Hot and Free. Jazz im geteilten Berlin 1950-1970. Westdeutsche Jazzkompositionen der 1950er und 1960er Jahre The Clarinet Trio

West German Jazz Compositions of the 1950s and 1960s

The Clarinet Trio

Gebhard Ullmann - clarinet

Jürgen Kupke – clarinet

Michael Thieke – clarinet

For 25 years, the Clarinet Trio has been one of the most extraordinary ensembles on the European jazz scene. With six style-defining albums, international tours, and acclaimed festival performances, the trio is known for its unmistakable sound: three clarinets—without a rhythm section, without electronics, focused entirely on the power of sound, atmosphere, and musical dialogue.

In our concert, the Clarinet Trio presents a special program featuring compositions by West German jazz composers from the 1950s to the 1970s. The program includes works by Albert Mangelsdorff, Karl Berger, Joki Freund, Manfred Schoof, and Rolf and Joachim Kühn—reimagined and transformed into unique sounds.

An evening that brings postwar jazz and its protagonists to life anew through three clarinets. Both Mangelsdorff and Manfred Schoof continued to perform regularly in the GDR even after the Berlin Wall was built—including at Ulrich Gumpert’s garden house, which was a legendary, private gathering place for jazz musicians from East and West Germany.