PERCUSSIONIST
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Born in 1968 in Bremen , Germany. Studied in Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico and at the Rotterdam conservatory were he obtained his “Masters Degree Percussion” in 1996 cum laude. He lists as his most important teachers : Jerry Gonzalez /Giovanni Hidalgo / John Santos / Naçao Pernambuco / Armando Peraza / Orestes Vilato / Lucas Van Merwijk / Panga / RobertoVizcaíno / Anthony Carillo.
Nils’ interest in music started at an early age growing up in a musical family. One of his earliest memories from childhood is father practising guitar for gigs at night. His own instrumental experiences started when he began to attend piano lessons at the age of ten. He remembers: “One day my sister brought home a Paquito de Rivera record (with Daniel Ponce on congas) - this changed my live, all I wanted from then on was to play percussion.” At that time, he would have never imagined that 20 years later he would find himself performing with Paquito in San Juan, Puerto Rico! When he turned nineteen, Nils had a tour with his school band to perform in L.A. and San Francisco. Directly after that, he went for 2 Month to Cuba for extended studies. Later he left Germany to settle in Holland.
The turning point of Nils’ career was when he was asked to join the internationally acclaimed group Nueva Manteca in 1992. He recalls: “ My first gig with Nueva Manteca was at one of the most prestigious venues in Amsterdam, Paradiso, and it was packed. Almost the entire band consisted of my teachers. Next to me on stage was Giovanni Hidalgo, who was invited as a special guest for 2 concerts. Really, I was scared shitless behind my timbales! “ But he survived it - and from then on Nils continues to play with Nueva Manteca in many countries. In 1995 he joined “The Cubop City Bigband”. Over the years, Nils got member of many latin/jazz/worldmusic bands , such as: Rumbatá, La Banda Iré, Leslie Lopez’ Bombaco, Fabian Nodarse Band, Orquesta Gerardo Rosales, Carlos Matos Band, Boy Gé Mendes, Ciento Diez, La Ritmica, Latin Clan, Descarga Amsterdam, Descarga Molote, a.o.
His latest pride is to be member of Drums United, a world percussion orchestra with drummers from Senegal, Bangladesh, Spain, Holland, Suriname and Venezuela.
Nils teaches at the World Music Dept. of the Rotterdam conservatory and at the Pentaton Percussion School in Germany. He gave workshops in Finland and Austria and he is a “Pearl Percussion” clinician. In 1995 he received the award for 'outstanding service to Jazz education' in Los Angeles.
NILS FISCHER & TIMBAZO - GRACIAS JOE CUBA (2007)
The highly regarded Holland based percussionist Nils Fischer pays tribute to the legendary "Joe Cuba Sextet
Nils Fischer (Germany)- congas, bongó & campana, güiro, chekere, batá, clave, quinto, djembe, cajón
José “Pepe” Espinosa (Cuba)- timbales set
Lucas van Merwijk (The Netherlands) - timbales set
Liber Torriente (Cuba) - timbales set
Gerardo Rosales (Venezuela) - maracas, bongó
Eduardo Alfonso (Cuba) - güiro
Marc Bischoff (Germany) - grand piano
Jan Laurens Hartong (The Netherlands) - grand piano
Leslie Lopez (Puerto Rico)- electric bass
Alain Pérez (Cuba) - baby bass, electric bass
Fabian Nodarse "Huracán" (Cuba) - singer, coro
Nando Vanin (Colombia) - singer, coro
Alberto Caicedo (Colombia) - singer, coro
Brian Lynch (USA) - trumpet (soloist)
Joe Rivera (Puerto Rico) - 1. trumpet
Nico Schepers (Belgium)- 2. trumpet
Alberto "Molote" Muñoz (Cuba) - trombone (soloist)
David Rothschild (USA)- 1.trombone, 3rd
Santiago Castañeda (Spain) - 2. trombone
Bart Platteau (Belgium) - vibraphone, flute
Gerrit Jan Binkhorst (The Netherlands) - baritone sax
Christof Knoche (USA)- alto sax
review by Latin Lady Dj Margarita
interview by Tomas Pena with NILS FISCHER
more tracks can be heard on Vinilemania's Radio Channels
July, 2007 - Being a longtime member of the critically acclaimed bands Nueva Manteca and the Cubop City Big Band, well-known percussionist Nils Fischer had the honor to perform with some stars of Latin music, among them Pio Leiva, Armando Peraza, Paquito D'Rivera, Giovanni Hidalgo, Chocolate Armenteros, Michel Camilo and Orestes Vilató.
On his first CD as a leader - ¡GRACIAS JOE CUBA! - Fischer put together an international all-star cast - including 2007 Grammy winner Brian Lynch, former Issac Delgado bassist Alain Pérez, and Cuba's timbal genius Pepe Espinosa and the very best of Europe’s Latin musicians like Lucas van Merwijk, Leslie Lopez and Gerardo Rosales. The classic Joe Cuba vibraphone sound is enhanced with a tight six piece horn section and three very talented singers: Alberto Caicedo, Nando Vanin and Fabian Nodarse. The exuberant arrangements of 16 of Cuba's songs are made by Alain Pérez, Hollands top Latin arranger Marc Bischoff and Nueva Manteca's Jan Hartong. To top it off, legendary recording engineer and multiple Grammy winner Jon Fausty lent his superb touch to the post-production in another exquisite mix and mastering job.
COMMENTS ON THE NEW CD NILS FISCHER & TIMBAZO ¡GRACIAS JOE CUBA!
"I enjoy Nils' recording very much, and I already have listened to the recording a lot. I like the unique and very interesting concept! Many bands nowadays just copy the old stuff but Nils and his musicians have really created something new. Nils' conga playing is great! People should hear this. Congratulations, Nils - ¡Que Chévere!" Joe Cuba, New York City
"Nils Fischer, one of the most important percussionists in Holland, has exploded as a leader with this 1st CD which feels like his 20th CD as a leader. This has to be one of the top recordings of the year!" Ralph Irizarry, New York City
"You are not only very musical but you also know what you are doing, and your new album proves that. The music is very organized, very authentic and very, very good. You should be proud of yourself!" Armando Peraza, San Mateo - California
"On this heartfelt tribute, Nils takes things up a notch enhancing the classic Joe Cuba vibe sound by adding horns and making the rhythm section even more explosive with his great playing and musical direction. Mambo with a touch of jazz is still the hippest dance music around and I'm glad musicians like Nils are here to remind us of that. Bravo mi hermano!!!" Bobby Sanabria, New York City
"Nils is at the forefront of keeping the tradition of the tumbadora alive and well in Europe. Anchored by his solid playing, ¡Gracias Joe Cuba! swings like crazy!" John Santos, San Francisco - California
"¡Gracias Joe Cuba! is a testament to the power music has to reach every corner of the globe; with this truly international effort, Nils Fischer will garner the respect of dancers and musicians alike, and keep them asking for more!" Rebeca Mauleón, San Francisco – California
“Nils, you are blessed with this great album dedicated to Joe Cuba. Great job, modern arrangements...should sell well! Best of luck, keep up the great work. God bless.” Eddie Montalvo, New York City
“¡Gracias Joe Cuba! covers sixteen tunes from the sextet’s repertoire, and the band shines throughout the entire project. What Nils Fischer & Timbazo have done here is sure to capture the attention of the listener, as well as the dancer in you. I’m sure that after the first time you listen, your reaction will be the same as mine: ¡Gracias Joe Cuba, y a ti también Nils! ¡Sabroso! George Rivera, Tampa - Florida
"I had the pleasure of playing with Nils and I think he is a great all-round player, lots of swing and energy all the time!" Orestes Vilató, Martinez - California
“This record is special and needs to be listened by everybody. In my opinion the match between the forceful punch of the percussion tracks and the melodic intention of the brass combined with the contrapuntal writing makes a surprising listening experience. Hope you get to hear it soon...” Jon Fausty, Tampa – Florida
