Biography
Bertil Schulrabe is a drummer and percussionist having at his credit twenty years of experiment. Versatility, rhythmic solidity as well as a good comprehension of the musical forms make of him a musician in demand. He took part in about twenty albums and is regularly playing ‘live’ concerts.
Among the artists he worked with, one finds: Nanette Workman, Lokua Kanza, Zachary Richard, I Musici (for a Klezmer album from the band ‘Kleztory’), Marie-Chantal Toupin, Jean-Pierre Zanella, Marie-Denise Pelletier, Lynda Thalie, Saïd Mesnaoui, Sylvain Cossette.
One also finds Andre-Marie Tala , Queen Étéme, The Cameroon Bass Machine (Noel Ekwabi and André Manga), all of them great Cameroon artists who worked in association with Manu Dibango in the past.
In 2005 he was part of Chantal Chamandy live dvd entitled ‘Beladi, A night at the Pyramids’ with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.
Moreover, he was likely to accompany Celine Dion for a song for a special appearance during a concert.
Bertil, `eternal student', acquired a solid formation on drums under the guidance of Philippe Keyser at the ‘Saint-Laurent College’ in Montreal. Polyvalence, technique, musicality, improvisation are important aspects which were inculcated to him. Moreover, he took several intensive private courses with some of his major influences as : Clayton Cameron (Tony Bennett), Guy Nadon, Paul Brochu (Gino Vanelli, Alain Caron), Magella Cormier (Solo Artist, Alain Caron, James Gelfand), Rick Gratton (author of the innovative ‘Rick’s Licks’ methods), Ian Froman (Metalwood, Rick Margitza), Sylvano Michelino (Cesaria Evora, Bia).
The percussion instrument that is closest to his heart for more than fifteen years is the Indian tabla. He studies since 2000 with the famous tablist, Partha Sarathi Mukherjee, with whom he spent many hours during private intensive workshops in Montreal, Toronto, Leicester (England) and Bombay (India). Moreover Bertil had the chance to study and practice the art of the accompaniment of Classical Indian music with the master of the sitar, Ustad Shahid Parvez, during group classes he directs at the `Sitar School of Toronto'.
The experience gained accompanying several classes of modern dance (Jean-Pierre Perrault, Toronto Dance Theatre, RQD, Darryl Tracy, Peggy Baker) as well as a basic training in `Approach of the music by the movement' enabled him to integrate a dance, movement-oriented aspect into his playing.
Among the outstanding facts, Bertil was awarded, in 2004, a grant by the `Conseil of Arts et Lettres du Québec' to continue his training of the tabla in India. He took part, in 1997 at the MIAC SHOW as a demonstrator for a new product of the Yamaha company. He played beside the master of the congas, Giovanni Hidalgo at a percussion workshop he gave in Montreal.
In 1991, he won, in his category, a Canadian drum contest organized by the `Just Drums' music store in Toronto. At the time of this event, he had the great opportunity to play on stage with Gregg Bissonnette (David Lee Roth. In 1990 he received a special mention when participating at the ‘National Big-Bands contest’ in Winnipeg, won by the ‘Saint-Laurent College’. He also recorded, in 1991, with this same Big-Band, a concert for the radio of ‘Radio-Canada’. Bertil is dedicated to the composition for drums and percussions since 2009.
He spends many hours composing, arranging, recording ‘Drums-Music’ which is inspired by the beauty of many world rhythms and the colourful percussion instruments that give them life.
The first single entitled ‘JUNGLE’ is now available.