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Elbcoast Fusion Quartet is a jazz fusion project from the Hamburg area with saxophone, electric piano, bass and drum set between jazz-funk, fusion, pop and R&B. The quartet only plays original compositions and stands out with its exciting voicings, melodies and themes as well as good groove. The formation around the go-getting keyboardist Hans-Hermann Bornscheuer has been performing since summer 2021 in the line-up of bassist Hardy Best and saxophonist Stephan Schwiderski plus me on the drums.

It has been an honour for me to take part with my music in a 10-minute documentary film by Anny Tubbs (First Move Productions) about the work of the internationally award-winning photographer Mandy Barker. Mandy has been raising awareness of the issue of marine plastic debris and ocean pollution over the past decade.

Inspired by first impressions of her images, I began to improvise on my piano and then experimented with fragile melodies in the beloved D harmonic minor scale that would be accompanied by repetitive, rhythmically disintegrating structures and massive (synthetic) sound clusters. In the end, this went well with the story, mood, pictures and film script.

Strange year – almost everything was different than expected. Now with the second lockdown, I definitively want to look ahead and find new perspectives knowing things won’t be like they used to anyways…

Here is Echolot (Echo Sounder), a new balladic composition based on a repeating 3 bar form. As you can see in the video below Mario and I ended up home-recording a nice little preview.

Do you know what it is like when you have known something for quite some time, but always walk past it? Lately, I got the opportunity to test Code’s drum heads and really liked them. Easy to tune and with their unique rims (quality aluminium rim with double-knurled steel core,
without any glue, so no pressure needed when bedding new heads!), they just fit cleanly on the drums and help to produce a great sound.

Having said that, I am now a happy endorser of these products. Probably, I will chose between the DNA coated and the heavier Generator coated (shown below) for snare and toms…

Code Drum Heads (link) are a UK-based brand, which produces drum heads and drumming accessories like for instance tone adapters, cymbal felts, port holes, snare wires or ribbons. They are aiming for high-quality products that still can be provided at reasonable costs. From what I know, all their R&D and product qualification is completely in their hands, and while the founders James Potts and Mike Heaton are drummers themselves, it’s really “made by drummers for drummers”. Thumbs up, guys!

For me, this is a further step going for the “heart of the beat”. Nice slogan by the way! Thanks to Curt, Markus and the fine German music & drum gear distributor Musik Wein.