Julia Hülsmann – Poetess of European Jazz Piano

From Lyric Lines to Fascinating Soundscapes: The Enchanting World of the Berlin Jazz Pianist

Julia Hülsmann, born in Bonn in 1968 and based in Berlin since 2006, is one of the defining voices of European jazz. Her musical career merges pianistic elegance with literary inspiration: Time and again, her compositions unfold from lines of poetry and poetic imagery. Through her long-standing trio and later quartet, she has cultivated her unmistakable sound – transparent, melody-focused, and chamber-music-like – and established it on international stages. Her artistic development ranges from early singer-songwriter influences through post-bop trained improvisation to the contemplative, finely nuanced soundscapes of the present.

Biographical Beginnings: From Classical Training to Jazz Language

The pianist began classical training at the age of eleven and took to the stage early. In 1991, she moved to Berlin to study jazz piano at the Hochschule der Künste (now UdK) under influential figures such as Walter Norris, Aki Takase, and David Friedman. Workshops with Bill Dobbins, John Taylor, and Jane Ira Bloom sharpened her ear for form, harmony, and improvisational drama. In 1992, she became a member of the Federal Youth Jazz Orchestra under Peter Herbolzheimer; in 1996, she completed her studies with a thesis on the self-image of female jazz pianists. This early reflection on role, repertoire, and stage presence continues to shape her assured stance between chamber music intimacy and clear artistic expression. ([de.wikipedia.org](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_H%C3%BClsmann?utm_source=openai))

First Milestones: Trio Formation, New York Scholarship, and Literary Inspirations

Since 1997, Hülsmann has shaped her trio as a creative nucleus. A Senate scholarship allowed her to study for extended periods in New York in 2000, including with Richie Beirach and Maria Schneider. Her affinity for poetry became apparent early on: Scattering Poems (2003) with Rebekka Bakken is based on texts by E. E. Cummings and was awarded Gold in Germany. Projects with Anna Lauvergnac (Come Closer, 2004; Randy-Newman Songbook) and Roger Cicero (Good Morning Midnight, 2006; Emily Dickinson) underscored her sense for form, language, and melodic line – always supported by meticulous composition, differentiated arrangement, and a trio sound that allows space to breathe. ([de.wikipedia.org](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_H%C3%BClsmann?utm_source=openai))

ECM Years: The Poetics of Melody and the Art of Reduction

With the ECM debut The End of a Summer (2008), the trio – featuring Marc Muellbauer (bass) and Heinrich Köbberling (drums) – established itself as a finely balanced collective. The production from the Rainbow Studio in Oslo showcased how Hülsmann maintains an ideal balance between melody, silence, and tension in form. The follow-up album Imprint (2011) deepened this aesthetic: clear themes, organic interplay, a tone that blends poetic conciseness with subtle rhythmic elasticity. This signature also remained influential in later formations – for example, in In Full View (2013) with Tom Arthurs or A Clear Midnight: Kurt Weill and America (2015) with Theo Bleckmann, where she sensitively projects the music history of the 1920s and 30s into the present. ([ecmrecords.com](https://ecmrecords.com/product/the-end-of-a-summer-julia-hulsmann-trio/?utm_source=openai))

Quartet and Expansions: New Colors, New Lines

In 2019, Hülsmann opened her trio's sound ideal for tenor saxophonist Uli Kempendorff: Not Far From Here marks the quartet as an agile storytelling collective that unites post-bop impulses with modern sound architecture. In 2022, The Next Door followed – a condensation of ensemble sound between lyrical thematic work and fluid interaction. In 2025, Under The Surface was released: The quartet sound gains an additional organically integrated color through Norwegian trumpeter and Bukkehorn player Hildegunn Øiseth on several tracks. Recordings, production details, and tour activities document the continuity of an ensemble that calmly opens new spaces. ([ecmrecords.com](https://ecmrecords.com/product/the-next-door-julia-hulsmann-quartet/?utm_source=openai))

Current Projects 2025/2026: Under the Surface – and Beyond

Under The Surface (scheduled for release on January 31, 2025) gathers ten compositions that reflect Hülsmann's melodic imagination, structural clarity, and sensitivity to dynamic microforms. The titles – from They Stumble, They Walk to Milkweed Monarch – unfold a dramatic arc between pulsating collective interaction and chamber-music serenity. In 2026, Hülsmann will embark on a new chapter: While I Was Away, an octet project with outstanding instrumentalists and singers, expands her sound universe with string colors and multi-voiced arrangements. The repertoire combines originals with distinctive interpretations of popular sources – a statement for composition, arrangement, and production in larger formations. Tour dates for 2026 (including Berlin, Wuppertal, Singen) underscore the vitality of her live format. ([prestomusic.com](https://www.prestomusic.com/jazz/products/9735912--julia-hulsmann-under-the-surface?utm_source=openai))

Discography Overview: From Trio Poetics to Orchestral Expansiveness

Key album milestones: Trio (2000; BIT/Jazzhaus), Scattering Poems (2003; ACT), Come Closer (2004; ACT), Good Morning Midnight (2006; ACT), The End of a Summer (2008; ECM), Imprint (2011; ECM), In Full View (2013; ECM), A Clear Midnight: Kurt Weill and America (2015; ECM), Sooner and Later (2017; ECM), Not Far From Here (2019; ECM), The Next Door (2022; ECM), Under The Surface (2025; ECM). This discography reflects a consistent artistic development – from voice-based lyrical interpretation to a mature instrumental language that is orchestrated in the quartet and beyond. ([juliahuelsmann.com](https://www.juliahuelsmann.com/about))

Style and Sound: Melody as a Form Principle

Hülsmann's playing thrives on lyrical lines, finely dosed dynamics, and harmonic transparency. Her compositions adopt poetic structures and shape them into clear motifs that the ensemble equally supports. In production, sound quality and spatial depth take center stage – recordings in the Rainbow Studio or under ECM auspices favor an acoustic panorama in which nuances become audible: the breathing bass, the brushing drums, the clearly sketched piano voice that never simply accompanies but leads dramatically. Critics have repeatedly highlighted the "poetic" signature, melodic weight, and democratic interaction of the ensemble – quality traits that profile her work within the ECM context. ([ecmrecords.com](https://ecmrecords.com/product/the-end-of-a-summer-julia-hulsmann-trio/?utm_source=openai))

Cultural Influence and Teaching: From the Stage into the System

Beyond the stage, Hülsmann acts as an initiator in the music scene: She was a co-initiator of the JazzMusikerAufruf (2012) and the first president of the Union of German Jazz Musicians (2012–2013). Since 2020, she has been a professor at the Universität der Künste Berlin (Jazz/Pop Piano and Ensemble Leadership). In 2025, she was appointed an honorary member of the German Music Council – an accolade for artistic excellence and cultural-political engagement. This institutional experience flows back into her projects: in the form of programmatic curations, partnerships with big bands (NDR, HR), and a continuous promotion of young talent that makes the reliability and relevance of her work visible. ([juliahuelsmann.com](https://www.juliahuelsmann.com/about))

Award-Worthy Consistency: Honors and Reception

Early successes accompanied her journey: Scattering Poems received Gold in Germany; the trio was awarded the Jazzpott in 2008. In 2016, Hülsmann was honored with the SWR Jazzpreis and the WDR Honorary Award; in 2020 and 2021, the German Jazz Award recognized Not Far From Here and the ensemble performance of her quartet. Her oeuvre consistently resonates in the international press – from disciplined trio swing to sound-painting serenity, which never falls into triviality but maintains melodic concentration. This continuity makes her discography a reference for chamber-music-influenced jazz of our time. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_H%C3%BClsmann?utm_source=openai))

Listening Guide: Entry Points and Deepening

For those seeking an entry point, starting with The End of a Summer (Trio) is recommended – a lesson in melody-centered piano artistry. Imprint deepens the awareness of form, In Full View opens the space for new frontiers; A Clear Midnight (with Theo Bleckmann) demonstrates Hülsmann's understanding of song between art song and jazz ballad. Not Far From Here and The Next Door underscore the quartet chemistry, while Under The Surface showcases the organic handling of a guest voice. Each release unveils a different chapter of the same aesthetic: Melody as dramaturgy, arrangement as narrative, improvisation as concentrated discourse. ([ecmrecords.com](https://ecmrecords.com/product/the-end-of-a-summer-julia-hulsmann-trio/?utm_source=openai))

Conclusion: Why Experience Julia Hülsmann Live?

Because her music shines quietly. Hülsmann's artistic development demonstrates how a clear idea – translating lyricism into sound – remains viable over decades while simultaneously renewing itself. Her stage presence is focused, the communication within the ensemble is telepathic, and the tension arc is precise: A concert by her quartet or her new octet formation is a lesson in listening, spatial design, and melodic imagination. Those who want to know how modern European jazz can sound poetic, accessible, and substantial will experience this in its purest form with Julia Hülsmann – best enjoyed live, where the music breathes the most. ([ecmrecords.com](https://ecmrecords.com/product/under-the-surface-julia-hulsmann-quartet/?utm_source=openai))

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Julia Hülsmann