Re: Thank you, Amsterdam 2016.
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 9:57 pm
First and foremost a HUGE "thank you" and "thumbs up" from the bottom of my heart to our wonderful event organizers Wijbe, Willy and Liesbeth!!!! I can only assume how much time and energy you invested in creating this most wonderful and memorable event! You excelled the high expectations in so many ways and made so many people very happy!!!
There were too many highlights to mention them all, but for me these were some of them:
- Patrick Leonard playing instrumental versions of some of Leonards songs
- The short four-song showcase (Boogie Street, In my secret life, The Letters, Everybody Knows) by Sharon Robinson - I especially liked "The Letters" as I had never heard that song live before. I was looking forward so much to seeing a full solo concert next month in Zurich - only to discover by coincidence that she had cancelled the concert, without any explanation nor excuse neither on her Facebook- nor on her website, downright rude if you ask me...
But on with the highlights of the event:
- The preview of Leonards new album. I tend to be very critical but there wasn't a single song that I didn't like, beautiful production, "Treaty" and "Steer your way" were standouts...
-The very charming and wonderful Sophia Ammann who accompanied Francis Mus's lecture with some covers of Leonard's songs. Her version of "Lady Midnight" was one of the most beautiful things I have EVER heard... She also has her own band, Little Dots, check her out: http://www.littledots.info/
- The 2hour 15 minute-concert by Henk Hofstede's Avalanche Quartet - was the highlight of all the highlights, beautiful sound and one could see that all the musicians had a blast on stage - and so had we - met the band afterwards, they seem to be as wonderful offstage as they are gifted musicians onstage.
- Everyone on the dancefloor doing the polonaise while Huub, Henk, Harrie & Herman played "Closing Time"
-Of course all the talks, discussions, dinners and drinks with fellow Cohenites from all over the world! See you again next year on Hydra or 2018 in Budapest!
Special mentions go to the city of Amsterdam as a whole (I definitely fell in love with the city, my stay was just too short to visit all the cafés and shops I passed by) and my wonderful hotel (http://thecollegehotel.com/en/).
And last but not least, I may have been the only Swiss Cohenite attending the Event but I met some people with Swiss connections:
- The most charming Sophia Ammann actually has a Swiss mother (and a Canadian father, but she grew up in Belgium)...
- Darren Hayne, responsible for the perfect sound during the concert of the Avalanche Quartet, told me after the concert that he is actually living and working in Basel/Switzerland as a producer/sound engineer, working with Swiss artists such as Shirley Grimes....
There were too many highlights to mention them all, but for me these were some of them:
- Patrick Leonard playing instrumental versions of some of Leonards songs
- The short four-song showcase (Boogie Street, In my secret life, The Letters, Everybody Knows) by Sharon Robinson - I especially liked "The Letters" as I had never heard that song live before. I was looking forward so much to seeing a full solo concert next month in Zurich - only to discover by coincidence that she had cancelled the concert, without any explanation nor excuse neither on her Facebook- nor on her website, downright rude if you ask me...
But on with the highlights of the event:
- The preview of Leonards new album. I tend to be very critical but there wasn't a single song that I didn't like, beautiful production, "Treaty" and "Steer your way" were standouts...
-The very charming and wonderful Sophia Ammann who accompanied Francis Mus's lecture with some covers of Leonard's songs. Her version of "Lady Midnight" was one of the most beautiful things I have EVER heard... She also has her own band, Little Dots, check her out: http://www.littledots.info/
- The 2hour 15 minute-concert by Henk Hofstede's Avalanche Quartet - was the highlight of all the highlights, beautiful sound and one could see that all the musicians had a blast on stage - and so had we - met the band afterwards, they seem to be as wonderful offstage as they are gifted musicians onstage.
- Everyone on the dancefloor doing the polonaise while Huub, Henk, Harrie & Herman played "Closing Time"
-Of course all the talks, discussions, dinners and drinks with fellow Cohenites from all over the world! See you again next year on Hydra or 2018 in Budapest!
Special mentions go to the city of Amsterdam as a whole (I definitely fell in love with the city, my stay was just too short to visit all the cafés and shops I passed by) and my wonderful hotel (http://thecollegehotel.com/en/).
And last but not least, I may have been the only Swiss Cohenite attending the Event but I met some people with Swiss connections:
- The most charming Sophia Ammann actually has a Swiss mother (and a Canadian father, but she grew up in Belgium)...
- Darren Hayne, responsible for the perfect sound during the concert of the Avalanche Quartet, told me after the concert that he is actually living and working in Basel/Switzerland as a producer/sound engineer, working with Swiss artists such as Shirley Grimes....
(I know how much you love emoticons)