Band (Denmark).
Michael Arbenz is an esteemed educator. He is serving as the head of the Institute for Jazz and Folk Music at the University of Applied Sciences in Lucerne, Switzerland, where he also teaches.
