German born composer of TV and Film music, internationally acclaimed jazz pianist with a musical career that spans over four decades, recording and performing artist, professor at the University of Frankfurt – Christoph Spendel – started with classical piano at the age of 5. Inspired by the music of Oscar Peterson and Miles Davis, Christoph Spendel entered the Jazz scene 10 years later.
He gave his debut at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall in 1975 with the band Jazz Track and performed with German jazz-greats such as Albert Mangelsdorff and Klaus Doldinger. In 1992 he moved to the USA and became a member of the New York based band Special EFX. High on the agenda were performances at the legendary Blue Note Club, as well as concerts in Chicago, Los Angeles and Puerto Rico, etc. During this time, he performed as a regular at the famous jazz club „Blue Note“ and various tours led him through concert halls and jazz clubs in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Montreal, Panama and many more. During this time Spendel also worked with musicians such as Chuck Loeb, Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, Michael Urbaniak, Jeremy Steig, Dave Samuels, Lenny White, Steve Kahn and Dave Valentin, to mention only a few. After returning to Germany he started his own projects with concerts around Europe as well as in Australia, Canada, Cuba, Russia and Israel.
While still in New York, he started producing music for renowned TV stations such as CNN and NBC, something he continued upon his return to Europe.
Music education has always been an important field for Christoph Spendel. It began with teaching assignments in the conservatories in Cologne, Duesseldorf and Bremen. In 1999 this was crowned with a professorship at the School of Music in Frankfurt. More teachings followed at the Rimon School in Tel Aviv, the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York and the Junior College in Tampa, Florida.
For the last 30 Years he has been producing his own bands as well as other artists for Blue Flame Records. His close musical relationship with Lenny Mac Dowell has led to some remarkeble productions on this label, such as Autumn Breath and Landscapes.
Christoph Spendel works in his own studio and lives with his family in downtown Frankfurt am Main, Germany