Hendrik Meurkens

Hendrik Meurkens (born 1957) is a Dutch harmonica and vibraphone player of the modern jazz.

He has been described as "the obvious leading player" in harmonica and has been compared to Toots Thielemans.[1]

Life and career

Thomas Meurkens was born on August 15, 1957 to Dutch parents and spent his early life in Hamburg.[2][3] He began playing the vibraphone when he was sixteen and started playing the harmonica three years later after listening to a Toots Thielemans recording.[4] He studied with Wolfgang Schlüter from 1976 to 1977.[5]

Meurkens moved to the United States the same year and attended the Berklee College of Music for three years.[4] He lived in Brazil during the early 1980s, moving back to his hometown of Hamburg after a few years.[6] During his time there, Meurkens met Brazilian musician Maurício Einhorn, who gave him a place to sleep during his first few days in the nation.[3] Back in Hamburg, Meurkens toured throughout Europe with a jazz group and was composing for German television.[3][4]

In 1989, Meurkend released his debut album, Samba Importado, via Bellaphon Records.[7] He was signed onto Concord Records the next year, releasing six albums for the label before exiting during the late 1990s.[7]

As of 2021, he lives in New York City.[8]

Discography

  • Clear of Clouds (1992)[4]
  • October Colors (1994)[3]
  • Manhattan Samba (2021)[8]

References

  1. ^ Levesque, Roger (19 October 2005). "Meurkens expands jazz harmonica's boundaries". Edmonton Journal. p. C2. ProQuest 253272659.
  2. ^ Kappelle, Robert P. Vande (7 April 2011). Blue Notes: Profiles of Jazz Personalities. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-61097-283-3.
  3. ^ a b c d King, Peter B. (15 April 1995). "The happenin' chromatic harp of Hendrick Meurkens". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D7. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d Field, Kim (16 February 2000). Harmonicas, Harps and Heavy Breathers: The Evolution of the People's Instrument. Simon and Schuster. p. 326. ISBN 978-1-4616-6102-3.
  5. ^ Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (1 April 2007). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press. p. 1001. ISBN 978-0-19-988640-1.
  6. ^ Shuttleworth, Joanne (23 June 2007). "Brazilliance!". Guelph Mercury. p. C1. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  7. ^ a b Yanow, Scott. "Hendrik Meurkens". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  8. ^ a b Gilbert, Mark (2 April 2021). "Hendrik Meurkens: Manhattan Samba". Jazz Journal. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
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