Shirma Rouse, well known as a gospel and a soul singer (with a preference for the music of Aretha Franklin) is also very capable of singing jazz in a wonderful way. And, not unimportantly, she creates a nice atmosphere in the room. She emphasizes the improvised nature of her standards ‘we have not arranged any […]
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Louis van Dyke: “Miles Davis’ music is as moving as Bach’s.”
Pianist, organist and composer Louis van Dyke (1941) was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease more than a year ago. Van Dyke’s delicate playing will probably be heard from time to time, but nowadays he only plays because he likes it, not because he has to. In the Autumn of 2018 I had the privilege to talk […]
Johan Bakker | | Blog, Interviews, Music | Daniel Wayenberg, jazz, John Lennon, Louis van Dijk, Louis Van Dyke, Paul McCartney, Pieter van Vollenhove, Pim Jacobs, Thad Jones | 0 Comments
The Green Connection in Rotterdam West
The Green Connection is a platform that tries to connect neighbourhood initiatives and care institutions to work together more closely to improve the health and well-being of residents in Rotterdam West. Joint efforts of local residents in Rotterdam West yielded something beautiful: a neglected wilderness along the railway has been transformed into a nature reserve. […]
Johan Bakker | | Blog, Travel | City nature, Daan Roosegaardee, Green Connection, Joep van Lieshout, Kanye West, Park, Rotterdam, Rotterdam West | 0 Comments
The end of the world (a fictional travelogue)
“This landscape reminds me of Hans Werkman,” Zelda said. “You mean the poem with all these place names,” Marcus replied as he kept looking out of the window at the endless fields on which the grain was harvested. Seeing the horizon was rare nowadays, but so much sky and emptiness was really unprecedented. He knew […]
Johan Bakker | | Blog | Eemshaven, Groningen, Hans Werkman, Roodeschool, Uithuizen | 2 Comments
Apollo 11, A human dream that came true
The hazy images of the first people on the moon were barely sharper than the visual blurs that a television set produced on normal nights. But the knowledge that my father and I were looking directly at this giant leap in the human evolution made an overwhelming impression on me on July 20th, 1969. Fifty […]
Johan Bakker | | Art & Culture, Blog | apollo 11, Buzz Aldrin, Claire Foy, First Man, Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong | 0 Comments
Buzz Aldrin 50 years after moon trip more energetic and alive than ever
Edwin Eugene ‘Buzz’ Aldrin (Glen Ridge, New Jersey, 1930) may have cursed the fact that he was not the first man on the moon, in many other respects he is a unique astronaut and an exceptional person. When he and Neil Armstrong landed with the Eagle in the Mare Tranquillitatis, Aldrin was very aware of […]
Johan Bakker | | Blog | apollo, apollo 11, Buzz Aldrin, Edwin Aldrin, NASA, space travel | 0 Comments