On the mp3's you hear:
Saskia Groenenberg - vocals
Joost Kroon - drums
Sven Happel - double bass
Pieter de Graaf - piano and Fender Rhodes
Ilja Reijngoud - trombone
Michelle Oudeman - backing vocals
Elizabeth Simonian -backing vocals
Live you hear:
Pim Dros - drums
Paul Maassen - piano and Fender Rhodes
Ludo van der Winkel - double bass
Ilja Reijngoud - trombone
Michelle Oudeman - backing vocals
Elizabeth Simonian -backing vocals
Saskia Groenenberg has been performing on many stages in the Netherlands and abroad with various pop,soul and jazz formations and was a finalist in the Dutch jazzcompetition "Erasmus Jazz Prijs" in 2003.
At the age of fourteen she was already performing on the stage of the Dutch jazzfestival "Jazz in Lighttown". It was her first encounter with jazz and definitely not her last! She was inspired by the bigband swing of the
thirties (mainly Count Basie) and vocal jazz of the fifties. But she also loved to listen to great blues singers like Dinah Washington and Candi Staton and to the great soulmusic sang by Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway.
She also had been influenced by the jazz,soul and dancemusic of today,her own generation.
All of these styles can be heard in her arrangements but she clearly has a strong identity of her own! She mixes and integrates these styles of music into her own world and that results in arrangements that are fresh and swing and groove at the same time. She has a beautiful round,warm flexible voice that can move between powerful sounds and soft gentle improvisation with ease.
During and after her studies at the Conservatory of Rotterdam
(The Netherlands) she gained a lot of experience by performing with various pop and soul bands and founded her own jazz quintet a couple of years ago. In this quitet she plays with great professional musicians such as Joost Kroon, drummer of famous Dutch band "New Cool Collective" and with well known trombone player Ilja Reijngoud.
With a wonderful band filled with talented musicians Saskia Groenenberg plays her own songs and arrangements that show a rich world of ideas. She tells a strong personal story that is sometimes extremely powerful and sometimes whispered but always moving. Her beautiful warm and flexible voice shows ease but is never afraid to provoke. Influences of jazz ,soul and funk of the sixties and seventies is well heard and translated into a style that is completely her own, and very convincing.
Saskia graduated in 2004 with compliments about her timing,her soulfulness,fresh approach in arranging and use of lyrics and the strong presence on stage! She received praise on her vocal flexibility,unique style and POWER!
Saskia Groenenberg has been involved in workshops in The Netherlands and Belgium,did several studio recordings for commercials and otherwise,did many guestperfomances.teaches singing and singing techniques and has collabarated with Dutch jazzmusicans such as Frans van Geest, Johan Clement and Stormvogel. Currently she is composing songs and arrangements for the debut CD of the Saskia Groenenberg Septet. Recently she recorded and released a CD with vocal group Three Acoustic (www.threeacoustic.nl)
Saskia has been a student of jazz singer Fay Claassen and took composition classes with Belgium jazz pianist Kris Goessens.
She was a soloist with the Big Band of the Rotterdam Conservatory.
"DJ Monkey …soul-stirring, excitingly edgy music…just disturbing (read ‘mind-f**king’) enough to demand attention. There is a whole spice rack of auditory flavors here, served up like fractured poetry on a collection of intensely listenable Hallmark cards from Hell." Bill Margold, Cinema Seen, L.A. X..Press
Joey Alkes of Alkes-Fradkin & DJ Monkey, co-author of the Plimsouls' classic "Million Miles Away" with Wife Filmmaker Patricia Cunliffe (A Language of Passion) on...- The LONDON GARCIA Show - THIS SUNDAY AUGUST 30 AT 3PM (PST)! http://www.latalkradio.com/London.php
Thanks baby...aren't you proud that I'm not lying in the water looking suicidal ?! :-) Hmm..you comment on my pic but not on the music...that can't possibly be a good sign hahah. Happy we saw eachother today!xxx
hahaha, wat een eer! Maar we zullen voorlopig nog niet optreden. M'n band is ff van naam en opstelling veranderd. We bouwen nog aan onze setlist, maar we blijven wel funken, hoor! Maar je hebt nog geen optredens in de regio op korte termijn? Want ik ben nog steeds erg nieuwsgierig. Laat het me maar weten.
Hey Saskia, Alles ok? Laatste keer dat we elkaar spraken was volgens mij een jaar geleden ofzo? Ben je nog druk bezig met de muziek? Nog optredens in Rotterdam? Laat me maar weten.
Dear friend
I am sending you this to let you know that my first release on the web through myspace and audigist is now accomplished.
Now you can visit my page at: www. myspace. com/chakradar to listen and download my music.
Thank you for the support and friendship.
Peace and love
Tot 14 november 2008 kan er digitaal ingeschreven worden voor de GPZH 2009. Er zijn toffe prijzen in de categorieën Dance/Producers, Urban, Singer/Songwriter en Bands. Please spread the word!
ik ontmoette je een week of 2 geleden op de jazz dag in Amersfoort. Ik moet zeggen dat ik erg onder de indruk ben van je stem! En ook van je septet. Wie weet kunnen we in de toekomst eens samenwerken. Heel veel succes met alles! Groetjes van Daniel Wolf (Adani&Wolf)
