Visited beginning this month the upcoming small music festival in Amsterdam Old West. Professional musicians perform in many different living rooms of people's homes around the Wilhelminastraat and Figurantenbar. This neighborhood changed since the last years into a new character. I've been told that renovated houses in this area have attracted a fresh new young audience who mix well with the residents who live there for decades. A pleasant living environment for hardworking young people with early careers, but certainly not an area for snobs or tourists. Most residents know each other and it feels like a small village in the middle of this city. Close to the Vondelpark and the city centre. Regular customers of the Figurantenbar even have their own nickname at the 'Club' night, been held every Tuesday. A neighborhood with people who mostly prefer to keep it real to the simple thing. For several years the festival home developed itself into a very wanted end of summer event. People who love music and theater love it. This year I visited it for the first time. It's been a very popular event with early sold out tickets. On the street was a large main stage was built, where various performances were hold with an ordinary barbecue. This two-day event is mainly about the shows you need to buy the ticket for. The small performances in the living rooms feel like a theatre peepshow. As audience this gives a more real, personal and perhaps a bit of an old-fashioned experience. A mini festival in which artists can promote themselves. And so I also finally discovered Zazi. This last show had three beautiful Dutch girls in cute vintage dresses. I love when girls wear vintage dresses and have long hair. They said ever to have begun singing at house parties of their mom's. Zazí's repertoire consists of songs from all over the world in many different languages, which are often performed in close harmony. They sing chansons in French, German, English, Dutch, Russian, including a humorous theatre touch. At first glance they look like good, pretty fussy girls, but once they start you will discover how witty, clever, fun, seriously talented and good they are. I enjoyed it very much.
The girls were first brought together in Paris by a mutual acquaintance in early spring of 2006. The chemistry was immediately obvious and over the course of many drinks in not nearly as many hours, the first Zazí arrangement was brought to life on the steps of the Sacre Coeur. The normal complications of life kept them apart until September of 2007, when the girls were brought together again.
Upon their reunion, the girls began to regularly play music together. Though having a love of many genres of music, the girls decided that their instruments: cello, piano and accordion, would be a perfect combination for the French chanson. They entered into the Concours de la Chanson 2009 and took home first prize!
After their victory they decided to continue their music and began composing songs of their own and having fun with any piece that struck a chord. They started playing throughout the theatres of Amsterdam and all over the Netherlands, including several shows for the Queen of the Netherlands! Their combination of instruments (cello, piano and accordion) seemed appropriate for them to implement the French chanson. They wrote under the name "La Gaîté" (the joy) for the Concours de la Chanson Alliance Française in 2009 and won the first prize. The jury (eg Liesbeth List, Tonny Eyk, and the famous French singer Yves Duteil) described the trio as "fresh, fun, humorous and also great musicians."
more information:
http://www.triozazi.nl/
www.wilhelminahuiskamerfestival.nl
