Daniel Stawinski

Pianist & Composer

How it all began...

Born in Berlin in 1979, Daniel Stawinski began his musical education at age 6 with classical piano. Some years later he started playing jazz under the guidance of Alexander von Schlippenbach and Aki Takase, two of Germany’s main free jazz pianists. As a teenager he was an active member of Berlin’s jazz scene, hanging out and playing in the nightly jam sessions in underground Berlin.

From 2001 till 2005 he studied jazz piano at the Musikhochschule Hanns Eisler and joined the Bujazzo (German Youth Jazz Orchestra) directed by Peter Herbolzheimer.

Berlin - Paris - Berlin

After finishing his studies at the Conservatory, Daniel Stawinski decided to live in Paris, looking for new challenges and perspectives. He was attracted in particular by the strong presence of Latin-American and African music in the French capital. From 2005 to 2015 he worked in France as well as in neighbouring countries.

Since 2015 he is back in Berlin, where he founded the Kammerjazz Kollektiv and the Masnavi Duo, two ground-breaking projects exploring new musical territories between modern jazz and classical European and Persian music traditions.

Daniel has been performing in numerous countries in Europe and around the globe (Norway, Italy, Spain, Lithuaina, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Tunisia, Senegal, Brazil, Haiti, India, Nepal…) and in renowned jazz festivals such as Klavier Festival Ruhr, Marciac Jazz Festival, Kathmandu Jazz Festival, Movimentos Arts Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, Cully Jazz Festival, Schaffhauser Jazzfestival, Marseille Jazz des 5 Continents, Martinique Jazz Festival, Jazz Festival de Port-au-Prince, Jazz Festival de Saint-Louis, Lviv Alfa Jazz Fest…

Exploring the music
of the world

Whenever exploring new musical territories, other cultural traditions, Daniel's main focus is on getting a deep and authentic understanding and a direct first-hand experience by learning how to play at least one typical instrument: Afro-Cuban percussion (conga and batá), the Persian lute called Setar, the basso continuo on the harpsichord, the tenor saxophone are just some of the instruments and playing techniques that have become part of his vast musicality and enable him to cross stylistic boundaries without losing the essence of the music.