By Robert Ham | Published March 2019
Although Fay Claassen is a resident of the Netherlands and one of the country’s most visible performers, the singer never has tackled songs written in her native tongue before. But when putting together a collection of material written by artists from her home country for a 2015 commission from Germany’s WDR Big Band, she decided to take on Dutch chansons, applying her radiant vocals to some classics.
This live recording of the performance has the warmth and spirit one might expect from someone paying homage to their homeland. Even a poignant ballad like “Zonder Jou,” where she’s only accompanied by pianist Cor Bakker, has a lively and infectious energy. But Claassen is at her most emboldened on tracks when the full big band kicks in, shouting encouragement and delight on “Keep Me In Your Dreams” and the brassy “Reach For The Rose.”
The mixture of guest players and the big band does find trouble cohering at times, though. Bakker’s piano has moments that rub a little too roughly against the tightly configured sound of the full group, and guitarist Peter Tiehuis opts for rock-like tones that just don’t work in this context. Luckily, Claassen’s vocals arrive at just the right moments to direct attention back to the core spirit of this work: a cross-cultural pollination of languages and music that yields moments of stunning color and texture.
Dutch Songbook: Find That Screw; Aan De Amsterdamse Grachten; Reach For The Rose; Is Dit Alles; Zonder Jou; Opzij, Opzij, Opzij; Dat Mistige Rooie Beest; Five Up High; Keep Me In Your Dreams. (65:56)
Personnel: Fay Claassen, vocals; Cor Bakker, piano; Peter Tiehuis, guitar; Theo De Jong, bass; Andy Haderer, Wim Both, Rob Bruynen, Ruud Bruels, John Marshall, trumpet; Ludwig Nuss, Andy Hunter, Shannon Barnett, trombone; Mattis Cederberg, bass trombone; Hans Dekker, drums; Johan Hörlén, Karolina Strassmayer, alto saxophone; Paul Heller, Jens Neufang, tenor saxophone.
