Yeshe

About Yeshe

Hailed by the Sydney Morning Herald as “Groundbreaking roots musician” and “Sublime ***** ” by the Montreal Metro, German born ‘genre bender’ Yeshe has explored all corners of the globe in developing a rich tapestry of sound and a vivid collage of musical culture. He embodies the musical nomad, drawing heavily from his African teachings and expressing his music with a sophisticated style and distinctly cosmopolitan flavour.
A chance meeting as a teenager, at his birthplace near Dusseldorf, with Mustapha Tettey Addy – a world renowned Ghanaian master drummer and ethnomusicologist – became the foundation for his musical evolution and the African sound which would feature so prominently in his music. Inspired by Addy, young Yeshe embarked on his first of many journeys living and studying in the villages and ghettos of West Africa and Zimbabwe.
Yeshe especially became interested in traditional African melodic instruments, in particular the ‘Mbira’ of the Shona people of Zimbabwe and the ‘Kamele Ngoni’ of the Bambara people of Burkina Faso (which both later became the centerpiece of his music), each time going straight to the source to immerse himself into the culture.
In the early 80s Yeshe met Canada’s most awarded blues artist Harry Manx and the pair have since collaborated and toured together with many different acts around the globe – Manx would have a tremendous and powerful influence on Yeshe's future musical development, eventually inspiring his solo career.
It was after a tour late in 2003 that, with Harry Manx’s production guidance, they would record Yeshe’s début album entitled World Citizen (which charted and won multiple international awards), released through Manx’s Canadian-based label Dog My Cat Records. “Yeshe's music will never go out of fashion, this kind of music will remain relevant for ages to come,” says Manx.
In 2011, Yeshe released his finest work to date in Roots & Wings, with the opening track ‘Peace Of Mind’ voted Number One in the World category of the esteemed Billboard World Song Contest. Progressive, evolving and rooted powerfully in the earth, Roots & Wings sees Yeshe continue to push cultural boundaries to find new sounds, new experiences and share simple messages of hope and peace.
Since the release of his sophomore solo release, Yeshe has truly come into his own and has been in high demand on the international circuit, most recently collaborating with Australian roots icon Xavier Rudd in Australia, North America and Europe and touring Canada and Australia as a featured guest on Harry Manx World Affairs tour, after co-writing two songs with Manx on his latest release “Om Suite Ohm”.
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