Projects
At the moment Harmen is playing quit extensively with some self-initiated projects as well as with some projects in which he is a co-leader or a sideman.
"The main goal of my own projects is to catch the moment, to really play the music which is heard by me and the other musicians at that very moment, to be free to translate this heard music into actual sounds. To enjoy this process and to be honest towards our music and all the people we reach with this music (including ourselves)."
The repertoire changes all the time, from standards to originals, free improvisations, world music, themes from classical or popular music.
"The compositions are a startingpoint from where we can start our travel. And I hope we'll find a new destination everytime we depart."
This concept is the basic idea behind all his projects, which include solo performances, a pianotrio, a duo with a Cameroon singer, a duo with one of the greatest classical pianoplayers of the world, a fresh trio with a bizarre cello player and a Senegalese singer / percussionplayer. And a group with very sensitive players from France and America experimenting with sounds, colours and elements.
| Own projects | Sideman projects |
Harmen Fraanje 3
During a tour in April/May 2010 the Harmen Fraanje trio will present the new cd 'Avalonia.'
Avalonia has been recorded in the beautiful Fattoria Musica in Osnabrück, Germany. The cd will be released by the Dutch recordlabel Challenge Records.
Harmen Fraanje invited his favourite young musicians to record his music: Clemens van der Feen on bass and Flin van Hemmen on drums. On a few songs clarinet/saxophoneplayer Michael Moore joins the trio.
Harmen Fraanje 4
In November 2009 Harmen will tour with a new international quartet;
the Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras, the American bassplayer Thomas Morgan and Dutch drummer Martijn Vink. The band will play a short but 'fully booked' tour in the Netherlands.
More info soon..
Roma / Fraanje
I'm very proud to announce a new duo with the Italian masterpianist Igor Roma.
Igor is without any question one of the greatest classical pianoplayers in the world.
We both are huge admirers of each others music in genres we like very much and we share the idea of bringing them in one way together.
The basic idea is to create a beautiful story, a greater line with some highlights from the classical music varied with my improvisations.
We've had some rehearsals and for me the result was overwhelming.
More news coming up.
www.igorroma.com …
Reijseger / Fraanje / Sylla
In April 2008 Harmen performed in trio with Dutch cello Ernst Reijseger and Senegalese singer and percussionist Mola Sylla. The music felt so good that they decided to perform together more often. In april 2009 this trio will tour in the Netherlands.
Their first concert as a trio was recorded and there are some videos on this website in case you're interested in the music. There are plans to make a recording as well.
More information about this soon.
The repertoire contains compositions by Ernst and Harmen and African songs in Woluf. …
More about Reijseger / Fraanje / Sylla
Aneris
After having played one, just one song on a session in a club in the Netherlands, the French drumpoet Toma Gouband invited bassplayer Brice Soniano and Harmen to tour in France. For Harmen this tour became one of the most important events in his development as a musician and as a human being. This tour took place in 2000.
For some years the band operated under the name Par 4 Chemins, later this changed into Aneris.
During the last years Aneris invited some of the greatest contemporary musicians from Europe to perform and to record, like the American sax- and clarinetgiant Michael Moore, the unbelievable flute player Magic Malik and the Scandinavian hero Fredrik Ljungkvist on clarinet and sax. …
Philip Catherine & Harmen Fraanje
Magic Malik / Harmen Fraanje
The French fluteplayer Magic Malik and Harmen perform together since a couple of years.
Later this year they'll record their first CD as a duo.
Malik is a continuous source of inspiration, he's always looking for new ways, experimenting, developing.
www.myspace.com/magicmalikorchestra
Charlie Dee / Harmen Fraanje
www.charliedeemusic.com
a new duo with this great dutch singer!
more info soon
Ntjamrosie / Fraanje
A new project with the beautiful Cameroon singer Ntjamrosie.
This exiting duo plays original compositions, songs from the Yengap Tribe, original lyrics in Bulu.
There's a lot of improvisation and there's so much risk involved.
'It's really a playground, sometimes we fall, but we just get up and go on, with a smile.' …
More about Ntjamrosie / Fraanje
Besides these projects as a (co-)leader, Harmen is playing in several European groups as a sideman, like Fugimundi (Eric Vloeimans / Anton Goudsmit / Harmen Fraanje), the Michael Moore Quartet, The Stefan Lievestro Sextet, The Ploctones (Anton Goudsmit's private mobile missile launch vehicle), Oxymore (with Mark Haanstra, Oene van Geel, Guillaume Orti and Chander Sardjoe), and the group of the Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras.
Michael Moore 4
The American clarinet and saxophone player Michael Moore formed a new group with fellow-countryman Michael Vatcher on drums, Clemens van der Feen on bass and Harmen on piano. After one rehearsal only the group recorded its first CD, called Fragile.
www.ramboyrecordings.com
Mats Eilertsen 3
A new trio with the norwegian bassplayer Mats Eilertsen and drummer Thomas Strønen.
Album to be released this coming fall!
www.matseilertsen.com
www.thomasstronen.com
Fugimundi
Without question Fugimundi (Eric Vloeimans / Anton Goudsmit / Harmen Fraanje) is one of the most succesfull groups from the Dutch jazz scene, touring throughout the whole world.
The debutalbum Summersault was awarded with an Edison-Prize, the most prestigious award for releases in the Netherlands.
In October 2008 Fugimundi will record its second album during their North -America tour.
The live recording will take place in one of the most famous jazzclubs of the USA, Yoshi's in Oakland, California. …
Stefan Lievestro 6
Stefan Lievestro is not only a fantastic bassplayer, but one of the most productive composers in the Netherlands as well. During the last couple of years he created numerous fresh compositions for his own projects like Lievestro 6 (with Jasper Blom, Mete Erker, Jesse van Ruller, Hans van Oosterhout and Harmen Fraanje),
Mona Lisa Overdrive and The Gairloch Sessions (with the incredible German musicians Nils Wogram, Oliver Steidle and with Harmen Fraanje)
www.stefanlievestro.com
www.jasperblom.com
www.mete.nl
www.jessevanruller.com
www.nilswogram.com
www.myspace.com/oliversteidle
The Ploctones
'Anton Goudsmit makes you wonder where the fire escape is', according to the British newspaper The Guardian. This versatile group plays original compositions, mostly composed by Anton Goudsmit, somewhere between ultra-speedy and ugly beauty. The groove is incredible; not so hard to imagine with musicians like Martijn Vink, Jeroen Vierdag and Efraïm Trujilo. In 2008-2009 Harmen will tour with the Ploctones in the Dutch Theaters.
www.myspace.com/antongoudsmit
Oxymore
Oxymore is the initiative of bassplayer Mark Haanstra, with the French saxophonist Guillaume Orti, Oene van Geel on viola, Harmen Fraanje on piano and rhodes and Chander Sardjoe on drums. "The group narrows the gap between composition and improvisation whether they play a Radiohead arrangement or one of their own compositions. The unifying factor is groove and a sincere joy of playing. Oxymore just released its first CD, which will be presented in the Bimhuis, Amsterdam on the 18th of June.
www.oxymoremusic.org
Nelson Veras
The Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras is one of the great secrets in contemporary jazz. His music is so authentic, that I'm quit sure you never have heard such an approach before. During the last years Nelson performed a lot in groups of Steve Coleman and Mark Turner. Harmen and Nelson played together in different combinations with musicians like Magic Malik, Hein van de Geyn, Mark Turner, Matthieu Chazarenc and Stephane Galland.
www.myspace.com/nelsonveras
