专辑简介

Sometime in the late 90’s I heard singer Leoni Jansen stand up for Dutch traditional music on the radio. Traditionals only hold a marginal place in the Netherlands, certainly in comparison with the role they play in other European countries. The radio programme sparked my interest and in the years that followed I immersed myself in the world of minnesongs, watchmen songs and old dance music from the Low Lands. I was already involved in a long-standing collaboration with drummer Wim Kegel and bass player Jan Voogd, and the idea slowly emerged to incorporate these traditional strands into our trio music.

In Songs and Dances we interpret nine traditionals, some of which are more than seven centuries old. While reworking these pieces we sometimes stayed close to the original, as with In ‘t soetste van den meye (The sweetness of May), De nachtegael die sanc een liet (The nightingale, it sang a song) and Ick seg adieu (I bid you adieu). Other songs, such as Ik voele mij gedrongen (I feel compelled), Die winter is verganghen (Winter has passed) and Het daghet in den oosten (Day is dawning in the east), underwent more drastic changes and were lovingly deconstructed.

In addition to seven trio pieces, Songs and Dances also presents each of us in a solo piece. Wim’s Oost en west (East and west) is the only original composition on the CD and also the only track with overdubs.