Dear reader,
The past updates were mainly based on insane crowds, stadium tours, foreign countries, champagne and mega stars. And to be honest with you: Nothing really changed the past months, ( just returned from the great Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival on Aruba with Di-rect), but this time I won’t waste your time with stories about my actual glamorous life, sandy beaches, chicks and glamour-jazz, even while I feel tempted to do so: NO! This time I will write about two even more important subjects: The joy of playing and my place of birth!
Finally, after years and years, these two subjects will unite when I hit the stage in Schiedam, my birthplace with the living legend himself: drummer John Engels! I am very pleased to be part of John’s ‘Dream formation’ which also features another dear friend: Benjamin Herman on alto sax!
My ultimate musical dream is to be able to play with the same joy and fire as I feel today for the rest of my life, and John is one of the very few people I know who does that. John might be 82 but he will never get old, and don’t let his age fool you, because he still kicks ass on stage and swings like no one else.
I really enjoy, after all those insane tours, concerts and recording sessions to finally play in Schiedam, because that’s the place where it all started for me. I remember my mother joining me to my first trumpet lesson at ‘the Blauwe Brug, (which is sadly demolished), playing songs for my neighbors, my friends shouting my name when they heard me play outside, the many practice sessions in my room, ( eventually I didn’t practice at all, but it all changed when I attended the’ Havo voor Muziek en Dans’, a secondary school for talented musicians and dancers. It just feels like yesterday.
Off course my parents, who are fortunately both in good health and even live in the same house where me and my sister grew up, will be our special guests. I can’t wait!
Oct 14 Live at the Music Distillery, Schiedam, John Engels dream formation, main stage 15:00