Sambatropolis
Hendrik Meurkens
Zoho Music
A musician’s choice of instruments creates a unique sonic palette that allows them to paint their musical canvas with their personal voice. Certain instruments lend themselves to specific styles while others comfortably work in any context. When a musician skillfully places an instrument in an unusual context, it can create a striking contrast that signals an individual voice or it muddles the complete scene. Variations in technique create distinct hues within the overall tone, giving the artist another tool to sculpt his work. Finding complementary combinations of instruments requires a careful blending of elements that either creates a standard color or a new shade. When a musician masters multiple instruments, they increase their available tools, allowing them to create fuller works. Chromatic harmonica and vibraphone player Hendrik Meurkens creates a vibrant landscape of Brazilian music on Sambatropolis, applying his colorful sound across a variety of original compositions and standards.

Comfort In Both Jazz Standards and Brazilian Classics
On several songs, Meurkens brushes his multiple instrument approach across both jazz standards and Brazilian classics. Meurkens’ harmonica delicately shapes the melody on Jobim’s “Fotografia,” trading phrases with Jed Levy’s tenor sax. The rhythm section provides a swaying bossa nova behind Meurkens’ open melodic solo, picking up the dynamic behind Levy’s more aggressive solo. Pianist Helio Alves provides an energetic solo, full of creative development, until Meurkens returns to the familiar melody. Pianist Ian Macdonald introduces “You Don’t Know What Love Is” with a rubato solo, giving way to Levy’s coy rendering of the melody. The rhythm section moves into a double time swing feel behind Levy’s assertive statement, morphing back into bossa nova as he becomes more rhythmic. Meurkens improvises on the vibraphone, exploring quick lines and short sequences. Flautist Rodrigo Ursaia joins Alves on a short melody to open Jobim’s “Você Vai Ver,” making way for Meurkens to interpret the melody on vibraphone. Meurkens proceeds into a reflective solo that makes full use of the chordal movement. After Alves glides through a lively improvisation, Meurkens returns to the melody on harmonica. Drummer Adriano Santos establishes a quick samba before Levy, Meurkens, and Macdonald storm through the melody on “Bernie’s Tune.” Meurkens attacks the vibraphone with focused energy, while Levy balances bebop licks with syncopated patterns. Macdonald displays flaring chops, until Meurkens and Levy trade blazing eight measure phrases to end an album highlight performance. Meurkens displays his comfort in both jazz and Brazilian music through these songs, and establishes the flexibility of his instrumental palette.

Sensitive Performances of Original Ballads
Meurkens’ harmonica creates broad strokes across two original lush ballads. Ursaia plays a foreboding melody over an open texture on “Ocean Lights,” fading into Meurkens’ spacious reading on harmonica. The sparse texture of the harmonica against the rhythm section places an emphasis on the interplay between the musicians, bringing the jazz influence into the forefront. Meurkens builds from long sustained notes into fast runs, while Alves displays a sensitive touch on his improvisation. After a return to the melody, Meurkens engages Ursaia in a lively improvised conversation that ends the song on a high note. The rhythm section solidifies a bossa nova feel before Levy presents a sublime performance of the melody on “A Summer In San Francisco.” Alves fills his statement with flowing melodies and lines shaped around the rhythm section, giving way to Levy’s assertive solo. Levy drives the rhythm section into stirring dynamic response until Meurkens revisits the melody on vibraphone. Meurkens continues past the melody, soloing over the chords and intertwining lines with Levy. The group explores different hues on these pieces, finding sparse combinations of colors that display a more sensitive side to their work.

Original Up-Tempo Songs With Energy And Life
A group of original up-tempo songs serves as a canvas for the remaining album. The full band hits strong unison figures to open “Sambatropolis,” moving into a melody consisting of short rhythmic phrases. As Levy and Ursaia continue repeating the melody, Meurkens fills the spaces with bursts of creative energy from his harmonica. Both Levy and Ursaia takes turns improvising intensely through the form, driving the rhythm section to new heights. Alves solos through the melody until Meurkens, Levy, and Ursaia trade four-measure phrases in an exciting and engaging exchange. Drummer Duduka Da Fonseca fills around band hits to open the intensive choro “The Bee.” Meurkens, Ursaia, and Alves burn through the chop busting melody, fading into a virtuosic solo from Alves. Ursaia runs through his solo mercilessly, stimulating enthusiastic responses from the rhythm section. An up-tempo samba moves into a series of breaks for the frenetic bluesy melody on “Hot And Stuffy.” Ursaia captures the song’s relentless forward motion in his solo, which Meurkens contrasts with long notes. He develops into an intensive combination of fast notes and squeals, transitioning into an equally strong solo from Alves. Ursaia and Meurkens wind through a twisting melodic line to open “Choro Da Neve,” leading into a non-stop flurry of notes on the melody. Meurkens plays off the melody, taking additional inspiration from the constant strumming of Pedro Ramos’ upbeat cavaquinho. Ursaia and Alves both provide melodically engaging solos before the whole group runs through the virtuosic melody. Meurkens and his group craft a series of busy scenes here, bursting with both texture and energy.

A Bold Blast of Colors Shaped Into a Work of Art
Meurkens and his group wash their musical canvas with a bold blast of colors on Sambatropolis, resulting in a rich blend of Brazilian jazz. Meurkens’ harmonica fits into samba, choro, and bossa nova with grace and style; the instrument’s tone compliments the style completely. In Meurkens’ hands, the harmonica becomes both expressive and lyrical, an instrument capable of making personal statements. At the same time, Meurkens displays another voice as a vibraphonist, exposing a more rhythmic side to his musical personality. To his credit, he never looses his identity as he moves between instruments; instead he simply expands his vocabulary. The band members balance Meurkens’ dual instrumental personality with skillful focus. Well-conceived arrangements help blend the musicians together, but the rich interplay and the committed performances bind the group together. In the end, the color palette provided by Meurkens’ multiple instruments simply serve as a tool, expressing his inherent knowledge, leadership, and musicality, the elements that enable a musician to truly create a work of art.

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