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Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Jens Bunge interview

June 10, 2022 Neil Warren Season 1 Episode 63

Chapters

Jens is a chromatic player from Germany, who started out playing tremolo

Doesn’t play any diatonic harmonica

What Jens would say to promote the chromatic to diatonic players

From a small town near Heidelberg in south west Germany

What inspired Jens to take up the harmonica

Started playing some harmonica with school choir

First instrument was a melodica, and then guitar

Starting playing chromatic aged 18 when heard Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder

Is a self-taught player

Participated in the World Harmonica Championship in Trossingen

The first time Jens became aware of embouchre (he plays pucker)

Lack of learning material for chromatic harmonica when Jens was learning

No way to slow down recordings in the pre-computer age

Stevie Wonder’s Fingertips

First heard Toots Thielemans on The Getaway movie soundtrack

Played along with German pop songs on the radio

Playing along with Toots

Jens learnt jazz with use of Aebersold backing tracks, Band In A Box and playing along to chords on guitar

Mainly learnt by ear, while also learning to read music

Joined a big band in Germany where he also played trumpet solos (on the Cornet)

Released first album in 1991, Harmonicology and inexperience of the first album

Getting the right sound in recording harmonica by using a dynamic and not a condenser mic

Musical travels started when won a small amount in the lottery and how it led to recording album in the US: Meet You In Chicago

It’s A Beautiful World album from 1994

Releases original songs as record companies make more money that way

With All My Heart album, released in 1996

Tangoletta song is only one Jens uses octave playing, and has been his most lucrative recording to date

Joe Powers is the specialist harmonica player for tango music

Duo album released in 2004: Pas De Deux, with songs recorded to the ‘character of wine’

Jens has travelled and performed in Asia extensively, and Shangai Blue album from 2009

Shangai Blue is Jens’ last album: may not record another whole album due to costs involved

Now releasing music on digital platforms

Jens will be producing his own music video for his song Silent Dreams

How Jens got involved in the Asian harmonica scene

Recording with Andreas Hertel, a German piano player

Recorded some film music in Germany and also for a Bollywood movie

Wrote a jazz column for the Harmonica Educator magazine

Jens is teaching at the HarmonicaUK Chromatic Weekend event June 18/19, 2022

10 minute question

Played in festivals around the world

Jens is a Hohner endorsee and plays Super 64 Performance chromatic now after trying a few Hohner models

Likes the 16 hole model for the extra range

Has he tried some of newer models from other manufacturers, such as Seydel Symphony

Uses Shure SM58 mic and Mark Bass acoustic amp

Uses PA when available

Effects: sometimes uses a little reverb when playing live, but not when recording

Info

Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Jens Bunge interview

Jun 10, 2022 Season 1 Episode 63

Neil Warren

Jens Bunge joins me on episode 63.

Jens is a German chromatic player who started out playing the tremolo, before discovering Stevie Wonder. He then found Toots Thielemans and he started teaching himself jazz by ear and joined the local big band. He released his first album in 1991 with members of this band, and has since released a number of other albums of mostly original material, as well as guesting on albums by other artists.

Jens has travelled extensively, particular in Asia, where he has tapped into the burgeoning chromatic harmonic scene there, and has been invited to play at numerous concerts and the Asian harmonica festivals. Jens is also appearing at the HarmonicaUK Chromatic Weekend June 18/19, 2022.

Links:

Website:
http://www.jensbunge.com

Discography:
https://jazzpages.de/bunge/discography-jens-bunge/

Soundcloud for more of Jens’ recordings:
https://soundcloud.com/jens-bunge

Hohner ‘Masters of the Harmonica’:
https://www.hohner.de/en/jens-bunge

HarmonicaUK Chromatic Weekend:
https://www.harmonica.uk/events/chromatic-weekend-2022

Videos:

The Getaway soundtrack: end credits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjydZbfUKXc

That Misty Red Beast played by Jens:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvcBQRwJW1Y

Silent Dreams:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgacRD1bZxs

Tribute to Toots & Bill with Andreas Hertel trio:
https://youtu.be/I5U1rN_lBDY

2016 HarmonicaUK festival with Chris Collis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuGufOFu_vc

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
and Blows Me Away Productions: http://www.blowsmeaway.com/

Support the show

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Jens Bunge joins me on episode 63.

Jens is a German chromatic player who started out playing the tremolo, before discovering Stevie Wonder. He then found Toots Thielemans and he started teaching himself jazz by ear and joined the local big band. He released his first album in 1991 with members of this band, and has since released a number of other albums of mostly original material, as well as guesting on albums by other artists.

Jens has travelled extensively, particular in Asia, where he has tapped into the burgeoning chromatic harmonic scene there, and has been invited to play at numerous concerts and the Asian harmonica festivals. Jens is also appearing at the HarmonicaUK Chromatic Weekend June 18/19, 2022.

Links:

Website:
http://www.jensbunge.com

Discography:
https://jazzpages.de/bunge/discography-jens-bunge/

Soundcloud for more of Jens’ recordings:
https://soundcloud.com/jens-bunge

Hohner ‘Masters of the Harmonica’:
https://www.hohner.de/en/jens-bunge

HarmonicaUK Chromatic Weekend:
https://www.harmonica.uk/events/chromatic-weekend-2022

Videos:

The Getaway soundtrack: end credits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjydZbfUKXc

That Misty Red Beast played by Jens:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvcBQRwJW1Y

Silent Dreams:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgacRD1bZxs

Tribute to Toots & Bill with Andreas Hertel trio:
https://youtu.be/I5U1rN_lBDY

2016 HarmonicaUK festival with Chris Collis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuGufOFu_vc

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
and Blows Me Away Productions: http://www.blowsmeaway.com/

Support the show

Jens is a chromatic player from Germany, who started out playing tremolo

Doesn’t play any diatonic harmonica

What Jens would say to promote the chromatic to diatonic players

From a small town near Heidelberg in south west Germany

What inspired Jens to take up the harmonica

Started playing some harmonica with school choir

First instrument was a melodica, and then guitar

Starting playing chromatic aged 18 when heard Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder

Is a self-taught player

Participated in the World Harmonica Championship in Trossingen

The first time Jens became aware of embouchre (he plays pucker)

Lack of learning material for chromatic harmonica when Jens was learning

No way to slow down recordings in the pre-computer age

Stevie Wonder’s Fingertips

First heard Toots Thielemans on The Getaway movie soundtrack

Played along with German pop songs on the radio

Playing along with Toots

Jens learnt jazz with use of Aebersold backing tracks, Band In A Box and playing along to chords on guitar

Mainly learnt by ear, while also learning to read music

Joined a big band in Germany where he also played trumpet solos (on the Cornet)

Released first album in 1991, Harmonicology and inexperience of the first album

Getting the right sound in recording harmonica by using a dynamic and not a condenser mic

Musical travels started when won a small amount in the lottery and how it led to recording album in the US: Meet You In Chicago

It’s A Beautiful World album from 1994

Releases original songs as record companies make more money that way

With All My Heart album, released in 1996

Tangoletta song is only one Jens uses octave playing, and has been his most lucrative recording to date

Joe Powers is the specialist harmonica player for tango music

Duo album released in 2004: Pas De Deux, with songs recorded to the ‘character of wine’

Jens has travelled and performed in Asia extensively, and Shangai Blue album from 2009

Shangai Blue is Jens’ last album: may not record another whole album due to costs involved

Now releasing music on digital platforms

Jens will be producing his own music video for his song Silent Dreams

How Jens got involved in the Asian harmonica scene

Recording with Andreas Hertel, a German piano player

Recorded some film music in Germany and also for a Bollywood movie

Wrote a jazz column for the Harmonica Educator magazine

Jens is teaching at the HarmonicaUK Chromatic Weekend event June 18/19, 2022

10 minute question

Played in festivals around the world

Jens is a Hohner endorsee and plays Super 64 Performance chromatic now after trying a few Hohner models

Likes the 16 hole model for the extra range

Has he tried some of newer models from other manufacturers, such as Seydel Symphony

Uses Shure SM58 mic and Mark Bass acoustic amp

Uses PA when available

Effects: sometimes uses a little reverb when playing live, but not when recording

Future plans