Epoch Musical Instruments

Reinhard Neuhaus

A VIOLIN, an artist, a dentist’s chair, Majorca and Bunbury. What dothey have incommon? The answer: former Bunbury resident Reinhard Neuhaus, a German-born resident of the Spanish island of Majorca who paints, plays the violin and prevents tooth decay. In Bunbury for a month over Christmas and the New Year with his wife Pascale, Mr Neuhaus has come back to the city he calls his "favourite place in the world" for the first time in seven years. Staying with long-time friend Mike Warren, his visit to Australia also presented the opportunity to pickup a unique newviolin - the only one of its kind in Australia.
The $4400 electric violin is made of carbon fibre and has a vibrant dragon’s head with illuminated eyes. Mr Neuhaus plays his brand of "gypsy jazz and swing" in his home town of Calamillor, Majorca at the world renowned Hot club that also has venues in NewYork, France and the United Kingdom.
Tonight he will join the resident band at Trafalgars Hotel to bring this musical taste to the foot-tapping residents of Bunbury. ‘‘Ideally I would like to live in Bunbury and create a gypsy Hot club here’’ he said.
‘‘Often you go out for dinner and you can’t hear or talk because the music is too loud - with this gypsy music you can enjoy the night, have conversations and listen to the music.’’
Mr Neuhaus featured in the South Western Times in September 1999 when he launched an exhibition of his paintings at the Jalinda Gallery.
Mr Warren called their initial meeting and friendship an "accidental tourist" scene that has developed into a life long association.
As printed in South Western Times January 5, 2006