BIOGRAPHY
Born in Nairobi Kenia in '79, I was raised as the son of a diplomat family in Washington D.C., Beijing and Bonn. During my jazz double bass studies in Rotterdam I toured a while with the legendary Ricciotti Ensemble only to return to the Rhineland to play in trios, bigband and my own solo project. I love to play both electric and double bass, sing, write and swim. Hopefully we'll get to know each other offline one day.
“Naturally a detective doesn't want to look like a detective, and give the whole thing away right at the start.”
‒ P. G. Wodehouse
THE UPRIGHT BASS
I was first inspired and fell in love with the double bass after seeing Les Claypool of Primus perform "Over The Falls" ; on electric double bass at the Loreley Festival (on VHS) and hearing the bass of Charles MIngus intro the album MingusMingusMingusMingusMingus.
Almost ignoring graduation, I took the school's upright bass to the luthier and the journey began, more in love than I will ever be with a woman.
Lessons with Ralph Pompe and Gunnar Plümer in Bonn, Wim Essed, Marius Beets, Stefan Lievestro in Rotterdam (official jazz double bass studies) and master class in Liechtenstein 2017 with Stefan Lievestro.
In 2022 I studied for my entrance exam with the dear and great Jakob Kühnemann.
At the Musikhochschule Mainz I am now taking lessons with the gentle and great Ralf Cetto.as well as the kind and very capable Bastian Weinig.
ELECTRIC BASS
The electric bass was a way for me as a young teenager to switch from the violin to a "cooler" instrument. Since there were no drum teachers at school auditions, I started lessons with Martin Schlu in Bonn. Later I switched to Wendel Biskup, who introduced me to the double bass and led me to my first double bass teacher.
For many years I regularly took lessons in jazz theory and electric bass with the composer, jazz guitarist and author Johannes Hitschfel.
In preparation for my entrance exam in Mainz, I took lessons in theory and electric bass with the great Urs Wiehager-Dietz.
I was being taught my minor in electric bass by the Polish bass legend Vitold Rek at the Musikhochschule Mainz, now that he has retired I study it with another master of the instrument, Ralf Cetto.