Axel Donner, born on May 18, 1954 in Altdöbern, Germany, is a German jazz pianist and composer. He began piano lessons at six and studied at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin in 1974, focusing on classical and jazz piano, composition, and arrangement. Donner initially played in rock bands like Express and Neue Generation before joining Günther Fischer's sextet in 1977. He then formed his own band and collaborated with artists such as Uwe Kropinski and Charlie Mariano. From 1990 to 1992, he was part of the trio Wroblewsky-Donner-Klemm. In 1992, Donner released To Michèle and began concentrating on composing film music for television, including Tarort: Renis Tod (1993) and Ausweglos (1995).