AprilCadence2013

Aili Deiwiks – vln; Saskia
Meijs – vla (Tango & Impro
only); Jacqueline Hamelink –
cel; Arjen Gorter – b (Garbo
only); Marko Bonarius
(Tango & Impro only); Rob
Verdurmen – d (Garbo only);
Andre Groen – d (Tango &
Impro only); Simin Tander
– vcl (Tango & Impro only).
Garbo recorded spring,
2012 in Amsterdam, Tilburg,
Nijmegen, Arnhem, Neth.
Tango And Impro recorded
12/27/11, Nijmegen, Neth.
New Issues
123 | CadenCe Magazine | april May June 2013
for the strings and trombone could be adapted by a
classical ensemble. "Barbarella" is a nifty piece of
misterioso sci-fi music with a heavily reverbed electric
piano providing an appropriate backdrop.
The second disc is entitled Tango And Impro and is
from a year earlier (with a slightly different personnel).
It stems from a concert memorial to recently deceased
actress Maria Schneider. Best known for her role in Last
Tango In Paris, Schneider had a lengthy career (less
known in the U.S. than in Europe) and died in 2011 of
cancer at the age of 58. The suite consists of original
compositions by van de Graaf as well as excerpts of
Gato Barbieri's music for the movie Last Tango In Paris.
Two of Barbieri's tracks have been arranged by Dutch
pianist Loek Dikker. One of the best features of this
performance is the wordless vocals of Simin Tander.
On "Brand" she floats above the ensemble imbuing the
music with a free, unfettered quality while remaining
an integral part of the ensemble.
The current edition of I Compani is one of the best van
de Graaf has ever assembled. The frontline horn section
of sax, trumpet and trombone sounds bigger than it
is. Trombonist Sparla has a couple of features where
he vindicates himself nicely. Doomernik is a strong
trumpeter as his opening blast on Garbo (as well as his
playing throughout) demonstrates. The string section
and bandoneon gives the ensemble a wide range of
unusual textures at its disposal. The discrete use of
electronics from pianist MacCarty only amplifies this
character. The relatively recent addition of the rhythm
section of Gorter and Verdurmen are the perfect
players for this music. They worked together for 35
years as Willem Breuker's rhythm section and have an
intuitive way of playing together and driving a group
without ever overwhelming it. It's always a joy to listen
to them.But, ultimately, this is van de Graaf's band and
he knows how to steer it. He gives the musicians
a freedom to be themselves yet they also seem to live