Feature: An interview with Rüdiger Krause

Rüdiger Krause began playing the guitar and coming up with his own music at the age of 10. His first encounter with the sound of a band was Peter Gunn, performed by the Franke Echo Quintet. The music of the Beatles has been a constant in his life since childhood. Martin Scorsese’s film “The Band” shaped his youth, as did the East German blues musicians Stefan Diestelmann and Jürgen Kerth, with whom he later jammed on a few occasions. He was introduced to jazz through a radio programme featuring Pat Metheny. He was lucky enough to see Miles Davis perform live. His greatest discovery, however, was Carla Bley. He named his Fender Stratocaster after her – a guitar smuggled into the GDR by his grandparents and still his most-played instrument today.