Conrad Bauer

Bauer stands among Europe's leading free jazz trombonists yet belongs to the sizable group of musicians who have slipped largely from wider public and critical view. Fellow players nonetheless recognize his stature, reflected in partnerships with avant-garde figures such as Louis Sclavis, Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, Anthony Braxton, Peter Brotzmann, Gerry Hemingway, Fred van Hove, Peter Kowald, George Lewis, Butch Morris, Tony Oxley, and Barre Phillips.

His formative years unfolded in East Germany, where he trained on trombone in Dresden and Berlin. During the 1970s and 1980s he directed his own ensembles inside the GDR and served as leader of the state jazz orchestra from 1987 to 1988. Visibility beyond those borders increased in the 1990s after he began issuing recordings on Western labels. A solo performance at the 1991 Victoriaville Festival in Canada was captured and released by the Victo imprint. Further albums under his own name and as a sideman have appeared on Intakt and FMP, among other outlets. His brother Johannes Bauer has likewise become a recognized free jazz trombonist.