REVIEWS of NOUZHA
'...a pleasant surprise on the Sfinks Mixed festival (Belgium), the dutch trio Windstreken with udplayer Kamal Hors...inspired and refined ensemble playing...'
**** Ton Maas, Volkskrant, August 2 2011
'...perfect musical symbiosis...timeless...'
****1/2 Jazz Magazine December 2010
'...very colourful sound...'
**** Jazzism magazine November 2010
Positive words at www.orgelnieuws.nl
***** editor’s choice Orgelnieuws october 2010
'...Impossible not to be impressed...'
Popmagazine Heaven sep/oct 2010
'...unique sound...magnificent melodies...One of the most remarkable groups from the Netherlands...'
***** Volkskrant, July 8 2010
'...High-class crossover !...'
Trouw, July 5 2010
'...such great musicians, such unbridled daring and imagination...'
**** Parool August 18 2010
'...This CD is sort of a musical jack-of-all-trades: a pleasure for the 'Arabian ear', the 'organ ear', the 'jazz ear' and the 'classical ear'. Nouzha serves up many different moods that really fit together exquisitely...The result is a refreshing feel throughout...
This is truly border-crossing music that just can’t be categorized...
As a musician, I really enjoyed listening to this CD. I must even admit that I wish I had come up with the idea and played it myself...'
Eric Vloeimans
REVIEWS of OFFSHORE
'...Highly recommended for anyone open to unexpected sound combinations and surprising repertoire...'
'De Orgelvriend, January 2009 www.opusklassiek.nl, about a concert in Amsterdam & cd offshore
'...the thing that sets this cd apart is the constant search for narrative elements, the mysterious and the adventurous within the various genres...'
Oene Van Geel (linernotes Offshore)
'.....great CD by great musicians…'
Orgelnieuws, July 2008 www.orgelnieuws.nl
'...for the music lover who is not afraid to stray from the beaten track Offshore is a CD full of adventure extending miles off the shore'
Popmagazine Heaven, April 2008
'...the sound of this worldly combination is an absolute eye-opener, even for the most persistent organ-hater! ...'
Luister (Dutch magazine), April 2008
'...much of the music is quite hushed, providing a noticeable and pleasing convergence of timbres of the saxophone and the organ... flute registers harmonize with a real flute.... Organs like these often produce a sound that is harsh and rigid, but the soft flute registers are capable of creating a highly poetic resonance....'
Nederlands Dagblad (Dutch daily) March 21, 2008
' ... De Mast’s own compositions are accompanied by those of Jehan Alain, Frans Blanker and Huub de Vriend. The alto flute and the organ’s low registers combine in a tempting rendition of “Aki no Kaze”. Light and dark produce organic contrasts in “Traliewerk”.... The richly coloured sound of the wind instruments produces a solid combination of composition and improvisation...'
Trouw (Dutch daily) March 1, 2008
'....logical, melodious lines and simply beautiful music. The ensemble is pleasing to the ear...the changeover from organ to flute is often nearly inaudible.....'
Fluit (journal of the Netherlands Flute Society) March 08
'...The repertoire includes De Mast’s own compositions as well as standards from 1934 to 2007. This CD will really make jazz and classical music lovers prick up their ears. The church organ immediately evokes associations of hallowed spaces and slowly sung psalms. The surprise is that much more intense once the pipes produce a sweeping improvisation on the jazz standard On Green Dolphin Street....'
Parool (Amsterdam daily) February 26, 2008
'....Jazz musician Pieter de Mast proves once again that the organ can be coaxed into producing subtle and lyrical musical figures. He has just launched a beautiful new CD, Offshore, in which he combines classical music with jazz, and his flute and soprano sax with the organ.....'
Volkskrant (Dutch daily) February 14, 2008
REVIEWS of WINDSTREKEN
‘Not at North Sea, partly because there is no church organ at the Ahoy hall, but nevertheless exquisite. Jozef Dumoulin plays the organ without the exaggerated drama often associated with the instrument. He mainly plays transparent figures and veils of sound. It gets even more unusual, since the rhythmic patterns are laid down by Sandip Bhattacharya on tabla. The musician who devised this sound, Pieter de Mast, sounds breathtakingly beautiful on soprano sax and flute. In creating the music, he draws from medieval compositions, Messiaen’s Birds, India, Debussy’s impressionism and lots of poetic improvisation’.
Frank van Herk - De Volkskrant * * * *- July 13, 2006
“… In 2004, compositions and improvisations based on the works of De Mast, Rhau, Van Geel, Du Mosch and Blanker were recorded under the direction of Pieter de Mast in the Nicolai Church in Utrecht. The church organ in combination with other instruments proved to provide unusual, yet great possibilities. The result is remarkable: jazzy rhythms that are unfamiliar on an organ, such as 7/4 time (common in Indian music), bitonality, ostinato motives and passages. The combination of organ and tabla especially shook me out of an apparently deeply rooted opinion. Not just another crossover, but a special experience and a revelation.”
René Verwer - Luister, October 2006 (marks: 10 out of 10)
“(…) besides the combination with tabla, this CD is especially surprising because of the contribution of organ player Jozef Dumoulin. The stereotypical image that people have of the organ is broken immediately; a new sound enters the room through the speakers! Jazz or world music on an organ… is that possible? It apparently is. (…) The compositions have been written with room for improvisation and stylistic variations. Simply beautiful, sometimes alienating, uncomfortable at times, but all of them intriguing. (…) An extraordinary CD, which arouses your curiosity about the concerts. And that is always the best proof of quality.”
Wieke Karsten - Fluit (Dutch Flute Association)
“…calm, almost meditative sounds are coming from the speakers. The recording is beautiful and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes unusual repertoire…”
Theo Wubbolts - HTV March 2007
'...a pleasant surprise on the Sfinks Mixed festival (Belgium), the dutch trio Windstreken with udplayer Kamal Hors...inspired and refined ensemble playing...'
**** Ton Maas, Volkskrant, August 2 2011
'...perfect musical symbiosis...timeless...'
****1/2 Jazz Magazine December 2010
'...very colourful sound...'
**** Jazzism magazine November 2010
Positive words at www.orgelnieuws.nl
***** editor’s choice Orgelnieuws october 2010
'...Impossible not to be impressed...'
Popmagazine Heaven sep/oct 2010
'...unique sound...magnificent melodies...One of the most remarkable groups from the Netherlands...'
***** Volkskrant, July 8 2010
'...High-class crossover !...'
Trouw, July 5 2010
'...such great musicians, such unbridled daring and imagination...'
**** Parool August 18 2010
'...This CD is sort of a musical jack-of-all-trades: a pleasure for the 'Arabian ear', the 'organ ear', the 'jazz ear' and the 'classical ear'. Nouzha serves up many different moods that really fit together exquisitely...The result is a refreshing feel throughout...
This is truly border-crossing music that just can’t be categorized...
As a musician, I really enjoyed listening to this CD. I must even admit that I wish I had come up with the idea and played it myself...'
Eric Vloeimans
REVIEWS of OFFSHORE
'...Highly recommended for anyone open to unexpected sound combinations and surprising repertoire...'
'De Orgelvriend, January 2009 www.opusklassiek.nl, about a concert in Amsterdam & cd offshore
'...the thing that sets this cd apart is the constant search for narrative elements, the mysterious and the adventurous within the various genres...'
Oene Van Geel (linernotes Offshore)
'.....great CD by great musicians…'
Orgelnieuws, July 2008 www.orgelnieuws.nl
'...for the music lover who is not afraid to stray from the beaten track Offshore is a CD full of adventure extending miles off the shore'
Popmagazine Heaven, April 2008
'...the sound of this worldly combination is an absolute eye-opener, even for the most persistent organ-hater! ...'
Luister (Dutch magazine), April 2008
'...much of the music is quite hushed, providing a noticeable and pleasing convergence of timbres of the saxophone and the organ... flute registers harmonize with a real flute.... Organs like these often produce a sound that is harsh and rigid, but the soft flute registers are capable of creating a highly poetic resonance....'
Nederlands Dagblad (Dutch daily) March 21, 2008
' ... De Mast’s own compositions are accompanied by those of Jehan Alain, Frans Blanker and Huub de Vriend. The alto flute and the organ’s low registers combine in a tempting rendition of “Aki no Kaze”. Light and dark produce organic contrasts in “Traliewerk”.... The richly coloured sound of the wind instruments produces a solid combination of composition and improvisation...'
Trouw (Dutch daily) March 1, 2008
'....logical, melodious lines and simply beautiful music. The ensemble is pleasing to the ear...the changeover from organ to flute is often nearly inaudible.....'
Fluit (journal of the Netherlands Flute Society) March 08
'...The repertoire includes De Mast’s own compositions as well as standards from 1934 to 2007. This CD will really make jazz and classical music lovers prick up their ears. The church organ immediately evokes associations of hallowed spaces and slowly sung psalms. The surprise is that much more intense once the pipes produce a sweeping improvisation on the jazz standard On Green Dolphin Street....'
Parool (Amsterdam daily) February 26, 2008
'....Jazz musician Pieter de Mast proves once again that the organ can be coaxed into producing subtle and lyrical musical figures. He has just launched a beautiful new CD, Offshore, in which he combines classical music with jazz, and his flute and soprano sax with the organ.....'
Volkskrant (Dutch daily) February 14, 2008
REVIEWS of WINDSTREKEN
‘Not at North Sea, partly because there is no church organ at the Ahoy hall, but nevertheless exquisite. Jozef Dumoulin plays the organ without the exaggerated drama often associated with the instrument. He mainly plays transparent figures and veils of sound. It gets even more unusual, since the rhythmic patterns are laid down by Sandip Bhattacharya on tabla. The musician who devised this sound, Pieter de Mast, sounds breathtakingly beautiful on soprano sax and flute. In creating the music, he draws from medieval compositions, Messiaen’s Birds, India, Debussy’s impressionism and lots of poetic improvisation’.
Frank van Herk - De Volkskrant * * * *- July 13, 2006
“… In 2004, compositions and improvisations based on the works of De Mast, Rhau, Van Geel, Du Mosch and Blanker were recorded under the direction of Pieter de Mast in the Nicolai Church in Utrecht. The church organ in combination with other instruments proved to provide unusual, yet great possibilities. The result is remarkable: jazzy rhythms that are unfamiliar on an organ, such as 7/4 time (common in Indian music), bitonality, ostinato motives and passages. The combination of organ and tabla especially shook me out of an apparently deeply rooted opinion. Not just another crossover, but a special experience and a revelation.”
René Verwer - Luister, October 2006 (marks: 10 out of 10)
“(…) besides the combination with tabla, this CD is especially surprising because of the contribution of organ player Jozef Dumoulin. The stereotypical image that people have of the organ is broken immediately; a new sound enters the room through the speakers! Jazz or world music on an organ… is that possible? It apparently is. (…) The compositions have been written with room for improvisation and stylistic variations. Simply beautiful, sometimes alienating, uncomfortable at times, but all of them intriguing. (…) An extraordinary CD, which arouses your curiosity about the concerts. And that is always the best proof of quality.”
Wieke Karsten - Fluit (Dutch Flute Association)
“…calm, almost meditative sounds are coming from the speakers. The recording is beautiful and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes unusual repertoire…”
Theo Wubbolts - HTV March 2007
REVIEWS of live performances
'...Highly recommended for anyone open to unexpected sound combinations and surprising repertoire...'
'De Orgelvriend, January 2009 www.opusklassiek.nl, about a concert in Amsterdam & cd offshore
"Uninhibited blending of Trio Windstreken in Hartebrugkerk...beautifully merging the sound of his instrument with the room acoustics... ...in which the switch from one stylistic reference to the other is effortlessly made... ...by the time de Mast announces his last piece it is clear indeed that the uninhibited blending of all these musical styles is possible" Ken Vos, Leidsch Dagblad (Leiden daily) May 26, 2008
On the live concert on 22/7/07 in the Walburgiskerk church in Zutphen, the Netherlands: "..Yesterday afternoon’s concert was all about improvisation. Pieter de Mast and company once again demonstrated their mastery of the art. Fluid melodies, garish dissonance, and oriental sounds fused together in an orgy of music that brought the entire audience to attention. Completely unorthodox, but that is exactly what made the trio’s performance so special."
Ton van Ingen Schenau, local daily Stentor 23 July 2007
“On Tuesday 13 June in the Laurens Church, Pieter de Mast, Sebastiaan van Delft and Sandip Battacharya proved that an unusual combination of instruments brought together at a special location can result in a big surprise! The sounds, timbres, rhythms and improvisations all came together in the fertile soil of the monumental space, evoking a spiritual and meditative atmosphere.”
Frank Migchielsen, programmer/director, Laurens Church Rotterdam
“De Mast achieves a spatiality and an openness which matches that of the Hooglandse Church through his phrasing alone, and the organ – almost prissy in the beginning – finds itself enticed by the searching saxophone. The result is the musical expression of pure light.”
Susanne Lammers - Leidsch Dagblad - Hooglandse Church Leiden,
improvisation organ/sax 6 June 2006
“On the rich and refined foundation of the tabla, the gentle singing voice, the melancholic alto flute and the intense soprano sax evoke images of a vast, sultry landscape. De Mast and Bhattacharya speak the same language.”
Maarten Baanders - Leidsch Dagblad - Hooglandse Church Leiden, 11 June 2004
'...Highly recommended for anyone open to unexpected sound combinations and surprising repertoire...'
'De Orgelvriend, January 2009 www.opusklassiek.nl, about a concert in Amsterdam & cd offshore
"Uninhibited blending of Trio Windstreken in Hartebrugkerk...beautifully merging the sound of his instrument with the room acoustics... ...in which the switch from one stylistic reference to the other is effortlessly made... ...by the time de Mast announces his last piece it is clear indeed that the uninhibited blending of all these musical styles is possible" Ken Vos, Leidsch Dagblad (Leiden daily) May 26, 2008
On the live concert on 22/7/07 in the Walburgiskerk church in Zutphen, the Netherlands: "..Yesterday afternoon’s concert was all about improvisation. Pieter de Mast and company once again demonstrated their mastery of the art. Fluid melodies, garish dissonance, and oriental sounds fused together in an orgy of music that brought the entire audience to attention. Completely unorthodox, but that is exactly what made the trio’s performance so special."
Ton van Ingen Schenau, local daily Stentor 23 July 2007
“On Tuesday 13 June in the Laurens Church, Pieter de Mast, Sebastiaan van Delft and Sandip Battacharya proved that an unusual combination of instruments brought together at a special location can result in a big surprise! The sounds, timbres, rhythms and improvisations all came together in the fertile soil of the monumental space, evoking a spiritual and meditative atmosphere.”
Frank Migchielsen, programmer/director, Laurens Church Rotterdam
“De Mast achieves a spatiality and an openness which matches that of the Hooglandse Church through his phrasing alone, and the organ – almost prissy in the beginning – finds itself enticed by the searching saxophone. The result is the musical expression of pure light.”
Susanne Lammers - Leidsch Dagblad - Hooglandse Church Leiden,
improvisation organ/sax 6 June 2006
“On the rich and refined foundation of the tabla, the gentle singing voice, the melancholic alto flute and the intense soprano sax evoke images of a vast, sultry landscape. De Mast and Bhattacharya speak the same language.”
Maarten Baanders - Leidsch Dagblad - Hooglandse Church Leiden, 11 June 2004