Günter 'Baby' Sommer

Günter Baby Sommer is one of the master musicians of contemporary European jazz. He belongs to the circle of extraordinary drummers that developed throughout the improvised music scene a highly individual playing and built up an unmistakable? Born in Dresden in 1943, Sommer studied at the Hochschule für Musik „Carl Maria von Weber“. Then his musical contributions the most important jazz groups of the GDR like the Ernst-Ludwig-Petrowksy-Trio, Zentralquartett and the Ulrich Gumpert Workshopband made it possible for him to get involved in the international scene. Thus, Sommer not only worked in trio with Wadada Leo Smith and Peter Kowald but took part in fascinating meetings with Peter Brötzmann, Fred van Hove, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Evan Parker and Cecil Taylor. His solowork enabled him for intense collaborations with writers as Günter Grass.
Sommer’s discography comprises around 100 records. As a professor at the Hochschule für Musik Dresden he has an influence on the professional imparting of the contemporary jazz to the next generations.