Christian Burchard

German composer and multi-instrumentalist, born 17 May 1946 in Hof, Germany; died 17 January 2018 in Munich, Germany.
Burchard started his musical career as an organist in a rhythm & blues band in his teens, before moving to his preferred instrument - the vibraphone, later also taking up the drums.
Born in Hof, he starts to play music with his schoolmate Dieter Serfas. They move to Nürnberg in the 1960's, where they meet saxophonist Edgar Hofmann and together they form the Jazz trio "Contemporary Trio". They move to Munich around 1967 and Burchard starts to play with Jazz pianist Mal Waldron. In 1968, the three musicians form a band together with Lothar Meid, which in 1969 becomes Embryo. Serfas and Meid leave the band in the early stage and Burchard stays leader of the band.
Burchards concept for the band starts to be, to play in dynamic line-ups, when Embryo will end, more than 400 musicians will have played aside of Burchard.
He records a first album with the band in 1970, many more follow the next years. Besides his role for Embryo, Burchard plays as guest musician with several other German bands as Missus Beastly, Checkpoint Charlie or Munju. Burchard also lets more world music influences into his music, which becomes unique in the mid 1970's. In 1976, he is involved in the formation of the German independent label Schneeball.
In the 1990's, he tours with the band all over the world, in 1996 his daughter Marja Burchard joins the band at the age of 11.
His active music career ends in 2016, when he suffers a stroke.