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Fred
van Hemert, guitarist and vocalist for Jimmy in the Swamp has a great
musical interest ranging from baroque- and classical music to pop. He
enjoys studying classical guitar and has a substantial collection
of recorded music at home. Through musical activities such as being
guitarist-singer with a cover band and a choir he participated
regularly in concerts and performances. Acoustic music in the shape of
the traditional Cajun repertoire is a more recent discovery, and Fred
was immediately charmed by the relaxed atmosphere as found there
within. As he said once in an interview for radio: "It's really fun to
play music without too many hassles, and to do something worthwhile on
a stage like keeping an audience entertained and even to see them
dance. Watch them ole’ cows come home, and everyone has fun! " Elena Nakovska, Macedonian violin virtuoso, has studied classical violin at Classical Music Academies in Skopje and Rotterdam, where she obtained various Conservatory degrees for teaching violin, besides a Master Degree as practicing professional violinist. In Macedonia she has been a full time member of the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra and the National ballet and Opera. Her interest in folk music comes from her Balkan origins and the rich folklore of Macedonia and she is truly convinced that professional music has firm roots in traditional folk of various origins. Folk music is what brought her in contact with Jimmy in the Swamp, and she became an enthusiastic member of the band. She has a great and natural feel for the traditional music of Louisiana and its roots stemming from French folk tunes and song, with the Bluesy influences so clearly present in Cajun music. She surely is One Mean and Merciless Fiddle Player! Nout Grupstra, or Astro, is Cajun accordionist, fiddler, vocalist and Musical Saw Operator. Nout played American roots-music touring all over Europe with bands originating in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium: Old-time and Cajun with the the Ramshackle Stringband, Jazz, Blues and Calypso with the Crooks and Chickenfeed, Bluegrass with Scarecrow and the $ide$how. He also performed with the “Rumtreiber Band” (rambling band) of German singer Roland Heinrich, performing the songs of Jimmie Rodgers in German to great acclaim. CD on Bear Family Records: Roland Heinrich, “Einsam und Ausgebremmst”. Nout has also composed music scores for television, movies (both TV and cinema) and theater productions. He plays with the reincarnated Dutch stringband the Crooks, www.crooks-stringband.nl, and has been seen using about anything with or without strings like guitar, slide-guitar, fiddle, mandolin, old-time banjo, Cajun-accordion, concertina, piano and musical saw. Bart van der Velde, double bass, harmonica and vocals, has been and still is bassist with a great many folk and bluegrass bands from the Netherlands. to name a few: Flexabillity, Bluegrass Clodhoppers, Moonshine Hollow Band, Double Dutch Band, and more. Jannet Fink, the band's newest member, fiddle and percussion. Trained as classical violinist she discovered while living in Edinburgh, Scotlnad, that playing folk music can be a very rewarding experience in life. |
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