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Herbie Kopf - bassist, composer, bandleader


I was born in Zürich/Switzerland in 1962, picked up the electric bass at age 16, teaching myself how to play it. After having had just a few years of playing, composing and arranging experience, I already found myself working in the groups of Swiss pros like Daniel Schnyder, Harald Haerter, JoJo Mayer, Bruno Spoerri, Jurg Grau a.o. After returning from my first stay in New York in 1982, I started to emerge my own projects with top musicians like Jack Walrath, Jerry Gonzalez, Paulo Moura, Seamus Blake, Nenê, James Zollar, Mark Turner, Andy Scherrer, Mike Clark, George Gruntz, Mike del Ferro, as well as working with my regular groups NEW DEAL, HEADPHONES, HERBIE KOPF GROUP, HIP-NOSES, THREE SIRENS and Herbie's EXPLO 3000.

Festivals and concert tours with my own bands brought me to Brasil, Siberia, Russia, the Baltic states, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, Greece, Ukraine, Spain, Germany and many other European countries. There are already 19 CD's of my own on the international market, featuring my bands and a major portion of my 220+ original compositions. As a freelancer I was also playing with Sal Nistico, Clifford Jordan, Charlie Mariano, Ray Anderson, Lew Soloff, Patato Valdez, Luciana Souza, Bob Mover, Franco Ambrosetti, Gil Scott- Heron, New York Voices. In 1994, I was awarded "Jazz musician of the year" by the City of Zürich, and they provided a grant for my second extended stay in New York. Since 1996, I'm a faculty member of the Music University of Lucerne, Jazz Departement, teaching electric bass and ensemble.


In addition to leading my own groups and projects, I also play(ed) in the following bands:

- The Lefties
- Mistura Fina
- Greg Galli Gang
- Close Contact
- Greatest Hitch.... featuring AMAR-Quartett
- George Gruntz † Trio (& guest Franco Ambrosetti)