About
Frank Chastenier (*December 24, 1966 at the Lower Rhine) is a German Jazz Pianist who played for 26 years at the WDR Big Band Köln.
At the age of eight, Chastenier received his first piano lessons; at the age of thirteen, he won first place at Jugend jazzt. One year later he became the youngest member of the State Youth Jazz Orchestra NRW. At the age of 17, Chastenier began a classical piano studies at the University Institute in Aachen with Ulla Graf and at the same time was enrolled for a jazz studies at the Cologne conservatory with Francis Coppieters. He also played in the Federal Youth Jazz Orchestra and then with Peter Herbolzheimer. In 1987 he entered the finals of the Jazz Competition Thelonious Monk International Competition in Washington, D.C. From 1991 to 2018 he was a member of the WDR Big Band Köln, with which he recorded around 50 albums.[1]
In 1994, Bob Brookmeyer dedicated the piano concerto Serious Music to him. For a long time, Chastenier was mainly active in the background. The closest cooperation was with friend and producer Till Brönner. His first solo album For You was released in 2004.[2] this was awarded in 2009 due to its sales with a German Jazz Award in the category Gold.[3]
Well-known musicians and entertainers with whom Chastenier has worked over time include Till Brönner Hildegard Knef, Manfred Krug, Wolfgang Niedecken, Ray Brown, Peter Erskine, Bob Brookmeyer, Vince Mendoza, John Clayton, George Gruntz, Lalo Schifrin, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Randy Crawford, Caterina Valente, Patti Austin and Michel Legrand. He also performed on recordings by Till Brönner (Generations of Jazz, Chattin with Chet), Greetje Kauffeld (Dreaming), Rolf Kühn (Inside Out, Internal Eyes) and Paquito D'rivera (the Clarinetist). In 2010 he released his second Album Songs I've Always Loved (EmArcy). Together with Pe Werner he performs in a Duo with the program "Stille Wasser".
He is also a composer. For the audiobook Roger Willemsen reads Brehm's animal life he composed 41 piano miniatures.