Imagine this; a father, himself a professional musician, wants to encourage his 14-year-old son to make music and gives him a guitar. The teenager begins to discover the instrument and has fun with it. He takes lessons. A year later he is so good that his father brings him into his band as a rhythm guitarist. Another year later his playing has developed so immensely that he becomes the lead guitarist of the band and a year later his own trio is formed. In the same year the young musician gives concerts all over the country and receives the Hans Koller Prize, the country’s most important music award, as “Newcomer of the Year”.

We are talking about the 17-year-old Viennese Diknu Schneeberger, who actually wanted to become a tiler. Diknu is an absolutely exceptional talent, a rising star in the guitarist’s heaven. In his playing, the very young musician combines the virtuosity and rhythmic precision of gypsy jazz with a very special feeling for melody and tone. His trio plays fast-paced Gypsy Swing, lovingly arranged standards, interesting originals, Django Reinhard’s most beautiful compositions, but also those of his descendants – Stochelo Rosenberg, Bireli Lagrene or novels that have enriched Gypsy Jazz with modern elements. The enormous potential of the young Sinti does not go unnoticed for long. In the same year he receives the Hans Koller Prize, probably the most important award Austria has to give in jazz, as “Talent of the Year 2006”. Now the first album of the likeable young musician is released and has already been nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award. It has become a really round CD, inspired by Diknu’s idols. With ‘Rubina’ the very young virtuoso proves what he is musically capable of. But beyond that he is a normal teenager with many wishes and dreams. Currently Diknu is studying jazz guitar at the Vienna Conservatory. He is well on his way, has performances with his father’s band, with Martin Spitzer as a duo and with his own trio.
This trio has now been invited to share the stage of the Leverkusen Jazztage on November 3rd with such greats as Marcus Miller, Nigel Kennedy, Roy Hargrove, the recently Grammy-winning WDR Big Band and other stars.

Diknu used to think about becoming a tiler. With this profession, this life is not likely to be anything more…