Kühn was a musical prodigy and made his debut as a concert pianist, having studied classical piano and composition with Arthur Schmidt-Elsey. Influenced by his elder brother, clarinetist Rolf Kühn , he simultaneously got interested in jazz. In 1961 he became a professional jazz musician. With a trio of his own, founded in 1964, he presented the first free jazz in the GDR. In 1966 he left the country and settled in Hamburg. Together with his brother he played at the Newport Jazz Festival and recorded with Jimmy Garrison for Bob Thiele's Impulse! Records.
Kühn has lived in Paris since 1968, and worked with Don Cherry, Karl Berger , Slide Hampton , Phil Woods , Michel Portal , Barre Phillips , Eje Thelin , Ray Lema , Hellmut Hattler , and Jean-Luc Ponty . As a member of Pierre Courbois 's Association P.C. , he turned to electronic keyboards. During the second half of the 1970s he lived in California and joined the West Coast fusion scene and recorded with Alphonse Mouzon , Billy Cobham , Michael Brecker , and Eddie Gómez.
Having settled near Paris again, he played in an acoustic trio with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Daniel Humair since 1985. In the summer of 1996, he joined Ornette Coleman for two concerts at the Verona and Leipzig festivals, which opened the way for his Diminished Augmented System . More recently he has toured with Rabih Abou-Khalil and Joachim Kühn Trio with Christian Lillinger and Johannes Fink.
Charisma (Atlantic , 1977)Snow in the Desert (Atlantic, 1980)Distance (CMP, 1984)Situations (Atlantic, 1988)Dynamics (CMP, 1990)Joachim Kühn Plays Lili Marleen (1994)Abstracts (Label Bleu, 1995)The Diminished Augmented System (EmArcy , 1999)Piano Works I (HighNote, 2005)with Walter Quintus: Dark (Ambiance, 1988) with Walter Quintus: Get Up Early (Ambiance, 1991) with Ornette Coleman : Colors: Live from Leipzig (Harmolodic/Verve , 1996) with Connie Bauer: Generations from (East) Germany (KlangRäume, 1997) with Michael Wollny : Piano Works IX - Live at Schloss Elmau (ACT , 2009) with Archie Shepp : Wo!man (Archie Ball, 2011) with Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Aldo Romano Sound of Feelings (BYG Actuel, 1969)Paris Is Wonderful (Byg Actuel, 1969)with J.-F. Jenny-Clark and Daniel Humair Easy to Read (1985)From Time to Time Free (1988)Live 1989 (1989)Carambolage (1991) with the WDR Big BandUsual Confusion (1993)Triple Entente (Mercury/PolyGram France, 1998)Impressions of New York This Way Out (BASF/MPS , 1973) with Gerd Dudek , Peter Warren, Daniel HumairCinemascope (1974)Hip Elegy (MPS , 1975) with Terumasa Hino , Philip Catherine , John Lee, Naná Vasconcelos , Alphonse Mouzon Solo Now (1976) with Albert Mangelsdorff , Gunter Hampel , Pierre Favre Springfever (Atlantic, 1976) with Philip Catherine , John Lee, Gerry Brown, Zbigniew Seifert , Curt Cress Sunshower (Atlantic, 1978) with Jan Akkerman , Ray GomezJoachim Kühn & Jan Akkerman Live (Sandra Music, 1979)Nightline New York (Sandra Music, 1981) with Michael Brecker , Eddie Gómez, Billy Hart , Bob Mintzer , Mark Nauseef Let's Be Generous (CMP, 1991) with Mark Nauseef , Tony Newton, Miroslav TadicUniversal Time (2001) with Chris Potter , Scott Colley , Horacio 'El Negro' Hernandez, Michel Portal Bach Now - Live (2002) with Thomanerchor Poison (2005) with Jean-Paul Celea, Wolfgang ReisingerJourney to the Center of an Egg (Enja , 2005) with Rabih Abou-Khalil, Jarrod CagwinKalimba (ACT , 2007) with Majid Bekkas, Ramón LópezVoodoo Sense (ACT, 2011–12) with Majid Bekkas, Ramón López, guestsLifeline (Boutique, 2012) with Rolf Kühn , John Patitucci , Brian Blade Zbigniew Namyslowski Quartet with Joachim Kühn: Live at Kosmos, Berlin (ITM, 1965) The Rolf Kühn Group: The Day After (BASF/MPS, 1972) featuring Phil Woods The Rolf Kühn Group: Connection 74 (BASF/MPS, 1974) featuring Randy Brecker Association P.C. (Pierre Courbois ) and Jeremy Steig : Mama Kuku (Live) (BASF/MPS, 1974) Zbigniew Seifert : Man of the Light (BASF/MPS, 1976) with Cecil McBee , Billy Hart , and Jasper van 't Hof Larry Coryell - Catherine - Kühn: Live! (Elektra , 1980)Joe Henderson Collective: Black Narcissus (Milestone , 1976)
