Both on the chromatic harmonica and in his own compositions, Matthias Broede has found a language of his own in the field of jazz. The stylistic spectrum extends from swing music along the lines of a Lester Young or Duke Ellington (BIG 4 SWING) to Latin jazz, modern jazz between Miles, Jarrett and Mehldau (MATTHIAS-BROEDE-GROUP) to ethnically influenced, contemporary chamber-musical jazz (MATTHIAS-BROEDE-CHAMBER-TRIO). The kind of melodic lines and wild tones one doesn’t expect this instrument to deliver. With originality and a natural persuasion, Matthias Broede uses the harmonica as a full-fledged melody instrument. Without a doubt, he is one of the most independent players of this instrument in contemporary jazz. They have just as much individual character and high quality as his harmonica playing. His insightful conversation with the various stylistics of jazz, and with composers of European classical music such as Bartók, Debussy und Schoenberg has brought forth an unmistakably individual style of composition. Powerful, striking themes, a harmony that contains traditional chord changes as well as modern polytonality, and the use of uneven meters all combine to create an attractive, homogeneous overall sound. The piano is the instrument he learned to play first – and the basis for his art. He is one of only a handful of musicians who can play equally expressive and demanding music on two completely different instruments. In addition to Toots Thielemans, his style of playing is influenced by saxophonists and trumpet players such as Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Tom Harrell, Ornette Coleman and David Liebman. Particularly noteworthy among the pianists are Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Paul Bley and Keith Jarrett. His favourite composers include Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus and Wayne Shorter, as well as Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy and Béla Bartók.