SOLO
“In the beginning there was noise. And the noise gave birth to rhythm. And from that rhythm came everything else.” Mickey Hart / Grateful Dead
Benedict Hesse Solo
(Drums, cymbals, cowbells, woodblocks, drum synthesizer)
In his drum solo program, Benedikt Hesse lets New Orleans grooves bang unchecked on Cuban rhythms. Yes, there are definitely similarities between Cuba and New Orleans. Both areas are connected by the Gulf of Mexico and there is also an intersection in the music: danceable grooves and a deep bow to African culture.
The drummer from Cologne works with this connection in an experimental way. The boundaries of Latin, jazz and funk are overcome and the 1111 km distance between the two ports is musically abolished.
Hesse was already working on his solo program during the final stages of his training at the Drummers Collective in New York City. Inspired by his teachers Billy Martin (Martin Medeski Wood) and Johnny Vidacovich (New Orleans Drumming Legend), he now presents his first concerto for solo drums.
He expands his drum set with a variety of cowbells, wood blocks, drum synthesizers and various curiosities. With the piece "Spectrum" he bridges the gap between acoustic and visual perception and interprets the influence of different colors on the music.