Hendrik Meurkens *

Hendrik Meurkens - New York Samba Jazz Quintet (2007)



Artist: Hendrik Meurkens
Title Of Album: New York Samba Jazz Quintet
Year Of Release: Nov 2006
Label: Zoho Music
Genre: Jazz, Bossa Nova, Latin Jazz, Upbeat
Quality: MP3 / Joint Stereo
Bitrate: VBR kbit/s / 44.1 Khz
Total Time: 51:29 min
Total Size: 67,2 mb

TRACKLIST
01 Vamos Nessa 4:26
02 Flor De Lis 6:58
03 A Ra 6:27
04 Prague In March 5:42
05 Mimosa 4:34
06 I Can't Get Started 7:01
07 Menina Na Janela 3:57
08 Bolero Para Paquito 6:24
09 Triste 6:00

Editorial review
Always a friend of Brazilian music, going back to his time spent in Brazil in the early '80s, Hendrik Meurkens returns once again to the idiom in a live performance at Cecil's Jazz Club in West Orange, New Jersey. There is only one obvious standard Brazilian tune here -- Jobim's "Triste" -- and one near-standard, Jo?o Donato's "A Ra" (better-known in North America as "The Frog"), plus a convincing medium-tempo bossa nova translation of a non-Brazilian standard, "I Can't Get Started." Meurkens contributes two fleet, attractive choros of his own, "Mimosa" and "Menina Na Janela" -- both of which have been performed on earlier Meurkens recordings -- as well as an aural picture of "Prague in March" and the contemplative "Bolero para Paquito," in which Meurkens' harmonica comes closest in sound and manner to his most-commonly cited reference point, Toots Thielemans. Whether on harmonica or vibraphone, Meurkens flies as comfortably as ever over the various Brazilian jazz grooves from drummer Adriano Santos, bassist Gustavo Amarante and pianist Helio Alves, with Jed Levy brought in on tenor sax and flute to supplement Meurkens' usual quartet. Nice! ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide

Bio / Background
Hendrik Meurkens’ new ZOHO recording features the harmonica virtuoso and “New York Samba Jazz Quintet”. Mr. Meurkens, a rather tall fellow who could easily be mistaken for a basketball player, except for the fact that there aren't any NBAsters expert at the Bossa Nova, Samba or Choro, also plays the vibraphone and writes notable melodies: four of the nine tracks included are his originals.
It's the unique amalgam of musicians and the music they play that have put Hendrik Meurkens and his group at the forefront of Brazilian Jazz. This live date, recorded a week before Christmas in 2005, was done at Cecil's, a Jazz club just a stone's throw from his New Jersey home. "We usually work as a Quartet," he explains, "and the more we play together, the stronger we get. But for this recording, I brought in Jed, and it was really a pleasure to have his flute and tenor share the melody line

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