Till Brönner

Trumpeter and crooner Till Brönner is the most famous German jazz musician of his generation, updating traditional bebop sensibilities via elements of contemporary R&B and hip-hop. Emerging in the 1990s, Brönner initially grabbed ears with his deft improvisational chops, a sound he displayed on his lauded 1993 debut album, Generations of Jazz. His subsequent records -- such as 1999's Love, 2004's That Summer, and 2008's Brazilian-themed Rio -- have found him taking a more contemporary approach and applying his nuanced lyricism to both originals and jazz-infused pop covers. While he enjoys mainstream success, Brönner remains an adventurous performer, continuing to explore far-reaching sounds like 2013's '70s-style jazz-soul album Till Brönner and 2018's avant-garde duo session with drummer Günter Sommer, Baby's Party. In 2020, he paired with crossover jazz legend Bob James for On Vacation.