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Rhein Sieg Anzeiger/ Helgo Schneider
Kristina Kanders Live @ Herbrands, Cologne
November 3. 2008
Women drummers are still a rare breed in Germany. And that's why Kristina Kanders had to make an eighteen year detour via New York to refine her drumming abilities along with her exceptional song writing skills. All this was finally made evident in her debut performance as a solo artist last November. Already in the first song “For All People” the listener comes to realize that he’s witnessing one of the few women drummers in Germany who can not only play the drums strikingly well but can also sing at the same time. With the support of her sideman, Bernd Gast, Kristina followed through with a show worth seeing. The intelligently-wrapped messages and musical diversity was only topped by her remarkable personal authenticity. Terms like “electronica’ or “pop” fail to adequately describe her varied and multifaceted music. Atmospheric highlights included the ballad “Mother” and aptly ended with an impressive drum firework in the final song “Golden Gate”. Upon the enthusiastic requests of the audience, Kristina graciously gave a lyrical encore. In summary, a fascinating musician with a coherent stage show. - Rhein Sieg Anzeiger/ Helgo Schneider
Discography
2010 Kristina Kanders "Say Something"
2008/2009 The tune "Good Moaning" was played by Tom Robinson's BBC Introducing/ 6 Music
2008 Kristina Kanders, solo debut “For All People”
2004 Brian Woodbury Variety Orchestra (Some Phil Records, RER Megacorp)
2002 Cyro Baptista Beat the Donkey (Tzadik Records). This CD was chosen by
Jon Pareles, main music critic of the New York Times, as one of the top 10 alternative CDs of 2002
2001 La Plaza TV documentation about Beat the Donkey for WBGH Public Television, Boston
1999 David Watson "Skirl" (Avant Records) with Beat the Donkey, New York
1996 Performance in two US TV commercials directed by the producers of STOMP,
New York
Sound track with the Custard Kings for the film "The Golden Ram" by Alain Cloarec, New York
Boo Trundle, "Possible Bodies" (Big Deal Records), New York
Joe McGinty, "Baby Steps" (Continuum Records), New York
1993 David McClary, "Huevos Rancheros" (Three Ring Records), New York
Photos
Bio
Kristina Kanders is a professional drummer and composer/song writer from Cologne, Germany. She has performed with many bands and musicians in New York in funk, soul, rock, jazz, pop and Brazilian music projects as well as studio and TV recordings.
Kristina was born 1962 into a family of professional classical musicians. She sang and played piano from age 4. 1987 she went to New York City to study jazz (Masters Degree, Queens College) and stayed in New York for eighteen years. Kristina appeared in numerous concerts in New York as well as internationally, among others with Cyro Baptista’s Beat the Donkey, John Zorn, Marc Ribot, David Brosa, Cibo Mato, Dr.Karaikudi S. Subramanian, Beatriz Azevedo, David Liebman, Kenwood Dennard, Pizzicato Five, Kit McClure Big Band, Joe McGinty, her own percussion group Sambanditos, TV commercials for the producers of STOMP and many others.
She toured through the USA, Holland and Portugal. Musical study trips to South India and Brazil round up her international musical experience. She was a faculty member at the Jazz & Contemporary Music Program of New School University in New York for eleven years, teaching drums, percussion and ear training.
At present Kristina produces her own music. Her solo debut album “For All People” was released in fall of 2008, followed by her second album "Say Something" in the spring of 2010. She sings and plays drums live with with a saxophonist and laptop. Kristina endorses Vic Firth drums sticks.
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