About Nils Fischer & Timbazo "¡Gracias Joe Cuba!" featuring Brian Lynch & José "Pepe" Espinosa

Nils Fischer's earliest memories are of his father who would practice the guitar for a short while every day before a performance. Fischer himself was learning to play the piano but when his sister came home one day with a Paquito D'Rivera record - a recording with Daniel Ponce on congas - his life changed forever: he would and had to be a percussionist. Fischer was born in Bremen and graduated with distinction in 1996 from the Rotterdam Conservatory, but long before that he had been playing in well-known Dutch bands like Nueva Manteca and the Cubop City Big Band. Last year he released the album Nils Fischer & Timbazo "Gracias Joe Cuba!", a tribute to the influential conga player José Calderón alias Joe Cuba. Cuba's music sounded surprisingly different because the vibraphone had such an important role in his percussion group. Timbazo's star soloist Brian Lynch won a Grammy in 2007 for Best Latin Jazz Album and percussionist José "Pepe" Espinosa has been Fischer's great idol for many years.

• Nils Fischer & Timbazo Check music