Salsa, Jazz & Balkan-Suite
15. Oktober 2003

Bassist and composer Branko Arnšek.

When Branko Arnšek is out and about in Moscow or St. Petersburg, people recognize him on the street

and pull out pen and paper to get an autograph. But the renowned jazz bassist and "Salsa King" is also well-known and sought after in many other parts of the world.

Arnšek, who came to Germany as a first-generation immigrant child from Celje, Slovenia, brought his connection to music with him to his new country: "My father had a dance troupe, I owned a tape recorder, and of course, I knew all the popular songs by heart," says Arnšek, laughing. He bravely persevered through various piano lessons, but the spark just wasn't there. "But at 15, I discovered jazz and remembered the piano again." Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately?—the waiting list for piano lessons at the music school was far too long. There were, however, openings for bass lessons. Bingo!

Nevertheless, Branko Arnšek initially tried his hand at a solid apprenticeship as a glass painter. "But I quickly realized that music was what I really wanted to do." His studies at the University of Bern, the stronghold of jazz music, marked the beginning of a stressful time for Arnšek: working as a musician, studying, and on top of that, juggling family and his passion.

Almost as a side project, the multi-talented autodidact learned perfect Spanish, hiked across the former Yugoslavia ("to find out where I came from"), and over 20 years ago founded the first salsa ensemble in and around Stuttgart. It was called Wawanxo, and the Cuban rhythms quickly had people on their feet. "At the Locanda restaurant, people were dancing on the tables and outside, blocking the parking lot," Arnšek recalls of one of their first performances. With the CD "The White Diamonds" featuring his Modern Jazz Ensemble, which includes musicians like Vladimir Bolschakoff, his salsa career was soon joined by his first real jazz success.

Since those early years, there's been nothing musically intriguing that Branko Arnsek hasn't successfully explored. He collaborates on music projects with international artists like tabla player Udaj Mazumdar, plays in the Sinti jazz band Zigeli Winter Quintet, does sessions with record label mogul Jöak, and performs with, among others, Serbian pianist Rade Soric and Croatian saxophonist Drazen Drenski.

Branko Arnsek has always remained true to his first love, jazz: "For today's music, jazz is the best common denominator of all musical genres and the best theory I've seen so far." The Jazz Tearoom, which Arnsek founded with the support of flautist and celebrity chef Vincent Klink and a few other musicians, achieved Stuttgart fame. In an unconventional setting – for example, in a piano shop – jazz musicians and their audience meet for a spontaneous, intimate jazz festival. "We go on stage without knowing what we're going to play," Arnsek explains, describing the experimental nature of such projects. "It's about experimentation, about the freedom to make music as art."

To support young artists from all musical genres, experimental styles, and cultures, he also founded the Musicians Network. And true to his motto, "Music is art, but it can also be developed into a commercial venture," he has his own record label: 59music – the number 59 representing Arnsek's birth year.

The passionate bassist and composer never seems to lack new projects and ideas. He is currently writing a Balkan suite for orchestra and teaches at the Stuttgart Music School. Listening to him speak with enthusiasm about Siberian overtone singing, Japanese gongs, and Arabic natural tone music, one understands why he had to become a musician.

Incidentally, Branko Arnšek also recently got married – and, as one might expect, his wife is also a musician. And not just any musician, but THE Cuban singer, Yaqueline Castellanos, the "Grand Dame of Son." In her homeland, Yaqueline is already a star and has stormed the charts in Miami, San Francisco, and New York with her song "Como me ha insultado." Legends like the recently deceased Compay Segundo have provided the backing tracks for some of her CDs. Branko Arnšek and she are currently working on a joint CD under the band name Tokame.

Yaqueline is already a star in her homeland and has also stormed the charts in Miami, San Francisco, and New York with her song "Como me ha insultado." Enough work for a whole decade, one would think, but Branko Arnšek wouldn't be a true musician if he didn't already have a wish for what comes next: "Playing bass in an Arabic ensemble – that would be something!"

Nina Blazon, Interkultur Stuttgart, 10/2003