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Philip de Villiers en die Blinde Boereorkes

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Onderhoud op RSG 1 April 2011.mp3
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Onderhoud op RSG 1 April 2011.mp3
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Released: Apr 27, 2011
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Die Blinde Boereorkes op TV

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  • Genre: Folk

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    Profile Views: 6828

    Last Login: 8/24/2011

    Member Since 3/11/2009

    Website www.myspace.com/blindeorkes

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  • Bio

    .. [VIR BESPREKINGS E-POS info@blindeorkes.co.za of skakel 0826211305 ].. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Biografie: Philip de Villiers en die Blinde Boere Orkes</span> Die Blinde Boereorkes is 'n groep siggestremde musikante verbonde aan die Instituut vir Blindes in Worcester. Die orkes werk reeds drie jaar saam met die sanger-liedjieskrywer Philip de Villiers, wat hulle ontdek het by sy ma se sewentigste verjaarsdag op die plattelandse Weskusdorpie, Aurora. "My swaer is die siggestremde skrywer en regisseur, Jaco Botha. Hy het voorgestel dat my ma, 'n groot boeremusiek-liefhebber, die orkes bespreek vir haar verjaarsdagpartytjie. Toe ek daarvan te hore kom, het ek besluit om haar te verras met 'n liedjie wat ek spesiaal vir die geleentheid wou skryf in 'n boeremusiek-styl. Ek het sopas teruggekeer van 'n vakansie in Zanzibar, en moes die liedjie toe maar in transito skryf in die motor, gedurende die twee-uur-lange rit vanaf Kaapstad na Aurora. Ek het die liedjie voltooi soos ons die dorp binnegery het, en dadelik na die landbousaal gegaan om dit voor te lê aan die orkes." "Wat my eerste opgeval het, was met hoeveel gevoel hierdie manne speel. Hulle ego het totaal ontbreek, iets wat nie baie algemeen is in ons musiekbedryf nie" sê Philip. "Vir die orkeslede gaan dit net oor die musiek. Hulle ore is so fyn ingestel dat hulle binne tien minute die liedjie kon snap, en ons 'n halfuur later die partytjie kon inwy met 'Sy's oud maar sy's nie koud nie'.'" Philip sê die gehoor se reaksie het hom totaal verras. "Hulle het spontaan opgespring en begin dans, iets waaraan ek nie gewoond is nie, aangesien ek meestal gesofistikeerde popmusiek skryf en sing. Dit was so lekker om die tasbare vreugde op die gaste se gesigte te kon sien en hoe hul hulself fisies uitleef op die maat van die musiek." Dís toe dat hy die idee gekry om 'n projek aan te pak met Die Blinde Boereorkes. Ná hy vir meer as 'n jaar daarmee getalm het, het hy einde 2008 besluit om die lang tog van Kaapstad na Worcester weekliks aan te pak vir repetisies. Philip de Villiers en Die Blinde Boereorkes se repertorium bestaan hoofsaaklik uit 'n vermenging van tradisionale boeremusiek en ghoema. Dít het ook 'n interessante verhaal: "Einde 2007 het die idee my beetgepak om 'n <em>show</em> te doen by 'n Bo-Kaapse restaurant, wat hoofsaaklik sou bestaan uit outentieke liedjies uit dié geskiedkundige woonbuurt. Die Bo-Kaap Museum het my voorgestel aan 'n 83-jarige Maleier-man, Boeta Gamsa." Boeta het ou manuskripte wat al vergeel was, geërf by sy oorlede pa meer as 50 jaar terug. Volgens Boeta, wat sy lewe lank Maleierkore en van die Kaapse Klopse afrig, niemand sover belang gestel in hierdie materiaal nie. "Met die eerste oogopslag het ek besef dat hierdie materiaal 'n kultuurskat is. Kleurvolle lirieke, gevul met humor, in Afrikaans met 'n titseltjie Hollands, wat gaan oor drankmisbruik, 'n vrou wat vreeslik baie kon eet, walvis-jag, die stryd van dieVoortrekkers ensomeer, "sê Philip. Oor 'n tydperk van vyf maande het Boeta die wysies en akkoord-progressies aan hom geleer, wat hy weekliks vir die Blinde Boereorkes geleer het. Só het hul unieke klank onverwags ontstaan. Die lede van die orkes, almal werksaam en woonagtig by die Instituut vir Blindes op Worcester, bestaan uit 'n "demografiese allegaartjie," soos Philip dit stel. Oom Gerry Harrison, 84-jaar oud, speel nog 'n hond uit 'n bos met sy trekklavier. Hy het in Maart 2011 afgetree, na hy vir 'n paar dekades rottangmeubels vervaardig het by die instituut. Sakkie Reid (43) speel baskitaar, en maak bedags metaalvere vir die super-gerieflike matrasse wat by die instituut vervaardig word. Harry Smith (50), wat die kitaar linkshandig speel, vleg rottang-skinkborde, en dra by tot die ghoema-styl in die orkes. Chris Carstens (48) op tromme, doen metaalwerk en is die nuutste toevoeging tot die orkes. Met vier optredes by die 2010 FIFA Wereldbeker by die Fanjols in Kaapstad, waar hulle voor duisende mense opgetree het, 'n optrede voor President Jacob Zuma by die 2010 SATMA-toekennings op SABC1, en onderhoude op ETV-Nuus, Carte Blanche, Kwêla en Fiesta, lê daar beslis 'n blink toekoms voor vir dié orkes. Soos Sakkie Reid, die baskitaarspeler sê, "ons wil by elke dans, opskop en makietie in die land speel, en vir alle Suid-Afrikaners wys dat om 'n gestremdheid te hê nie beteken dat jy nie kan woeker met die sintuie wat jy wél het nie." MEER OOR PHILIP DE VILLIERS Philip de Villiers het grootgeword in 'n boeremusiekfamilie in die Swartland. Sy oupa-grootjie, Jan Roelofse oftewel Jan Boom, het die ukelele en die viool bespeel vir Jan Visser se boereorkes in Stellenbosch, sonder 'n wysvinger aan sy linkerhand. (Volgens oorlewering was hy gebore onder die grootste geelhoutboom in die Knysna-bos, vandaar die bynaam "Jan Boom.") Op 6-jarige ouderdom het Philip se ma, self 'n amateur-musikant, vir hom die trekklavier leer speel, wat vandag 'n groot deel vorm van sy vertonings. Hy het ook die konsertina bestudeer op 11-jarige ouderdom met die boeremusiek-maestro van Kempton Park, Nic Potgieter. "Oom Nic het vir my <em>tapes </em>gestuur met die lesse oor die pos, en die posisies op die konsertina genoteer in bladmusiek wat hy spesiaal ontwikkel het. Ek was selfs aangewys as sy Konsertina-student van die jaar!" Met die storm-en-drang van sy tienerjare, het Philip egter boeremusiek verruil vir rock-musiek, en sy konsertina vir 'n CD-speler. Ná hy jazz gestudeer het, en sy debuut-album "Ek hoor jou" vrygestel het in 2006, het hy besluit dat hy met die Blinde Boereorkes-projek wou terugkeer na sy wortels. "Dis vir my wonderlik dat ek kan terugkeer na boeremusiek, maar op my eie terme. Boeremusiek is eie aan Afrika, en dis belangrik dat dit groei en ontwikkel, permuteer, en asemhaal. Só sal die jongeres daarin belangstel en sal ons voorkom dat dit uitsterf. Ek en die Blinde Boereorkes het groot pret deur die voortbou van ons eie klank. Dis vir ons 'n heerlike, feestlike manier van uitdrukking." <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Biography: Philip de Villiers en die Blinde Boere Orkes</span> <em>Die Blinde Boereorkes</em> is a group visually impaired musicians from the Institute for The Blind in Worcester. The band has been collaborating with singer-songwriter Philip de Villiers since 2008, who discovered them at his mom's 70<sup>th</sup> birthday on Aurora, a small village on the Cape West Coast. "My brother-in-law, the visually impaired writer and TV director, Jaco Botha, suggested that my mom, a <em>boeremusiek­-</em>fanatic, books the Blinde Boereorkes for her birthday party. When I heard about it, I decided to surprise my mom with a song especially written for the occasion in 'n <em>boeremusiek­-</em>style. I just got back from a holiday in Zanzibar, which meant I had to write the song in the car en route to Aurora, which was a two hour journey. I completed the song as we drove into the village, and I immediately joined the band at the agricultural hall to rehearse the song." "What struck me first, was the amount of feeling they poured into the music. Their egos were completely absent, something which isn't very common in our music industry," says Philip. "They were only concerned with the music, their ears so finely tuned that they mastered the song within ten minutes. Half an hour later we opened the party with the new song, <em>"Sy's oud maar sy's nie koud nie (She's old but not cold)."</em> <em></em>Philip says that the audience's response caught him by surprise. "They jumped up spontaneously and took to the dance floor, something I'm not used to, since I write and perform mostly sophisticated Afrikaans pop music. It was delightful to see the tangible joy on the guests' faces, and how they physically expressed themselves to the beat of <em>boeremusiek."</em> That's when the idea was born to do a project with the Blinde Boereorkes. He kept it in the back of his mind for more than a year, and in late 2008 decided to do the weekly 2-hour commute from Cape Town to Worcester. Their repertoire, a blend of traditional boeremusiek and ghoema, also has an interesting tale: "In late 2007 I got the idea to do a show at a Bo-Kaap restaurant, which would mainly consist of authentic songs from the historic neighbourhood. The Bo-Kaap Museum introduced me to an 83-year old man from Malay descent, Boeta Gamsa. "Boeta inherited yellowed manuscripts from his father fifty years ago. According to Boeta, who has been conducting Malay choirs and the <em>Kaapse Klopse</em> all his life, no one has ever been interested to exploit this material." "When I first read the lyrics, I realised that I had a cultural treasure in my hands. Colourful lyrics, filled with humor, in Afrikaans with a tinge of Dutch, with topics like alcohol abuse, a woman who ate a lot, whale hunting and the battle of the Voortrekkers," says Philip. Over a coursre of five months Boeta taught Philip the melodies and chord progressions, which he in turn taught weekly to the Blinde Boereorkes. Inadvertently they created a new style, which they call "Boeregoema." The members of the band, who all work and live at the Institute for the Blind in Worcester, is made up of a mixed demographic: <em>Oom Gerry Harrison</em> turned 84 this year, and plays the "living daylights" out of his piano accordion. He retired in March 2011, after making cane furniture at the institute for a few decades. Sakkie Reid (43) who plays bass, manufactures metal springs for the super-comfortable mattresses which the institute manufactures. Harry Smith (50) who plays the guitar left handed, contributes to the band's ghoema flavour, and weaves cane trays by day. Chris Carstens (48) on drums, does metal work, and is the latest addition to the band. With four appearances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup "Fan Jols" in Cape Town, where they performed for thousands of soccer spectators, and an appearance in front of President Jacob Zuma at the 2010 SATMA Awards on SABC1, as well as interviews on ETV News, Carte Blanche, Kwêla and Fiesta, it is safe to say that this band is making a solid name for themselves. As Sakkie Reid, the bass player in the band says, "we want to play at every dance, <em>opskop </em>and <em>makietie</em> in this country, and show all of South Africa that having an impairment doesn't mean you can't go out there and do your thing!" MORE ABOUT PHILIP DE VILLIERS Philip de Villiers grew up in Aurora on the West Coast in a <em>Sandveldhuisie</em> without electricity. He learnt true boeremusiek accordion at his mother's knee which was passed on by his great-grandfather Jan Roelofse aka Jan Boom, who played ukelele and violin for Jan Visser's boere-orkes in Stellenbosch, even though he missed the index finger on his left hand. (His name was Jan Boom because according to legend he was born under the biggest yellow wood tree in the Knysna forest). At the age of 11 Philip studied concertina with boeremusiek icon Nic Potgieter by correspondence , but in his teenage years rebelled against it, sold the concertina and bought his first CD player to listen to rock. After school he studied jazz at the Pretoria Technikon and released his debut album, "Ek hoor jou," in 2006. He then decided to return to his roots with the Blinde Boereorkes project. "It is wonderful that I can go back to boeremusiek, but on my own terms. Boeremusiek is an indigenous form of music, with is truly South African. It is important to allow it to grow and develop, for it to breathe, so that the youngsters will have renewed interest in this form of music. I have a lot of fun with the Blinde Boereorkes, continuously shaping our sound. It's a lovely, festive form of expression."

  • Members

    CARTE BLANCHE - MAART 2009 DEEL 1 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. DEEL 2 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. INSETSEL OP KWELA - MAART 2009 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. INSETSEL OP ETV NUUS - FEBRUARIE 2009 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

  • Influences

    ....NUUS-ARTIKELS (kliek op prentjies om groot weergawes oop te maak).... ..Die Burger, 24 Februarie 2009.. .. .... .... ..Cape Times, 26 Februarie 2009.. ...... .... ..Cape Argus, 29 Februarie 2009.. ...... ....

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VIR BESPREKINGS SKAKEL 0826211305 OF EPOS info@blindeorkes.co.za Biografie: Philip de Villiers en die Blinde Boere Orkes Die Blinde Boereorkes is ‘n groep siggestremde musikante verbonde aan die Instituut vir Blindes in Worcester. Die orkes werk reeds drie jaar saam met die sanger-liedjieskrywer Philip de Villiers, wat hulle ontdek het by sy ma se sewentigste verjaarsdag op die plattelandse Weskusdorpie, Aurora. “My swaer is die siggestremde skrywer en regisseur, Jaco Botha. Hy het voorgestel dat my ma, ‘n groot boeremusiek-liefhebber, die orkes bespreek vir haar verjaarsdagpartytjie. Toe ek daarvan te hore kom, het ek besluit om haar te verras met ‘n liedjie wat ek spesiaal vir die geleentheid wou skryf in ‘n boeremusiek-styl. Ek het sopas teruggekeer van ‘n vakansie in Zanzibar, en moes die liedjie toe maar in transito skryf in die motor, gedurende die twee-uur-lange rit vanaf Kaapstad na Aurora. Ek het die liedjie voltooi soos ons die dorp binnegery het, en dadelik na die landbousaal gegaan om dit voor te lê aan die orkes.” “Wat my eerste opgeval het, was met hoeveel gevoel hierdie manne speel. Hulle ego het totaal ontbreek, iets wat nie baie algemeen is in ons musiekbedryf nie” sê Philip. “Vir die orkeslede gaan dit net oor die musiek. Hulle ore is so fyn ingestel dat hulle binne tien minute die liedjie kon snap, en ons ‘n halfuur later die partytjie kon inwy met ‘Sy’s oud maar sy’s nie koud nie’.’” Philip sê die gehoor se reaksie het hom totaal verras. “Hulle het spontaan opgespring en begin dans, iets waaraan ek nie gewoond is nie, aangesien ek meestal gesofistikeerde popmusiek skryf en sing. Dit was so lekker om die tasbare vreugde op die gaste se gesigte te kon sien en hoe hul hulself fisies uitleef op die maat van die musiek.” Dís toe dat hy die idee gekry om ‘n projek aan te pak met Die Blinde Boereorkes. Ná hy vir meer as ‘n jaar daarmee getalm het, het hy einde 2008 besluit om die lang tog van Kaapstad na Worcester weekliks aan te pak vir repetisies. Philip de Villiers en Die Blinde Boereorkes se repertorium bestaan hoofsaaklik uit ‘n vermenging van tradisionale boeremusiek en ghoema. Dít het ook ‘n interessante verhaal: “Einde 2007 het die idee my beetgepak om ‘n show te doen by ‘n Bo-Kaapse restaurant, wat hoofsaaklik sou bestaan uit outentieke liedjies uit dié geskiedkundige woonbuurt. Die Bo-Kaap Museum het my voorgestel aan ‘n 83-jarige Maleier-man, Boeta Gamsa.” Boeta het ou manuskripte wat al vergeel was, geërf by sy oorlede pa meer as 50 jaar terug. Volgens Boeta, wat sy lewe lank Maleierkore en van die Kaapse Klopse afrig, niemand sover belang gestel in hierdie materiaal nie. “Met die eerste oogopslag het ek besef dat hierdie materiaal ‘n kultuurskat is. Kleurvolle lirieke, gevul met humor, in Afrikaans met ‘n titseltjie Hollands, wat gaan oor drankmisbruik, ‘n vrou wat vreeslik baie kon eet, walvis-jag, die stryd van dieVoortrekkers ensomeer, “sê Philip. Oor ‘n tydperk van vyf maande het Boeta die wysies en akkoord-progressies aan hom geleer, wat hy weekliks vir die Blinde Boereorkes geleer het. Só het hul unieke klank onverwags ontstaan. Die lede van die orkes, almal werksaam en woonagtig by die Instituut vir Blindes op Worcester, bestaan uit ‘n “demografiese allegaartjie,” soos Philip dit stel. Oom Gerry Harrison, 84-jaar oud, speel nog ‘n hond uit ‘n bos met sy trekklavier. Hy het in Maart 2011 afgetree, na hy vir ‘n paar dekades rottangmeubels vervaardig het by die instituut. Sakkie Reid (43) speel baskitaar, en maak bedags metaalvere vir die super-gerieflike matrasse wat by die instituut vervaardig word. Harry Smith (50), wat die kitaar linkshandig speel, vleg rottang-skinkborde, en dra by tot die ghoema-styl in die orkes. Chris Carstens (48) op tromme, doen metaalwerk en is die nuutste toevoeging tot die orkes. Met vier optredes by die 2010 FIFA Wereldbeker by die Fanjols in Kaapstad, waar hulle voor duisende mense opgetree het, ‘n optrede voor President Jacob Zuma by die 2010 SATMA-toekennings op SABC1, en onderhoude op ETV-Nuus, Carte Blanche, Kwêla en Fiesta, lê daar beslis ‘n blink toekoms voor vir dié orkes. Soos Sakkie Reid, die baskitaarspeler sê, “ons wil by elke dans, opskop en makietie in die land speel, en vir alle Suid-Afrikaners wys dat om ‘n gestremdheid te hê nie beteken dat jy nie kan woeker met die sintuie wat jy wél het nie.” MEER OOR PHILIP DE VILLIERS Philip de Villiers het grootgeword in ‘n boeremusiekfamilie in die Swartland. Sy oupa-grootjie, Jan Roelofse oftewel Jan Boom, het die ukelele en die viool bespeel vir Jan Visser se boereorkes in Stellenbosch, sonder ‘n wysvinger aan sy linkerhand. (Volgens oorlewering was hy gebore onder die grootste geelhoutboom in die Knysna-bos, vandaar die bynaam “Jan Boom.”) Op 6-jarige ouderdom het Philip se ma, self ‘n amateur-musikant, vir hom die trekklavier leer speel, wat vandag ‘n groot deel vorm van sy vertonings. Hy het ook die konsertina bestudeer op 11-jarige ouderdom met die boeremusiek-maestro van Kempton Park, Nic Potgieter. “Oom Nic het vir my tapes gestuur met die lesse oor die pos, en die posisies op die konsertina genoteer in bladmusiek wat hy spesiaal ontwikkel het. Ek was selfs aangewys as sy Konsertina-student van die jaar!” Met die storm-en-drang van sy tienerjare, het Philip egter boeremusiek verruil vir rock-musiek, en sy konsertina vir ‘n CD-speler. Ná hy jazz gestudeer het, en sy debuut-album “Ek hoor jou” vrygestel het in 2006, het hy besluit dat hy met die Blinde Boereorkes-projek wou terugkeer na sy wortels. “Dis vir my wonderlik dat ek kan terugkeer na boeremusiek, maar op my eie terme. Boeremusiek is eie aan Afrika, en dis belangrik dat dit groei en ontwikkel, permuteer, en asemhaal. Só sal die jongeres daarin belangstel en sal ons voorkom dat dit uitsterf. Ek en die Blinde Boereorkes het groot pret deur die voortbou van ons eie klank. Dis vir ons ‘n heerlike, feestlike manier van uitdrukking.” Biography: Philip de Villiers en die Blinde Boere Orkes Die Blinde Boereorkes is a group visually impaired musicians from the Institute for The Blind in Worcester. The band has been collaborating with singer-songwriter Philip de Villiers since 2008, who discovered them at his mom’s 70th birthday on Aurora, a small village on the Cape West Coast. “My brother-in-law, the visually impaired writer and TV director, Jaco Botha, suggested that my mom, a boeremusiek¬-fanatic, books the Blinde Boereorkes for her birthday party. When I heard about it, I decided to surprise my mom with a song especially written for the occasion in ‘n boeremusiek¬-style. I just got back from a holiday in Zanzibar, which meant I had to write the song in the car en route to Aurora, which was a two hour journey. I completed the song as we drove into the village, and I immediately joined the band at the agricultural hall to rehearse the song.” “What struck me first, was the amount of feeling they poured into the music. Their egos were completely absent, something which isn’t very common in our music industry,” says Philip. “They were only concerned with the music, their ears so finely tuned that they mastered the song within ten minutes. Half an hour later we opened the party with the new song, “Sy’s oud maar sy’s nie koud nie (She’s old but not cold).” Philip says that the audience’s response caught him by surprise. “They jumped up spontaneously and took to the dance floor, something I’m not used to, since I write and perform mostly sophisticated Afrikaans pop music. It was delightful to see the tangible joy on the guests’ faces, and how they physically expressed themselves to the beat of boeremusiek.” That’s when the idea was born to do a project with the Blinde Boereorkes. He kept it in the back of his mind for more than a year, and in late 2008 decided to do the weekly 2-hour commute from Cape Town to Worcester. Their repertoire, a blend of traditional boeremusiek and ghoema, also has an interesting tale: “In late 2007 I got the idea to do a show at a Bo-Kaap restaurant, which would mainly consist of authentic songs from the historic neighbourhood. The Bo-Kaap Museum introduced me to an 83-year old man from Malay descent, Boeta Gamsa. “Boeta inherited yellowed manuscripts from his father fifty years ago. According to Boeta, who has been conducting Malay choirs and the Kaapse Klopse all his life, no one has ever been interested to exploit this material.” “When I first read the lyrics, I realised that I had a cultural treasure in my hands. Colourful lyrics, filled with humor, in Afrikaans with a tinge of Dutch, with topics like alcohol abuse, a woman who ate a lot, whale hunting and the battle of the Voortrekkers,” says Philip. Over a coursre of five months Boeta taught Philip the melodies and chord progressions, which he in turn taught weekly to the Blinde Boereorkes. Inadvertently they created a new style, which they call “Boeregoema.” The members of the band, who all work and live at the Institute for the Blind in Worcester, is made up of a mixed demographic: Oom Gerry Harrison turned 84 this year, and plays the “living daylights” out of his piano accordion. He retired in March 2011, after making cane furniture at the institute for a few decades. Sakkie Reid (43) who plays bass, manufactures metal springs for the super-comfortable mattresses which the institute manufactures. Harry Smith (50) who plays the guitar left handed, contributes to the band’s ghoema flavour, and weaves cane trays by day. Chris Carstens (48) on drums, does metal work, and is the latest addition to the band. With four appearances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup “Fan Jols” in Cape Town, where they performed for thousands of soccer spectators, and an appearance in front of President Jacob Zuma at the 2010 SATMA Awards on SABC1, as well as interviews on ETV News, Carte Blanche, Kwêla and Fiesta, it is safe to say that this band is making a solid name for themselves. As Sakkie Reid, the bass player in the band says, “we want to play at every dance, opskop and makietie in this country, and show all of South Africa that having an impairment doesn’t mean you can’t go out there and do your thing!” MORE ABOUT PHILIP DE VILLIERS Philip de Villiers grew up in Aurora on the West Coast in a Sandveldhuisie without electricity. He learnt true boeremusiek accordion at his mother’s knee which was passed on by his great-grandfather Jan Roelofse aka Jan Boom, who played ukelele and violin for Jan Visser’s boere-orkes in Stellenbosch, even though he missed the index finger on his left hand. (His name was Jan Boom because according to legend he was born under the biggest yellow wood tree in the Knysna forest). At the age of 11 Philip studied concertina with boeremusiek icon Nic Potgieter by correspondence , but in his teenage years rebelled against it, sold the concertina and bought his first CD player to listen to rock. After school he studied jazz at the Pretoria Technikon and released his debut album, “Ek hoor jou,” in 2006. He then decided to return to his roots with the Blinde Boereorkes project. “It is wonderful that I can go back to boeremusiek, but on my own terms. Boeremusiek is an indigenous form of music, with is truly South African. It is important to allow it to grow and develop, for it to breathe, so that the youngsters will have renewed interest in this form of music. I have a lot of fun with the Blinde Boereorkes, continuously shaping our sound. It’s a lovely, festive form of expression.”

BIOGRAFIE/BIO

VIR BESPREKINGS SKAKEL 0826211305 OF EPOS info@blindeorkes.co.za Biografie: Philip de Villiers en die Blinde Boere Orkes Die Blinde Boereorkes is ‘n groep siggestremde musikante verbonde aan die Instituut vir Blindes in Worcester. Die orkes werk reeds drie jaar saam met die sanger-liedjieskrywer Philip de Villiers, wat hulle ontdek het by sy ma se sewentigste verjaarsdag op die plattelandse Weskusdorpie, Aurora. “My swaer is die siggestremde skrywer en regisseur, Jaco Botha. Hy het voorgestel dat my ma, ‘n groot boeremusiek-liefhebber, die orkes bespreek vir haar verjaarsdagpartytjie. Toe ek daarvan te hore kom, het ek besluit om haar te verras met ‘n liedjie wat ek spesiaal vir die geleentheid wou skryf in ‘n boeremusiek-styl. Ek het sopas teruggekeer van ‘n vakansie in Zanzibar, en moes die liedjie toe maar in transito skryf in die motor, gedurende die twee-uur-lange rit vanaf Kaapstad na Aurora. Ek het die liedjie voltooi soos ons die dorp binnegery het, en dadelik na die landbousaal gegaan om dit voor te lê aan die orkes.” “Wat my eerste opgeval het, was met hoeveel gevoel hierdie manne speel. Hulle ego het totaal ontbreek, iets wat nie baie algemeen is in ons musiekbedryf nie” sê Philip. “Vir die orkeslede gaan dit net oor die musiek. Hulle ore is so fyn ingestel dat hulle binne tien minute die liedjie kon snap, en ons ‘n halfuur later die partytjie kon inwy met ‘Sy’s oud maar sy’s nie koud nie’.’” Philip sê die gehoor se reaksie het hom totaal verras. “Hulle het spontaan opgespring en begin dans, iets waaraan ek nie gewoond is nie, aangesien ek meestal gesofistikeerde popmusiek skryf en sing. Dit was so lekker om die tasbare vreugde op die gaste se gesigte te kon sien en hoe hul hulself fisies uitleef op die maat van die musiek.” Dís toe dat hy die idee gekry om ‘n projek aan te pak met Die Blinde Boereorkes. Ná hy vir meer as ‘n jaar daarmee getalm het, het hy einde 2008 besluit om die lang tog van Kaapstad na Worcester weekliks aan te pak vir repetisies. Philip de Villiers en Die Blinde Boereorkes se repertorium bestaan hoofsaaklik uit ‘n vermenging van tradisionale boeremusiek en ghoema. Dít het ook ‘n interessante verhaal: “Einde 2007 het die idee my beetgepak om ‘n show te doen by ‘n Bo-Kaapse restaurant, wat hoofsaaklik sou bestaan uit outentieke liedjies uit dié geskiedkundige woonbuurt. Die Bo-Kaap Museum het my voorgestel aan ‘n 83-jarige Maleier-man, Boeta Gamsa.” Boeta het ou manuskripte wat al vergeel was, geërf by sy oorlede pa meer as 50 jaar terug. Volgens Boeta, wat sy lewe lank Maleierkore en van die Kaapse Klopse afrig, niemand sover belang gestel in hierdie materiaal nie. “Met die eerste oogopslag het ek besef dat hierdie materiaal ‘n kultuurskat is. Kleurvolle lirieke, gevul met humor, in Afrikaans met ‘n titseltjie Hollands, wat gaan oor drankmisbruik, ‘n vrou wat vreeslik baie kon eet, walvis-jag, die stryd van dieVoortrekkers ensomeer, “sê Philip. Oor ‘n tydperk van vyf maande het Boeta die wysies en akkoord-progressies aan hom geleer, wat hy weekliks vir die Blinde Boereorkes geleer het. Só het hul unieke klank onverwags ontstaan. Die lede van die orkes, almal werksaam en woonagtig by die Instituut vir Blindes op Worcester, bestaan uit ‘n “demografiese allegaartjie,” soos Philip dit stel. Oom Gerry Harrison, 84-jaar oud, speel nog ‘n hond uit ‘n bos met sy trekklavier. Hy het in Maart 2011 afgetree, na hy vir ‘n paar dekades rottangmeubels vervaardig het by die instituut. Sakkie Reid (43) speel baskitaar, en maak bedags metaalvere vir die super-gerieflike matrasse wat by die instituut vervaardig word. Harry Smith (50), wat die kitaar linkshandig speel, vleg rottang-skinkborde, en dra by tot die ghoema-styl in die orkes. Chris Carstens (48) op tromme, doen metaalwerk en is die nuutste toevoeging tot die orkes. Met vier optredes by die 2010 FIFA Wereldbeker by die Fanjols in Kaapstad, waar hulle voor duisende mense opgetree het, ‘n optrede voor President Jacob Zuma by die 2010 SATMA-toekennings op SABC1, en onderhoude op ETV-Nuus, Carte Blanche, Kwêla en Fiesta, lê daar beslis ‘n blink toekoms voor vir dié orkes. Soos Sakkie Reid, die baskitaarspeler sê, “ons wil by elke dans, opskop en makietie in die land speel, en vir alle Suid-Afrikaners wys dat om ‘n gestremdheid te hê nie beteken dat jy nie kan woeker met die sintuie wat jy wél het nie.” MEER OOR PHILIP DE VILLIERS Philip de Villiers het grootgeword in ‘n boeremusiekfamilie in die Swartland. Sy oupa-grootjie, Jan Roelofse oftewel Jan Boom, het die ukelele en die viool bespeel vir Jan Visser se boereorkes in Stellenbosch, sonder ‘n wysvinger aan sy linkerhand. (Volgens oorlewering was hy gebore onder die grootste geelhoutboom in die Knysna-bos, vandaar die bynaam “Jan Boom.”) Op 6-jarige ouderdom het Philip se ma, self ‘n amateur-musikant, vir hom die trekklavier leer speel, wat vandag ‘n groot deel vorm van sy vertonings. Hy het ook die konsertina bestudeer op 11-jarige ouderdom met die boeremusiek-maestro van Kempton Park, Nic Potgieter. “Oom Nic het vir my tapes gestuur met die lesse oor die pos, en die posisies op die konsertina genoteer in bladmusiek wat hy spesiaal ontwikkel het. Ek was selfs aangewys as sy Konsertina-student van die jaar!” Met die storm-en-drang van sy tienerjare, het Philip egter boeremusiek verruil vir rock-musiek, en sy konsertina vir ‘n CD-speler. Ná hy jazz gestudeer het, en sy debuut-album “Ek hoor jou” vrygestel het in 2006, het hy besluit dat hy met die Blinde Boereorkes-projek wou terugkeer na sy wortels. “Dis vir my wonderlik dat ek kan terugkeer na boeremusiek, maar op my eie terme. Boeremusiek is eie aan Afrika, en dis belangrik dat dit groei en ontwikkel, permuteer, en asemhaal. Só sal die jongeres daarin belangstel en sal ons voorkom dat dit uitsterf. Ek en die Blinde Boereorkes het groot pret deur die voortbou van ons eie klank. Dis vir ons ‘n heerlike, feestlike manier van uitdrukking.” Biography: Philip de Villiers en die Blinde Boere Orkes Die Blinde Boereorkes is a group visually impaired musicians from the Institute for The Blind in Worcester. The band has been collaborating with singer-songwriter Philip de Villiers since 2008, who discovered them at his mom’s 70th birthday on Aurora, a small village on the Cape West Coast. “My brother-in-law, the visually impaired writer and TV director, Jaco Botha, suggested that my mom, a boeremusiek¬-fanatic, books the Blinde Boereorkes for her birthday party. When I heard about it, I decided to surprise my mom with a song especially written for the occasion in ‘n boeremusiek¬-style. I just got back from a holiday in Zanzibar, which meant I had to write the song in the car en route to Aurora, which was a two hour journey. I completed the song as we drove into the village, and I immediately joined the band at the agricultural hall to rehearse the song.” “What struck me first, was the amount of feeling they poured into the music. Their egos were completely absent, something which isn’t very common in our music industry,” says Philip. “They were only concerned with the music, their ears so finely tuned that they mastered the song within ten minutes. Half an hour later we opened the party with the new song, “Sy’s oud maar sy’s nie koud nie (She’s old but not cold).” Philip says that the audience’s response caught him by surprise. “They jumped up spontaneously and took to the dance floor, something I’m not used to, since I write and perform mostly sophisticated Afrikaans pop music. It was delightful to see the tangible joy on the guests’ faces, and how they physically expressed themselves to the beat of boeremusiek.” That’s when the idea was born to do a project with the Blinde Boereorkes. He kept it in the back of his mind for more than a year, and in late 2008 decided to do the weekly 2-hour commute from Cape Town to Worcester. Their repertoire, a blend of traditional boeremusiek and ghoema, also has an interesting tale: “In late 2007 I got the idea to do a show at a Bo-Kaap restaurant, which would mainly consist of authentic songs from the historic neighbourhood. The Bo-Kaap Museum introduced me to an 83-year old man from Malay descent, Boeta Gamsa. “Boeta inherited yellowed manuscripts from his father fifty years ago. According to Boeta, who has been conducting Malay choirs and the Kaapse Klopse all his life, no one has ever been interested to exploit this material.” “When I first read the lyrics, I realised that I had a cultural treasure in my hands. Colourful lyrics, filled with humor, in Afrikaans with a tinge of Dutch, with topics like alcohol abuse, a woman who ate a lot, whale hunting and the battle of the Voortrekkers,” says Philip. Over a coursre of five months Boeta taught Philip the melodies and chord progressions, which he in turn taught weekly to the Blinde Boereorkes. Inadvertently they created a new style, which they call “Boeregoema.” The members of the band, who all work and live at the Institute for the Blind in Worcester, is made up of a mixed demographic: Oom Gerry Harrison turned 84 this year, and plays the “living daylights” out of his piano accordion. He retired in March 2011, after making cane furniture at the institute for a few decades. Sakkie Reid (43) who plays bass, manufactures metal springs for the super-comfortable mattresses which the institute manufactures. Harry Smith (50) who plays the guitar left handed, contributes to the band’s ghoema flavour, and weaves cane trays by day. Chris Carstens (48) on drums, does metal work, and is the latest addition to the band. With four appearances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup “Fan Jols” in Cape Town, where they performed for thousands of soccer spectators, and an appearance in front of President Jacob Zuma at the 2010 SATMA Awards on SABC1, as well as interviews on ETV News, Carte Blanche, Kwêla and Fiesta, it is safe to say that this band is making a solid name for themselves. As Sakkie Reid, the bass player in the band says, “we want to play at every dance, opskop and makietie in this country, and show all of South Africa that having an impairment doesn’t mean you can’t go out there and do your thing!” MORE ABOUT PHILIP DE VILLIERS Philip de Villiers grew up in Aurora on the West Coast in a Sandveldhuisie without electricity. He learnt true boeremusiek accordion at his mother’s knee which was passed on by his great-grandfather Jan Roelofse aka Jan Boom, who played ukelele and violin for Jan Visser’s boere-orkes in Stellenbosch, even though he missed the index finger on his left hand. (His name was Jan Boom because according to legend he was born under the biggest yellow wood tree in the Knysna forest). At the age of 11 Philip studied concertina with boeremusiek icon Nic Potgieter by correspondence , but in his teenage years rebelled against it, sold the concertina and bought his first CD player to listen to rock. After school he studied jazz at the Pretoria Technikon and released his debut album, “Ek hoor jou,” in 2006. He then decided to return to his roots with the Blinde Boereorkes project. “It is wonderful that I can go back to boeremusiek, but on my own terms. Boeremusiek is an indigenous form of music, with is truly South African. It is important to allow it to grow and develop, for it to breathe, so that the youngsters will have renewed interest in this form of music. I have a lot of fun with the Blinde Boereorkes, continuously shaping our sound. It’s a lovely, festive form of expression.”

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