Hailing from Germany but a true world citizen, 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 African drummer Mustapha Tettey Addy – a master Ghanaian drummer and ethnomusicologist – became the foundation for his musical evolution and the African sound which would feature so prominently in his music.
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While in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1996, Yeshe met American singer-songwriter Chris Berry of the band Panjea. Berry was a master Mbira player who had already released many successful songs in Zimbabwe, and it was this important meeting that sparked Yeshe's interest in the instrument. As he recalls, “After stumbling across the Mbira in the desert of New Mexico, I was immediately put under a spell and shortly after had to follow it to its birthplace in Zimbabwe. The Mbira thereafter became the centerpiece of my music.” Yeshe would later use the same approach to learn Kamele ngoni, an instrument native to Mali and Burkina Faso in Africa. Again he would head for the source studying once more with a Burkina Griot family.It was after a tour late in 2003 that, with Canada’s most awarded blues artist Harry Manx’s production guidance, they would record Yeshe’s début album entitled World Citizen, 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.
World Citizen charted and won multiple international awards with CD Baby calling it, “A true gem in our World Music category.” Supports and collaborations with world dance musician Ganga Giri (also featured on the record) and regular performances with a host of other artists in different genres at major festivals all over the world continued to broaden Yeshe’s audience from world music into contemporary dance and beyond. 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. The Sydney Morning Herald recently tagged him as a “groundbreaking roots musician”, and for good reason as his music continues to break down barriers, refusing to be confined within any one genre or style.
