Born in Zurich /Switzerland, Herbie Kopf picked up the electric bass at age 16, teaching himself how to play. After only a few years of playing, composing and arranging experience, he already found himself working in the groups of well-known Swiss pros like Daniel Schnyder, Harald Haerter, JoJo Mayer, Bruno Spoerri. After returning from his first stay in New York in 1982, he started to emerge his own projects with top musicians like Jack Walrath, Jerry Gonzalez, Paulo Moura, Seamus Blake, Mark Turner, Andy Scherrer, Mike Clark, George Gruntz, Mike del Ferro, as well as working with his own regular groups NEW DEAL, HEADPHONES, HERBIE KOPF GROUP, HIP-NOSES, THREE SIRENS and Herbie's EXPLO 3000.
Festivals and concert tours brought Herbie's own bands to Brasil, Russia, Siberia, France, Italy, Baltic states, Poland, Greece, Romania, Spain, Germany and other countries.
In 1994, the City of Zurich awarded him «Jazz musician of the year» and provided a grant for his second extended stay in New York. There are 16 CD's of Herbie Kopf and his groups on the international market, featuring his original compositions.
As a freelancer, he had the honour to play with Sal Nistico, Clifford Jordan, Charlie Mariano, Ray Anderson, Patato Valdez, Luciana Souza, Franco Ambrosetti, Lew Soloff, Gil Scott-Heron, the New York Voices, as well as being invited as soloist for the Lucerne Symphonic Orchestra.
Selected discography:
- Headphones "Live"
- Hip-noses "Hip-noses"
- Herbie Kopf "Lop-sided"
- Grau-Band "Gras-gruen"
- Hip-noses "Gravitalita"
- Koni Weber kwartet "Dedications"
- Mentalities "A Bridge Between Two Traditions"
- Herbie Kopf - Elmar Frey "Inviting"
- Wiesendanger - Kopf - Renold "Time After Time"
- Hip-noses "Azul - Live at Moods"
- Jochen Baldes "Niniland"
- Herbie Kopf Group feat. Jack Walrath "Who shot the piano-player?"
- Herbie's EXPLO 3000
- Mya N "Little Mary"
- Hip-noses "Lucky Numbers"
- Herbie's EXPLO 3000 "Time Zones"
- Marion Denzler "With Every Breath I Take"
- Mistura Fina "Chorinho Alpino"
- U.F.O. - Herbie Kopf Nonet
- Dainius Pulauskas Group "Orca"
- Herbie's EXPLO 3000 "Bliss"
- Close Contact "Honk!"
- U.F.O. - Herbie Kopf Nonet "Flux"
- Herbie Kopf "Up & Down" 30 years live on stage (double-CD)
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Herbie's EXPLO 3000 «Varške» at Sibiu jazzfestival (Romania), 2007/05/08
