BIOGRAPHY

The Düsseldorf saxophonist Reiner Witzel has been an active voice on the international jazz scene for many years.

He studied saxophone in Cologne and New York, was a scholarship holder of the Ministry of Culture and received numerous prizes, among others the Hennessy-Jazzwaward.

Concert tours have taken him all over the world, and he has played at many renowned jazz festivals, including Montreux, San Jose, Odessa, Yaounde and Montevideo.

He released numerous CDs under his own name and with his bands "Witzel`s Venue" and "Drei im roten Kreis" with guests such as David Sanborn, Vernon Reid and Lew Soloff, which made it into the English and Japanese jazz charts.

Concerts and / or CD recordings brought him together with musicians and bands from jazz and pop like Dave Liebman, Alex Sipiagin, Richie Beirach, Maceo Parker, Defunkt, Fela Kuti, Roger Cicero, Udo Lindenberg, Third World, the "Supremes" and many others.

As a composer for television and theater he worked for the TV-Channels WDR, ONE, the "Theatre Impossible and the "Musiktheater Köln

As a lecturer for saxophone he teaches at the music colleges of Maastricht, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.

He also organizes jazz festivals, advises instrument companies and works as a photographer.

Reiner is endorsing P.Mauriat saxophones and Vandoren reeds & mouthpieces .