A SOUSAPHONE IN A JAZZ BAND? IS THAT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY?

Imagine the smallest possible brass-band. Imagine tunes taken from klezmer and Balkan traditions, African highlife and latin. Imagine original compositions showing the different personalities to the full extent – all this goes for De Jongens Driest. It's hard to put in words: Is it jazz, or worldmusic, or brass-band? All-and-none-in-one?! Is it dixieland? No (or is it?). But does it swing and groove? YUP!
What else do we need?

De Jongens Driest are Janfie van Strien - sopranosax, Arno Bakker - sousaphone and Joop van der Linden – trombone. They played at jazzfestivals in the Netherlands and abroad - Zomerjazzfietstour, Dutch Jazz Meeting, Swingin’ Groningen (NL), Clusone (I), Nevers and Mulhouse (F), Llangollen and Bath (UK), Brussels (B) – at pop and fringelike festivals like Lowlands, the Parade and Oerol, but also at jazzclubs, receptions, functions and other festivities. De Jongens Driest give workshops, and participated in various radio and tv recordings.

One full CD has been released, taken from two sessions recorded in January 2001, during concerts in and around Groningen. Recorded on minidisc and with the use of only a single stereo microphone, these tracks show De Jongens Driest in their best and purest form. A fifty minutes of lively, inventive en virtuoso hardcore blowing. A second CD will be released in the summer of 2005.

De Jongens Driest also operate as a quartet with drummer Michael Vatcher. A concert in Im Speicher in Leer (D) was recorded by Radio Bremen in September 2002, and was broadcasted through FM and satellite. A selection of these recordings will be released on CD early summer 2003. In May 2002 this quartet featured trumpet player Roy Paci (I), with who they performed a short Dutch tour. This quintet is available for special occasions…

De Jongens Driest are currently developing a project for 2006, involving fanfare CWO (the Dutch brassband), and original compositions.