Helmut Kagerer is definitely one of the most talented guitarists on the European jazz scene. According to the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", one of Germany's foremost daily papers, he can hold his own against the international competition any time of the day.
He has had ample opportunity to prove his mettle as composer, soloist and sympathetic accompanist, working with musicians such as Buddy de Franco, Sam Rivers, Nathan Davis, Santi Debriano, Arthur Blythe, Martin Taylor, Karl Ratzer and many more.
His guitar duo projects with Attila Zoller, who brought him to New York as assistant teacher on several occasions, or with Helmut Nieberle, with whom he shared the 1991 special stipend awarded by the State of Bavaria, received the thumbs-up from pundits all over the world.
Helmut Kagerer was born in Passau, Bavaria, in 1961.
In 1981 he moved to Munich, where he took guitar lessons from Kosta Lukacs, at the same time graduating from the Munich Jazz School.
In 1984, he moved to Graz, Austria, for one year, to continue his studies at the College of Music and Fine Arts. During this time, next to jazz, he also got involved in classical music.
During the following years, he made a name for himself on the European jazz scene with a multitude of tours and concerts.
Since 1991, he is a fellow of Nuremberg's Meistersinger Conservatory, teaching jazz guitar.
Helmut Kagerer can be heard on many recordings with Don Pullen, Arthur Blythe, Karl Ratzer, The Kagerer Four, and others.
His latest CD, "Skyliner", recorded in a duo format with Helmut Nieberle, was released in January 1998.