Dutch jazz band for Kampala
Apr 22, 2004
Jazz lovers call it jazz. Soul lovers call it soul. Whatever you call it, their sound is a fresh and exciting mix of highly danceable, funky, groovy music and it has a Latin flavour. Now one of the hottest bands on the Dutch music scene is bringing it to Kampala.
By Sebidde Kiryowa
Jazz lovers call it jazz. Soul lovers call it soul. Whatever you call it, their sound is a fresh and exciting mix of highly danceable, funky, groovy music and it has a Latin flavour. Now one of the hottest bands on the Dutch music scene is bringing it to Kampala.
Sponsored by the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the internationally renowned band, New Cool Collective, will perform at Sabrina’s Pub in Kampala on May 1 (Labour Day) at 9:00pm, and at Club Obbligato on May 2 at 8:00pm. Entrance fee for both shows is sh3,500.
New Cool Collective are: Benjamin Herman (Sax, Flute), Frank van (dokkie) Dock (Congas), Lopez (Bass), Anton Goudsmit (Guitar), Willem Friede (Fender Rhodes), Joost Kroon (Drums), David Rockefeller (Trumpet) and Jos de Haas (Percussion).
Mascini Francesco, an official at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Kampala says: “The band’s gigs, with their winging mix of tunes and song, generally inspire an enthusiastic crowd on the dance floor.†He says the band will perform tracks off their several albums, including Bring It On, their latest, which was nominated for the Edison Jazz Award (Dutch equivalent of the Grammy Awards) in 2003.
According to their official website, New Cool Collective, founded in 1994, comprises some of the coolest musicians on the Dutch music scene. Benjamin Herman, the band leader and lead saxophonist, became a well-known musician in the European jazz circuit. He has won many prizes, including a scholarship to study at the Manhattan school of music in New York.
A visit to New York’s famous jazz club ‘Giant Steps’ inspired Benjamin to start organising parties in Amsterdam. ‘Soul Kitchen’ was the first club in Amsterdam to pick up the idea of hosting a (jazz) band and a DJ on the same night. It was not long before these gigs became a popular event and the band had to find another bigger location due to the increasing number of guests.
Although the new location ‘Naar Boven’ was more like a live-music establishment rather than a dance club, the crowds loved the combination of funky jazz music and groovy Latin records, creating the chance to develop their unique sound, with its great groovy rhythm section, as it is now.
These regular gigs at ‘Naar Boven’ led to performances at major festivals and parties in the Netherlands, including the North Sea Jazz Festival (The Hague), at ‘Club 802 parties’ in ‘Paradiso’ (Amsterdam), the Jazz Bop and Beach Bop parties on the beach at Bloemendaal as well as several concerts featuring Roy Hargrove.
An exciting recent development is the New Cool Collective Big Band, the 19-piece line-up, which first appeared every other Monday at the Meander Café in Amsterdam.
Their first album Big Mondays became a huge success and, with their swinging mix of arranged tunes, New Cool Collective always found an enthusiastic crowd on the dance floor.
In February 1998, the group released their second album More! which was followed by a tour that took the group to Camden’s famous Jazz Café in London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
In 1999, they released their third album BIG! (featuring Georgie Fame) for which they received an Edison. On their second tour of London, the group participated in the Camden’s Mix Festival and the Aberdeen Alternative Festival.
Since 2000, the band has performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Capetown, South Africa, Messin’ Around 4th Birthday in London and the Latin Massive Event in Bristol (U.K) as well as touring festivals in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In 2001 the band received the Heinken Crossover award and signed with Sony Music.
Their fourth album Bring it on was released in September 2002 and nominated for the Edison Jazz Award 2003.
Jazz lovers call it jazz. Soul lovers call it soul. Whatever you call it, their sound is a fresh and exciting mix of highly danceable, funky, groovy music and it has a Latin flavour. Now one of the hottest bands on the Dutch music scene is bringing it to Kampala.
Sponsored by the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the internationally renowned band, New Cool Collective, will perform at Sabrina’s Pub in Kampala on May 1 (Labour Day) at 9:00pm, and at Club Obbligato on May 2 at 8:00pm. Entrance fee for both shows is sh3,500.
New Cool Collective are: Benjamin Herman (Sax, Flute), Frank van (dokkie) Dock (Congas), Lopez (Bass), Anton Goudsmit (Guitar), Willem Friede (Fender Rhodes), Joost Kroon (Drums), David Rockefeller (Trumpet) and Jos de Haas (Percussion).
Mascini Francesco, an official at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Kampala says: “The band’s gigs, with their winging mix of tunes and song, generally inspire an enthusiastic crowd on the dance floor.†He says the band will perform tracks off their several albums, including Bring It On, their latest, which was nominated for the Edison Jazz Award (Dutch equivalent of the Grammy Awards) in 2003.
According to their official website, New Cool Collective, founded in 1994, comprises some of the coolest musicians on the Dutch music scene. Benjamin Herman, the band leader and lead saxophonist, became a well-known musician in the European jazz circuit. He has won many prizes, including a scholarship to study at the Manhattan school of music in New York.
A visit to New York’s famous jazz club ‘Giant Steps’ inspired Benjamin to start organising parties in Amsterdam. ‘Soul Kitchen’ was the first club in Amsterdam to pick up the idea of hosting a (jazz) band and a DJ on the same night. It was not long before these gigs became a popular event and the band had to find another bigger location due to the increasing number of guests.
Although the new location ‘Naar Boven’ was more like a live-music establishment rather than a dance club, the crowds loved the combination of funky jazz music and groovy Latin records, creating the chance to develop their unique sound, with its great groovy rhythm section, as it is now.
These regular gigs at ‘Naar Boven’ led to performances at major festivals and parties in the Netherlands, including the North Sea Jazz Festival (The Hague), at ‘Club 802 parties’ in ‘Paradiso’ (Amsterdam), the Jazz Bop and Beach Bop parties on the beach at Bloemendaal as well as several concerts featuring Roy Hargrove.
An exciting recent development is the New Cool Collective Big Band, the 19-piece line-up, which first appeared every other Monday at the Meander Café in Amsterdam.
Their first album Big Mondays became a huge success and, with their swinging mix of arranged tunes, New Cool Collective always found an enthusiastic crowd on the dance floor.
In February 1998, the group released their second album More! which was followed by a tour that took the group to Camden’s famous Jazz Café in London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
In 1999, they released their third album BIG! (featuring Georgie Fame) for which they received an Edison. On their second tour of London, the group participated in the Camden’s Mix Festival and the Aberdeen Alternative Festival.
Since 2000, the band has performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Capetown, South Africa, Messin’ Around 4th Birthday in London and the Latin Massive Event in Bristol (U.K) as well as touring festivals in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In 2001 the band received the Heinken Crossover award and signed with Sony Music.
Their fourth album Bring it on was released in September 2002 and nominated for the Edison Jazz Award 2003.