After 27 releases as a leader, many within the Brazilian jazz vein, harmonica player Hendrik Meurkens releases his first album with an organ trio.

Meeting up with New York' finest players: Mike LeDonne on organ, Peter Bernstein on guitar and the legendary Jimmy Cobb on drums - this album represents classic organ jazz its finest.

Some musical collaborations are planned for years. Others happen naturally when two musicians discover a shared musical language. Steve Sandberg first invited Hendrik Meurkens to join his trio for a performance at JazzForum in Tarrytown, New York. The chemistry was immediate. Sandberg had long admired Meurkens' uniquely lyrical voice on the harmonica and his gift for composing music that combines the warmth of Brazilian music with the harmonic depth and improvisational spirit of jazz. And as the group explored Sandberg's original compositions, Meurkens found himself drawn into a musical lansdscape that was both familiar and new, opening new avenues for improvisation and musical conversation.
After that performance, Meurkens proposed recording an album together: a true collaboration featuring four compositions by Sandberg and four by Meurkens. The result is Just Born, a meeting of two composers whose musical paths have been remarkably different, yet who share a common aesthetic-a love of lyrical beauty, harmonic sophistication, and emotional directness.
That shared sensibility helps explain why Brazilian music and culture of Brazil during his years in Rio de Janeiro, developing the distinctive samba-jazz style that has earned him worldwide acclaim. Sandberg’s own musical journey has led him from classical studies with Seymour Bernstein to New York’s salsa and Latin jazz scenes, and to extensive work performing Brazilian music both in the United States and Brazil. In this recording, those influences are present not as stylistic markers but as a part of a broader musical conversation.
The quartet is completed by bassist Michael O'Brien and drummer Vanderlei Pereira, a musician with longstanding connections to both leaders and whose artistry and deep understanding of Brazilian and jazz traditions make him an ideal partner for this project.
Just Born celebrates not only two composers, but the joy of discovery that occurs when musicians encounter a new voice and immediately recognize a kindred spirit.