GOING DUTCH

The Chris Hinze Combination 
Who Can See The Shadow Of The Sun
CBS, Netherlands, 1972

 And now something completely different.  Some Dutch “fusion jazz” for a change.  

Christiaan Herbert "Chris" Hinze (born June 30, 1938, Hilversum) is a Dutch jazz and New Age flautist.

Hinze initially performed publicly as a pianist until the mid-1960s, when he began studying flute at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and then at Berklee College of Music. As a pianist, he played with Boy Edgar until 1966, but by 1967 was playing flute professionally with the bassist Dick van der Capellen. His first releases as a leader were issued in 1969, and in 1970, Hinze was awarded the Best Soloist prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In the 1970s, he formed his own ensemble, the Chris Hinze Combination. He also founded the record label Keytone Records in the mid-1970s.

 Chris Hinze may be considered as a pioneer in World Music and New Age, gradually moving away from the jazz fusion he developed in the early 70s.  This tendency is already apparent in some of the tracks on the LP.  Some visitors may question whether the term “jazz” still applies to some of those songs.  I do not want to be part of this pointless debate and I don’t really care.  

There is some surface noise.  I did not try removing it as I was afraid to remove part of the music with the noise, flute is very “aerial”.

Tracklist 
A1 Lullaby For A Locomotive 8:33
Piccolo Flute, Flute [Bamboo] – Chris Hinze
Voice – Letty de Jong
A2 Steps To Giulia (Parts 1 & 2) 9:30
Flute, Alto Flute – Chris Hinze
A3 Surface 3:57
Alto Flute – Chris Hinze
Voice – Letty de Jong
B1 Lullaby For Dewi (Parts 1, 2, & 3) 13:34
Alto Flute, Flute – Chris Hinze
B2 Six (Venus) 2:37
Piccolo Flute – Chris Hinze
B3 Who Can See The Shadow Of The Sun 5:40
Flute [Bass], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Chris Hinze

Credits
Chris Hinze        Leader, arranger, various flutes, Fender Rhodes
Wim Stolwijk        Grand Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Voice
Roger Cooke        Bass 
Jimmy Shaaperoe Drums
Cees See         Percussion
Wim van der Beek Percussion, Voice
Letty de Jongh           Voice
Recording dates: February 27 & 28, 1972

Printed on the back cover is a handwritten note: Who can see the shadow of the sun - Herbie Hancock
I don’t think this album was ever reissued on CD.

RARITY # 59

THE DIAMONDS  FIVE (NL)

45 rpm EP OMEGA (Dutch band, Belgium label, 1959)

Fellow blogger Peer57 who runs the Dutch Jazz (private) blog has shared some records with us.  If you are a visitor to his blog(s), you probably know these records already.  If not, enjoy them here while they last.  We’ll start with a fairly rare and collectible EP recorded in Brussels, in 1959, by one of the better-known groups of Dutch Boppers, the Diamond Five.  Great music!

Pianist Cees Slinger was the frontman of the famous Dutch harbop-quintet "Diamond Five". They used the Amsterdam jazzclub "Sheherazade" as their base, and played there night after night.

Tracks:

Side A :            Diamondate

Side B:             Alone together

Credits

Trumpet– Cees Smal

Tenor Saxophone– Harry Verbeke

Piano, leader– Cees Slinger

Bass– Jacques Schols

Drums– John Engels

Recorded in Brussels, sept. 1959

UPDATED LINK (18/07/17) 

P.S.: I have reposted the Guidelines 4tet feat Kaz Lux  (see post "Going Dutch" - March 9, 2013)

JAZZ AND STICHERY

Rerootin' Henny Vonk ‎

Timeless Records (LP)‎– SJP 164           Netherlands, 1982

It’s Quimsy who draw my attention to the Dutch vocalist Henny Vonk when he posted on his blog, a few years ago, her (rare) first album  -simply titled Vonk First – dating from 1969.  Henny Vonk – who worked for several years as vocalist with the Chris Hinze Combination -  had to wait 12 years to record a second album.  But it was worth the wait, she’s working with a dream rhythm section: Clint Houston on bass and Billy Higgins on drums.  A mention too for the remarkable but most underrated Dutch pianist / arranger Rob Vandenbroeck, currently pianist of the European Jazz Ensemble.

In addition to singing, Mrs Vonk wrote the lyrics, played bass guitar on two tracks, wrote poems and liner notes and made the stitchery on the front cover photo.

Tracklist

A1       Frandance        (Miles Davis)    7:04

A2       Circle   (Miles Davis / arranged by Rob Van Den Broeck)         3:08

A3       Nefertiti           (Wayne Shorter)           5:35

A4       Dolphin Dance (Herbie Hancock)         4:05

A5       The Blessing - Jazz Version      (Ornette Coleman)       3:29

B1        A Tribute To Someone (Herbie Hancock / arrangt by R. Van Den Broeck)        5:23

            Bass Guitar – Henny Vonk

B2        Cloud Of Knowledge    (Henny "Vonk" Tjong Ayong II / arrangt by R. Van Den Broeck)            4:02

Bass Guitar – Henny Vonk

B3        Pompeii           (Bobby Hutcherson)     4:21

B4        The Blessing - Latin-Jazz Version        (Ornette Coleman) 6:50

Credits

Vocals, Lyrics – Henny "Vonk" Tjong Ayong II

Piano– Rob Van Den Broeck

Bass – Clint Houston

Drums – Billy Higgins

Recorded at "Studio 44", Max Bolleman, Monster, Holland.

Recording date: November 18th, 1981 (A1-A5, B3, B4) and January 4th, 1982 (B1 & B2)

Rip in WAV, from original LP.  Pictures found on Discogs.

FRA FRA FOR YA

FRA FRA SOUND 

WORSHIP MOTHER EARTH

Lucho Records ‎– 7715-2  (CD)    NL, 1994.

There was a request for this album in the comments of the Fra Fra Big Band post.  Here it is!

Although not as well known in the United States as they are in parts of Western Europe, Fra Fra Sound is a Dutch jazz institution and has been active in the Netherlands since the early '80s. Fra Fra has also recorded as the Fra Fra Big Band, which is essentially Fra Fra Sound with more musicians and an expanded, more elaborate lineup. But whether they're calling themselves Fra Fra Sound or the Fra Fra Big Band, the Amsterdam-based outfit has a reputation for being adventurous, unpredictable, and risk-taking. Fra Fra's specialty is a blend of jazz and world music -- especially African, Caribbean, and Latin music. And when it comes to jazz influences, the band is all over the place. They've been influenced by hard bop; some of their arrangements recall Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers' classic Blue Note recordings of the '50s and '60s. But post-bop, modal jazz, fusion and jazz-funk have affected them as well; Fra Fra also brings to mind everyone from John Coltrane, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, and Abdullah Ibrahim (aka Dollar Brand), to Weather Report, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, and Spyro Gyra. Because of the Caribbean influences, Sonny Rollins (who is famous for combining hard bop and calypso) is another obvious comparison. And whatever type of jazz they're being influenced by -- be it hard bop, modal post-bop, fusion or soul-jazz -- Fra Fra Sound and the Fra Fra Big Band always bring some type of world music influence to their albums (many of which have been easier to find in Western Europe than in North America).

Fra Fra Sound was founded by bassist/producer Vincent Henar in Amsterdam in 1980, and he has been their leader ever since. Henar got the name Fra Fra from the Surinamese language, which is spoken in the South American country of Suriname (formerly known as Dutch Guyana). The term has different meanings in that language; it can refer to a hybrid (which is exactly what Fra Fra Sound's music has been), or it can mean strange, mysterious, unorthodox, or unusual. Along the way, Fra Fra Sound has had different lineups; in 2003, Henar was leading a seven-person lineup that also included Michael Simon on trumpet and flugelhorn, Efraim Trujillo on tenor sax, Andro Biswane on guitar, Robin VanGeerke on piano, Guno Kramer on drums, and Calo Ulrichi Hoop on percussion. 

Fra Fra started recording in the '80s; their first album, Panja Gazz + 4, came out in the Netherlands in 1987, and they went on to put out Third Life Stream in 1990, Kalinha's Serenade in 1993, Worship Mother Earth in 1994, Global Village Residents in 1996, Kaseko Revisited: Kotabra in 1997, Mali Jazz in 1999, and Kultiplex in 2003 (the year that marked the band's 23rd anniversary). All of those albums were Fra Fra Sound projects; their releases as the larger Fra Fra Big Band have included A Tan So in 1993 and Maspoti Makandra in 1997. (Alex Anderson – AMG)

Credits

Bass, Lead Vocals – Vincent Henar

Congas, Percussion, Bells, Timbales, Djembe – Carlo Ulrichi

Drums – Guno Kramer

Guitar – Sterling Peterson

Piano, Keyboards – Robin Van Geerke

Saxophone – Efraim Trujillo*

Trumpet – Michael Varekamp

Tracklist

1          Ken Bo Ta      4:40

2          One For All    5:07

3          Sebie Jarie      7:00

4          Blakawatra     6:05

5          Langadang      5:15

6          Little Giant     9:28

7          Poem For Rosa           7:04

8          Worship Mother Earth           13:12

9          Fruits From The Kasbah        8:58

There is a great live version of Worship Mother Earth on YouTube, recorded at the Ouagadougou Jazz Festival.

RARITY # 47

THE KEES KUYT COMBO –NL, 1957

EP 45 rpm FONTANA 463 110 TE      

Onxidlib was lucky to get a copy of this rather rare Dutch EP.  I have not  found much info on the web.  Basically nothing on guitarist Kees Kuyt, a couple of poor quality video featuring vibeman Leen Dijkkamp (with swing accordionist Peter Schoute),

Henk de Jong recorded with the Diamonds (Jazz from Holland, 1956).

They were among a handfull of local bands that played the first set in a Louis Armstrong concert in 1959, in Holland.   Read here (nice picture of Kees Kuyt Combo live).

Check here for a live video feat. Leen Dijkkamp and Peter Schoute (1994): http://www.yourepeat.com/watch/?v=ZbSbE45_xa4

THE KEES KUYT COMBO –NL, 1957

Musicians

Kees Kuyt, guitar

Leen Dijkkamp, vibes

Henk de Jong, bass

Jaap Kok, drums

Tracks

1. But Not For Me (Gershwin/Gershwin)  3:45

2. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise (Romberg/Hammerstein)  4:55

3. Opus For Vibes And Guitar (Dijkkamp)  3:53

4. My Funny Valentine (Rodgers/Hart)  3:36

Recorded in Hilversum, Netherlands on June 21 and 28, 1957.

FONTANA 463 110 TE

(ep rip) The ep had been posted earlier  on the Dutch Jazz (private) blog.  This one is a different rip.

The only other trace of Kees Kuyt Combo I’ve found is another very rare EP with Gospel vocalist Donald Jones.

Donald Jones  with the Kees Kuyt Combo - This World He Loves

(Philips 422 497 PE, Holland, 1960).  If anyone had a copy, I’ll gladly post it with due acknowledgement of the source.

GOING DUTCH

GOLDEN BLUESSONGS

THE GUIDELINES QUARTET + KAZ LUX

LP Cherry Red Records CHLP3622,  NL, 1988

OK, the tracklist may not be especially enthralling, a collection of old jazz blues warhorses (hence the “Golden Bluessongs” of the album title) but this album has its moments.

It was recorded before it became fashionable for aging rock singers to record an album of jazz standards as a mark of respectability.  As it goes, this album works pretty well.  Kaz Lux‘s voice is well suited to the material and the Guidelines Quartet is top, they really swing these numbers!  No wonder when you look at the credentials of the four musicians making up the Guidelines Quartet:

Peter Guidi is one of Europe’s great jazz flautists (listen to his soli on “Need you by my side” or “What I want”).

Rob van Bavel is a well regarded Dutch jazz pianist and educator with extensive jazz credentials. In the late eighties he was a member of the Ben Van Den Dungen-Jarmo Hoogendijk Quintet (see my old post on the Brand New Orleans album to get the idea how those guys sounded).  

Hans Mantel is a well-known Dutch bassist, musicologist, producer and presenter for jazz on Dutch radio and television.

Drummer Hans van Oosterhout has performed with almost everybody, from Toots Thielemans to Randy Brecker  He has played on over 60 albums.

Vocalist Kaz Lux was the lead singer of 60s Dutch beat band Brainbox.  He also collaborated on a few albums with guitar virtuoso Jan Akkerman. 

Credits

Kaz Lux                      vocal

Peter Guidi                  sax & flute

Rob van Bavel            piano

Hans Mantel                bass

Hans van Oosterhout   drums

Tracks

•       I’m walking
•       Lost and looking
•       Ain’t nobody’s business
•       Need you by my side
•       Please send me someone to love
•       You are my sunshine
•       Route 66
•       Counting my tears
•       What I want

Recorded in Tilburg, NL - 1988

RARITIES # 22 – 23 - 24

SWING SPECIALTIES No.1 / No 2 / No 3
FRANS POPTIE & HIS SWING SPECIALS
(FONTANA EP, NL, 1957).

Three rare EP in one single installment!  Thanks from “moi même”, a fellow (former) blogger from France who recently sent me rips of these three rare Dutch EP.

Some might call this music “Gypsy Jazz” but the expression had not been invented in 1957, let’s just call it plain good ol’ SWING.  And swing it does indeed!

Nicknamed “The Dutch Stephane Grappely”, Frans Poptie (March 3, 1918 - December 31, 2010) was a Dutch jazz violinist, arranger and band leader.  In addition to the violin, he also played the clarinet and saxophone.


Poptie played with, among others, Eddy Christiani and the VARA-dance band. In 2002 he gave up playing the violin because of is age. He was not limited to jazz but played and recorded in a variety of styles, gypsy swing , dance bands, country, popular music, easy listening. 
He passed away on the last day of 2010 at the advanced age of 92.

The 12 tracks appeared also on the LP “Frans Poptie and his Swing Specials - The Swing Specialities”  Fontana (EU) 680501TL.  

Paul D. found the following information on the sessions:

CREDITS:

Frans Poptie and his Swing Specials : Willy Langestraat (cl) Eddie Sanchez (vib) Frans Poptie (vln) Herman Vis (g) Ted van Dongen (el-g) Wim Kastelein (b) Martin Beekmans (d) Eddie Sanchez (vib,maraccas-1)
Recorded in Hilversum, March 11-12, 1957

SWING SPECIALTIES No.1 (EP Fontana 463 102 TE)
o Sweet Georgia Brown
o Sweet Lorraine
o I’ve found a new baby
o It's only a paper moon

SWING SPECIALTIES No.2
 (EP Fontana 463 103 TE)
o Shine
o Frenesi
o Avalon
o Swing special blues (1)

n.b. I do not know who plays the pennywhistle solo in Swing Special Blues - Langestraat most probably as he always had a keen interest in "exotic" instruments.  It gives a South African Kwela feel to that small part of the track (think of Spokes Mashiyane for instance(.

SWING SPECIALTIES No.3
(EP Fontana 463 104 TE)
o Limehouse blues
o I only have eyes for you
o Gotta be this or that
o Bye bye blues











TRIVIA :  Willy Langestraat recorded a lot of Latin music with his band Laguestra.  He was also interested in Arabic and Eastern music and had a large collection of non-Western instruments (If Poptie was the Dutch Stephane Grappely, Langestraat was the Dutch Emil Richards!).  According to Paul D. – who is a reliable source of information - Willy Langestraat aka Billy Longstreet (1914-1995) was a good friend of Stan Getz.  Getz dedicated an album to him: "Billy Highstreet Samba" on Emarcy 838771-2 recorded in Paris, on Novembre 4, 1981.  

You can watch and hear Frans Poptie on YouTube.  I especially recommend the Night Rider Boogie recorded by Dutch Steel Guitarist Koos Biel with members of the Dutch Swing College and The Swing Specials.  These guys can compete with any "genuine" American Western Swing aggregation! 

RE-POST- modern big bands and a few other things

Some Big Band Re-posts:

- Jean-Loup Longnon 's CYCLADES (France).

- Upsalla Big Band (Sweden):

The KICKS BAND (US)

Ernest Wiehe 10-pieces jazz ensemble (Mauritius)

Full Faith & Credit Big Band (US)

NOJO   (Canada ... absolutely superb, don't miss it this time).

Fra Fra Big Band (NL + members from US, Uk, NL Antilles, Surinam, Mexico ...)

Etienne Verschueren & BRT Jazz Orkest (Belgium)

Other things ...

Brand New Orleans (NL)

KALINHA'S SERENADE

FRA FRA SOUND - KALINHA'S SERENADE
(NL, SURINAM, NL ANTILLES, US - 1992-94)

First album  by Holland-based FRA FRA SOUND, an International  little big band composed of musicians from Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles, Mexico (tenor sax Efraim Trujillo) and the US (trumpet/ fluegelhorn player Charles Green).


What does FRA FRA mean?
There is no literal translation for the concept of "Fra Fra Sound".  It has to do with balance, equilibrium.  The balance within the variegated Surinam culturethat is connected with the country's multiracial character, its history of coming into existence and the unique location between the Caribbean and the Latin-American hinterland. Additionnally, there is an ethnic group in northwestern Ghana known as "Fra Fra", which refers to the strong historical and cultural ties between West Africa and Surinam. (from the CD notes)
Band members:


Charles Green   trumpet & fluegelhorn
Efraim Trujillo   tenor saxophone (1 & 8)
Patrick Sedoc    guitar
Vincent Henar  bass
Robin van Geerke  piano & keyboards
Carlo Ulrichi     conga, timbales, bells & percussions
Guno Kramer   drums


Guests:


Ponda O'Bryan : percussions (2-3-9)
Kenrick Gunther: conga & percussions (7-9)
José Lopretti: piano & synthetiser (7-8)
Jeff Gordon : tenor sax on all tracks except 1 & 8
Sharif Wagidhossain: alto sax (7)
Ronald Esseboon: tenor tuba (7)

Tracks:


1. Rhythm for the Fox
2. Pikin'Uma
3. Jangaman
4. Tuckayana Shout
5. Kooked Little Man
6. Little People
7. All Blues
8a A Zulu Folktale
8b. When the crocodlie smiles, beware!
9. Szopo

Check YouTube for live performances of Fra Fra Sound and Fra Fra Big Band.


Next post will be a rare 25 cm of Belgian 50s Be Bop feat. Bobby Jaspar ... coming soon!  

MY LITTLE ROLLY

Maestro OLEG PLOTNIKOV
(of the Uralsky All Stars)
My Little Rolly (Timeless, NL, 1996)

Another CD found in a discount bin for about one euro.  Two things attracted me to this album: the photo of Oleg Plotnkov on the cover, he looked so square he had to be good!  ... and then there were a couple of numbers with "boogie" in the title. I’m a sucker for boogie woogie  esp. cheesy ones.  I have a whole set of old scratchy 78 rpm with boogie in the titles, played on the most awkward instruments.

Oleg PLOTNIKOV is a Russian jazz pianist now residing in Holland.  I couldn’t find any information on the Net and the record sleeve is useless.  The only information is that he is/was the piano-player in The Uralsky all Stars, a Dixieland / Swing aggregation. That put me off a bit as i dislike Dixieland as much as I like boogie woogie.

So here it is!  

Do not expect avant-garde or  even modal music here, this album is a decent boogie woogie / swing album with a dash of (Oh so very mild) funk (Watermelon Man). One could question his choice of numbers (Blueberry Hills ...!).

Anyway, if you like boogie woogie pianists, this album should make you happy.  Oleg Plotnikov has a solid left hand.  A pianist friend of mine once told me that despite its apparent simplicity boogie woogie was a difficult and physically demanding style: just try holding those fast moving bass notes during 6:30 minutes (as in My Little Rolly), you’ll feel it deep in your muscles !

ARTISTS

Oleg Plotnikov - piano

Serguei Ouzkikh - bass

Andrei Makarov - drums

TRACKS

1) My Little Rolly                   (6.29)                             (Plotnikov)

2) Octave Boogie                   (4.30)                             (Plotnikov)

3) Blueberry Hill                     (6.51)                              ( Benson / Asher)

4) Watermelon Man                (7.13)                             ( Hancock)

5) St. Louis Blues                    (7.44)                             ( Handy)

6) China Girl                           (6.18)                              ( Plotnikov)

7) Singer M. Boogie                (2.37)                              ( Plotnikov)

8) Cat On The Strings              (2.44)                              ( Plotnikov)

Recorded at Farmhouse Studio, Doorwerth, Holland, 19 October and 21 November 1995.

I'm pretty sure that if this album had been issued 25 years earlier, it would be revered and as collectable as any Rob Hoeke or Rob Agerbeek.

THE ABDUCTION OF EUROPA

EUROP’ JAZZ CONTEST 92
(NL, France, Poland, Belgium - 1992)

A BIT OF HISTORY

Jazz Hoeilaart was founded in 1979 by Albert Michiels - within the framework of the local annual festival of grapes and wine - with the intention of introducing accomplished young jazz players and groups under the age of 30.

In the early years only Belgian and Dutch groups applied but in the following years Jazz Hoeilaart became one of the most important international Jazz Contests. Between 1979 and 2009 the organizers received 1.815 entries from more than 50 countries, from Australia and America to Japan, India, the former Soviet States and Europe

The first prizes went successively to jazz groups from Belgium (1979,1980,1981,1982,1993 and 1999, 2007), Poland (1983, 1998, 2008), Sweden (1984, 2000 and 2003); Finland together with Bulgaria (1985), Israel (1986 and 2006), the Netherlands (1987 and 1992), Finland (1988), Russia (1989), Denmark together with USA (1990), USA (1991), Germany (1994, 2002, 2009), Hungary (1995 and 2001), Canada (1996) Italy (1997), Norway (2004) and France (2005).

(source: here)

The best groups are documented on LP (from 1979 to 1990) and then CD (1991 to this date).  The winner of the first prize was usually invited to record a LP.  

The MUSIC, THE PLAYERS

This long out-of-print CD documents the four best bands that took part in the 1992 competition.

First prize :                              Meeting Point             The Netherlands

Second prize:                          Francois Theberge Group         France

Third prize:                             In Spector                                  Poland

Fourth prize:                           Ivan Paduart Trio                   Belgium

Meeting Point (NL) : Miguel Martinez (as), Rutger Molenkamp (tn), Michiel Borstlap (p), Thomas Winter Andersen (b), Joost Kesselaar (ds).

1.      Miruleheba

2.      Playtime

3.      Panorama Groove

Pianist Michiel Borstlap won the prize for best soloist.

Francois Theberge Group (F): Francois Theberge (ss, ts), Marc Chalosse (p), Christophe Walemme (b), Stephane Foucher (ds)

4.      El Alamo   (feat. F. Theberge on soprano)

5.      Leveland   (feat. F. Theberge on tenor)

Drummer Stephane Foucher won the prize for best drummer

In Spector (Pol): Robert Majewski (tp), Maciej Ulatowski (p, key.), Thomas Gassowski (bgtr), Adam Buczek (ds)

6.      Greetings for Rogacz

7.      Song for Jaco

8.      Crossroads

In Spector won the prize of the Belgian Artistic Promotion for their rendering of Frederic Willaume’s Crossroads.

Ivan Paduart Trio (B): Ivan Paduart (p), Philippe Aerts (b), Dre Pallemaerts (ds)

9.      Augustina

10.  Vague à l’ame

11.  Don’t Give up (I.Paduart – P. Aerts duo)  

Give this album a listen, you'll be pleasantly surprised by these young promising talents (who, twenty years later, have become -at least for some of them - well established musicians on the European Jazz scene).

In  case you wondered where the title "The Abduction of Europa" came from, it was the title of an artwork given as prize to the best soloist.