German drummer Andy Gillmann is specialised in playing with brushes. The 'Besenspieler' released "Brushes Unlimited", a DVD about modern brush-techniques, in 2004.



Andy Gillmann's biography, in his own words:



My first important teacher was jazzdrummer Peter Weiss from Düsseldorfer. I took lessons from him for almost six years, starting at the age of fifteen. I've seen countless of his concerts, I was allowed to hang out backstage with the big Jazzcracks and smell the scent of professional musicians. At this time every summer I would visit the jazz and rock classes given in Remscheidt.



In 1987 I started my studies in Arnhem, The Netherlands and, with that, a fantastic and intense time full of music, sessions, extreme practicing, and a lot of musical and personal encounters, that are in part still on-going. I had two great teachers, René Creemers and Joop van Eerven, who inspired and challenged me and whose lessons I looked forward to every week.



In these five years of my studies we worked on and developed many subjects, concepts, systems, etc., from which I am still benefiting as a musician and teacher: chart-playing, transcribing, Basler drums, brush-playing, groove and fill-interpretations, sight-reading, clapping and notation, big band, combo, Latin and fusion ensembles, and hundreds of endless sessions till late into the night.



During my studies I already got my first professional gigs, for example with Harald Schmidt and Thomas Freitag in the Düsseldorfer Kommödchen, with my funk band Sixpack, on a US-Tour with the German Volksmusik singer Andy Borg and with many local acts from the Düsseldorf area.



After my studies in 1991, I moved to Cologne, joined the Drummers Institute in Düsseldorf, and published my first workshops in "Drums & Percussion."



And now the highlights in brief:



1992 - 1995

CD, Tour and TV with Toynbeehall, Impala, Gitte Haenning, Marla Glenn, Pe Werner

Endorsements with "Pearl" and "Sabian"

Ruhrrock Award with Toynbeehall

Workshops for the Dutch newspaper "Slagwerkkrant“ and the "Musikmagazin Fachblatt"



1996 - 1998

Teaching contract at the Musikhochschule Wuppertal for drumset

Musical: "The Little Shop of Horrors“ at the Cinedom in Cologne, "Grease“ in Düsseldorf

Arrangement of the Drumparts for the German musical "Beauty and the Beast.“

CD-recordings and approximately 100 shows in the Cologne Satorysaal.



1998 release of the drummer's teaching guide "Drummers Inspiration“ by Leu-Verlag (in collaboration with Rene Creemers)

Production of the 10-year anniversary CD of the "Drummers Institute“ in collaboration with Jan Rohlfing

Musical "Girls, girls, girls“ Cologne



1999 - 2002

"Das große Besenbuch“ by Leu Verlag

TV shows "7 Tage, 7 Köpfe“, WDR Comedy Produktion with Gaby Köster, Harald Schmidt and Kalle Pohl

CD Production with Impala (X over Jazz) and Toynbeehall (The last song), Katrin

Meinhold (Berührt von deinen Worten), Markus Watta (Spiritual), Mireille (Mibebaha)

Gigs with Markus Maria Profitlich, Leon Delray, Peter Bursch, Hakim Ludin, Marike Amado, Anne Haigis, Andy Galore, etc.



2003 - 2004

"Teamwork - Duos, Trios & Quarttete für Drumset “ - by Leu Verlag

Endorsements with Mapex Drums and Anatolian Cymbals and Remo Drumheads

Workshops and Clinics: AGP-Event Luxembourg, Teacher Days Mannheim, Sound and Drumland Berlin, Drummers Institute - Düsseldorf, Drums & more - Austria, Concours, Luxembourg.

Own Band: Andy Gillmann & the Basic Instinct

DVD "Brushes Unlimited…” by Leu Verlag

Promo-Gigs for the DVD at the Frankfurt Musikmesse,

Endorsement with Regal Tip

Gigs with David Becker, Tony Liotta, Hinrich Franck, Leslie Morgan, Georg Ruby, Ralf Cetto etc.