Kim Hoorweg

Kim is de jongste vrouwelijke artieste op Verve. Haar 1e CD "Kim is Back" kwam uit in mei van dit jaar, waarna ze succesvolle optredens gaf op het North Sea Jazzfestival, in de HMH met Trijntje Oosterhuis en het Metropole orkest en bij Paul de Leeuw. Ze treedt op met haar eigen kwintet The missionary-5 . Kim brengt een programma met groovy jazz en eigen geschreven nummers, waarbij ze soms uitstapjes maakt naar de muziek van Johnny Cash, Zita Swoon en Herman van Veen .Door dit gevarieerde programma en haar frisse kijk op muziek heeft ze fans van alle leeftijden.Just a few years ago, Kim wasn’t into jazz at all, no matter how hard her father – jazz pianist Erwin Hoorweg of The Houdini’s – tried to convince her otherwise. But when Kim, just 10 years old at the time, heard the Strange Fruit album by Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis - arranged by her dad and Rolf Delfos - she suddenly got it. “Because of the poppy way in which Trijntje performed these classic songs, I suddenly understood what jazz is all about. She made me realize how interesting it could be to sing jazz songs, and I started to study the genre by listening to the great jazz vocalists.” On top of that, Trijntje gave Kim an Ella Fitzgerald CD-box, which became her personal jazz bible. No wonder then, that the repertoire on Kim Is Back was inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, particularly by her versions of the Gershwin Songbook. Nevertheless, Kim’s versions are very different: the arrangements have been simplified, the songs have been given a catchy groove and Kim wrote and recorded some interesting backing vocals. There is a particular freshness to her performance that is very easy on the ears. A deliberate choice, according to Kim: “My view on those classic songs differ from those of a grown woman. But I try to picture myself in the situations I sing about and try to reflect the emotions of a song the best way I can. That’s what singing is all about.” The album contains up-tempo songs like Clap-a yo hands, Lady Be Good and But Not For Me, Latin versions of My One And Only and What A Little Moonlight Can Do, a delicate interpretation of Willow Weep For Me, and a playful, light-hearted version of the melancholic ballad Summertime. Kim’s band consists of her father on piano, Rolf Delfos on saxophone, Guus Bakker on contrabass and Pascal Vermeer on drums and percussion. The album also features a guest performance of Kim’s idol Trijntje on What A Little Moonlight Can Do, a song they recently performed together live during one of Trijntje’s sold-out shows at the HMH in Amsterdam; young Kim made quite an impact on the audience with her performance. Kim has always been an active and ambitious girl who knows exactly what she wants. She rode horse, played the cello, performed in various plays and sang in a vocal group at school. Now, Kim studies music and dance, and recently gave up the cello to fully pursue her singing career. The fact that both her parents are working in the music industry – her mother is a vocal therapist – makes it easy for her to pursue her dream. “They discovered I was talented in an early stage and knew I would be able to achieve many things when I’d set my mind to it. But they never pushed me; this is something I wanted to do myself.” ‘Some might call me a chick with a mission’, says Kim on the album’s title track, which she co-wrote with her father. But what is her mission? “I hope I’ll be able to encourage young people to start listening to jazz. Jazz is not only for older people, it’s so much fun!” By now, Kim has managed to convince some of her own friends; a few of them have started to listen to Billie Holiday albums and will visit this year’s North Sea Jazz Festival for the first time to see their friend open the festival with a stunning performance on Saturday 14 June. Kim brings jazz back to its bare essence. Both long time jazz lovers and young people just discovering the genre will welcome Kim’s fresh take on the genre. With her impressive, flexible voice and spontaneity, the brand new jazz diva will certainly give a new impulse to the Dutch jazz scene. VERVE RECORDS