Charles Blackledge drums
Jens Pollheide voc/bass
Mike Turnbull voc/perc.
DJ Herb Sun turntables
The guitarist, Eugen de Ryck, born in the Rhine Delta on the Dutch/ German border has been living for quite some time in Franken/ North Bayern. It´s from this base that he has started many of his own bands and tours and when not working on these projects he is on the road with Embryo, Weather Girls, Tony Sheridan or he´s in studio recording the guitar tracks on hits like „In the Ghetto“ (Ghetto People feat. L-Vis) – a hit that brought platin. His style is very much influenced by Arabische, Indian and African music and his unique playing has made him a „featured
artist“ for such renomated guitar makers as Parker Guitars in Chicago where he is one of the 18 worldwide acclaimed artists forming the line-up which includes such stars as Joe Walsh ( Eagles), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Larry Coryell and Adrian Belew (Talking Heads).
<Jens Pollheide
Dr. Jens Pollheide with his bass and flutes has joined the band quite recently though Eugen and Jens actually played together for the first time 18 years ago along with the mastermind himself – Christian Burchard. Together they toured all over Europe, von up north in Scandanavia till deep in the the south. Both musicians collected immense musical experience playing with such diverse artists as the Russian trumpeter Juri Pavionov, the Checkpoint Charly drummer Lothar Stahl (Stahlband), the great jazz pianist Mal Waldron (Billie Holliday, John Coltrane) and the Chinese Professor of Music Xhizi Nie. Jens lives in Dortmund and when he´s not with Embryo on the road he´s playing with the Transorient Orchestra and Frankenstein´s Ballet.
<Mike Turnbull
The band´s groove gets drastically hotted up by the percussionist from Liverpool, the City of the Beatles, Mike Turnbull. Mike lived for quite some time in the south of Spain where learnt from the Gitanos how musically to cook with fire. He writes of himself that: As being what one calls a multi-percussionist I work with many different bands, ensembles and projects all the way from Early Musik to Pop, including Jazz, Improvised and World Music and use all kinds of percussion instruments and some that aren´t instruments at all. Sometimes I think I would like to specialize on just one instrument, or at least on one music style but it never takes long till the love of other instruments and styles gets to me again and away I go. Also its my way of trying to find my own expression in the music and my best possible contribution in each style. Mike is also teaching on the Conservatory for Music, Detmold. He has played with Eugen in various formations of Universal Supersession and Brasilique and is also playing in the world music orchester Ensemble Vinorosso.
<Charles Blackledge
Charles Blackledge was born in Jackson/Miss. (USA).Living in Nürnberg, Charles was playing over 20 years with the worldmusic-band ARGILE. The band was touring all over Europe and made it even to Africa - in Rom, Genua, Mailand, Prag, Krakau, Warschau, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, Barcelona, London u.a.
Charly worked together with musicians like
Ramesh Shotam from Southindia, Sona Diabate and Famadou Konate from Guinee, Sahra Ndagire/Uganda, Farafina (Burkina Faso), Franz Hajak (Nürnberg Bluesking)
Biboul Darouiche (Kamerun), Barry Sangare (Mali), Ray Brandige (James Brown), Torsten Goods, Sigi Finkel, El Houssaine Kili, Achim
Göttert, Dieter Weberpalz, u.v.m.
<DJ Herb Sun
At the moment the Eugen de Ryck Band with this line up is one of the most interesting in the Jazz, Funk, Club Scene and not at least because of the combination with DJ Herb Sun with his contributions of Rare Funk, Soul and Hip Hop with which he builds soundscapes in and around the music of the band. Josh is organising Funk Parties with his DJ friends and is gigin´ as a DJ between Cologne and Arnhem. He flys samples from Grand Master Flash to George Clinton and sounds you never heard in your life.... into the songs of the band.
