And now for something a little different: TravelTracks has a guest contributor! Longtime friend and travel companion Marijke de Maa is from the Netherlands and is a major music enthusiast. Here she tells us about some of her favorite Dutch musicians and offers a few videos that let us enjoy them as well!
It’s my pleasure to introduce you to some music from my country, the Netherlands. I know, it’s just a small country somewhere in Europe, and I bet you can’t think of one single Dutch artist or song. Please allow me to be the one to change that. And hey, don’t worry about the Dutch lyrics. Doesn’t music represent an international language that anybody can understand?
My first introduction is the Dutch band Bløf. They had a big hit in my country when they sang together with the Counting Crows, but their masterpiece, in my opinion, is the album Umoja. For this project they made a trip around the world and wrote and recorded songs with local musicians, like the song “Binnenstebuiten,” with Kenyan singer Harry Kimani.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWr1FdyQojg]
Another track on the album Umoja is “Hemingway.” It was recorded in Cuba with Eliades Ochoa, one of the younger members of the Buena Vista Social Club and one of the most important soneros, interpreter and apostle of the traditional Cuban song, the son. Watch it here.
Next I would like to introduce Jan Smit. This young Dutch singer scored the biggest summer hit of the Netherlands this year with a very catchy song that he recorded with Surinamese singer Damaru. Normally Jan Smit only sings in Dutch, but in this song you can also hear some Surinamese lyrics. It’s a perfect sunny song to brighten your cold winter days. And although I doubt the title “Ik heb een tuintje in mijn hart” will stay with you, I am sure the tune will! Watch it here.
Finally I would like you to listen to Wende Snijders. She used to sing French chansons, but lately she has also recorded in Dutch. In this clip we get the best of both worlds. It was recorded live with the phenomenal Dutch Metropole Orchestra at a tribute show. It moves me every time I see it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlzpAcKJlL0]