Karl Berger
b. 30 March 1935, Heidelberg, Germany. Berger studied piano, musicology and philosophy at his hometown university. In 1960, he took up vibes in order to play jazz. After gaining his PhD in 1963 he left for Paris, where he joined Don Cherry's quintet, with whom he worked for a year and a half. In 1966 he relocated to New York, finding a ready welcome in the free scene. His recording debut, TUNE IN, featured Ornette Coleman's drummer Ed Blackwell, bassist Dave Holland and alto saxophonist Carlos Ward. An energetic educationalist, he established a music school in Woodstock where students were taught by avant garde luminaries, including George Russell, Roscoe Mitchell, John Cage and Sam Rivers, until its closure in the early '80s. Berger continues to record, often in collaboration with his wife, Ingrid, who is a singer.