TONY OVERWATER is one of the most notable Dutch bass players. He is a versatile musician, composer, soloist, band leader and supervisor in the Netherlands and far beyond. He graduated with honors from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He won the VPRO / Boy Edgar Prize, the Podium Prize, and an Edison. He worked with extraordinary musicians, including Karin Hammar, Yuri Honing, Pat Metheny, David Murray, Paolo Fresu, Eric Vloeimans and many others. Overwater is also known as an expert organizer. During his time at the conservatory, he founded the Jazz in Motion Foundation and the accompanying record label. | DIFFERENT FORMATIONS Overwater shares his passion for jazz, Arabic music and baroque music with the other members of the Rembrandt Frerichs Trio. With this trio, he began playing the violone; a 6-string bass instrument from the Baroque era, predecessor of the double bass. Overwater has been playing with the trio Jungle Boldie for over twenty years, with Maarten Ornstein on reeds and drummer Wim Kegel. This close formation formed the basis for a number of original projects, such as Far East Revisited with the Calefax Reed Quintet and the CD ‘OP’ with Ack van Rooyen and Ernst Reijseger, which received an Edison. Inspired by working with Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich, Tony Overwater developed a new style of playing on the double bass, incorporating the techniques and scales of Arabic music into a unique style. Working with various other bands and musicians, they form a much sought after attraction at festivals in the Middle East and Europe. Music for children has always had a special place in the heart of Overwater. He sees it as his mission to bring jazz and acoustic music of quality to the attention of kids. After the project Kikker Swingt! (Frog Swings!) with Max Velthuijs, he developed various other music shows together with singer-songwriter Lotte van Dijck. | PROJECT ORGANIZATION AND DOCUMENTARY MUSIC Being an architect’s son, Tony Overwater has a fascination for the visual aspects of music. In addition to writing music for various films, documentaries and dance shows, he and Joshua Samson initiated the ‘Guarder of the Key’ Project. A location-based concert, taking place on a set day of the month. Each time the performance is held at a different, secret, location and always with a different guest. The interaction between architecture, environment, music, musicians and the audience makes this special small-scale project a unique experience. Overwater recorded the music for the documentary Om de Oude Wereldzee about Abraham Kuyper, combining his expertise and affinity with Arabic music and classical European music.

Fay Claassen (vocals) Fay recorded her own albums together with many international musicians such as Mike Stern, Kenny Werner, Toots Thielemands, and she was invited as soloist for many CD recordings by the WDR Big Band, Bob Brookmeyers New Art Orchestra, the Millennium Jazz Orchestra and the Danish Radio Big Band.
She cooperated with well known conducters and arrangers such as Jim Mc Neely, Vince Mendoza and Michael Abene. Fay was rewarded with The Golden Record for her double album Two Portraits of Chet Baker. Jazz Times USA wrote about this cd: ’An Astonishing Album’, Down Beat: ‘A mega-production with extremely solo contributions’.
In the Winners Poll of All About Jazz USA the album was proclaimed as ‘Best Vocal Album of the Year’. Moreover, for other albums Fay received a Grammy longlistnomination and an Edison Award. In 2011 her succesfully cd SING! with the WDR Big Band and the WDR Rundfunk Orchester conducted and arranged by Michael Abene was presented. As guest soloist Fay was often invited by the Metropole Orkest and Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. Her effortless skill of improvisation not only brought her on stages in Europe, but also in Japan, China and the U.S.A.