With his inimitable, unagitated yet memorable style, Daniel Stelter has long since made a name for himself on the German jazz scene.
Unlike classical jazz guitarists, he pursues a rather harmonious melodic line. Stelter’s sound wanders back and forth between jazz, pop and classical music. Stelter has been constantly developing his own sound language since 2003 and is now a sought-after guitarist and regular guest on German jazz stages and one of the most skilled guitarists in the country. Thanks to his outstanding talent, Daniel Stelter is also an integral part of the German television landscape. For example, he is part of the studio line-up of the Heavytones, with whom he impresses in Stefan Raab’s new show “DGHNDM”. He has also appeared in the shows “Dein Song” on Kika, “TV Total” and “Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert”. In addition to his own projects and his work as a composer and producer, he is a sought-after sideman for many other artists. His new album ‘Wooden Songs’ is eagerly awaited in autumn 2025.
Daniel Stelter’s love of music began in his childhood. He learnt classical guitar at the age of eight. His curiosity and fascination for sounds drove him to study and play along to records and music cassettes from the music cupboards he found at home . At the age of 17, he joined the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Peter Herbolzheimer, toured south-east Europe for six weeks, experimented with various bands and line-ups, gaining valuable experience and quickly became a much sought-after musician on the local scene. After leaving school, Stelter studied jazz guitar with Norbert Scholly at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, but always kept an eye on the classical guitar. After many musical projects for which he composed, recorded and played, he released his first CD under his own name in 2009. The quartet with Ulf Kleiner, Michael Paucker and Tommy Baldu quickly developed into a high-demand live act in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and received consistently positive reviews in the specialised press. To this day, 6 albums have been released under his name (‘Homebrew Songs’, ‘Krakelkrakel’, ‘Little Planets’, ‘Humming Songs’, ‘Begegnung’, ‘Pocket full of tales’). At the same time, Stelter expanded his career as a creative sideman and created the opportunity to refine his musical visions and sounds in other line-ups. His guitars can now be heard on countless albums by renowned artists across many genres… At the end of 2016, he toured with jazz legend Al Jarreau. 2017 he recorded the album ‘Wolfgang Haffner – Kind of Spain’ with Jan Lundgren, Lars Danielsson, Sebastian Studnitzky and Christopher Dell. In 2018 and 2019, he performed as a duo with Lulo Reinhardt in the USA and released two albums: ‘Live in der Stadtkirche’ (2016) and ‘Live@Neidecks’ (2019). In 2019, he also was part of the ‘Night of the Guitars’ tour in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and became a permanent member of the Ringsgwandl band, with whom he has now recorded 4 albums. From 2014 to 2018, Stelter played guitar on the popular TV programme ‘Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert’ and increasingly established himself as a renowned studio guitarist. During this time, he recorded albums for numerous artists. In 2019, he organised the first international guitar festival in his hometown of Ingelheim, which took place for the sixth time in 2024 and has now seen a large number of brilliant guitarists perform. Since 2020, Stelter has been a coach and band member in the TV programme ‘Dein Song’ on Kika. In 2021, he joined the band Heavytones, with whom he regularly appeared in the new edition of ‘TV Total’ from 2021 to 2024. He is currently performing with the Heavytones in Stefan Raab’s new show ‘DGHNDM’. In 2024, the album ‘Petrichor’ by David Orlowsky feat. Daniel Stelter & Tommy Baldu was released, which is on the longlist of the German Record Critics’ Award. His seventh album ‘Wooden Songs’ will be released in 2025.
In addition to his work as a musician, Stelter is also active as a composer, arranger and producer for radio plays, film and television productions. He taught guitar at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts from 2015 to 2024 and jazz guitar at the Mainz University of Music since 2021. He is also a guest lecturer at several universities and vocational schools and runs his own studio, Studio-DS, in Ingelheim am Rhein…
To the current album “Pocket Full of Tales”:
WDR3 Album of the Week (March 06 – 10, 2023)
“Pocket Full of Tales manages (…) a balancing act between different sound worlds.” – Jazzthetik
“Above all, Daniel Stelter shows us with his versatile, partly acoustic partly electric playing, why he is such a sought-after guitarist between the worlds of jazz and pop.” – hr2
About the album “Begegnung”:
“Vielsaitig” SWR2
“Daniel Stelter is a jack-of-all-trades on the guitar” Jazzthing
“the guitaristic dominates and the accompaniment [is] with few exceptions very restrained, tasteful, but calculatedly serving the music” Jazzthetik
“The Wiesbaden guitarist starts the year with a brilliant album” Concerto Magazin
“Sovereign in all saddles […] one of Germany’s most versatile and best guitarists” – Akustik Gitarre
“Daniel Stelter […] shows himself to be a man of quiet, restrained sounds with a wide stylistic range. Stelter’s music avoids everything loud, shouty, vehement. […] On the twelve titles of the disc he prefers small instrumentations. In twos, threes, fours or fives the musical exchange takes place – and it is so intense that you only notice the small instrumentation when you look in the booklet for the people involved in each track.” Rondo Magazine
“Virtuosic across stylistic boundaries” Mannheimer Morgen
“Daniel Stelter moves confidently between jazz, pop and classical music with his inimitable, unagitated and yet memorable style.” Badische Neuste Nachrichten
“Music giants such as Al Jarreau, Till Brönner, Wolfgang Haffner, Lulo Reinhardt and Jan Delay have left their mark on Daniel Stelter with his unmistakable style.” Music Tip of the Week in Pinneberger Tageblatt
Older reviews:
“This has as much groove as charm, and especially the tracks on which Stelter or singer Fola Dada use their voices soon can’t get out of your ear.” Star
“His music is handmade and free of any gimmickry.” NDR Kultur Jazz, Album of the Week
“Already his last album “Krikel Krakel” was an experience. And three years later Daniel Stelter, the guitarist and songwriter from Ingelheim, has grown once again (…) A fantastic album.” Guitar and Bass
“(…) every song is different and has the potential to become a favorite.” Grand Guitars
“How he makes his guitar sing, however, already comes close to the art of an Eric Clapton. In any case, hardly any other guitarist in this country tells his stories so soulfully and relaxed.” Darmstädter Echo
“With song pearls like ‘Split Heart’, Stelter should increase his fan base within a short time. He has long to be warmly recommended outside the jazz scene as well!” Kieler Nachrichten
With his unique sound and virtuoso playing technique, Daniel Stelter is one of the outstanding artists on the international jazz scene. His music combines tradition with innovation and creates space for profound musical experiences. Daniel Stelter is known for his ability to merge different musical worlds – from classical jazz to modern influences and elements of pop and electronic music. As a solo artist and bandleader, he has already released several albums, which have been highly praised by both critics and his loyal audience. With an impressive career that has taken him to stages worldwide, Stelter works both as a solo artist and as a sought-after sideman in various projects and live performances. His albums and concerts offer a blend of emotional depth, technical skill and the passion that makes jazz so special.
