Born in Hamburg, 1963. At 16 years old, I began playing the saxophone. After a time at Hamburg Musikhochschule, I moved to Cologne in 1985 to continue my studies at the Cologne Conservatory of Music. In 1990, I graduated with Heiner Wiberny’s music degree. Further studies were done with Sal Nistico, Charlie Mariano and Steve Lacy. Frank Gratkowski has been a soloist in many international ensembles (Grubenklang Orchesters, Klaus Koenig Orchesters, Musikfabrik NRWs, Tony Oxley Celebration Orchestras, Bentje Braams, BikBentBraams, All Ears Zeitkratzers, WDR Big bands, etc.). He has been performing solo across Europe, Canada, and the USA since 1990. He was the 1991 winner of the Musik Kreativ contest with his first solo program. Following the release of “Artikulationen”, a second solo CD was released in the same year. A new “Artikulationen II”, which was released in 2002, also followed. He has been working as a duo with Georg Graewe since 1992 (CD “VicissEtudes”) The duo often includes additional musicians such as Paul Lovens, drummer (CD “Quicksand”), and John Lindberg (CD “Arrears”). He founded the Frank Gratkowski Trio in 1995 with Dieter Manderscheid (Germany), as bass and Gerry Hemingway, (USA), as drums (CDs “Gestalten” and “The Flume Factor”) Wolter Wierbos, a Dutch trombonist, expanded the trio to a quartet in 2000 (CDs “Kollaps”, Spectral Reflections”, Facio and “Le Vent et la Gorge”. In 2003, he has also been a member of a Double Quartet, which includes Tobias Delius and Wilbert DeJoode, Wilbert DeJoode, Wilbert DeJoode, and Michael Vatcher. He was awarded the SWR Jazzprize in 2005. The duo formed with Sebastiano Tramontana, an Italian trombonist. Since 2001 Frank Gratkowski has performed with a trio that includes Wilbert De Jode (NL), on bass, and Achim Kaufmann(D) on piano (CDs “Kwast” and “Unearth”). Since 2006 he’s working with the Trio Gratkowski / Brown / Winant (CDs “Wake” and “Vermilion Traces/Donaueschingen 2009”). He is also a coleader / composer for the Multiple Joy[ce] Orchestra. In 2009, he was commissioned to compose for the ensemble Apartment House (Den Bosch NL), and the “Huddersfield Comtemporary Music Fesitival (England). Fo[u]r Alto is a saxophone group dedicated to microtonal music. Artikulationen E, a solo program for the saxophone, has 8 channel live electronic. Frank Gratkowski performed on almost every German language and at numerous international Jazz and Contemporary Music Festivals such as Vancouver, Toronto and New York. He teaches saxophone at the Arnhem Conservatory of Music in Berlin, Cologne and Berlin. He has also performed with Robert Dick and Marcio Matos, Herb Robertson. Eugenio Colombo. Peter Kowald. Ray Anderson. Ken Vandermark. Kenny Wheeler. Louis Sclavis. Fred van Hove. Fred van Hove. Theo Jorgensmann. Phil Minton. Peter Brotzmann. Mark Dresser. Mark Feldman. Hamid Drake. Misha Mengelberg. from http://gratkowski.com
