From: Douglas Tate Date: Fri, 11 Oct 1996 18:03:51 +0100 Subject: An open letter to Wim Dijkgraaf
Wim
Today I got your tape of a variety of recordings of you playing chromatic harmonica with a variety of backing groups. I hope you don't mind me posting thee contents here. To me it is one of the most exciting tapes I have listened to for a very long time. For those of you who haven't heard Wim, although you have read him on this list, he plays 'jazz' chromatic. His sound is rich and rounded, his technique immaculate, but the real killer is that it is SO listenable to and SO interesting The main backing is drums, acoustic double bass, keyboard, guitars. The whole thing is delicately put together so that interest is constantly shifting, There is a superb track of the tune 'Someday my Prince will come' of all things with just double bass, it is magical in its rhythmic certainty without the drive of a rhytmn section belting out.
The thing which comes across is the musical enjoyment of Wim and his total involvement in the music. It is a musical experience and ...Oh Yes!! There is a harmonica doing it!! The other nice thing is that the harmonica is not playing all the time, the sound colurs shift and move and are constantly interesting
The one track which did not come off for me was an improvisation over a CD of the Samuael Barber Adagio, and this was because Ididn't like the playing of the Atlanta Symphony orchestra on this recording. ( I usually like their stuff)
This is REAL music at the highest level.. Thank you so much for this free tape, I hope you SELL to everyone else who asks you,
I have only one complaint about the whole tape. There is not enough of it.
Douglas Tate ################################ Side A:
1) Times & Places -7.51- (comp. & arr. Peter Mingaars)
2) Down Up -4.42- (comp.& arr. Peter Mingaars)
3) Blue Moon -7.57- (arr. Peter Mingaars)
4) Someday My Prince Will Come -6.46- (comp. F. Churchill)
5) My Funny Valentine -8.03- (comp. Rodgers & Hart, arr. Peter Mingaars)
Side B:
5) My Funny Valentine -8.03- (comp. Rodgers & Hart, arr. Peter Mingaars)
6) I Wish You Love -8.36- (comp. ?) & Een Voor De Ark (Een Voor De Ark: arr. & comp. Peter Mingaars)
7) Adagio For Strings -9.00- (comp. Samuel Barber, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra) Studio Recording using CD: TELARC CD-80250 Title: Music of Samuel Barber Harmonica Improvisation!
8) Daddycation -5.46- (comp. & arr. Wim Dijkgraaf) Live Recording at jazz cafe Bourbon Street (Tilburg, Holland). The Wim Dijkgraaf Trio (14-11'94)
Recordings 1..6: Live Performance at Jazz Cafe Bourbon Street (Tilburg, Holland) Date: 19-10'95 Personel: The Wim Dijkgraaf Quartet Wim Dijkgraaf (born 4-10'70): Chromatic Harmonica Peter Mingaars (born 1-05'50): El. & Semi Acoustic Guitar Henk de Laat (born 10-01'61): Double Bass & Bass Guitar Maarten van Bakel (20-08'70): Drums
