Album Notes

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Yeshe is a world nomad and has lived in over 20 countries embedding himself in their music and culture. His family of friends span the globe and he feels a profound personal allegiance to all of these people and their cultures. His first solo album is titled World CitiZen.

Born in West Germany, Yeshe was passionately interested in other cultures, especially Africa, from early childhood. Until the age of 12 his musical taste was strongly influenced by his older brother's love of artists such as James Brown, Bob Marley, Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix.

As a young teenager Yeshe became involved in the flourishing 70s African music scene. By the age of 14 Yeshe was performing with a variety of percussion ensembles guided by his mentors Rolf Exler and world renowned Ghanaian master drummer Mustapha Tetty Addy.

By the age of 17 Yeshe hit the road as a drummer, percussionist and bass player with a variety of bands, playing a wide range of styles including Reggae, Funk, Blues, Latin and South African Jive. He also frequently accompanied African dancers and dance troupes. Yeshe spent his winters in different West African countries furthering his musical studies and toured extensively through Europe from spring to autumn. During this time Yeshe met and worked in a variety of ensembles with his next mentor Tefo Hlaele of the South African performance troupe Iphin Thombi

In the early 80s Yeshe met slide guitarist, singer, songwriter Harry Manx who remains a powerful influence and great friend to this day. They have worked together frequently and still do so. In 1985 Yeshe left Europe to explore Asia and its music, he spent 5 years living in Japan where he worked as a session musician for a variety of Japanese and international artists while also teaching percussion. During this time he travelled throughout Asia to study different percussion styles and was fortunate to be invited to study with the Peliatan Gamelan Orchestra (Bali), the Kodo Drummers of Sado Island (Japan) and Samul Nori of Korea amongst others.

From the early 90s Yeshe has been based in Australia, playing and touring with numerous bands there and internationally. Currently Yeshe works and tours with Harry Manx, U.S. based Afro Funk band Panjea and Didgeridoo virtuoso Ganga Giri (Real World recording artist) as well as building his own solo career. He has played at so many festivals he has long since lost count, favourites include Glastonbury (England), Sziget (Hungary) and Woodford (Australia).

Yeshe also fondly remembers his 3 year experience as percussionist / performance artist with the Australian chart topping teen pop band Girlfriend which included touring in China in 1993 to massive audiences as one of the first western pop bands allowed there for many years.

Yeshe continues to teach dynamic percussion workshops to share his love of the music that is such a big part of his life and through his own studies in Africa became involved in establishing cultural centres in Ghana and Zimbabwe to which he took westerners to study African drumming, dance and culture.

In 1996, while touring in the U.S. Yeshe met singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Chris Berry and started an ongoing love affair with the
traditional Shona (Zimbabwe) instrument the mbira. On returning to Australia he met Zimbabwean mbira player Fabio Chivhanda and formed a band with him, soon after he travelled to Zimbabwe to further his studies of the mbira. There he played with Fabio's band Marimbira Black Sounds and met his teacher and new mentor, mbira virtuoso Garikai Tirikoti. Yeshe has since co-produced and recorded 2 of Garikai's mbira CDs for the U.S. world music label Humansongs.

Yeshe has been recorded on 20 or more different albums with as many different artists around the world. His own solo career as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist started to take off in 2000 and in 2003 he finally released his first solo EP Offspring co-produced by Harry Manx. In late 2004 he released his first solo CD World Citizen with Canadian label Dog my Cat Records and became a finalist in the Australian Dolphin Music Awards in the New Recording Artist category.