BIOGRAPHY

Saxophonist and composer Christian Winther was introduced to jazz by his father’s albums of jazz masters such as Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. At the age of 11 Winther began playing the clarinet, among his first influences were Louis Armstrong and old blues recordings. By the time he was 13 local traditional bands began calling him for gigs. Then Winther heard the music of Charlie Parker, which really grabbed him and the saxophone seemed the logical next step, he began studying with saxophonist Darryl Barber. Winther attended the Skidmore Jazz Institute program and was encouraged to continue his studies in jazz by the late legend Milt Hinton. Christian Winther studied at the University of New Orleans, with Jazz Studies Program director Ellis Marsalis and faculty Ed Petersen, Victor Goines and Harold Battiste. While attending University of New Orleans he performed with notable jazz names such as Frank Morgan, Ellis Marsalis and Alvin “Red” Tyler. Christian Winther has toured Europe and the U.S. as a sideman and as the leader of his own group the Christian Winther Quartet. Some of Winther’s influences are the writing of Monk and Ellington, but it does not stop there, ”Being a musician in New Orleans, you are privileged to experience so much different music as part of everyday life, and you start to realize how you can draw from all those sources”. He received a nomination for “best upcoming musician” in contemporary jazz in the yearly poll by Offbeat Magazine, 2003 and have had his music reviewed in publications such as: Allaboutjazz, Cadence, Jazz Special, Offbeat and Jazz Journal. Some of the musicians Winther has performed/recorded with include: David Torkanowsky, Troy Davis, Herlin Riley, Fredrick Sanders, Roland Guerin, Vincent Gardner, Richard Doron Johnson, Neal Caine, Ali Jackson, Marcus Printup, Shannon Powell Band and Jamil Sharif Quintet among others. Christian Winther released his debut CD “Perspectives” in 2001. It received much praise from critics and fans alike. Winther signed with SteepleChase, his label debut entitled “Blue Function” was released in the August 2004. His latest recording entitled “The Only Plan”, was released by SteepleChase in January 2006.