HENDRIK MEURKENS

One of the most unique and captivating voices in jazz brings his quartet to The Side Door. Hendrik Meurkens is a virtuoso on both the chromatic harmonica and the vibraphone and is widely regarded as the most important jazz harmonica player since Toots Thielemans. Born in Hamburg and now based in New York, his path to musical mastery is one of jazz’s most extraordinary stories. As a teenager, a Benny Goodman record with Lionel Hampton lit the fuse — he had to play vibraphone. Then, at nineteen, he heard Toots Thielemans for the first time and knew he had to play harmonica too. He perfected his unique musical voice at Berklee as a vibraphone major, then moved to Rio de Janeiro in the early 1980s to immerse himself completely in the music and culture of Brazil.

His poignant, emotionally affecting harmonica proved to be a sound that Brazilians strongly embraced, and that deep love of Brazilian music , samba, bossa nova, choro, has never left him, infusing everything he plays with a warmth and rhythmic vitality that is entirely his own. Back in Germany by 1983, he became a respected studio musician, recording with European Radio Orchestras and accompanying visiting legends like Harry “Sweets” Edison and Buddy Tate. He then moved to New York on an exclusive contract with Concord Records and has since released over fifteen acclaimed albums as a leader, performing at festivals and clubs around the world.

The Band
Hendrik Meurkens – Harmonica & Vibraphone
Steve Ash – Piano
Joe Fitzgerald – Bass
Ben Bilello – Drums

Cover: $27.98