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.

Meet Maarten Ornstein. He plays reeds, and is a composer.
Of today’s music. This music. In his own words: “This is what I do.” Ornstein is known for his work as an improvisor. After all, lots of roles fit this Dutchman who as a soloist joined forces with Audible Lifestream, SfeQ, The Schönberg Ensemble, The Houdini’s, The Ebony Band, various ensembles led by Tony Overwater, and the Martin Fondse Oktemble. He is also composer and arranger for The New Cool Collective Big Band and some of the aforementioned groups. Previously, he recorded with most of them all and many others. As an instrumentalist Ornstein integrates lyrical fluidity and imagination with maximum control on his reed instruments - mostly clarinet, bass clarinet and tarogato (a sort of wooden soprano saxophone of Romanian and Hungarian origin). Both as a player and composer/ arranger he is in command of his notes, and, while he’s on them, controls your state of mind too. Therefore Turtle Records is very proud to present Ornstein’s first. His first solo recording and his first recorded composed contemporary music that is. “I just wrote down what I like”, he states. Ornstein likes the combined sound of bassoon, various clarinets and the nowadays very rare C melody saxophones, sometimes united with percussion and the human voice. Do not call it classical, neo classical, jazz, worldmusic or worse: modern music. With his W.A.R.P. Ensemble Ornstein plays music that is all written down, yet very alive, and integrates various style elements of the here and now. It’s hip, and it’s serious. It’s of today, and it’s timeless. It challenges the listener, and it is a pure joy to listen to.

Wim Kegel (8 December 1967) is one of the most prominent drummers of the Netherlands. He has developed a unique style that combines traditional jazz drumming with a progressive, contemporary and personal approach. Wim started playing drums at the age of six. After studying with his Father Nico Kegel and his first drum teacher, Paul van der Vossen, at age 15 Wim moved on to the Royal Conservatory, in The Hague, where he enrolled in the School for Dance and Music, a special course for young talents. Wim carried on at the conservatory for his Masters in performing jazz. He studied with drum teacher Henk van den Berg, but also with Ack van Rooyen and Frans Elsen. He graduated with honours in 1991. In 1994 and 1996 Wim was able to go to New York and Boston on a grant from the Dutch Fund for Stage Arts (Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten), where he studied with his idols Joe Morello, Bob Moses and Jamey Haddad. The latter introduced him to the frame drum and its accompanying techniques which have remained important for the rest of his career.
With the group Supreme Headquarters Wim Kegel won the 1st prize at the N.O.S Jazzcontest for the best group in 1989. The CD O.P. on which he played with Tony Overwater, Maarten Ornstein, Ack van Rooyen and Ernst Reijseger won the Edison Award in 2001. Over the years Wim has recorded over forty CDs with national and international musicians such as David Liebman, Bob and Chuck Findley, Ron Mc Croby, David Schnitter, Jeroen Manders, Willem van Manen's Contraband, Marc van Roon, Hans Mantel, the group Special Delivery, Tilmar Junius, and the Down Town Jazz Band.
Wim has also appeared in concert with Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny (North Sea Jazz Festival 2004), Bob Berg, Sunny Murray, Bob Brookmeyer, Clark Terry, Johnny Griffin, Ferdinand Povel, George Duke (radio show for Radio Netherlands Worldwide) and many more.
Wim Kegel has performed throughout Europe starting in his teens, and later around the world, especially the Middle and Far East, India, the United States, North Africa and Australia.
His latest project is the Wim Kegel – Marc van Roon Duo which plays a wide range of contemporary jazz music. They recorded their first album drumwise for Challenge Records on their Buzz label, with worldwide distribution. Its release date is April 2015. (www.wimkegel.nl) Other Projects: Braskiri, a group with Bert Lochs on the trumpet and flugelhorn, German pianist Dirk Balthaus, Norwegian tuba player Steffen Granley, and Wim Kegel on drums.
This group just recorded its first album for the German record label Berthold Records. Release date: May/June 2015. (www.braskiri.nl) Ack van Rooyen/Jeroen Manders Quintet with Marc van Roon, Erik Robaard and Wim Kegel. The CD To the Ends of the Earth came out last year for the German Label, Mons Records. Performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival 2015.
Ellington Suites with the Calefax Reed Quintet featuring Tony Overwater on bass and Wim Kegel on drums. Next concerts April/May 2016.
Jungle Boldie, with Maarten Ornstein on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Tony Overwater on bass and Wim Kegel on drums. A trio that has been together for over twenty five years and works on a project base. Their last recording was Jungle Boldie which appeared on the label Turtle Records.
Over the past fourteen years Wim has worked as a drum teacher in Almere and Utrecht. He has been a guest teacher at several conservatories in the Netherlands and runs his own music/drum school Drumwise.