Piano/compositions/arrangments = Guillaume Marcenac
Bass = Yussif Barakat
Drums = Jasper Hilgerink
“What a beautiful voice you have”, Rita Reys responded after hearing Jurjen Donkers sing. She and other legendary interpreters of the Great American Songbook, such as Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra, would set the standard for his own singing. It is characterized by both a heartfelt interpretation of the lyrics as well as a great sense of timing. Or as pianist Peter Beets said recently: “This guy swings!”. The late bass player and record producer Ruud Jacobs commented: “He is a real talent.”
Jurjen Donkers got into the world of jazz music at the age of 14 when he met Europe’s First Lady of Jazz Rita Reys, who’s personal assistent he was from 2004 till her passing in 2013. Through her he was introduced into the Dutch jazz scene. In recent years he shared the stage with well known artists and musicians such as Ruud Jacobs, Eric Ineke, Marjorie Barnes, Peter Beets, and Lex Jasper. He regularly performs with Robert Koemans, Vincent Koning, Cas Jiskoot and Francesca Tandoi, and recently sang as a guest soloist with the West Coast Big Band and the Harbour Jazz Band.
Besides his own projects Donkers has through the years been involved in organizing several events, such as Greetje Kauffeld’s 60 Years On Stage tour, Eric Ineke’s 70th birthday concert, a tribute concert for Rita Reys at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw in 2016, and the celebration of Ack van Rooyen’s 90th birthday in 2020. In 2018 he was one of the producers of Rita Reys Collected, a 3CD released worldwide by Universal Music.
Organizer
We collaborate with musicians, performers, artists, and organize cultural events for children, adults and amateurs.
- Raise funds for supporting creations
- Let amateur perform on stages
- Involve local businesses
- Build some projects including music, dance and theater
- Create workshops with amateurs
- Collaborate with world class artists in locals venue
- Bring art/creation to hospital, schools, outdoor,
- Find sponsors and collaborators
- Help with marketing and video clips
Venue
You need to walk (or bike) 5min through the dune, and you arrive in this wonderful location
In front of the sea, protected with a tent, we make memorable concerts in this beautiful venue.
Het Zuiderstrand staat onder locals ook wel bekend als ‘het stille strand’. En met recht. Het is het rustige – ‘geheime’ – alternatief direct achter de duinen, voor iedereen die van strand, zee, ruimte en vrijheid houdt.
De Staat is een strandclub voor levensgenieters met een ongedwongen, zorgeloze sfeer. Na een korte wandeling door natuurgebied Westduinpark – een van de mooiste stukjes van Den Haag – stap je direct op het strand onze Vrijstaat binnen. Dus geen gesjouw door het zand. Zoek een lekker plekje op het terras en geniet van de zon en ons heerlijke eten!
https://www.strandpaviljoendestaat.nl/