My World Experience
My Study Journey
During my journey becoming a musician I got accompanied by lovely people from different countries which gave me great chance and opportunity to improve myself in different percussion instruments and playing techniques.
I travelled to Senegal, to Cuba to Brazil and India because I liked to learn from direct sources about music, culture and traditions.
During my studies world music at CodArts Rotterdam I was surrounded by students sharing the same vision which channeled and amplified our goal. What I learned here about music theory gave me great opportunity in understanding music.
Performing Artist
Through the years my journey as performing artist brought me to fantastic places such as national in different countries in Europe and abroad to the Caribbean islands, to Africa and to Asia. I got great opportunity to perform with different band- and theatre projects such as my own bands Conjunto Irawó and Ara's Circle but also with great bands and Artists from The Netherlands such as Cubrabop 5, Nueva Manteca, Hind, Zuco 103, Eddie Feldman's Opoyeye and theatre productions produced by Joop van der Ende to name a few.
Recording Artist
As a recording artist I got great opportunity to take part at the record productions with various badprojects like Aras Circle, my own band, Cubrabop 5, Tuur Moens Syndicate, or Zuco 103 to name a view.
Writing Artist
For me it feels like meditation when I am in the creative proces in writing lyrics, composing and arranging. The proces from an idea to an arrangement makes me very happy and I can be busy with that for hours. Until today I composed and arranged for different bands for all kind of bandsettings and music styles. Today I write arrange songs in my native language German.
What my listeners say:
LATIN JAZZ NETWORK CANADA
Clearly Ara’s Circle is passionate about what they do. Their music is right on the pulse of the Afro-Latin and Brazilian heartbeat. Fronted by the percussionist Arndt Beckmann this ensemble recreates the cultural ethos and rhythmic classicism of the roots of all of this music. Their compositions are intelligent and the performances are quite spectacular because of the superb musical intellect of the musicians. Mr. Beckmann’s use of color is quite masterful and memorable. He makes his myriad instruments rattle and hum as he caresses congas and other smaller instruments that he coaxes to life spreading the cheer of his music to other members of the group.
SAULKRASTI JAZZFESTIVAL LATVIA
The journey in which Ara's Circle took the audience was unforgettable – wide palette of Latin jazz music and tunes that won’t leave your head even long time after performance.
FESTIVALINFO NETHERLANDS ABOUT ARA'S CIRCLE
Het gezelschap van Ara’s Circle speelt een mix van Zuid-Amerikaanse Latin en jazz met een Westerse twist. Uit alles blijkt dat er geboren muzikanten aan het werk zijn. De nummers klinken alsof er met veel passie aan is gewerkt.