Modern Jazz Quartet Blues On Bach CD

Born in West Germany, Yeshe was passionately interested in other cultures, especially Africa, from early childhood. Until the age of 12 his musical taste was strongly influenced by his older brother's love of artists such as James Brown, Bob Marley, Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix.

As a young teenager Yeshe became involved in the flourishing 70s African music scene. By the age of 14 Yeshe was performing with a variety of percussion ensembles guided by his mentors Rolf Exler and world renowned Ghanaian master drummer Mustapha Tetty Addy. By the age of 17 Yeshe hit the road as a drummer, percussionist and bass player with a variety of bands, playing a wide range of styles including Reggae, Funk, Blues, Latin and South African Jive. He also frequently accompanied African dancers and dance troupes. Yeshe spent his winters in different West African countries furthering his musical studies and toured extensively through Europe from spring to autumn. During this time Yeshe met and worked in a variety of ensembles with his next mentor Tefo Hlaele of the South African performance troupe Iphin Thombi In the early 80s Yeshe met slide guitarist, singer, songwriter Harry Manx who remains a powerful influence and great friend to this day. They have worked together frequently and still do so. In 1985 Yeshe left Europe to explore Asia and its music, he spent 5 years living in Japan where he worked as a session musician for a variety of Japanese and international artists while also teaching percussion. During this time he travelled throughout Asia to study different percussion styles and was fortunate to be invited to study with the Peliatan Gamelan Orchestra (Bali), the Kodo Drummers of Sado Island (Japan) and Samul Nori of Korea amongst others.

The affair began while Hendrik was growing up in Germany. Brazilian music embodied a depth of beauty and simplicity that touched his very soul. "I've always been attracted to music that focuses on melody and harmonic beauty," he explains, "That could be Bach or Bird, but for me the perfect music is Brazilian because of its sympathetic emotional context."After graduating from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Hendrik moved to Brazil in the early 80's where he immersed himself in its music and culture. It was during these days in Rio that the soul of Amazon River was born. But it wasn't until a 2004 tour of Germany and Finland that he conceived this recording, which focuses on all aspects of the Brazilian sound.

On the tour, Hendrik was joined by of some of the most talented Brazilian musicians: pianist Helio Alves, drummer Duduka Da Fonseca and bassist Nilson Matta, who was an early collaborator from Hendrik's Rio days. But it was special guest and co-producer Oscar Castro-Neves who was the catalyst for making this more than a quartet recording. Hendrik explains that "Oscar is more than a guitarist and singer. He's a producer and arranger as well. He molded and developed my ideas and created such beautiful string arrangements as well."Not surprisingly, Castro-Neves is as enthusiastic about his collaborator. "He has an awesome technique, a great sense of improvisation and a very personal way of navigating complex harmonies. Adding to that is his wonderful artistry on the vibraphone, another instrument that Hendrik commands with great grace and expression. His soul was born somewhere among the trees and the rivers of Brazil so native are his performances."It was a special honor for Hendrik to have Dori Caymmi as a guest: "Dori's songs and his voice have a magic that has no equal. If there is a perfect setting for my harmonica this would be it. Dori's song 'Amazon River', which became the title track, is one of the all time great compositions of Brazilian music".