John Wolf Brennan Irish pianist, organist, melodica player and composer Date of Birth: 13.02.1954 Country: Ireland

Biography of John Wolf Brennan

John Wolf Brennan, an Irish pianist, organist, melodica player, and composer, was born on February 13, 1954, in Dublin. He moved to Switzerland with his family at the age of seven. Despite starting piano lessons at the age of 11, Brennan initially played bass guitar in a rock band in 1970 before transitioning to keyboards in a jazz-rock group in 1974. In 1977, he formed the free-jazz group 'Freemprovisations', which included Peter Schärli as one of its members. In 1979, Brennan created the group 'Impetus'.

Brennan studied at the University of Fribourg in the late 1970s, the Swiss Jazz School in Berne from 1975 to 1979, and the Lucerne Conservatory from 1979 to 1984. His brother, Peter Wolf, is a singer, saxophonist, flautist, and oboist. Peter founded the highly successful progressive rock band 'Flame Dream' in 1977, which released an album on Philips Records and five albums on Vertigo Records. From 1980 to 1984, Brennan played in an Afro-jazz group and worked with the groups 'Impetus' and 'Triumbajo' alongside Barni Palm from 1980 to 1982. Between 1982 and 1989, Brennan collaborated extensively with saxophonist Urs Leimgruber, and in 1980, he crossed paths with Corin Curschellas and Christy Doran.

In 1988, Brennan spent six months in New York City, where he founded the quartet 'Pago Libre' the following year (without percussion). In the early 1990s, Brennan collaborated with Lindsey Cooper, Daniele Patumi, and Tscho Theissing in several ensembles. In 1993, he worked with American drummer Alex Cline in the quartet 'Shooting Stars & Traffic Lights'. In 1994, Russian French horn player Arkady Shilkloper joined the 'Pago Libre' quartet, resulting in a series of albums: 'Pago Libre' in 1996, 'Stepping Out' in 2006, 'platzDADA!' in 2008, and 'Fake Folk' in 2009.

Brennan spent 1997 in London, where he collaborated with Julie Tippetts, Evan Parker, and Chris Cutler in the sextet 'HeXtet', which incorporated the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, Seamus Heaney, and Theo Dorgan into their work. In 1999, he toured Finland with Ivo Perelman and played in the quartet 'Euradici' with Gianluigi Trovesi, Gianni Coscia, and Daniele Patumi. As an improviser, Brennan worked with Chicago bass clarinetist Gene Coleman on a series of albums called 'Momentum'. He also collaborated with Christy Doran and Patrice Héral in the group 'Triangulation', where he developed the formula for his unique style. In 1989, he coined the term 'compromisation'.

Brennan has released seven albums of piano music, including 'The Beauty of Fractals' in 1989, 'Pictures in a Gallery' in 2006, and the award-winning 'The Speed of Dark' in 2009. After the release of 'The Well-Prepared Clavier' in 1998, Brennan invented various techniques for prepared piano. He created an entire universe of non-electronic sounds, from 'arcopiano' to 'pizzicatopiano', from 'tamburopiano' to 'sordinopiano'. In 2010, he presented the sound installation 'Inner & Outer Spaces' with video artist Susanne Hofer. In the same year, Brennan launched the ensemble 'SONIC ROOTS' with Christy Doran, Marcel Oetiker, Marc Halbheer, and others. In addition to his intensive work in the field of jazz music, Brennan successfully composes works for art projects, including two operas - 'Güdelmäntig' in 2004 and 'Night.Shift' in 2007.