Born 1952 in Berlin
Began playing guitar at age 14.
1968–70: First Band "Cropies" with Tamara Danz
1972: played in various bands, rock music
1973–76: studied classical and jazz guitar at the Berlin "Musikhochschule Hanns Eisler"
1977: started playing jazz, free jazz and improvised music.
1977: first solo performance
1977–86: member of various jazz or improvising groups in former GDR, and teacher at Musikhochschule
Played with the finest jazz players in East Germany, including Konrad Bauer
Played duetts with John Tchicai (sax), Joëlle Leandre (b) and Rudolf Dasek (g)
Performed with various dancers, including Arila Siegert
Toured in almost every European country
1986: changed domicile to Nürnberg, 1987 to Köln
Several recording projects as a leader which have earned international acclaim
Several featured articles in various international publications
1988–2009: Projects as a soloist, with different european musicians and American bassist David Friesen (6 CDs and 1 DVD)
Wrote a lot of compositions, some are available in books: "Guitar-guitar" and "Departure" with David Friesen
Since 1989 plays special guitars with 39 frets made by the great guitar maker from Holland Theo Scharpach www.scharpach.com
1993: Afrika tour with flutist Michael Heupel (Goethe-Institut)
Duets with Simon Nabatov in the early nineties
He also gives workshops for improvisation and special guitar techniques
Developed a unique system to use the guitar body as a percussion instrument
Composed music for an animated film
1996: played with Jamaaladeen Tacuma (also 2008–2011)
Worked with Rolf and Joachim Kühn
At the Bauhaus Dessau he did the music for several dance projekts with Arila Siegert, Iris Sputh and Thomas Hartmann seit 1997 Konzerte und Leitung von Improvisationsgruppen beim "Internationalen Gitarrenfestival Templin"
Living in Berlin since 1998
2005: Book "Getting in time" practicing with the metronome in a musical way
2006: "Deutschland ein Wintermärchen" Heine - wie neu mit Thomas Brückner (Sprecher) Katharina Hilpert (fl) Baby Sommer (dr)
2008 international well known photographer Ralph Gibson shoots Kropinski for his book "State of the Axe" - Guitar Masters in Photographs and Words (Museum of Fine Arts Houston); Kropinski wrotes the words for his photograph.
2011: 30th Anniversary "Doppelmoppel"; Conny und Johannes Bauer (tb) Joe Sachse und Kropinski (g)
2012 Kropinski Trio mit Susanne Paul Cello und Vladimir Karparov Saxofone
2013 CD "Elf Elfen Blues"
2015 CD "Blätter aus dem Garten der Schubartin" Ludwig Schumann Texte
CD "scratching the silence" mit Dieter Köhnlein Piano
LP "gallery born" Produktion Galerie Born-Berlin Kropinski Gitarre und Stimme
Januar Panama Jazz Festival mit Michael Heupel
Mittelamerika Tournee mit Doppelmoppel (Goethe Institut) Mexiko, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama
2018 CD "a kind of now" mit Michael Heupel (fl)
Tour Goethe Institut Guatemala und Costa Rica mit Dieter Köhnlein (p)
2022 LP "Live in Romanshorn" mit Michael Heupel
LP "Groovemaster" Live in Berlin mit Susanne Paul Cello und Vladimir Karparov Saxofone
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Actual projects
Solo
Kropinski Trio with Susanna Paul cello and Vladimir Karparov saxophone
Duet with Michael Heupel or as a trio plus Baby Sommer (dr)
Peter Rühmkorf Programm "Bleib erschütterbar und widersteh" Thomas Brückner (narrator)
Kropinski (g)
"Heine wie neu" Deutschland ein Wintermärchen
Thomas Brückner (narrator) Katharina Hilpert (fl) Baby Sommer (dr)
Duet with Joe Sachse (g)
Duet with Dieter Köhnlein (p)
"Marula" with Majid Bekkas (oud, gembri) Aly Keita (Balafon) Michael Heupel (fl)
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Since the early nineties he also works as a photographer;
the photographs were used for his own CD-covers
1989 "Dancing with the bass" ITM 1431 David Friesen (b) /Kropinski
"By the way", AHO 1001 Dieter Köhnlein (p) /Kropinski
1995 "African notebook", AHO 1024, Michael Heupel (fl) /Kropinski
1999 "Made in Berlin", ITM 14106, David Friesen (b) /Kropinski
2004 "Sentimental moods", ITM 14119, Michael Heupel (fl) /Kropinski
2004 "Made in Istanbul", ITM 14118, David Friesen (b) /Kropinski
2005 "American dream", Acoustic music, Solo
2005 "Made with friends", JW 007, D.Friesen, Conny Bauer(tb) John Gross(ts)
2008 "Marula - In all", Majid Bekkas(oud,gembri), Aly Keita (balafon), Michael Heupel(fl) / Kropinski
2018 "a kind of now" with Michael Heupel
2022 LP "vom F zum F und zurück" with Michael Heupel
LP "Live in Berlin" Kropinski Trio, Susanne Paul cello, Vlaimir Karparov sax
and for the CD- covers of other artists
1992 "Long trip home", ITMP 970073, David Friesen Solo
1995 "Into it", Lee Konitz (as,ss) Frank Wunsch (p) WW 2090
1999 "Speakeasy" PAO 10610, John Abercrombie + Jarek Smietana (g), Harvie Swartz (b), Adam Czerwinski (dr)
2000 "C/D/E", PAO 10480, Marty Ehrlich (ss,as,cl,fl) Mark Dresser (b), Andrew Cyrille (dr)
2000 "After the rainstorm" Wewelsiep 20991
2001 "With you in mind", Summit records DCD290, David Friesen (b) Gary Versace (p)
2013 Abdullah Ibrahim "Mukashi" intuition
His photographs were exhibited several times as Uwe THEO Kropinski
1995 "African notebook" Stadtbibliothek Köln
2005 Berlin "Knorre"
2006 Galerie "Medial" Berlin "Berlins schönste Schäden" (Gehwegschäden)
2012 Exhibition at Jazzinstitut Darmstadt