Upcoming release: Dutch Jazz Band -Fresh Jazzy Notes (Release date: May 8, 2026)

“Fresh Jazzy Notes” is the title of the Dutch Jazz Band’s first CD. A catchy title, but with the risk of being taken too lightly. Understandably, the band wanted to avoid the blockbusters of the established jazz repertoire. Not the overly recognizable “standards,” then. Something unique that suited the band. A search for compositions with feeling, swing, and room for a touch of lyricism. Enjoyable to perform, without being overly forceful. Without becoming superficial. Fresh, but not “cool.” This resulted in a beautiful musical balance where swing remains dominant, and jazz history sneaks in a bit. In twelve surprising compositions, written between 1931 (Harry Warren’s “You’re My Everything”) and the 1960’s. From composers like Victor Young to A.C. Jobim (“Look to the Sky” and “O Grand Amor”). With a typical bop theme like Hank Mobley’s “Funk in Deep Freeze” and the emphasis on the melody of Lee Morgan’s “Ceora,” released after his famous “Sidewinder” LP. Or via a composition like “The End of a Love Affair,” once recorded by Billy Holiday with his voice broken, here swinging and certainly not mournful. Good for enjoyable “discoveries” that still stay close to home with this quintet, which displays a beautiful unity in approach and tone.
Pleasantly natural and always swinging.
Yes, “fresh.”