Were Germans to learn the English word of "trombone" as "trombauer" it would be of no surpise to anyone, at least within the esoteric world of the European free jazz scene. The Bauer family represents a dynasty in German improvising brass and Connie Bauer is a shining star in that constellation; although which sibling's star shines the brightest is a subject for endless debate amongst European free improvisation fanatics. At festivals, special times are reserved for "the Bauer debate," inevitably to take place behind closed doors. There is even a joke about it. Question: "Which of the Bauer brothers is the best trombone player?" Answer: "George Lewis." Well, you would have to be the type that drools over solo trombone records to get it. In which case, there would no doubt be some measure of familiarity with the projects of Connie Bauer, or Conrad Bauer on the formal occasions.

A powerful trio with bassist Peter Kowald and drummer Gunter Sommer made precious noise not only on the European continent, but created great positive energy for the future of the French Canadian Victoriaville Festival in its early days. The trombonist returned to North America a few years later with the heavy-duty Doppelmoppel project, as in a double-trombone-meets-double-guitar quartet . The Zentralquartet combined four free music veterans from East Berlin, pitting Bauer against Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky screeching away on alto sax, pianist Ulrich Gumpert draining the high-priced whisky out of his piano, and once again percussionist Sommer; the group even lapsing into a few dance beats to the great chagrin of the European jazz press. These four players are sometimes credited with being the "midwives" of the East German jazz scene, which no longer really exists after the Berln Wall went down, at least not in the heavily subsidized ways of before.

Connie Bauer was lucky, or unlucky depending on one's point of view, to be young enough to not be too severely affected by the political turmoil and collapse of the Soviet empire; or at least has managed to bound into a career focused on the West, including regular festival appearances. In 2001, Bauer recorded for the Boxholder label with violinist Matt Maneiri and pianist Borah Bergman. As a trombone soloist, he was featured in the premiere of composer Lutz Glandien's composition Trompose for percussion, tape, and trombone. A deluxe way to hear Connie Bauer in tandem with brother Johannes Bauer is on the album Pijp by the Belgian keyboard mastermind Fred Van Hove. Listeners who think they have heard everything can settle back and experience this grouping of two trombones and a church pipe organ. Hannes Bauer is yet another of the brothers who has spent so many years with their lips puckered in a trombone mouthpiece. The prescription for anyone who isn't bored, or better yet, bauer-ed, with all this is the high-priced Swiss CD Bauer, Bauer, Bauer. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi