Thomas Heberer

Heberer began playing trumpet at the age of 11. From 1984 to 1987, he studied at conservatory with Manfred Schoof at the Cologne University of Music.

Heberer leads several projects, including past and present: • Lip Lab, a trio with Carl Ludwig Hübsch on tuba and Christian Thomé on drums. The group released Lex Luna on JazzHausMusik in 2007. • Clarino, a trio with clarinetist Joachim Badenhorst and bassist Pascal Niggenkemper, released two albums: Klippe in 2011 (Clean Feed) and 2012's Cookbook (Red Toucan). Pivotal to developing Heberer's own notation code, detailed in "Concepts" below. • Garden, a trio with bassist Max Johnson and drummer Lou Grassi, recorded Push Play in 2013, which was released on CIMP in 2022. • X Marks the Spot, a quartet with guitarist Terrence McManus, bassist Michael Bates, and drummer Jeff Davis, debuted with an eponymous album in 2019 on OutNow Recordings. • A quartet, featuring saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, bassist John Hébert, and drummer Michael Sarin. Their debut album The Day That Is was released by Sunnyside Records in 2021. It received four stars in DownBeat and five stars in the German magazine Jazzthetik, where Hans-Jürgen Schaal called it "Ein Album für Gegenwart, Zukunft und Ewigkeit" ("an album for the present, future and forever").

He has recorded and performed solo. Notable recordings include: The Heroic Millipede in 1988 (ITM); "Kill Yr Darlins" in 1997 (Poise); two albums on the Poise label under the pseudonym T.O.M.: Stella in 2001 and Mouth in 2003; and a vinyl-only release called One on NoBusiness Records in 2011. The Other Side of the Spoon, released on Bandcamp in 2023, is a set of solo trumpet improvisations, dedicated to the memory of Tristan Honsinger, one of Heberer' longtime musical partners in the ICP Orchestra. His solo work has been used for films and dance performances, including for two choreographies by Pina Bausch. Choreographer Bausch's Für die Kinder von gestern, heute and morgen (2002) uses a track from Stella called "German Measles"; Bausch's Ten Chi (2004), uses a track called "Blue" from the album Mouth. Wim Wenders used "Blue" in Pina, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2011 for Best Documentary Feature. "Blue" and "German Measles" were both used in Pina Bausch, a documentary directed by Anne Linsel (WDR/Arte) in 2006 and re-released by the Goethe-Institut in 2012 (IN2998).

He has been a member of the ICP Orchestra from 1993 to present. Founded by Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink and Willem Breuker, ICP currently comprises Ab Baars, Han Bennink, Joost Buis, Tobias Delius, Ernst Glerum, Guus Janssen, Michael Moore, and Mary Oliver. During Heberer's involvement, the band has recorded numerous albums for hatOLOGY and ICP, and performed extensively around the world, including tours in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Europe, Japan and the US. Notable US performances with ICP include the Library of Congress, Harvard University, and the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. From 1987 to 2000, Heberer was a member of Alexander von Schlippenbach's Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, which at the time included Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Aki Takase, Paul Lovens and others. During his involvement, the Orchestra recorded three albums for ECM, FMP and DIW, and performed in Europe and Japan. Heberer was a member of Tome XX with saxophonist Dirk Raulf, bassist Tim Wells (1987-1989), bassist, Dieter Manderscheid (1990-1996), and drummer Fritz Wittek. From 1987 to 1996, the band recorded four albums under the JazzHausMusik label, touring across Europe, Africa and South America. From 1988 to 1996, Heberer was a member of the European Jazz Ensemble, along with Joachim Kühn, Gerd Dudek, Konrad Bauer, Charlie Mariano, Tony Levin and others. In addition to performing across Europe, he is included on two recordings from the time: Meets the Khan Family (MA Music) and 20th Anniversary Tour (Konnex). Heberer received significant attention in 1990 with his release of the album Chicago Breakdown: The Music of Jelly Roll Morton, recorded with bassist Dieter Manderscheid. The Penguin Guide to Jazz gave Chicago Breakdown four stars, the publication's highest rating, citing it "highly recommended." Heberer and Manderscheid went on to record two more duo albums: What a Wonderful World (2002), in recognition for the centenary of Louis Armstrong, and Wanderlust (2007), a reflection on American blues music. What a Wonderful World was critically acclaimed and received four out of five stars in Down Beat. As a duo, Heberer and Manderscheid have performed across Europe, Asia and the US. From 2008 to 2013, Heberer joined drummer Joe Hertenstein's band HNH with bassist Pascal Niggenkemper. The band released two records on Clean Feed: HNH (black album) and HNH (white album). With the addition of clarinetist Joachim Badenhorst, the band made an album called Polylemma on Red Toucan Records, released in 2011. That year, Polylemma won the Happy New Ears award from the Free Jazz Collective. With Pascal Niggenkemper, Thomas released Miners Pick on the British FMR label (2014), a duet album, exclusively focusing on his cornet playing. In 2013, Heberer and longtime collaborator Achim Kaufmann released their first recording on Red Toucan called Knoten, followed by a second recording with Ken Filiano joining Kaufmann and Heberer, called Interstices on NuScope Recordings in 2015. In 2014, Heberer replaced the late Roy Campbell in the Nu Band, which then comprised Heberer with Lou Grassi, Joe Fonda, and Mark Whitecage. Upon the death of Whitecage in 2021, the group was joined by Kenny Wessel. They toured Europe in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2025. Four recordings were issued on Not Two Records: The Cosmological Constant (2015), Live in Geneva (2017), In Memory of Mark Whitecage (2021), and Renual (2022). In 2016, Thomas became a founding member of the Angelica Sanchez Nonet. In addition to the leader, the ensemble includes Michaël Attias, Ben Goldberg, John Hébert, Sam Ospovat, Chris Speed, Omar Tamez, and Kenny Warren. The nonet's debut, Nighttime Creatures, was released on Pyroclastic Records in 2023, and ranked among the Best Albums of the Year in Downbeat. In 2020, Heberer, bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Joe Hertenstein formed the group REMEDY. The trio toured Europe in 2024 and has released four albums on the Fundacja Słuchaj! label: REMEDY (2021), Vol. 2 (2023), Hipp Hipp Hooray–Celebrating the Centennial of Jutta Hipp (2025), REMEDY + Aki Takase (2025). Their debut and Vol. 2 were both voted among the Albums of the Year by the New York City Jazz Record. A recording from a performance in Germany, called Live at Jazzkammer, was released in 2024 on Bandcamp.

He participates as a sideman in numerous ensembles and recordings with leaders such as Muhal Richard Abrams, Karl Berger, Peter Brötzmann, Han Bennink, Eugene Chadbourne, Dave Douglas, Joe Fonda, Frank Gratkowski, Barry Guy, Christoph Haberer, Gabriele Hasler, Guus Janssen, Maria João, Paul van Kemenade, Yoni Kretzmer, Misha Mengelberg, Butch Morris, Bob Moses, Alphonse Mouzon, David Murray, Sunny Murray, Michael Riessler, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Andreas Schmidt, Frank Schulte, Elliott Sharp, Norbert Stein, Steve Swell, Aki Takase, Attila Zoller, John Zorn.

He served as a member of the regular band supporting German talk show host and entertainer Harald Schmidt from 1995 to 2007. He was also featured as a guest several times including for the Miles Davis episode on November 22, 2002. From 1995 to 2003, the show aired four times a week for the German SAT1 private television channel. From 2005 to 2007, the show was performed two times per week for ARD, Germany's national television channel.

In addition to using regular staff paper for his compositions, Heberer has developed a notation code that he calls "Cookbook." It is an instant composition method, which allows for a high amount of freedom on the musicians' side while allowing significant structural tools on the composer's side as well. It does so by implementing the idea of instant memory shaped according to a specific set of rules.

• Ensemble/Artist — Title — Director — Year — Producer/Distributor • New Jazz Meeting — New Jazz Meeting 89 — H. Werner Wunderlich — 1989 — SWF • Tome XX — D.C. — Reiner Michalke — 1992 — RTL • Aki Takase — Plays Fats Waller — Stephane Jourdain — 2005 — La Huit • Pina Bausch — Pina Bausch — Anne Linsel — 2006 — WDR/Arte • ICP Orchestra — ICP Orchestra — Guy Girard — 2006 — La Huit • Misha Mengelberg — Afijn — Jellie Dekker — 2006 — Data Images/ICP • Eugene Chadbourne — The Jack & Jim Show — Robert O'Haire — 2007 — Modern Alchemy • The Ex — Convoy Tour: 25 Years of the Ex — The Ex — 2009 — EX Records • Han Bennink — Hazentijd — Jellie Dekker — 2010 — Data Images/ICP • ICP Orchestra — Steigerpijp — Barbara Hin, Martin van der Veen — 2010 — | Sushi Film • Pina Bausch — Pina — Wim Wenders — 2011 — Neue Road Movies • ICP Orchestra — Misha enzovoort — Cherry Duyns — 2013 — | ICP • Fleur noire — Dix-Neuf — Werner Kiera — 2015 — Datenverarbeiter • Lance Gries Dancers + Thomas Heberer — Vision Festival No. 20 — Lance Gries — 2015 — | Arts for Arts • Thomas Heberer — Catch You on the Flip Side — Thomas Heberer — 2016 — | 420 CPW • Thomas Heberer — Peel — Thomas Heberer — 2016 — | 420 CPW • Thomas Heberer, Christof Knoche — Sequoia — Thomas Heberer — 2016 — | 420 CPW • Robert Dick, Thomas Heberer, Ken Filiano, Lukas Ligeti — Live at the Stone NYC — Don Mount — 2022 — | Don Mount • Dr. Jazz Talks — Thomas Heberer Interview — Samo Šalamon — 2023 — | Samo Šalamon • REMEDY — Live in Rochester — Dan Gross — 2025 — Bop Shop Records