Hendrik Meurkens & Gabriel Espinosa, Celebrando ....

Celebrando (which means “celebrating” in Portuguese and Spanish) is a joyous event on several fronts.First, the CD celebrates Brazilian jazz and the resounding impact it’s had and has on musicians and audiences who adore it. Second, Celebrando salutes the musicians performing here – who have devoted years of their lives exploring this music they love. And third, Celebrando serves as the 100th recording for ZOHO Music, Jochen Becker’s dynamic independent New York based label. For ZOHO, such artists as GRAMMY winning pianist/band leader Arturo O’Farrill, conga drummer Ray Barretto, Brazilian guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima, drummer Duduka Da Fonseca and the co-leaders here – harmonica player Hendrik Meurkens and bassist/vocalist Gabriel Espinosa – have recorded.

The CD gathers the leaders and seven splendid colleagues to investigate 10 succulent Brazilian jazz originals – with a “Yucatecan and “European twist,” say Gabriel and Hendrik – and one classic bolero, all designed to enchant.

The musicians:
Hendrik Meurkens was born in Hamburg, Germany. He took up vibes at age 16 (eventually becoming a bebop-based master), and at 19, the chromatic harmonica. Soon came Brazilian music. “It touched me as deeply as jazz did,” he says. Hendrik lived in Rio de Janeiro from 1982-83, listening, playing, sopping up the sounds. His mastery can be heard on four exceptional ZOHO albums, including 2011’s Live at Bird’s Eye (ZM 201114).

Gabriel Espinosa hails from Yucatan, Mexico and grew up listening to anything from boleros to Brazilian. He’s earned degrees from Central College in Pella, Iowa , the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and The University of North Texas at Denton; he currently heads the Jazz Studies program at Central College. Espinosa says his “passion is to write music and to teach.” His initial ZOHO release is the powerful From Yucatan to Rio (ZM 200907).

The bassist met Meurkens in performances at Central College, where they discovered a strong musical affinity, which led to deciding to collaborate on Celebrando. “Hendrik is an outstanding composer/performer, and I am honored to have the opportunity to do this project with him,” says Gabriel.

In return, Hendrik says “Gabriel’s conception works for me. We both love songs that have beautiful melodies and that are in the tradition of the great American and Brazilian song books.” They both want vibrant compositions and arrangements played by “simpatico musicians with talent and taste.”

Supporting musicians of such quality play here on Celebrando. They’re all top-rate, and have appeared as leaders and recorded with many masters, including Ivan Lins, Pat Metheny, Da Fonseca, and the leaders.

Anat Cohen is a premier modern jazz and Brazilian clarinetist and saxophonist.
Trumpeter and flugelhornist Jim Seeley, an acquaintance of Hendrik’s from their late-1970s Berklee College student days, is a first-call New York City-based musician, and a principal with Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. Alison Wedding’s voice was used here basically as a horn instrument, wordlessly singing the melodies. Back-up singer Molly Blythe is a rising jazz artist who has appeared with songwriter Ivan Lins.

NYC-based pianist Misha Tsiganov, who plays dynamically in a variety of different styles, can also be heard on Hendrik’s prior ZOHO releases, Samba to Go! (ZM 200901) and Live at Birds’ Eye (ZM 201114). Antonio Sanchez, primarily known for his long association with guitarist Metheny, is regarded as one of the top drummers today, as is the drummer Maurico Zottarelli, who plays on yet another Meurkens ZOHO release, Sambatropolis (ZM 200801).

Read more: http://www.zohomusic.com/cds_detail.php?cds_id=111