An atmospheric festival report full of musical highlights from the heart of Breda.
We attended the annual Jazz Festival in Breda. Unfortunately, we couldn’t be there for all days, but even in two days, so many bands play that we had to make a choice.
Fortunately, there is more than enough blues at the festival, and the choice fell on the following five acts. On Thursday: What The FRNK, José Ramirez, and The Hoochies. On Friday: The Zac Schulze Gang and Marlon Pichel.
Spread throughout Breda’s city center, the festival once again demonstrated just how broad and vibrant blues and related musical styles can sound. From raw harmonica blues to soulful grooves, from energetic blues rock to warm rock ‘n’ roll: over two days, we were treated to a fine cross-section.
The three horn players provide quite a bit of extra power to the band’s songs, which are primarily their own. The band’s sound is a mix of blues, rock, and funk, featuring a tight and driving rhythm section provided by Too Pierik (drums) and Twan van Hoof (bass), and the soulful and funky sound of Guus van Lankveld on Rhodes and Hammond.
Add the Longhorns’ horn section to that, and the picture is almost complete, except for one person. And that is frontman Frank Schurgers, who was visibly enjoying himself on stage, which was clearly audible in his wonderful guitar work and vocals.
At the start of the evening, José Ramirez took to the stage at the Kerkplein beneath the tower of the Grote Kerk of Breda. A showman through and through with a great voice and fantastic guitar work. Together with his backing band, which is entirely Dutch for this tour, they literally blew the roof off at the Kerkplein.
Blues overloaded with soul and funk, with a touch of Latin, makes José’s performance just that little bit different, and that is exactly what we love to hear. A recurring highlight is, of course, his solo walk through the audience, and that was certainly not lacking during this amazing performance.
The closing act at the Kerkplein was none other than The Hoochies. When you say “The Hoochies,” you say raw, pure, and authentic blues that doesn’t mince words. It is not for nothing that they represented the Netherlands at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
A great performance with a driving foundation by Chiel ten Vaarwerk (drums) and Jules van Brakel (bass), colored with vocals and harmonica by Richard Koster and guitar work by Roelof Meijeringh. A fantastic conclusion to the first evening in Breda, and the audience thought so too, joining in the dancing and enjoying themselves on stage during the three (or was it four?) encores.
The Zac Schulze Gang has been one of the bands you have to see right now for quite some time. And that is certainly evident from the turnout on this cold and possibly rainy Friday afternoon in Breda.
Not only does the Kerkplein fill up quickly, but it also soon becomes clear that many of those people have come to Breda specifically for Zac, Ben, and Ant.
And that doesn’t surprise us, because wherever these three men play, one thing is certain: the audience is going to be treated to a whirlwind of rock, funk, and even punk, but always with a clearly audible origin in the blues.
Rarely have I seen three men display so much energy and power as Zac and his “Gang”. In the two sets they play, their own work is beautifully alternated with covers that are clearly played as a tribute to their musical heroes.
A nice guest appearance was reserved for Luca Holkenborg, who got to showcase his skills a few times, and he certainly did. It is wonderful to see how a younger generation of blues musicians receives extra attention in this way. Something we fortunately see more often within the blues.
It was a busy day for Marlon, or rather, a busy week. In addition to the recently released single *Try Again* with Danny Vera, for which he had various television appearances that week, and the performances with the band *King Of The World*, he is currently playing with his own band as a support act for Danny Vera.
That was also the case this Friday evening. After the performance at De Effenaar in Eindhoven, the journey continued to Breda, where Marlon and his full band were to provide the closing performance of the second evening. The setup and soundcheck were done at a rapid pace so that Marlon could start.
From the very first notes, it is clear why he and his band are so busy. A wonderfully warm bath of blues, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll is what we are treated to by his seven-piece band. You feel the warmth of the Mississippi Delta in your heart while the steam from the cold is clearly visible in the stage lights. Two sets full of energy featuring Marlon’s raw vocal sound and a great band in which the brass section played a nice, prominent role.
For part of the audience, the performance ends in a party on stage when they are invited to join the crowd during the encore. A wonderful conclusion to this second (and for us, unfortunately, last) evening in Breda.
