Johannes Enders is a German saxophonist, composer, producer and teacher. Since 2009 he has held a professorship for jazz saxophone at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music and Theater in Leipzig. Born in Weilheim on May 12, 1967, Johannes Enders‘ musical career began at the age of 14 when he switched from the flute to the alto saxophone and discovered his love for soul and jazz music. Strong influences for him at that time were Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, David Sanborn, James Brown, Michael Brecker and later finally Charlie Parker and John Coltrane.
About
It quickly becomes clear to him that music will determine his life. After a few years of training with Jürgen Seefelder and André Legros at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich, he traveled to the Music Academy in Graz in 1987 to study jazz saxophone and improvisation with Charlie Miklin, Adelhard Roidinger and Carl Drewo. He stayed there for only two years. After meeting key figures like Jerry Bergonzi and David Liebman,
with his mentors Vincent Herring and Reggie Workman, who arranged for him a scholarship to the New School in New York, his long-cherished dream of moving to the capital of jazz to study there and with greats like Donald Byrd and Jaki Byard came true , Jeff Tain Watts, Brad Mehldau, Chris Potter, Joey Calderazzo, Sam Rivers, Peter Bernstein, Joe Locke, Pete LaRoca, Roy Hargrove and many others. His silver trophy at the „American Music Fest“ in San Francisco (1990) and participation in the renowned „Thelonious Monk“ competition in Washington D.C. the following year also pave the way for him in the promised land.
Back in Germany, Johannes Enders quickly established himself as one of the most important voices on tenor saxophone and was signed by the renowned jazz label ENJA Records. Here he founded his own projects such as his acoustic quartet, his saxophone quartet ZeitGeistMaschine and the duos with jazz legend Günter Baby Sommer or with Rainer Böhm as well as his electro-jazz projects Enders Room and Enders Dome. For his immense creative output, he has received awards over the years, e.g. with the Austrian Jazz Prize, the Cultural Promotion Prize for Music from the City of Munich, the SWR Jazz Prize,
the Weilheim Culture Prize, the New German Jazz Prize, the Jazz Echo 2012, the German Music Author Prize and the Bavarian State Promotion Prize. As a sought-after sideman in bands such as The Notwist, Tied & Tickled Trio, Billy Hart European Quintet, Günther Baby Sommers Quartet Süd, Rainer Böhm/Johannes Enders Duo, Franco Ambrosetti Quartet, Karl Ratzer Quintet and many more. a. he has meanwhile played in all important clubs and festivals and immortalized himself on over 100 studio recordings to date.
Prizes and awards:
// 1989 1st prize at the 1st international jazz competition in Austria, best band, best soloist
// 1990 1st prize at the 2nd international jazz competition Austria Best Band
// 1991 Silver Award at USA Music Festival Oakland
// 1998 Culture Advancement Award from the City of Munich
// 2003 SWR Jazz Prize //2005 Weilheim Culture Prize
// 2007 New German Jazz Prize Best Band Best Soloist
// 2009 Weilheim Culture Prize
// 2012 German Music Author Prize Tied & Tickled Trio
// 2012 Echo Jazz Saxophist national
// 2015 Bavarian State Prize Tied & Tickled Trio
News
Johannes Enders – „The Creator has a Masterplan B“
LIVE
„The Creator has a Masterplan B“
On Tour Mai 2025
Peter Protschka Quintett
Hochstadt a.d. Aisch, Schlossgewölbe
Mohcine Ramdan Quintett
München, Künstlerhaus
Mohcine Ramdan Quintett
Passau, Cafe Museum
MicroOrganisms
Weinstadt, Alter Konrad
MicroOrganisms
Weilheim, Ammertöne
Karen Edwards Quartet
Wolfratshausen, Rat.Haus.Café.
Guido May Quartet
Ebersberg, Klosterbauhof
Baby Sommer / J. Enders Duo
Wolfratshausen, Rat.Haus.Café.
Projects
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Bastian Stein – Trumpet
Karl Ivar Refseth – Vibraphone
Wolfgang Zwiauer – Electric Bass
Gregor Hilbe – Drums & Electronic
Johannes Enders – Tenorsaxophone
Renato Chicco – Hammond B3 Organ
Jorge Rossy – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Joris Teepe – Bass
Gene Calderazzo – Drums
DISCOGRAPHY
Johannes Enders – All other Instruments, Electronics, Programming , Bastian Stein – Trumpet, Karl Ivar Refseth – Vibraphone , Wolfgang Zwiauer – Electric Bass – , Gregor Hilbe – Drums, Electronic
Johannes Enders – Tenor/ Sopran Saxophon
Jean-Paul Brodbeck – Piano
Phil Donkin – Bass
Howard Curtis – Drums
Micha Acher – Sousaphone ,Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone , Dan Oestreicher – Bariton Saxophone , Howard Curtis – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Jean – Paul Brodbeck – Piano
Milan Nikolic – Bass
Billy Hart – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophon
Ed Howard – Bass
Sebastian Merk – Schlagzeug
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Don Friedman – Piano
Martin Wind – Bass
Tony Jefferson – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Antonio Faro – Piano
Ed Howard – Bass
Billy Hart – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Vincent Herring – Alto Saxophone
Roberto Di Gioia – Piano
Marc Abrams – Bass
Rick Hollander – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Stefan Schreiber – Bass Clarinet
Sandro Ricciarelli – Guitar
a.o.
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Ingrid Jensen – Trumpet
Georg Colligan – Fender Rhodes Piano
Dwayne Burno – Bass
Howard Curtis – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Tony Scherr – Bass
Falk Willis – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Roberto Di Gioia – Piano
Thomas Stabenow – Bass
Guido May – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Henning Sieverts – Bass
Christian Salfellner – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Hilton Schilder – Piano
Basil Moses – Bass
Kevin Gibson – Drums
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Stefan Schmid – Piano
Martin Scales – Guitar
Patrick Scales – Bass
Falk Willis – Drums
Adrian Mears – Trombone
Johannes Enders – Tenor Saxophone
Joey Calderazzo – Piano
Ed Howard – Bass
Ronnie Burrage – Drums
Jerry Bergonzi
//Jerry Bergonzi | Tenor Saxophone //Johannes Enders | Tenor Saxophone //Milan Nikolic | Bass //Christian Salfellner | Drums
live @the Jazz Gap 2011
Cassini
//Johannes Enders | Tenor Saxophone //Gregor Hilbe | Drums, Electronics //Karl Ivar Refseth – Vibraphone //Bastian Stein – Trumpet //Wolfgang Zwiauer – Bass, Synthesizer
Album: Enders Room – Zen Tauri
Archetype
//Johannes Enders | Tenor Saxophone //Gregor Hilbe | Drums, Electronics //Karl Ivar Refseth – Vibraphone //Bastian Stein – Trumpet //Wolfgang Zwiauer – Bass, Synthesizer
Video: Thomas Radlwimmer
Filmed @ Bird’s Eye, Basel, Switzerland
Billy Rubin
//Johannes Enders | Tenor Saxophone //Gregor Hilbe | Drums, Electronics //Karl Ivar Refseth – Vibraphone //Bastian Stein – Trumpet //Wolfgang Zwiauer – Bass, Synthesizer
Video: Thomas Radlwimmer
Filmed @ Bird’s Eye, Basel, Switzerland
Notre Dame
//Johannes Enders | Tenor Saxophone //Gregor Hilbe | Drums, Electronics //Karl Ivar Refseth – Vibraphone //Bastian Stein – Trumpet //Wolfgang Zwiauer – Bass, Synthesizer
Video: Thomas Radlwimmer
Filmed @ Bird’s Eye, Basel, Switzerland
Route F
//Johannes Enders | Tenorsaxophone //Jean Paul Brodbeck | Piano //Milan Nikolic | Bass //Billy Hart | Drums
May 2011 @ Jazzclub Karlsruhe
Captain Roland Kirk
//Johannes Enders | Tenor Saxophone //Jean-Paul Brodbeck | Piano //Phil Donkin | Bass //Howard Curtis | Drums
Album: Endorphin