 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
eMail yonga@yonga.info Phone +31 (0)26 443 6 553 Mobile +31 (0)6 180 879 21
Foto: Hans Speekenbrink
You can find my weblog HERE.
______________________________________
"One of the things you learn in my group is, you leave drummers alone, 'cause drummers have their own inside thing." Miles Davis
8 July
There have been no updates in a long time even though many nice things have happened. Right now I'm learning how to use Dreamweaver in order to build a new website from scratch. As I said in an earlier post, updating this site doesn't work anymore (except for the main page) so the concert schedule is a bit outdated. I hope to have the new site up and running soon.
Until then I'll announce upcoming concerts right here. These are this month's concerts:
09-07 Lavalu Juttersfestival - Wijk aan Zee
15-07 Robinson, Freitag & Caruso (CD Release!) North Sea Jazz festival - Rotterdam
21-07 Talking Cows Bimhuis - Amsterdam
30-07 Lavalu Ronde Weide (Sonsbeek Park) - Arnhem
At the North Sea Jazz festival Robinson, Freitag & Caruso will present our new CD "Secret Spices" !!
- Check out Lavalu's new website.
Have a great summer!
9 May
I just discovered a great Web-Comic. It's called "The Dreamland Chronicles" and there's a new page to be read every day of the week, monday thru friday. It's a fantasy story with dragons, swords, trolls, elfs and so on.
Another cool Web-Comic with daily updates is "Player vs Player". Great artwork. Funny, nerdy stories.
Don't forget your daily shot of "Calvin & Hobbes" and "Liberty Meadows"!!
- Because one of the plug-ins that's needed with my Internet Explorer broke down I cannot update other parts of my site excpet this first page. I have no clue how to solve this.. I think the plug-in is called something with "MSXML" or so. If anybody has a tip..
7 May
- There's a short, nice article about me in the Dutch drummagazine "Slagwerkkrant". I'll soon post a scan.
22 April
- Look at the new "Top Ten" section. There you'll find CDs, books & movies that inspire me.
- Check out this video of juggler CHRIS BLISS. Beautiful how he keeps three balls in the air like this. And then go see JASON GARFIELD who's even cooler and uses five balls. Here's Garfield's website for more videos.
15 April
- Check out the new website of my band "TALKING COWS". There you'll find a very funny video (dutch only..) and audio sample of all the songs from our NEW CD "Bovinity"! Let us know what you think and leave a message in the guestbook. Many thanks to the nice people at Skipintro for the great site and video!
Today we played a little CD release concert at the "Jazzwinkel" record store in Utrecht. It was small, crowded and a lot of fun!
Dutch minister of agriculture, Cees Veerman, will receive a copy of "Bovinity" on friday the 19th of June. Talking Cows will be performing at the opening of a photo exhibition about the relation between animals and mankind.
- "LAVALU" is in the finals of the Popbandcompetition "Ernem Zweet". We'll be up against three other groups on June 9th in Arnhem (Willemeen). Come and cheer your lungs out in support of our music and show those people that we are indeed A ROCK BAND!! Hahaha, it was actually quite funny when we played at the preliminary round a couple of weeks ago. The people who organize the whole thing were quite worried that since we were only two musicians we'd have no chance against the other bands. No way! We are rockband and we... rock! :-)
- By the way. "LAVALU" will be playing at the "East of Eastern" Festival in Nijmegen on monday. It's super cheap and there a lots and lots of bands and workshops. Check it out!
- "RF&C"s CD is coming along nicely. We finished mixing it and are negotiating our "terms" with a small and independet record company. We will be presenting the CD at the next North Sea Jazz festival on July 15th.
Here I am playing the saxophone during an I Compani concert in Paradox, Tilburg. Hehehe that was fun! :-)
Lama Ole Nydahl will be giving a lecture on "The Way Things Are" next sunday in Utrecht!
Sunday, April 23rd, 19h, Academiegebouw Universiteit Utrecht, Domplein 29, € 10,-
- As a side note I recommend watching "Ice Age 2". Good fun!
- I got a new bike. It's a folding bike that looks cool and weighs nothing. It's a STRIDA. It folds up in a couple of seconds and I can easily carry it up to the first floor.
25 February
I would like to thank all the beautiful people that I have (had) the pleasure to work, play and be friends with. Driving home from yet another joyful concert I realized how precious the circumstances are that I live in. I have the opportunity to work and play with some amazing people (not just as musicians, but human beings), spread hapiness through music and share joys and sorrows with wonderful friends. It very often seems as if even short encounters with people on the street, in supermarkets, at concerts and wherever, have meaning and potential. During a lifetime people come and go; some stay longer than others and all have something to give and to take. I am especially greatful to all who have (so far..) endured my faults and given me the opportunity to learn and better myself. I hope I have been (or will be) able to give you something equally valuable in return.
Thank you so much!
YONGA
- Tomorrow RF&C's Young VIPs Tour will come to an end with the last concert in Leiden. This has been a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow. Our concert two days ago in Edam has been recorded by the NPS Radio and will be aired on March 5th. A couple of days ago we recorded our CD and hope to have the finished product by the time we play at this year's North Sea Jazz festival. If you are interested in our future development check back here regularly and watch our website www.RFandC.com.
Please listen to Alicia Keys "Unplugged". Or even better, watch the concert. This woman is magic!
16 February
- Don't forget! TODAY you can listen to the complete "Robinson, Freitag & Caruso" Bimhuis concert on VPRO Radio 4. It starts at 0:02 (two minutes past midnight which is actually tomorrow..). You can find it at on of these FM frequencies: 92.2; 94.5; 94.8; 97.9;98.9 and 99.8. Here's a link to their website.
- You can watch our little TV appearance here (click on the video button on the right).
26 January
- Today "Robinson, Freitag &Caruso" were at the Bimhuis to record our part for the upcoming episode of the TV show "Vrije Geluiden". What a thrill! If you tune in next Sunday, 29 january at 11:15h (in the morning) on Nederland 3, you can see us performing two of our hits: "My Celtic Sweetheart" and "Blackwood Jungle Is Just One Katharsis Away". Enjoy!
- Our complete Bimhuis concert (recorded last week) will be on VPRO Radio on Friday, 17 February at 0:02h.
- "Lavalu" is Artist Of The Week on the site of Ongekend Talent.
Wait... my nose is itching.. have to scratch.. :-)
14 January
- Many, many events have taken place since my last entry and here follows a quick excerpt:
We finished recording the CD with the band "Talking Cows" (formerly known as the "Vermeerssen/Vermeulen Quartet") which will be out soon.
"I Compani" has played lots of concerts, the nicest of which was at the great jazz club "De Burcht" in Leiden. It's always great to play there. The organisers and volunteers are always a joy as is the audience.
I went to the Try Tone Festival in Tilburg where I saw the duo "Oene van Geel/Anton Goudsmit". Whew what an experience. Look out for these guys in the future! They were followed by the Norwegian band "Farmers Market", led by the virtuoso accordeonist, banjo player, guitarist, flutist, whateverist Stian Carstensen. One of the greatest bands!!
We recorded some songs for our upcoming CD with Maurits Fondse (piano) and Phaedra Kwant (bass) which turned out really nice. Oene van Geel is the featured player on some songs.
"I Compani" recorded a CD at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam which went really well. The Bimhuis was completely sold out and we played to an enthusiastic audience of 300 people.
"Lavalu" had a great concert in Arnhem. What an enthusiastic audience! I wish we had brought more CDs because the 20 we had were gone in no time. I sincerely hope this band will lift off to greater hights in the near future because it's so much fun to play!
And finally, the Young VIPs Tour, which is part of the Dutch Jazz Award, started last thursday. "Robinson, Freitag & Caruso" are on the road! What a privilege to be able to do 10 concerts in a short time with my own band. Even after only the first two concert's it's been quite an experience. Let's see what number three brings at the SJU Jazz Podium in Utrecht tonight. Check the "Music" page for upcoming concerts near you. We will be recording the concert at the Bimhuis next wednesday for our upcoming CD.
On Monday there will be an article about me in the newspaper "De Gelderlander". They interviewed me because of the Dutch Jazz Competition and the Young VIPs Tour. I hope I didn't say any rubbish that will totally destroy my still young and fragile reputation.. :-)
- If you look at the "Buddha"-page you can now find past and upcoming lectures about buddhist topics at my place. Feel free to contact me if you would like to come to a lecture.
- You can listen to three "LAVALU" songs on the NCRV Radio site for Ongekend Talent. Go to the site, click on "Bands" and you can find us on the page for bands starting with an.... "L". If you like the songs you can vote for them by clicking on the "Thumbs Up" underneath the song name. The more votes we get the higher our ranking. That may eventually lead to more wealth and fame! :-) One of the songs is a live version of "All the Stars" from our concert for the NCRV Radio.
- With Yoga there are lots of different positions for your body. They are called Asanas. Here is a picture of somebody practicing an asana called "Setubandha Sarvangasana". It is said that this posture requires considerable strenght in the neck, shoulders and back and years of practice to achieve. It should not be attempted without supervision!
- Modern Yoga practitioners (from Austria) have found ways to enjoy this posture wherever they like, not needing special tools or surroundings. But I'm quite certain they have been practicing this for years to reach a state of perfection. Notice the supervisor sitting in an upright position:
:-)
25 November
- Oh boy, there's no time for anything. Right now is such a busy time with lots of concerts and rehearsals. That's pretty great, basically, but I notice a tendency within me to stress myself out more than is necessary... Anyone out there who doesn't know that feeling? :-) Anyway, I still know basically nothing about setting up a website (which is why there are still no songs to be found here), but I gave it another try with a very basic version of a site for my band Robinson, Freitag & Caruso. It's only a preliminary version that will be updated and improved, but it's better than nothing. The only problem is that, again, I can't put any mp3s on it. What's a band without any songs to present itself? If there's anyone out there who can help me out on this.. I'd be greatful! I hope to be able to post some real news again soon. Cheers! Yo
There is a great new German book out by Lama Ole Nydahl. It's called "Der Buddha und die Liebe" (Buddha and Love) and sheds some light on this mysteriously attractive subject from a buddhist point of view. Very enlightening reading material!
16 November
- The competition is closed. We have a lucky winner!! It's REMCO VAN EIJNDHOVEN from Nijmegen. Congratulations. The CD will be in your hands on saturday.
- The next competition will be up in a short while. The prize will be a brand new, beautifully shiny LAVALU CD!!
- Last week I went to Spain for a couple of gigs with my trio "Yacusy". That was great! Going there in 20 hours straight, very nice playing together, beautiful landscape and not to forget the food. Oh boy the food! We were part of a Jazzfestival in Gijon and shared the bill with such greats as Jack DeJohnette, John Patitucci and Joshua Redman. Good company! More on this soon.
1 November
- The competition has started. It's hidden in one of these pages. Go look for it if you like. Who wouldn't want to get a FREE CD?
- I've added a new section called "Reviews & Accolades" on the "Music" page.
29 October
- Hahahaha.. for all Star Wars fans! Check out this clip of Hip Hop Yoda!
22 October
- I had a lot of fun (as you can see..) shooting photos with Uli Wentzlaff-Eggebert and Christoph Mac-Carty today. Now I proudly present our official "Robinson, Freitag & Caruso" press-photo:
- In a short while I will start a little competition on this site. I will send the winner of the first round a free CD of my band "Van Veenendaal, Kneer, Sun". Details will follow soon so keep watching the site. The only rule is: if you've won once, you cannot enter again.
Filthy rebel scum, beware of the "Spud Trooper"!
- Go see "Wallace & Gromit and the Were-Rabbit" (if you haven't already). It's fun! Don't forget to bring cheese and crackers.
19 October
- Last friday Marielle and I ("Lavalu") played at the Stella Theater in Den Haag. We were the last act after the Stella company premiered a new programme that consists of two little theater plays and two "sensory experiences". It was a perfectly wonderful and very inspired concert, but then again it just had to be. The Stella people are really, really great and I was amazed by the good atmosphere and the beautiful place they created in Den Haag. I certainly plan on going to see some of their other plays. Check out their website if you like.
- Next friday the new "I Compani" repertoire premiers at the Schouwburg in Gouda. Here's the band:
standing: Bo, Ewout, Jeroen, Haas, Meinrad, Albert sitting: Tessa, Quirine, Yonga, Michel
- A while ago I was asked to make a performance using different kinds of glass as part of a series of perfomances that were scattered throughout downtown Arnhem (called "Ommetje Arnhem"). Having never done this before, I was quite challenged by the task and came up with "soundscapes" that were surprising not only to the audience, but most of all to myself. In the process I learned how to use a Boss Loop Station with which I could record the sounds and build phrases to which I then added new layers of sounds and effects. I was super nervous up to the moment that we had the first run-through and actually destroyed a couple of wine glasses during the first performance. In order not to become a public hazard I tried to calm my nerves and fortunately succeeded very quickly. Anyway:
This whole project was conceived and executed by the Arnhem based musictheater group "de Plaats". Their next project is a contemporary version of Shakespeare's MacBeth (Maakbet) with only two actors and eight singers. They will be performing from 3 to 16 november in and around Arnhem. Check out their website for exact playing times. By the way: half of the actors is actually Marielle Woltring who also happens to be half of Lavalu. What a coincidence! (Well.. sometimes she's only a third of Lavalu, but anyway..)
Arnhem's own comicbook artist Jeroen Steehouwer will present his new book "Waarvan leeft de mens?" on friday 21 october in the "Centrum Beeldende Kunst Arnhem". The stories are based on Russian author Leo Tolstoj's works. This will also be the opening of an exposition of his original drawings for the book that can be visited until the 27th of november. Click on the links to get more information.
- Here's another cool Breakdancing video clip. (You need a fast internet connection to view it)
11 October
- Breakdancing is sooooooo cool!! Watch THIS.
10 October
- I'm way too late with this announcement, but if you don't have anything to do tonight you can come to Den Bosch and be part of the audience for "Lavalu's" little concert for the NCRV Radio. There will be three groups playing at the Koningstheater in Den Bosch between 20h and 2245h. The concert will be aired on Radio 2 on November 6 as part of their program "Volgspot". Tickets for the concert cost only € 3,50.
- Finally, my long time trio "Yacusy" will be playing again. Dirk (organ) and I will be heading to Spain where we'll meet our saxophone player Kox who's doing his masters studies in Barcelona. We'll be playing in Oviedo on November 9 and in San Sebastian on November 11. Come by if you happen to be in the area! :-)
- The Young VIPs Tour, which is part of the price I won with my band "Robinson, Freitag & Caruso" at the Dutch Jazz Competition, is booked. We will be playing 10 concerts in January and February 2006 together with DiMaMi Extended (featuring Anton Goudsmit & Mete Erker). I'm really looking forward to this! Check out the music page for tour dates.
- "Robinson, Freitag & Caruso" will be recording a CD in December which will hopefully be out by the time our tour starts in January.
19 September
Next week tuesday (September 27th) Lama Ole Nydahl is giving a lecture at "De Rode Hoed" in Amsterdam about the Basics of Buddhism. Very interesting stuff. Very interesting person. The lecture starts at 8 pm and will be given in English. It's for everyone who's interested in the way things are in our world.
17 September
- Thanks to everybody who came to our little LAVALU concert at my rehearsalstudio. What a nice evening that was! There were 22 people so that the small room was snuggly packed. It felt like this was what music is all about. An intimate atmosphere - the audience is so close that they hear the exact same sounds as the musicians. It's all about the music. I somehow had to think of the stories of people jamming in their New York lofts all night long and really getting into that place where music is magic. Thank you Marielle and Oene!!
- Here are some pictures of ROBINSON, FREITAG & CARUSO at the Dutch Jazz Competition finals. They are taken from the Sena magazine "Performer".
Playing.
Happy winners.
:-)
- I added the picture with Tom Brechtlein in the 10 September posting below.
10 September
- LAVALU had a great concert in Arnhem yesterday. Energy! Great audience, nice place "Kultuurhuis Bosch". Can't wait to play again. We opened for the band "Rainpoets" who presented their new CD. Nice band, good music, really nice people (Yo Martijn!!). Marielle and I played as a duo so let's see how there's even more power with Oene van Geel playing with us next thursday.
- I COMPANI (in it's new form) played for the first time last week. Wow, I really like the music. And really nice musicians to be with. I'm looking forward to the upcoming concerts!
- Oh man.. playing with the GUUS TANGELDER BIG BAND last tuesday was on of the most exhausting concerts ever. It was super hot, we played lots and lots of songs many of which were so new that it took all my energy to stay on top. Nice music though. Let's see if it'll be a bit more relaxed on September 18th in Velp. Guests are: Ilja Reingoud (trombone), Ronald Douglas (vocals), Frans Vermeersen (saxophone), Michael Gustorff (violin) and André Groen (percussion).
- The Dutch drum magazine SLAGWERKKRANT has an article about the drummers of this year's North Sea Jazz festival. It includes a small section about my performance at the Dutch Jazz Competiton's finals. There is also a picture of me and the great thing is that it is next to a picture of Chick Corea's drummer Tom Brechtlein!
This is so great because Tom was my first introduction to jazz drums when I was 15 years old. Kind of the first role model for my future career. You can read about that in my biography in the "More" section.
- And I'm on the "HOT 'N' COOL BAROMETER" in SLAGWERKKRANT again. This time on the 6th place. Guess who's in 3rd??? Bill Stewart, one of my all-time drumheroes!!! Cool!!
- Anyone who's interested can come to the BUDDHIST LECTURE at my place next tuesday, September 13th. The topic will be "How to handle disturbing emotions". It will be held in English by the Greek/American buddhist teacher Tasso Kallianiotis and costs 5,- Euros.
20 August
- I started putting up a little biography on the "More" page.
On allaboutjazz.com I found an interesting article about the other side of the North Sea Jazz festival. It focuses on the smaller, less promoted acts and events that happen in the shadow of the superstars. You can read it here.
- Man, I saw the Wayne Shorter Group last week at the Marciac Jazz Festival in France and I just can't stop telling everyone how great these guys are. Their spirit and energy are unbelievable. There was so much creativity going on that it seemed almost like a sensory overkill to me. But in the good way!!
The Wayne Shorter Group as seen from my seat.
Oh boy, if ever you get the chance you should go check these guys out. They had to play three (or maybe even four?) encores and I don't know how they did it, but the kept the intensity up till the end. It's one thing to have gigs every weekend and to put all your energy and focus in them, but these guys do it almost every night. And on such a high level. I wish I could travel with this band for a while. Set up the drums, make coffee, clean up after them, whatever. Just to feel what it's like to be there every night. What do these people talk about? How do they spend their days? What do they eat? I don't know about Danilo Perez, but as far as I know Wayne Shorter is a buddhist and John Patitucci and Brian Blade are christians. How does that influence their playing and overall being? Maybe I'll one day get the chance to ask them myself..
Next month "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes" by Bill Watterson will be released. It does have a rather heavy price tag ($150), but cartoons don't get much better than this. Here's a good site with lots of information about the boy and his tiger (and the guy who gave them life).
Another good buy is "The Complete Far Side" by Gary Larson. Like Watterson's work these cartoons are timeless.
- Here's an interesting Blog by someone who shares his thoughts about book design, graphic design, typography, music, etc.
- I just read the first two books of the "Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis (a close friend of J.R.R. Tolkien). It's a series of seven books for children (and adults of course) from the 1950s that I've been wanting to read for a long time. Now that they're making a movie of the first book I thought I finally have to do it. Wouldn't it be a shame to only have the movie's images instead of your own? It's a beautiful fantasy story. Recommended. A tip: Don't read the books in the chronological order, but rather in the order they were written and originally published. It's more magical!
26 July
- This year's Streetmusic Tour will take me through France from the 2nd til the 17th of August. Four weeks ago I bought a car that easily fits a lot of musicians and instruments. It's a Volkswagen Transporter (T5), the perfect Band Bus! Let's see where the tour will take us and if we can earn enough money to pay for all the costs. We'll hopefully be able to impress some bar- or restaurantowners enough to get some paid gigs for next year!
My new best friend ;-)
- If you own a VW T4 or T5 yourself or are interested in buying one, check out this site: WEETJEWEL (for all Dutch speaking people). It's got tons of useful information and lots of nice people in the forum who can answer almost any question. A good German site is the T5 Board.
25 July
- The busy times are over for a short while.. it's SUMMER HOLIDAYS!! I wish everyone a great vacation! And for those who don't know which book to take on their vacation trip:
I just finished reading the recently published "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". Whew! Great book again. What a story, certainly not just kids stuff anymore. I'm actually glad that I finished it so I can finally put my head to more "serious" things again (like cleaning the kitchen, repairing my car..).
13 July
The recent edition of the Dutch drummers' magazine SLAGWERKKRANT" has put me on the 9th place of their "HOT 'N' COOL BAROMETER". Last time that place was occupied by Terry Bozzio! It's funny. I never thought to find my name printed in a drum magazine.
- Go buy the new Wayne Shorter CD "Beyond the Soundbarrier". It contains live recordings of the world's best band (in my opinion). Featuring: Danilo Perez (piano), John Patitucci (double bass) and my hero Brian Blade (drums). If you liked "Footprints live" then this one will be just right!
- Another hot pick is Joshua Redman's new Elastic Band CD called "Momentum". Kick-ass grooves by Jeff Ballard, Brian Blade and ?uestlove!! Great sounds and bass playing by Sam Yahel (and also Meshell Ndegeocello and Flea) and of course Joshua Redman.
12 July
- If you'd like to be notified when this site is updated or something musically interesting is happening you can send your email-adress to yonga@yonga.info.
10 July
Ok, so June has been rather cheap on updates, but not anymore! It's July now!! (...you gotta love my stupid jokes... :-)
- Last Sunday LAVALU (Marielle & I), together with Oene van Geel, won the singersongwriter award at the JUTTERS FESTIVAL in Wijk aan Zee. That's our first step to stardom! Also, the CD is finally out and it's soooo nice to have a finished product. It looks and sounds great and is actually my second "professional" CD out (the first being with my trio "VAN VEENENDAAL / KNEER / SUN"). The third one is coming soon because:
Yesterday my band "ROBINSON, FREITAG & CARUSO" won the Dutch Jazz Competition!! This is in addition to my soloist award so I'm twice as happy. This means that we'll be part of the Young VIPs tour in the beginning of 2006. We'll share the bill with the beautiful band DiMaMi (Dion Nijland - bass, Makkie van Engelen - drums, Miguel Boelens - sax). In addition to that we'll get the chance to record a CD and play at next year's North Sea Jazz festival. Great!! We are soooo happy to have won and personally I am very happy to have these new opportunities with these great guys. I have to get used to all the praise I am getting and hope that I will always stay grounded. Please hit me in the face if you notice that I'm losing it!
Here are some quotes from the jury regarding my soloist award: ‘a high level of artistry, dazzling technique without gimmicks, provoking dynamics, the complete use of the drum pallet and a strong communicative partner within the group.’
- For all friends of the funny and bizarre, check out some of the hilarious video clips on this site for Big Boys.
- If you like Batman go see "BATMAN BEGINS". It's a great and dark movie that's very true to the comic books and still very realistic.
2 June
- I am featured in this week's Spotlight on the Jazzserver. No news really, just a recollection of my thoughts below, but nice anyway.
1 June
- The Dark Side of the Force is strong in DARTH TATER!!
(An old Mr. Potato Head toy in the form of Darth Vader)
31 May
- Some quick thoughts about the band "FULL FATHOM FIVE". This is a fairly new band and the first concert a couple of weeks ago felt like a disaster. Difficult songs, not enough preperation.. But the next gig was really, really nice! I think there is a lot of potential. Free playing, freaky arrangements, odd meters. I actually felt a bit embarrased about the odd meters because it's all rather new to me whereas it's just a piece of cake for bassist Mark Haanstra. Kudos to bandleader Tobias Klein for keeping it up! And, again, the musicians are just super nice to be with. I feel so fortunate because I seem to be making music with so many warm and beautiful people. That's quite a luxury! I hope we'll be playing a lot more with this setting. So, Tobias: KEEP IT UP!! :-)
30 May
I just got back from the semi-finals for the Dutch Jazz Competition at the Bimhuis (Amsterdam). What a nice place! This was my first visit to the new Bimhuis and I must say it feels very nice. Comfortable like the old one. Anyway, my band "ROBINSON, FREITAG & CARUSO" made it through to the finals at the North Sea Jazz festival on July 9th. It was quite exciting to play. A competitive atmosphere where you have to "show 'em what ya got" within 20 minutes is always good for some excitement and sweaty hands. But most of all I just love to play with these guys (Christoph MacCarty & Uli Wentzlaff-Eggebert). They are such beautiful people and great musicians; we're always having a ball on (and off) stage. And they give me so much freedom playing their music that I feel like a child in a candy store. They really write beautiful songs which I'm allowed to destroy any way I like. :-) This actually led to a great thing tonight. I don't remember when I was ever so excited and taken by surprise by an unexpected event (maybe I never was?). After this guy had told everyone which bands had made it he went on to talk about this other price they had. It's for a musician that, according to them, has shown some special qualities or musicality or whatever. And then after lots and lots of describing what it actually was and for whom and when and why he finally anounced the winner of this year's "soloist award". ME! Man, was I flabbergasted. I was actually sitting there with my mouth open and my face must have reflected utter amazement. The thing is that I didn't even play a real solo! Just some sounds and funny things, but apparently that's not what this is all about. It seems to be more about proppelling the music. Blending in with the band and taking the lead at times. Being inside the music and giving it a certain edge. Anyway, I am very happy about this acknowledgement of what I'm doing. This award certainly encourages me to keep looking and going!
- By the way: this is the third year in a row that a drummer has won the soloist award! Joost Lijbaart (Agog) won in 2003 and last year's award went to Flin van Hemmen. Who says drummers ain't musical???
26 May
- GO SEE STAR WARS - EPISODE 3!!! Unbelievable! Super exciting! George Lucas is a genius. He actually managed to connect the old and the new trilogy. What a great movie. What a great epos!
24 May
- Who wouldn't want to drink Canadian coffee and eat Canadian pastries together with a REAL CANADIAN?? Check out this crazy ebay auction!!
21 May
- My band "ROBINSON, FREITAG & CARUSO" has been selected for the Dutch Jazz Competition. Wish us luck for the semi-finals at the Bimhuis (Amsterdam) on Sunday, May 29th!
11 May
- If you have NOT seen THE MEATRIX yet, you should do so now! Wonderful persiflage, important topic. By the makers of STORE WARS.
10 May
For all fans of STAR WARS and for all those who want to eat good food, take a look at the STORE WARS!
- And don't forget: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH starts May 19th!!
8 May
- Ok, so finally I got around to improving my site a bit. I still don't know anything about uploading MP3s or any other fancy stuff, but it WILL happen!
- Anyone who has the chance should go and see (and hear!!) Meshell Ndegeocello in De Boerderij in Zoetermeer on May 19th. I saw her a month ago in Paradiso (Amsterdam) and it was one of the baddest kick-ass concerts I have ever been to. Meshell grooves like no other, but the drummer Chris Dave really stole the show. Pure energy and improvisation. GROOVE!! I'll definitely be in Zoetermeer!
The new CD of my trio "Van Veenendaal / Kneer / Sun" is out now. Keep checking the music page for upcoming concerts. Listen to two songs here.
LAVALU's new EP is almost finished and we'll be participating in the Popronde, which hopefully means that we'll be playing a lot in September through November. Marielle and I are very curious as to how people will react to our often-almost-over-the-top music on CD. Let's hope that Oene van Geel has less work than usual so he can play more with us!! :-)
- The VERMeersen/VERMeulen Quartet also has some new audio material so if anyone wants to book this adventurous band: let me know!!
- And I am STILL working on getting the "Van den Broeck / Nendza / Sun" CD out. All I need is some good artwork (who'd want another one of those crappy looking CDs of which there are so many out there..) and a wee bit of money to finish the whole thing. The music is really, really nice, but that's usually the least of all worries.
- Why is it that the good gigs so often come in threes (or twos or fours..) on the same day and you can only play one? It would have been so nice to be able to say "Yes, I am free to play in Ecuador next week!" or "No problem to go to Tel Aviv in November!", but alas... previous commitments. :-(
________________________________________
Yonga Sun Karel van Gelderstraat 19-2 6828 HL Arnhem (The Netherlands)
eMail yonga@yonga.info Phone +31 (0)26 443 6 553 Mobile +31 (0)6 180 879 21
Skype yongasun MSN yongamaik@hotmail.com
________________________________________
