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Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Hendrik Meurkens interview

April 19, 2023 Neil Warren Season 1 Episode 84

Chapters

Hendrik is first and foremost a jazz musician

Born in Germany and later moved to New York City

Had piano lessons as a child, played a little drums, but first serious instrument was the vibraphone

Famous vibraphone players

Toots inspired Hendrik to take up the chromatic

Doesn’t see any similarities between vibraphone and chromatic harmonica

Attended the Berkeley School of Music in 1977, where he studied vibraphone, playing some chromatic on the side

Entirely self-taught on chromatic

Saw Toots performing live a few times

Hendrik played a Toots tribute concert in Uruguay, shortly after Toots had passed away

Toots released two albums of Brazilian music

Chromatic harmonica works really well in Brazilian music, and some of the limitations of chromatic in jazz music

Hendrik fell in love with Brazilian music before he heard Toots play it

Recorded a live radio broadcast with Toots in Germany in the early 1990s

Hendrik performed at the 100th birthday celebration for Toots in Brussels in 2022

Moved back to Germany and played in a swing band and as a session musician for several years

Played with some big bands in Europe, and what’s it like playing with them

Plays Brazilian music, Samba Jazz, moving there for a year in the early 1980s to immerse himself in the music and culture

Strong harmonica presence in Brazilian music

Hendrik’s decision to move to Brazil in the early 80s was based on going to the source of the music

Had a regular Monday night gig in Rio, and how a German accepted by local musicians

Won first prize of the German Phono Academy for Jazz in 1983

Hendrik has recorded 26 albums in his own name

Recording albums is more of a challenge these days, due to streaming

Chromatic harmonica sound quality can be problematic when playing live. This isn’t a problem when recording

First album released was Samba Importado in 1989, recorded in Brazil

Composes a lot of songs on album himself

Story of how Hendrik signed with Concord records, with second album, Sambahia, including sax player Paquito D’Rivera

Signing with Concord earned Hendrik his Green Card into the US

Moved to New York in 1992, the best jazz scene in the world

Has performed at the Blue Note jazz club in New York

Competitive music environment of New York

Clear of Clouds album from 1992

First New York album was A View From Manhattan, recorded in 1993

October Colours album from 1994, Hendrik’s ‘desert island disc’

Album in 1997 with the New York Samba Jazz All-stars, and careful use of high notes on the chromatic

Two albums with eminent guitarist Mundell Lowe

Hendrik still likes to release albums even though the money return is not what it was

Amazon River album from 2004

Chorinho is another style of Brazilian music played by Hendrik

Junity album with pianist Misha Tsiganov

Harmonicus Rex album has Jimmy Cobb on drums, who was the drummer from the Miles Davis Kind of Blue album

Cabin In The Sky album from 2018, and albums that followed

Recently recorded a Christmas album

Some of other artists Hendrik has recorded with, mostly on New York session scene

Recordings with Bossa Nova piano legend Manfredo Fest

Wrote a song with the movie Dolores Claiborne, starring Kathy Burke, with Hendrik appearing in the movie playing the song

Hendrik uses the piano when composing (although he wouldn’t call himself a piano player), and writing lyrics

Has an online teaching resource and teaches online and private lessons

Appeared at the Trossingen festival in Germany in the 1990s

Hendrik’s view on the crop of current chromatic jazz players, which evolution of jazz supports

Challenges of playing jazz on the chromatic

The pros and cons of being accepted playing jazz on the chromatic harmonica

Doesn’t play any diatonic or any other type of harmonica besides chromatic

10 minute question and practise regime

Plays 12 hole chromatics only these days (used to play some 16 hole)

Only plays chromatic in key of C

Customiser sets-up Hendrik’s instrument

Plays Hohner 270 chromatics

Embouchre: lip purser

DM48 MIDI chromatic, doesn’t own one but sounds interesting

Favourite keys playing on C chromatic

Effects used is just reverb

Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Hendrik Meurkens interview

Apr 19, 2023 Season 1 Episode 84

Neil Warren

Hendrik Meurkens joins me on episode 84.
Hendrik is a German chromatic player who has been living in New York since the early 1990s.
Toots Thielemans was Hendrik’s inspiration to take up the chromatic and he performed a live radio show in Germany with Toots.
Hendrik is also a vibraphone player, which he studied at the Berklee College of Music. Shortly after this he spent a year in Brazil to immerse himself in the music there. This helped him form his brand of Brazilian music, Samba Jazz.
Hendrik has a large album catalogue, including six albums with the prestigious jazz label Concord, and has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in Brazilian and jazz music.

Links:

Hendrik's website:
https://hendrikmeurkens.com/

Bandcamp site:
https://hendrikmeurkens.bandcamp.com/

Hendrik’s album catalogue:
https://hendrikmeurkens.com/portfolio/

Tutorial site:
https://www.mymusicmasterclass.com/artist/artists/hendrik-meurkens/

Videos:

Hendrick playing vibes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbIMf3iMNkQ

Tribute To Toots concert in Uruguay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jcUG7RTNWQ

Playing with WDR Big Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzyE4Yv2xlo

Playing at the Blue Note in New York:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuIAVFDAmqA

Sambatropolis with WDR Big Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_G2RuvtyMI

Dolores Claiborne movie clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSMimK5uUik

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

Support the show

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Hendrik Meurkens joins me on episode 84.
Hendrik is a German chromatic player who has been living in New York since the early 1990s.
Toots Thielemans was Hendrik’s inspiration to take up the chromatic and he performed a live radio show in Germany with Toots.
Hendrik is also a vibraphone player, which he studied at the Berklee College of Music. Shortly after this he spent a year in Brazil to immerse himself in the music there. This helped him form his brand of Brazilian music, Samba Jazz.
Hendrik has a large album catalogue, including six albums with the prestigious jazz label Concord, and has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in Brazilian and jazz music.

Links:

Hendrik's website:
https://hendrikmeurkens.com/

Bandcamp site:
https://hendrikmeurkens.bandcamp.com/

Hendrik’s album catalogue:
https://hendrikmeurkens.com/portfolio/

Tutorial site:
https://www.mymusicmasterclass.com/artist/artists/hendrik-meurkens/

Videos:

Hendrick playing vibes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbIMf3iMNkQ

Tribute To Toots concert in Uruguay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jcUG7RTNWQ

Playing with WDR Big Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzyE4Yv2xlo

Playing at the Blue Note in New York:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuIAVFDAmqA

Sambatropolis with WDR Big Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_G2RuvtyMI

Dolores Claiborne movie clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSMimK5uUik

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

Support the show

Hendrik is first and foremost a jazz musician

Born in Germany and later moved to New York City

Had piano lessons as a child, played a little drums, but first serious instrument was the vibraphone

Famous vibraphone players

Toots inspired Hendrik to take up the chromatic

Doesn’t see any similarities between vibraphone and chromatic harmonica

Attended the Berkeley School of Music in 1977, where he studied vibraphone, playing some chromatic on the side

Entirely self-taught on chromatic

Saw Toots performing live a few times

Hendrik played a Toots tribute concert in Uruguay, shortly after Toots had passed away

Toots released two albums of Brazilian music

Chromatic harmonica works really well in Brazilian music, and some of the limitations of chromatic in jazz music

Hendrik fell in love with Brazilian music before he heard Toots play it

Recorded a live radio broadcast with Toots in Germany in the early 1990s

Hendrik performed at the 100th birthday celebration for Toots in Brussels in 2022

Moved back to Germany and played in a swing band and as a session musician for several years

Played with some big bands in Europe, and what’s it like playing with them

Plays Brazilian music, Samba Jazz, moving there for a year in the early 1980s to immerse himself in the music and culture

Strong harmonica presence in Brazilian music

Hendrik’s decision to move to Brazil in the early 80s was based on going to the source of the music

Had a regular Monday night gig in Rio, and how a German accepted by local musicians

Won first prize of the German Phono Academy for Jazz in 1983

Hendrik has recorded 26 albums in his own name

Recording albums is more of a challenge these days, due to streaming

Chromatic harmonica sound quality can be problematic when playing live. This isn’t a problem when recording

First album released was Samba Importado in 1989, recorded in Brazil

Composes a lot of songs on album himself

Story of how Hendrik signed with Concord records, with second album, Sambahia, including sax player Paquito D’Rivera

Signing with Concord earned Hendrik his Green Card into the US

Moved to New York in 1992, the best jazz scene in the world

Has performed at the Blue Note jazz club in New York

Competitive music environment of New York

Clear of Clouds album from 1992

First New York album was A View From Manhattan, recorded in 1993

October Colours album from 1994, Hendrik’s ‘desert island disc’

Album in 1997 with the New York Samba Jazz All-stars, and careful use of high notes on the chromatic

Two albums with eminent guitarist Mundell Lowe

Hendrik still likes to release albums even though the money return is not what it was

Amazon River album from 2004

Chorinho is another style of Brazilian music played by Hendrik

Junity album with pianist Misha Tsiganov

Harmonicus Rex album has Jimmy Cobb on drums, who was the drummer from the Miles Davis Kind of Blue album

Cabin In The Sky album from 2018, and albums that followed

Recently recorded a Christmas album

Some of other artists Hendrik has recorded with, mostly on New York session scene

Recordings with Bossa Nova piano legend Manfredo Fest

Wrote a song with the movie Dolores Claiborne, starring Kathy Burke, with Hendrik appearing in the movie playing the song

Hendrik uses the piano when composing (although he wouldn’t call himself a piano player), and writing lyrics

Has an online teaching resource and teaches online and private lessons

Appeared at the Trossingen festival in Germany in the 1990s

Hendrik’s view on the crop of current chromatic jazz players, which evolution of jazz supports

Challenges of playing jazz on the chromatic

The pros and cons of being accepted playing jazz on the chromatic harmonica

Doesn’t play any diatonic or any other type of harmonica besides chromatic

10 minute question and practise regime

Plays 12 hole chromatics only these days (used to play some 16 hole)

Only plays chromatic in key of C

Customiser sets-up Hendrik’s instrument

Plays Hohner 270 chromatics

Embouchre: lip purser

DM48 MIDI chromatic, doesn’t own one but sounds interesting

Favourite keys playing on C chromatic

Amplification

Effects used is just reverb

Future plans