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Hailed as the world’s leading chromatic harmonica player since Toots Thielemans, Meurkens demonstrates on “Samba To Go!” - his 18th CD release as a leader – a dazzling virtuosity in a varied program of seven samba, bossa nova, and chorinho inspired originals, two Brazilian “classics” including So Tinha De Ser Com Você by Antonio Carlos Jobim, and My Foolish Hart, a standard from the Great American Songbook.

As a featured artist, he has recorded with Charlie Byrd, Jimmy Cobb, Ivan Lins, Monty Alexander, Claudio Roditi and Mundell Lowe, as well as backing such leading artists as Astrid Gilberto and Olivia Newton John and touring with the Ray Brown Trio, Paquito D'Rivera, Oscar Castro Neves, Herb Ellis, Herbie Mann, Charlie Byrd, and James Moody.

Meurkens’ two prior ZOHO releases “New York Samba Jazz Quintet” (2007) and “Sambatropolis” (2008) have been jazz “radio friendly” in the best way, reaching the # 2 (NY Samba Jazz Quintet) and # 1 spots (Sambatropolis) in the Jazz Week radio charts, each having charted for over 20 consecutive weeks!


“Hendrik is even better,” my friend, a well-known Brazilian jazz authority, stated without pause when I mentioned in the same breath the names of a noted Brazilian musician and the Dutch-born, German-raised, New York City-based harmonica ace. Chances are good that any Brazilian knowledgeable of the contemporary music scene would enthusiastically agree that Hendrik Meurkens, whose forte is the music of this culturally bountiful land, is in a class of his own.

For the last half a century, since the birth of bossa nova in 1958, thousands of jazz vocalists and instrumentalists from countries near and far have explored the heady world of such Brazilian styles as bossa, choro, samba and baião, usually with great passion but sometimes with artistically flawed results. Brazilian musicologists, critics and fans alike remain flattered that the music of their land has been and continues to be so warmly embraced by artists around the globe. They can be highly critical; however, when it comes to assessing just how well any given performer measures up. When it comes Hendrik Meurkens, though, there is quick agreement that he understands and performs a variety of challenging Brazilian styles as well as or better than virtually any other non-Brazilian musician in the world today.

Samba To Go! is Hendrik’s timely follow-up to Sambatropolis, the critically acclaimed 2008 ZOHO release that affirmed his affection for and command of the complex choro style. Once again, choro and samba rhythms are the primary focus of an engaging 10-track session that features Hendrik’s working quintet and several guests. This time, however, the leader’s original compositions reign over much of the date, giving Samba To Go! its own distinctive stylistic character and affirming his evolving compositional prowess.

“I record the new songs as they amass from one album to the next,” Hendrik explains of how his new albums are conceptualized. He also likes to revisit his older works because they can change significantly whenever new players come into the band. “It’s interesting to see how some tunes survive the years and still sound nice,” he adds. “Since I have such a great band, I definitely like to play older tunes with them, and the guys make them sound fresh. The rhythm section arrangements always change and the tunes sometimes sound like a new song.”

One such example on Samba To Go! is Mountain Drive, originally recorded three years ago on the Amazon River release, and Joe’s Donut, an even older effort, dating back to the 1995 album Clear of Clouds. This time around, “Mountain Drive” is slightly less romantic and more high spirited with saxophonist Rodrigo Ursaia complementing Hendrik’s juicy harmonic work with a gritty tenor solo and pianist Misha Tsiganov splashing thick chords from his Fender Rhodes 88 throughout. Similarly, “Joe’s Donut,” another Meurkens masterwork that’s been long overdue for another take, is blessed with a catchy, boppish melody and touch of funk and Afro-Cuban in the rhythmic mix. In this incarnation, the tune sounds even more relaxed and rhythmically focused while the combination of Hendrik’s vibraphone, his second instrument, and Ursaia’s tenor in a snaky unison line, provides a slightly harder edge.

The basic line-up of Hendrik’s core quintet remains unchanged from the Sambatropolis session, with the exception of pianist Tsiganov. The native of St. Petersburg, Russia, has become much in demand on the NYC scene thanks to his proficiency in a number of key genres, including straight ahead jazz, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban. “In addition to a deep understanding for all of the styles he touches, he has that Russian pianistic virtuosity that’s so appealing,” Hendrik says admiringly. “With his technique and swing, he is a natural for my chorinhos, which remains a cornerstone of my repertoire.”