Christian Winther, a Danish-born saxophonist/composer, has been a highly sought-after saxophonist since he moved to New Orleans in 1997. His soulful and versatile sound has made him a household name on the jazz scene. He has received critical acclaim for his four recordings on Steeplechase, which have been praised by many jazz publications both nationally and internationally. Winther was the leader of Christian Winther Quartet, and also performed with various New Orleans jazz bands as a sideman. He has toured the US as well as Europe. Some of the artists Winther has recorded and/or performed with are: Ali Jackson (Vincent Gardner), Shannon Powell, Herlin Rice, Billy Drummonds, Richard D. Johnsons, Rodney Greens, Reuben Rogers Fredrick Sanders, Germaine Bzzle, Preservation Hall, among others. Winther’s most recent recording, “Refuge In Sound”, (2016), features all original compositions from the leader, along with an all-star band consisting of Allyn Johnson, Mike Moreno, Reuben Rogers, bass, and Billy Williams Jr.-drums. Winther’s jazz-influenced playing is strong, but he has a unique ability to adapt his sound to many musical situations. Winther says that being a New Orleans musician means you have the opportunity to hear so many different styles of music every day, and it is easy to see how much you can learn from each. Offbeat magazine describes Winther as “While swinging is always at the forefront, it is refreshing that Winther moves both freely to more open realms while still referring back to music’s traditions.” Christian Winther, a clarinetist, composer, and saxophonist was born in Denmark. He was first exposed to jazz through his father’s recordings of jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, TheloniousMonk, and John Coltrane. Winther started playing the clarinet at the age of 11. Louis Armstrong was one of his first influences. Winther was inspired by the music of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and then the saxophone. Darryl Barber was his saxophonist and he attended the Skidmore Jazz Institute. He was encouraged by Milt Hinton to continue his jazz studies. Winther studied at University of New Orleans alongside Ed Petersen and Victor Goines. He also worked with Steve Masakowski, Harold Battiste, Steve Masakowski, Steve Masakowski, and Ellis Marsalis. He performed with jazz legends such as Frank Morgan and Ellis Marsalis while attending the University of New Orleans. Christian Winther’s debut CD, “Perspectives”, was released in 2001. After his debut, Winther recorded four CDs on SteepleChase – “Blue Function”, “The Only Plan”, January 2006, “Soul House”, (2008), “From The Sound Up”, (2011) and “Refuge In Sound,” (2016). Winther was also part of a Steeplechase “jam session”, a recording of 3 tenor-tenor voices with Wayne Escoffery and Gregory Tardy. 21 – (2006). from http://christianwinther.com
