Jazz Articles about Hendrik Meurkens

Hendrik Meurkens: Amazon River

by Chris May
August 24, 2005

When the great wordsmith in the sky invented the word “gorgeous" She might have been thinking of this album, a celebration of all that is lovely about Brazilian music, from samba and choro through bossa nova and jazz.

On the face of it, Hendrik Meurkens is not the most likely outsider to have gotten so deep inside the Brazilian tradition. Of Dutch ancestry, he was brought up in the grimy German port of Hamburg--about as far as you ...

The Rick Holland Quartet featuring Hendrik Meurkens: You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

by Glenn Astarita
January 10, 2003

They've performed together over the years. As jazz harmonica ace Hendrik Meurkens joins educator/flugelhornist Rick Holland and his quartet, for a cool, jazzy brew consisting of standards and originals. Melody is the key ingredient throughout, as the lead soloists complement each other via alternating statements and gleeful unison choruses. Meurkens' illuminating work on 'Someday My Prince Will Come' might beckon you to head for a sandy beach on a warm summer's day. Meanwhile, Holland melds warm lines with a reflective ...

Nilson Matta & Hendrik Meurkens: Encontros

by Jim Santella
May 1, 2001

What does Brazilian jazz mean to you? Is it a soft, flowing melody that steps lightly along the beach? Is it a saucy samba that parades proudly and whistles your worries away? Don't forget the jazz part. Do the artists provide you with fresh improvisation and a rhythmic groove?

The encounter between Hendrik Meurkens and Nilson Matta is an acoustic session that includes all of the above. Meurkens' suave harmonica is featured throughout, while piano, bass, and guitar solo frequently. ...

Nilson Matta & Hendrik Meurkens: Encountros

by AAJ Staff
April 1, 2001

Bassist Nilson Matta and multi-instrumentalist Hendrik Meurkens have performed on the periphery of Brazilian music, even as they have been immersed in the thick of it as well. So much in demand because of their unique talents, Matta has performed with the likes of Don Pullen and Mor Thiam, while Meurkens has worked with Allen Farnham and Herb Ellis. But they left their hearts in Rio de Janeiro.Meurkens starts Encontros with “Summer in San Francisco," bending notes and ...

Hendrik Meurkens: New York Nights

by C. Andrew Hovan
April 1, 2001

At the age of forty-four, Hendrik Meurkens really has no peers on the American jazz scene, with the possible exception of one. You see, Meurkens plays harmonica and the only other gentleman to make a name for himself in jazz with that instrument would be the ubiquitous Toots Thielmans. Born in Germany to Dutch parents, Meurkens' most recent endeavors have revolved around Brazilian music where he's worked with some of the greatest, including Ivan Lins and Claudio Roditi. But New ...

Hendrik Meurkens: New York Nights

by Jim Santella
March 1, 2001

What is it about jazz harmonica that makes you feel so good inside? Carrying this straight-ahead, New York themed program as featured melody maker, Hendrik Meurkens warms the heart with his lyrical exposition. Maybe it's the primitive nature of the instrument. Most cultures have instruments similar to Meurkens' chosen medium somewhere, back in their earliest historical chapters. It's likely that the earliest cave man blew across hollow reeds to achieve pleasurable sounds such as this. Perhaps to attract a mate. ...

Hendrik Meurkens: Poema Brasileiro

by Dave Hughes
October 1, 1997

My favorite among a crop of fine recent Brazilian music releases is a CD that is not by a Brazilian, but by a Belgian - harmonica wiz and vibraphonist Hendrik Meurkens. He gets plenty of help from guests composer / keyboardist / vocalist Ivan Lins, trumpeter Claudio Roditi, guitarist Romero Lubambo, drummer Teo Lima, and others.

This is one of those albums where a variety of elements come together in all the right ways. It's satisfying both as contemporary acoustic ...