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Warming Up The Hague Jazz

(Wed 26 May 2010)

The Hague Jazz Festival celebrates its fifth Birthday this June, taking place from 9 - 12 June. On Wednesday 9 June, the much anticipated Festival is kick-started with performances taking place all over The Hague. Grab a sneak preview of what's to come during this year's The Hague Jazz!

Grote Markt

If you are anywhere near the Grote Markt, then you won't miss line-up of Sven Hammond Soul (pictured right), Meshell Ndegeocello and the well-known Wicked Jazz Sounds Band heating up the City Centre. "The fresh old school hammond soul, jazz and funk sound from Holland" kicks of festivities with his signature upbeat, swinging tunes.

Then, the American singer-songwriter, rapper, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist, Meshell Ndegeocello, takes the stage. After 20 years in an industry that has called her everything from avant garde to a dying breed, what unquestionably remains is the fearsome bassist, prolific songwriter and the creativity and curiosity of an authentic musical force. With that, she has earned critical acclaim, the unfailing respect of fellow players, songwriters and composers, and the dedication of her diverse, unclassifiable fans.

The Wicked Jazz Sounds Band (pictured left) is an Amsterdam based platform for music – where Jazz meets dance – who combine the warmth of Jazz with the energy of contemporary dance music.

Their unique style ranges from jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, broken-beat, house, drum & bass and beyond.

The Wicked Jazz Sounds Band debuted earlier this year with their album ‘The Biggest Sin’.

Supermarkt

At Supermarkt, a bar on the Grote Markt, Urban Rootz will be taking thje stage. Urban Rootz has grown into a blistering live act that effortlessly proves that 'flow' in both jazz and hip hop are closely linked. Urban Roots brings a trance-like feel that brings audiences into raptures. The band members have played with, among others, Candy Dulfer, Leon S. True and Angie Stone.

Paard van Troje

Toots Thielemans (pictured left) warms up the event with an intimate concert at the Paard van Troje, along with the Parov Stelar Band.

Jean Toots Thielemans, the Belgian born harmonica virtuoso is famed for his moody classic style. Most notable in Holland for his theme tune “Circle of smiles” for the Dutch detective series Baantjer. He has worked with such greats as Billy Joel, Paul Simon and Quincy Jones to name but a few.

Toots had his first international breakthrough in 1950 when he was on tour with Benny Goodman. He has received numerous awards and in October 2009, was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts named "NEA Jazz Master", the highest honor for jazz musicians.

An inspiring act follows Thielmans. With his unmistakable sound-mix of Jazz and Swing samples and electronic music, Parov Stelar has secured his own unique position in the world of music.

Fredrick Hendriklaan

On the Fredrick Hendriklaan, Flat Earth Society and Candy Dulfer entertain crowds. The Flat Earth Society (FES) is a Belgian big band ensemble founded and led by Peter Vermeersch. They mix the rich Belgian brass band (HaFaBra) tradition with characteristic topsy-turvy creativity.

Candy Dulfer (pictured right and on the Home Page) has been performing since age seven, was bandleader of 'Funky Stuff' since age fourteen, became an international recording artist at age nineteen, has has been touring the world since age twenty. Dulfer has recorded and / or performed with artists like Prince, Van Morrison, Maceo Parker, Mavis Staples, Lionel Richie, Beyoncé, Pink Floyd, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Blondie, Jools Holland, Jamie Cullum, Angie Stone, Tower of Power, The Time, Alan Parsons, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, Joey DiFrancesco, Jonathan Butler, among many others. Don't miss these two bands live for a preview of what The Hague Jazz 2010 is to bring.

Crowne Plaza The Hague Promenade

Peter Beets, Greg Hutchinson, Reuben Rogers & Joe Cohn heat up the Crowne Plaza The Hague Promenade, after which the Wojciech Myrczek Quintet take over, followed by Sven Hammond Soul. The renowned Peter Beets (pictured below) is a Dutch musician, enjoying worldwide success as a jazz pianist. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and started performing along with his brothers. He has won several prizes and has played and toured in several countries in Europe, as well in Japan and in the States. The Polish Wojciech Myrczek grew up in a musical family. After studying cello and music theory and jazz singing, he developed a special talent in scat improvisation. He received the first prize in the “International Meeting of Jazz Vocalists” in Poland, and on the Lotos Jazz Festival 2010 he received the “Special Award” for most original musical personality.

At Theater aan het Spui

At Theater aan het Spui, Chico Pinheiro performs, followed by Joris Teepe & Friends.

One of the leading figures in modern Brazilian music, guitarist/composer/arranger Chico Pinheiro (pictured right), was born in São Paulo. Self-taught, Pinheiro started playing the guitar and the piano at the age of 7 and performing professionally at age 15. Not only an exceptional guitarist with a wonderful sound and great fluidity, Chico Pinheiro is a unique composer of originality and maturity, qualities that stand out on his solo recordings. Today Chico is a remarkable presence in - and outside the Brazilian music scene, who has distinguished himself as a guitarist, composer and arranger.

Joris Teepe was the first European musician from The Netherlands able to make it in New York, after arriving in New York in 1992 with just his bass and a suitcase. Teepe has since established himself as a composer, record producer (many different labels and artists), educator (director of Jazz Studies at the Hanze University) and bandleader. In 2004 Joris Teepe was nominated for the Bird Award at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the category “Artist deserving wider recognition”.

Scheveningen Boulevard

Finally, on the Scheveningen boulevard, crowds will see John Dear Mowing Club, Flat Earth Society and Candy Dulfer & Band performing along the sea side. Dutch alternative-folk-band John Dear Mowing Club (pictured below) kick off festivities. A troubled childhood in a dismal suburb of The Hague gave the poet, painter, singer/songwriter, and lead musician of John Dear Mowing Club, de Boer, a veritable speech disorder. However, the experiences of a difficult youth have given his work the density of reinforced concrete. With a vast and surreal vocabulary the scraggy and, in real life, rather taciturn de Boer pulls objects from the borders of consciousness and arranges them in word, image and sound.