Frontlinie BNR Radio, friday 13 June, with Carel Kraayenhof

From 15.30 till 16.00 Carel will be a guest in the radioprogram Frontlinie of BNR Radio, presented by Harmke Pijpers. More information: www.bnr.nl/radio/programmas/frontlinieOn fridaymorning 13 June Carel will give an interview of an hour to José Zepeda of the Wereldomroep, about the release of ‘Memorias de Cuba’. This interview will be broadcasted in Cuba and entire South America. As soon as we know the frequencies, we will put them on our website.

‘Memorias de Cuba’Latest cd of Carel Kraayenhof.The latest cd of Carel Kraayenhof is called ‘Memorias de Cuba’. And again he introduces a new sound. After his cd’s with trips to the music of Leonard Bernstein and Ennio Morricone, this time he plays on his bandoneon music from Cuba. Special, because never before the rhythms and the instruments of this Carribean island were combined with this instrument, this voice of the Argentinian tango. Strange, actually, because these two musical worlds prove to go along together perfectly.Moreover, on this new cd four special guests take care of sung interludes: except for the Cuban ladysinger Estrella Acosta and her compatriot Fabian Nodarse, the voices can be heard of their Dutch collegues Trijntje Oosterhuis and Bløf-singer Paskal Jakobsen.Carel Kraayenhof internationally made a name as the expressor pre-eminently of the Argentinian tango. In that capacity he excelled at the wedding of crown-prince Willem-Alexander and princess Maxima. For his new album Kraayenhof assembled twelve Cuban numbersunder the title ‘Memorias de Cuba’, a name with a nostalgic sound. And yet it is precisely the atmosphere of sweet memories that adds a deep glowing supply of warmth to the delightful stimulating sense of live of these numbers. Music that fits very well in the summer and that brings just a little bit of warmth in winter.By making ‘Memorias de Cuba’ an old wish of Carel Kraayenhof was fulfilled. Because years ago as a teacher of tango at the Rotterdam conservatory he used to listen, more than just interested, to the lessons in Cuban music of his collegue, master-percussionist Lucas van Merwijk. Also he was deeply under the impression in 1998 of the nowadays legendary Cuban Buena Vista Social Club, that started to conquer the world. Kraayenhof too did not escape the charm of the frank, sparkling and sincere way of making music of these elderly gentlemen. ‘Memorias de Cuba’ is the living proof of that.That Kraayenhof and the Cuban music fit very well became clear when in 2005 he met the singer/guitarplayer of the Buena Vista Social Club: Eliades Ochoa from Santiago de Cuba. Their meeting in a Rotterdam dressingroom, making some music together, was very morish. When after that on Cuba he met the Cuban musicians , he knew, back in the Netherlands, one thing for sure: it was about time to make that Cuban album, which he had in mind for such a long time. Because, how beautiful sounded his bandoneon there in that café in Havanna with the snare- and percussion-instruments of that Carribean island.‘It is music that radiates solidarity’, Kraayenhof says. ‘Each instrument; tres, guitar, trumpet, flute, violin, conga, bongo, timbal, maracas, piano, bass, has his own part, they are all equally important. Just like in a family. An ideal mixture of African, Latin-American and Norht-American influences.Musical adviser Lucas van Merwijk gathered in the Netherlands a group of specialized musicians who have the Cuban music in their genes.Then Jurre Haanstra, who lived in Latin-America for a couple of years, wrote fascinating arrangements in different atmospheres in which also the string- and the wind-instrument-players participate as if they were born on Cuba.It is an album with lots of special moments. With this album Carel Kraayenhof makes his first cd-appearance as a piano-player. He does that in his own composition ‘Te llevo en mi alma’, or ‘I carry you in my heart’, a beautiful Cuban bolero, posthumously dedicated to his father.Also there are evergreens on the cd like ‘Quizas, quizas’, and ‘La Comparsa’, a hit in the early sixties of ZZ and the Masks.There are three pieces from the repertoire of the American/Cuban Gloria Estefan, ‘Si senor’, ‘Mi tierra’ and ‘Ayer’. This last number is sung by Estrella Acosta, who, with her warm and mild voice got international fame as a singer ofCuban country-music. A singer who in Cuban language now and then shouts her own stimulations between the lyrics. Well, she was born on the coutryside of the region Matanzas. Could it possibly be more authentic?The same goes for the singer Fabian Nodarsa with his fine, expressive, lived-through voice. He was born in Havannaand grew up there too, but love brought him to the Netherlands. Nowadays he teaches at the Rotterdam conservatory.Also he appeared as a coach in the Spanish language for both of the Dutch singers.Surprising is perhaps the cooperation with Trijntje Oosterhuis. However, some time ago Carel Kraayenhof recorded with hera song for Amalia, the first daughter of crown-prince Willem-Alexander and princess Maxima.She started as a popsinger, developed in jazz and made albums with the American composer Burt Bacharach. So it is not very surprising that music of Cuba becomes her well.The cooperation with Paskal Jakobsen is perhaps more evident. With this singer of the group Bløf Kraayenhof met before, when they worked together for Bløf’s international project ‘Umoja’, which contains a song, recorded on Cuba with Ochoa. Here it becomes clear that he can sing in a fine melancholic way a tragic songabout a lost love on Cuba.It is difficult to perform the music of this cd, with this cast on Dutch stages. Yet on 30 September Carel Kraayenhof will be in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw wit all the musicians of this album, with this music.The next day the performance will be repeated in Eindhoven.More info: www.carelkraayenhof.nl.

On the day of the release of ‘Memorias de Cuba’ Carel Kraayenhof will be a guest by BNR Radio