Search - Marabouts :: Invisible Landmarks

MATTHIAS THUROW ­ Composer and Musician. For the past 30 years Matthias Thurow has been an inquisitive searcher for music of all sorts. It's not just the known styles that attract his attention, even more the unknown, the innovative and the experiment. As a young musician, he had the chance to play with national and international jazz musicians and his artistic ambitions found a complete new platform to start out from. In the beginning of the 70's, he first started working for TV­stations. He wrote scripts, reports and music. In 1974, him and Wolfgang Dauner came up wiht a new series called "Glotzmusik" ­ an impudent, unconventional show for young people. nfortunately, the show was stopped after 4 series, due to the political aspect that was represented. In 1976 he turned his interest towards the theatre, for both acting and dancing. The enriching fusion of different art forms to one, still has not lost its magic on him. The list of stage music, that were written back then, is so long and more than a hundred times, his compositions were part of the total staging. All these experiences were the new base for his present work. Being divided into placement orders for theatres, radio stations, movies and TV­shows and his own projects. He got closer to his longing for artistic freedom ­ the yearning for diversity, which he was always looking for. The different languages of music world wide and working together with many different musicinas created a number of outstanding productions in his studio ­ including his latest release "Invisible Landmarks" by MARABOUTS. MICHAEL KERSTING ­ is the drummer, percussionist and rhythm­maker of the MARABOUTS project. Through frequent travels to Africa and the Senegal, he took part in many sessions with African musicians forming a feeling for the elements of African rhythms, connecting them with modern grooves and being able to form this project. The MARABOUTS are the quintessense of what Michael has achieved as a European drummer. Countless sessions with famous musicians, such as Chet Baker, Ernie Watts, Jaco Pastorius, Stu Goldberg, Jack Bruce, Benny Golson, Chico Freeman ­ to name just a few ­ gave him the base to work as a world music musician with rhythms. The MARABOUTS are a further step of the musical developement, seeking the influence of diverse cultures in the music, as many jazz musicians have been praticing for some time already. Long time before the studio recording of "Invisible Landmarks" from the MARABOUTS, Michael began travelling throughout the Senegal discovering and collecting African instruments and learning of new rhythms. his personal attitude to Africa takes a big part in his work with the MARABOUTS. Together with his partner Matthias Thurow, the connection of his jazz influenced European rhythms and African orientated grooves find a perfect home with the MARABOUTS.