Buschi Niebergall

Buschi Niebergall (July 18, 1938 – January 9, 1990) was a German free jazz musician. His given name was Hans-Helmut, and late in life, his friends called him Johannes.

Born in the city of Marburg into a family of academics (his father was a professor of theology and temporarily rector of the University of Marburg), Niebergall enrolled in medical school. Playing acoustic guitar, he got in contact with other musicians and quit his studies. As double-bass player Niebergall became co-founder of several of the first and most influential Free Jazz formations of Germany during the mid-1960s. Gunter Hampel's quintet Heartplants and Voices by the Manfred Schoof quintet are two excellent examples of this independent European free jazz development.

A founding member of the Globe Unity Orchestra since 1966, Niebergall collaborated with many musicians playing freely improvised music, including Peter Brötzmann, Don Cherry, Alfred Harth, Evan Parker, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Irène Schweizer, and John Tchicai. During the early 1970s he played in Albert Mangelsdorff's various quartets and quintets. After 1980 he chose a life in isolation in Frankfurt a.M., with the exception of occasional stints within a "Jazz und Lyrik" project.