Bob Degen

Bob Degan, the pianist, issued recordings on the Calig, Enja, and Trio labels during the late 1960s, throughout the 1970s, and into the early 1980s. Although the majority of these sessions featured trios, he also released one duo project and one quartet date. In the early 1960s, he studied at Berklee and performed in Boston clubs. Periodic engagements in Europe during the mid-1960s allowed him to collaborate with Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Carmell Jones, and Albert Mangesldorff, and he made his debut as a leader with a recording in 1968. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Degan headed a trio alongside Paul Motian, joined tours with Gary Peacock and Buddy DeFranco, before establishing residence in Germany in 1974. Frequent partnerships with Heinz Sauer marked the 1970s and 1980s, encompassing co-leadership of a quartet in the early 1980s and sideman roles in groups such as Makaya Ntshoko, the Frankfurter Jazz Ensemble, Voices, and Adelhard Roidinger during the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Additional trio leadership and recordings from the 1970s and 1980s involved Joki Freund, Leszek Zadlo, Gunther Lenz, and Uli Beckerhoff.