Joe Hertenstein's recent performances include concerts at the Philharmony in Cologne and the Moers Festival in Germany, the Congress Hall in Warsaw, Bush Hall London for BBC, the Opera House in Toronto, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, as well as Carnegie Hall, Roulette, Issue Project Room and The Stone in New York City.
'All About Jazz NY' magazine praised his performance observing that 'Joe Hertenstein's drums seem to be shaping the music from the bottom up', and “Hertenstein practices that loose time-keeping so prevalent in Europe that the ignorant use to claim that an entire continent can’t swing.” In November 2010 the Portuguese label Clean Feed Records released his remarkable debut album as a leader and composer “HNH” featuring Thomas Heberer (tp) and Pascal Niggenkemper (b). In 2009, the German government honored the further development of his trio 'HNH' with a composition stipend to fund the recording of their next album 'POLYLEMMA' which was released on the Canadian label Red Toucan in June 2011.
For his artistic achievements, Mr. Hertenstein has received numerous awards and grants on both sides of the Atlantic. From 2007-2009, City University of New York, in cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), granted him a full scholarship and tuition waiver to complete his Master of Arts degree in Jazz Studies at the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York City. Prior to his work in New York, Mr. Hertenstein studied music in Munich, Rotterdam, Berlin and Cologne.
In Europe, he won multiple Jazz competitions, such as the Dutch Concours Ceramique Jazzcontest, and the German NRW-Jazzart-Prize.
Mr. Hertenstein has received invitations to perform at a substantial number of festivals, such as the Hoeilaart Jazzfestival Brussels (Belgium), JekerJazz Maastricht (Netherlands), the Leverkusener Jazztage, Moers New Jazz Festival, Triennale 2007 (Germany), Portalegre Jazzfest (Portugal), Warsaw Jazz Summer (Poland) and many more. In 2009, he followed an invitation of the BBC to conduct a live performance with singer and Iranian dissenter Rana Farhan at Bush Hall in London.
Mr. Hertenstein has performed and recorded with many international musicians such as Kenny Werner, Chris Potter, Butch Morris, Juini Booth, Kenny Wollesen, Graham Haynes, Brandon Ross, Tristan Honsinger, Darius Jones, Jon Irabagon, Mat Maneri, Mossa Bildner, James Ilgenfitz, Sara Schoenbeck, Josh Sinton, Ken Filiano, Achim Tang, Thomas Lehn, Frank Gratkowski, Dieter Manderscheid, Matthias Schubert, Thomas Heberer, Achim Kaufmann, Sebastian Gramss and Terrence Ngassa. He toured Europe in 2004 and 2005 with Canadian blues harp player Carlos del Junco. His work is released on labels such as MoersMusic, Cleanfeed, Red Toucan, 2nd Floor, jazzwerkstatt Berlin, Konnex, and Leo.
In addition to his performances, Mr. Hertenstein taught as a faculty member at the Offene Jazzhausschule Cologne from 2002-2007, he worked as a faculty member for drums and percussion at the Lycee Francais de New York, and currently teaches at the Trinity School in Manhattan.
Joe Hertenstein’s latest project 'FUTURE DRONE' features German bassist and 'Improviser In Residence' in Moers 2011, Achim Tang, and the winner of the 2008 Thelonious Monk Competition, tenor saxophonist Jon Irabagon – who has been nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA/Downbeat) in both the 'Up and Coming Artist' and 'Tenor Saxophonist of the Year' categories for its prestigious 2011 Jazz Awards; Jon is known for his work with 'Mostly Other People Do The Killing' and the 'Mary Halvorson Quintet'. In the fall of 2011 Jon joined the current Kenny Wheeler Quintet feat. Craig Taborn, Rudy Royston, and Dave Holland. The debut album of the 'FUTURE DRONE' was released on jazzwerkstatt Berlin in June 2012.
Hertenstein is a member of Butch Morris' brand new NY ensemble 'BUTCH MORRIS CONDUCTS 'LUCKY CHENG'' which got invited for a residency at www.nublu.net in Manhattan every Monday throughout September, October, and November 2011. The BBC broadcasted a short documentary on the band on November 13th 2011: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15715308