Só Brasil: Hendrik Meurkens — A Tribute To João Donato at Zinc Bar

“If you haven’t heard this eloquent jazz player, you’re missing out on one amazing aural experience.” Brian Humek, JAM Magazine

Chromatic harmonica player and vibraphonist Hendrik Meurkens leads his Samba Jazz Quartet featuring drummer Portinho to celebrate the music of the great João Donato. Joining Hendrik will be Misha Tsiganov on piano, Gili Lopez on bass, and Portinho on drums.

Hendrik Meurkens, a virtuoso on both the chromatic harmonica and the vibraphone, is the most important jazz harmonica player since Toots Thielemans. German-born but now based in New York, Meurkens’ recordings and performances garner worldwide acclaim because the transcendent beauty of his music has universal appeal....

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“If you haven’t heard this eloquent jazz player, you’re missing out on one amazing aural experience.” Brian Humek, JAM Magazine

Chromatic harmonica player and vibraphonist Hendrik Meurkens leads his Samba Jazz Quartet featuring drummer Portinho to celebrate the music of the great João Donato. Joining Hendrik will be Misha Tsiganov on piano, Gili Lopez on bass, and Portinho on drums.

Hendrik Meurkens, a virtuoso on both the chromatic harmonica and the vibraphone, is the most important jazz harmonica player since Toots Thielemans. German-born but now based in New York, Meurkens’ recordings and performances garner worldwide acclaim because the transcendent beauty of his music has universal appeal.

A two-mallet player in the tradition of Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson, Hendrik Meurkens was en-route to being an instantly recognizable vibraphonist when he heard Toots Thielemans. Inspired by the sound of Thielemans’ harmonica, he taught himself the difficult-to-master instrument.

Hendrik Meurkens’ other life-changing musical experience was his introduction to samba and bossa nova. He was so moved by Brazilian music that after perfecting his unique musical voice at Berklee, as a vibraphone major, he moved to Rio in the early 80s to totally immerse himself in music and culture of Brazil.

A regular Monday night gig at the popular Rio club, Bar 21, soon demonstrated his acceptance by Brazilian musicians. Meurkens’ poignant, emotionally affecting harmonica proved to be a sound that Brazilians strongly embraced, and during his Rio days, he met many musicians who later became collaborators in both Europe and New York.

Showtimes are at 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm. $30 in advance / $35 at the door. For more info, visit https://www.zincjazz.com.

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