Wednesday 11 December Avishai Cohen and Yonathan Avishai played at a sold-out LantarenVenster in Rotterdam. From the moment that trumpet player Cohen entered the stage and pianist Avishai took a seat behind the grand piano, until the encore, about an hour and a half later, the audience listened attentively to the exciting interplay of these […]
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The power of the French song
When Philippe Elan (1960) was asked by the Residentie Orchestra to perform at pop venue Het Paard in The Hague, he needn’t think twice. Their rich versions of French chansons can now be heard on their Ma France album. The singer, who has been living in the Netherlands for 33 years, still feels a strong […]
Johan Bakker | | Blog, Interviews, Music | Abba, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Het Paard, Jacques Brel, Jean Ferrat, Leo Ferré, Ma France, Philippe Elan, Residentie Orchestra | 0 Comments
Jazz International Rotterdam Festival 2019
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 […]
Johan Bakker | | Blog, Music | Efe Erdem, Eric Vloeimans, Festival Jazz In Rotterdam, Jazz In Rotterdam, Jazz International Rotterdam, LantarenVenster, Melissa Aldana, Pack Project, Rotterdam | 0 Comments
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