The Music on This disc speaks for itself: the following lines will tell you a bit more about Friedrich zur Heide himself.
Friedrich was born in Bremen (Germany) in 1982. None of his parents played an instrument, but an upright was part of the household. It was played by greats like Sippie Walace and Blind John Davis. Piano genius James Brooker often stayed overnight.
This wonderful opportunity to hear their kind of music lives at home or just around the corner faded away in the mid-180s, although Champion Jack Dupree fortunately lasted a few years longer. These blues pioneers inspired countless younger players, particularly in Germany and Austria. Recommended reading on this powerful scene is Gerd Wiebens’s essay in the anthology Das Blaue Wunder: Blues aus deutschen Landen.
Friedrich never had formal piano lessons, but friends like Christian Rannenberg, Ulli Kron, Joachim Schumacher, Marc Galperin and Henning Pertiet often showed up and gave him pointers. Hard to believe, but he never heard the canned variet