Thilo Martinho (born ''Thilo Herrmann''; 1960 in Kiel, West Germany) is a German musician, singer, guitarist, and songwriter.

Biography

Thilo Martinho, by his real name Thilo Herrmann, was born in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

in 1960, the son of

Ingeborg Reichelt Ingeborg Reichelt (11 May 1928 – 28 June 2022) was a German soprano singer known for her interpretation of works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography Reichelt was born in Frankfurt an der Oder studied in Dresden and at the Musikakademie in Ha ...

and

Hajo Herrmann Hans-Joachim "Hajo" Herrmann (1 August 1913 – 5 November 2010) was a World War II Luftwaffe pilot and officer and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. After the war Hermann became a Nazi activist and l ...

. In his early years, he played piano, bass, and drums. When he was 19, he started playing guitar. Three years later he was on his way in the European club- and festival-scene, playing acoustic instrumental folk-rock. Being unsatisfied by the limited mode of expression of the steel-string guitar and influenced by the Spanish flamenco-guitarist

Paco de Lucia Paco is a Spanish nickname for Francisco. According to folk etymology, the nickname has its origins in Saint Francis of Assisi, who was the father of the Franciscan order; his name was written in Latin by the order as ''Pater Communitatis'' (fat ...

and the Brazilian musician

Egberto Gismonti Egberto Amin Gismonti (born December 5, 1947) is a Brazilian composer, guitarist and pianist. Biography Gismonti was born in the small city of Carmo, Rio de Janeiro, Carmo, state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, into a musi ...

, he changed to

nylon-string guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor ...

s and became absorbed in the realm of Classic- and Flamenco-guitars and moved to Spain, to live for years as Flamenco guitarist in Andalusia. In 1995, after a brain operation, the result of a genetically caused brain-bleeding, he ended up sitting in a wheelchair with hemiplegia. He was told, that the control of the right half of his body was probably for ever lost. During the following years he started singing, worked mainly as interpreter of Spanish and

Brazilian music The music of Brazil encompasses various regional musical styles influenced by European, American, African and Amerindian forms. Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as forró, repente, coco de roda, axé, sertanejo, ...

and the Bossa Nova. He wrote

songs A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

in English and German. For copyright reasons in 2005 Thilo Herrmann took on the pseudonym Thilo Martinho, and by this name he produced the CD "I am" in 2007. This album, published on the

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

"musaraña records", is the result of a musical pilgrimage between bossa-nova, Latin,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

and world music. "I am" is written in four languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese and German. The song "Wie Das Wasser" is included on this CD. It is a German, lyrical piece of Salsa music in a big band arrangement. This song, "Wie Das Wasser", won the first prize of the " World Music" category in the "

Unisong International Song Contest The Unisong International Songwriting Contest is the oldest international songwriting competition for and judged by songwriters. Unisong International Song Contest was founded in 1996 by songwriter Alan Roy Scott (Music Bridges), publisher David ...

" 2008 in Los Angeles. With the same song he was

finalist The final of a competition is the match or round in which the winner of the entire event is decided. In sports competitions following a knockout system, where only two individuals or teams compete in each match, the final is usually played between ...

in the "

John Lennon Songwriting Contest John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

" in 2008.finalists John Lennon Songwriting Contest 2008
/ref> Thilo Martinho has overcome his disease and is now back in concert-life and touring. He appears on stage in clubs and theaters. In 2022 Thilo changed his artist name to "Ziganando" and published digitally his latest album "12" under this new pseudonym.

Discography

* 2000: ''Granaina'' (self publishing) * 2003: ''Roam & Ride'' (temple records) * 2007: ''I Am'' (musaraña records) * 2014: ''Brisa Latina'' (musaraña records) * 2022: ''12'' (musaraña records)

External links

Thilo Martinho Official WebsiteThilo Martinho Official MySpaceThilo Martinho Last.Fm album "12" published as "Ziganando"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinho, Thilo German male singer-songwriters German singer-songwriters German male singers German male songwriters Folk rock musicians Bossa nova musicians Living people 1960 births German male jazz musicians