Michael Kersting


Jazz-Drummer

There are two kinds of music.
Good music, and the other kind.

Duke Ellington

About me


A jazzenthusiast, Michael started playing with musicians like Wolfgang Engstfeld, Wolfgang Dauner, Michel Herr, Ed Kröger, Bernd Konrad and more. He played throughout Europe Jazz Clubs with Chet Baker, Mal Waldron, Jimmy Woody, Carrie Smith, Ack van Rooyen, Bertil Strandberg, Joe Gallardo, Joerg Reiter. He was a member of “Toto Blanke’s Electric Circus” feat. Stu Goldberg, Toni Lakatos, Trilok Gurtu and Christof Lauer. In 1980 he formed a rhythm section together with Thomas Stabenow and Klaus Wagenleiter. In the following years he toured through the world and played concerts, events, radio and TV shows with Jaco Pastorius, Richie Beirach, Jack Bruce, Bernd Konrad, Hans Koller, Siggi Kessler, Bireli Lagrene, Steve Lacy, Karl Berger, Thomas Heidepriem, Albert Mangelsdorff, Klaus Doldinger, Urszula Dudziak, Lauren Newton, Ernie Watts, Kenny Wheeler, Vanessa Rubin, Carla Cook, Terumasa Hino, Toni Scherr, Tim Hagans, and “Roots” feat. Benny Golson, Arthur Blythe Chico Freeman and Buster Williams.

In 1986/87 he worked and lived in New York. Back to Germany in 1989 he won the Jazz prize of the state Baden-Württemberg and this reward brought him new projects like Exotic Showcase in Yokohama, Olympic Games in Barcelona, World Athletic Championship in Stuttgart, Yak Jazz in Jakarta, NAFSA Convention in Chicago, San Diego, performed and recorded in April 2002 in NYC, USA with Tim Sund, Tom Christensen, Ben Allison and played at the Jazzopen Festival 2002 with the Stuttgart Symphonic Orchestra feat. Randy Brecker, Charlie Mariano, Richie Beirach, David Liebman, Gregor Hübner and many more.

Other musical activities included the Budapest Concert Tour, Gitte Hänning inJazz Asia Tour 2003, ECHO TV Show with Phil Collins, Carlo Morena Portugal Tour 2003, toured V.A.E. with Sebastian Studnitzky, toured with Heather Greene, Ron Spielman, Hans Limburg, Ray Blue, Reggie Moore, Alain Mion, Patrick Boman, Jeremy Sassoon, Gloria Trio feat. Pedro Cortejosa, Ramiro Barrios and many many more.

Endorsements

Michael Kersting plays PAISTE cymbals, PREMIER drums and Schlagwerk Percussion

For me, music and life are all about style.

Miles Davis