Walter Lang was born May 13th, 1961 in Schwäbisch Gmünd, a small city some 50 kilometers from Stuttgart, Germany. He grew up with the sound of accordion and piano being played around the house by both his father and grandfather.
He studied piano and composition at the Berklee School of Music in Boston; finished his studies at the Amsterdam University of the Arts.
In 1988 Walter had the fortune of becoming a founding member of the Rick Hollander Quartet, a group which has enjoyed countless tours of Europe, Japan and America. The group’s 5 CD’s all feature Walter’s trademark piano playing. The Quartet won the 1st prize at the „Europ‘ Jazz Contest“ in Hoeilaart, Belgium in 1990.
Since 1999 he is leading his own Walter Lang Trio. The trio released succesful Cd’s such as „Walter Lang Trio plays Charles Chaplin“ (1999), „Across The Universe“ (2002), „Softly as in a morning Sunrise“ (2005) „The Sound Of A Rainbow“(2005), that received the „Best Sounding CD Award“ by the japanese „Swing Journal“, as well as the CD „Romantische Straße“(2007) that got the Gold Disc Award by „Swing Journal“. The trio has been touring all over the world, and is especially loved by the japanese jazz fans.
Along with drummer Gerwin Eisenhauer and bassist Sven Faller he founded TRIO ELF in 2005. Their first CD „ELF“ for ENJA RECORDS was a big success and the second CD „746“ was released in 2008, the next one „Elfland „ featuring the great brazilian singer Milton Nascimento, came out in 2010, followed by their first Live Recording „Amsterdam„ and a 180 g Remix Vinyl Record „RMXD“ Since 2015 they have a new bass player on board, Peter Cudek, with whom they released in 2016 „Musicboxmusic“ and in 2018 „The brazilian album“.
In 2008 the Walter Lang Trio regrouped: Thomas Markusson from Gothenburg/Sweden is playing bass now and Sebastian Merk from Berlin/Germany is the new drummer. Their first CD „Eurasia“ came out in 2009. Toghether with Lee Konitz, the Walter Lang Trio recorded their first CD for JAWO Records „Someone to watch over me“, in 2011. Their latest CD’s „Translucent Red“ „Full Circle“, „Starlight Reflections“ and „Moonlight Echoes“ were released in 2018, 2016, 2015 and 2013 by the japanese label Atelier Sawano.
His recent groups are, besides Trio ELF and the Walter Lang Trio, the World Percussion Ensemble, that features 3 percussionists from 3 different continents and his duo PWL with the charismatic singer Philipp Weiss, Yuujou with taiko wonder drummer Takuya Taniguchi, the magic brazilian percussionist Marco Lobo e Convidados, world music trio Daktarimba with the angel like voice of Njamy Sitson and marimba virtuoso Wolfgang Lackerschmids as well as the Lee Konitz/Walter Lang Duo with master saxofonist Lee Konitz. Since 2018 he is a ECM RECORDING ARTIST as a member of the Shinya Fukumori Trio.
Walter Lang has also played with jazz greats like James Moody, Chico Freeman, Don Menza, Roy Hargrove, Jenny Evans, Dusko Goykovich, Paula Morelenbaum, Lisa Wahlandt and many others.