This is the opening set of one of the weekly jam sessions at the
now defunkt Bebop Bar, a gathering place on Sunday evenings for
musicians and jazz lovers in Kreuzberg. The intimate atmosphere
and warm acoustics seem to come through on these recordings.
Gary Hoopengardner had come to Berlin a few years earlier from
Cleveland, Ohio. He was playing around town with a lot of good musicians.
Matthias Klein was just finishing his studies at the conservatory
and playing every chance he could get. This setting afforded the
musicians the opportunity to get up close and personal with the
audience, and the auspicious microphone placement on that night
captures a bit of the flavor of that era.
Listen to:
Larry Porter – piano
Gary Hoopengardner – bass
Matthias Klein – drums
Bebop Bar, Berlin
Aug. 15, 2004
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