Caris Hermes & WDR Big Band
Biography Caris Hermes & WDR Big Band
Caris Hermes
For 15 years now, bassist Caris Hermes has been creating her luminous soundscape, full of references, nuances and delicate moods. Everything seems possible for her within the interplay of swing, groove, straight-ahead and subtle modern jazz.
“I feel particularly at home in modern jazz and straight-ahead – and that’s where I feel most comfortable. It’s simply the music my heart beats for.”
Caris Hermes has long since established herself as a highly regarded, virtuoso sideman, impressing fellow musicians and audiences alike with her rhythmic and melodic versatility. Indeed, her double bass has a voice all of its own: whether singing or humming with sensitivity, grooving soulfully or striding exuberantly, Caris Herms celebrates the immense range of her instrument with delicate sophistication. Her ability to bring to life the complex musical visions of different bandleaders makes her the first choice in her category in Germany.
“I actually discovered my love for the double bass through John Goldsby. I completed the youth programme in double bass with him, and he is the reason I’m doing all this at all.”
Caris Hermes studied at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. There, from 2008 to 2011, she completed the youth programme in double bass under John Goldsby (WDR Big Band).
“For the youth programme – for which my school gave me leave – I travelled from Lippstadt to Essen-Werden, which is an hour and a half by train. During those years, John was like a second father figure to me; he gave me an endless amount of positive input. Of course, he also offered criticism, but he always framed it positively, so that I always left the lesson feeling happy. When teaching music, you’re very close to a person – it’s a very personal experience – and remaining open to criticism in that context is no easy task at all. But John managed to do just that, so I was always highly motivated.”
“During that time, we went through almost the entire history of jazz. John had written three textbooks on the subject, so we worked a lot with sheet music. We covered Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Ray Brown – all the world’s leading bassists – whilst always staying close to straight-ahead jazz, which is John’s speciality.”
