Some time ago I succesfully concluded my Creative Coach Pool sessions with Gert Jan Janssen (Hof van Twello). An article/interview about these sessions appeared in the first edition of Ongezouten Magazine. With beautiful photography by Femke Teussink.

Finished buiding this website for Baufrau some time ago. Just came online. It’s another Wordpress powered website. Baufrau is also known as Aukje Grouwstra, who made the design for this website. She’s working hard to get the content sorted, so there will probably be some updates shortly.

On the 9th of October my Rockin’ Chair springs back into action at Blog-art in Theater aan het Spui in The Hague. It will be played by Matt Harris this time. Blog-art is a special event by and for creative webloggers. For this occasion I was interviewed by Marco Raaphorst. Check the interview here (in dutch). I’ll probably post some more info about Blog-art here soon.

Two releases by my label esc.rec. got great reviews again in the latest Gonzo Circus, one of my favorite magazines, the only I actually subscribe to. Check the reviews here and here. Oh, and there’s also an interview with me about Havenkwartier Deventer in the same edition.

Friday, September 18: The 8th edition of ass-crack stage-hack is comprised of solo and duo performances by Jozef van Wissem and James Blackshaw, preceded by another exclusive three course diner by Jean Klare. This time the ass-crack stage-hack quite literally hacks a stage, because at the same time the video manifestation ‘Prognosis for the Future‘ takes place in Havenkwartier Deventer.

Jozef van Wissem (US)
Jozef van Wissem is a Dutch minimalist composer and lute player. He is renowned for his unusual approach of the Renaissance and Baroque lute, probably the most unlikely instruments in the world of contemporary music. Van Wissem wrote out mirror images of hundreds of classical lute tablature pieces, copying them out from the bottom right to the top left corner. To these inversions he added new themes, accents and rhythms. He then applied the ‘cut up’ technique of writer William Burroughs and cut, shifted, mixed and pasted the parts together to create new works. One critic has compared this work to that of German painter Georg Baselitz, who paints upside down.

Van Wissem has accomplished the strange feat of bridging the idiom of seventeenth century lute literature and twenty-first century contemporary music Although he uses subtle electronic sound manipulation, he has largely stayed faithful to the particular timbre, resonance and playing technique of the lute.

Together with James Blackshaw Jozef van Wissem forms the duo Brethren of the Free Spirit.

James Blackshaw (UK)
Initially inspired by the guitarists of the 60’s Takoma label to teach himself fingerpicking, James Blackshaw writes long-form pieces primarily for solo 12-string guitar and piano that are heavily influenced by minimalist composers and European classical music and which use drones, overtones and repeating patterns alongside a strong inclination for melody to create instrumental music that is both intelligent, hypnotic and emotionally charged.

His fingerpicking mantras are as melodic as a music box, gliding through dizzying tempos like clockwork… Such is the silky control he exherts over his instrument, Blackshaw often sounds more like a court harpist than a backwoods strummer. Whereas kindred spirits like John Fahey and Robbie Basho looked East for their Raga-inspired guitar diversions, Blackshaw instead sounds more East-Coast: his long-distance guitar tunes recalling NY minimalism, or Sonic Youth, as arranged for chamber orchestra. Mesmerising stuff, and proof that less is often more.

Goesting-Jockey Jean Klare
If you do not only want to treat your ears to a feast, but also want to have your culinairy senses stroked, please join us for a meal! Amateur-caterer and ‘goesting-jockey’ Jean Klare prepares extatic pleasure for the taste buds this evening; a three course diner, including an excellent wine selection, for only 25 euro. You do however need to make a reservation for this culinairy treat. Just send an email to harco@escrec.com.

Entrance: 5 euro (30 euro including diner)
Date: vrijdag 18 september
Start diner: 19:00 hrs
Start concerts: 21:00 hrs
Location: Havenkwartier Deventer