I always loved music. I started to play the piano when I was 11 and played mainly classical repertoire. In my late teens I added the Blues Harp, particularly for traveling and campfire events.

In a free improvisation group at age 27 I started to play the altosax: I had found my music and my instrument (although I still love the piano). This was my thing, and I found it in tune with my beginning spiritual search and my revolting soul.

In the 80s and 90s I toured with musicians like Jack Wright, Paul Hoskin, Tom Djll and Ulrich Krieger in Germany, Italy and the USA and I set up shows in my home towns Freiburg and from 1987 on Berlin. In 1989 I founded the 8-piece-ensemble Kanal XX.

During a longer stay in the US, mainly remote wilderness areas of the South West, I focussed on didjeridoo and drumming.

I came back to Berlin in 1997 and it was a time of new beginnings. The new century saw me busy with different priorities, mainly supporting my new family.

In 2013 I restarted as a sax player and played with WhatHappensNext Ensemble. In 2014 with Swiss piano and clarinet player Ruedi Debrunner I founded SCHWARM 13, a 13-17 piece improvisation-Ensemble that had 2-4 gigs yearly under our organizational and musical guidance. In November 2019 we launched our first CD (SCHWARM 13 @studioboerne45 - CREATIVE SOURCES RECORDINGS).

Besides the two ensembles there are always different projects with musicians and dancers, ad hoc ensembles and trios (with Remy Belanger de Beauport, Anil Eraslan, Frank Fiedler, Klaus Kürvers, Dietrich Petzold, Roman Stolyar, Duo Fatale and others). I joined meetings and conferences of exploratorium berlin, Ring for Group Improvisation and the EIMC, and whenever possible I like to play at the Berlin open stages at exploratorium berlin and Jazzkeller 66 at Kühlspot Social Club.

SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/max-andreas-stehle
https://soundcloud.com/schwarm-13

SCHWARM 13 on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytmOSRkdcVQ

Fotos: SCHWARM 13 at Georgensaal Berlin, November 2023