JOERI HOMMERSON

I WAS BORN IN A SMALL VILLAGE IN THE SOUTHWEST OF HOLLAND AND GREW UP WITH MUSIC FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. WITH BOTH MY PARENTS AS MUSICIANS IT WAS CLEAR I HAD TO DO SOMETHING IN MUSIC TOO. I STARTED PLAYING DRUMS AT THE AGE OF 4 AND PICKED UP A BASS GUITAR WHEN I WAS 14, AFTER SEEING MARK KING FROM LEVEL 42 GOING CRAZY ON ONE. LATER I STUDIED DOUBLE BASS- JAZZ AT THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY IN THE HAGUE, HOLLAND. MAINLY TO WIDEN MY MUSICAL HORIZON, BUT MY REAL PASSION WAS PLAYING ELECTRIC BASSGUITAR AND A VERY STRONG MUSICAL PREFERENCE TOWARDS JAZZFUNK AND JAZZROCK. THIS MUSICAL JOURNEY HAS BEEN EXTREMELY INTERESTING SO FAR, HAVING PLAYED PROFESSIONALLY WITH SOME AMAZING ARTISTS OVER THE PAST 24 YEARS. I STILL GIVE CLINICS AND DEMONSTRATIONS WORLDWIDE ALTHOUGH I DON'T SEE MYSELF AS A TEACHER WHO HAS ALL THE ANSWERS; I SIMPLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO FOLLOW THEIR OWN HEART, DEVELOP THEIR OWN IDENTITY AND LET THE INSTRUMENT DO THE TALKING! TRY NOT LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO SAY YOU CANNOT DO IT; JUST DO IT !!! TOURING THROUGH ALL THESE INTERESTING COUNTRIES ALL OVER THE WORLD REALLY MADE ME AWARE OF THE SIMPLE FACT THAT MUSIC IS A LANGUAGE WE ALL CAN UNDERSTAND NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE. DURING THE EURO-AND EUROPEAN BASS DAYS I PERFORMED WITH MY ITALIAN BAND 'EURO GROOVE DEPARTMENT' (WWW.EGDMUSIC.COM) I ALSO PERFORM ALONE GIVING MASTERCLASSES AND DEMONSTRATIONS. I DID RECORD A CD WITH 'EURO GROOVE DEPARTMENT' CALLED 'OPTICAL ILLUSION'. THIS HAS BEEN RELEASED THROUGH DDE RECORDS IN TORINO, ITALY. IT INCLUDES A PERFORMANCE OF THE FENOMINAL AND GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATED BASSPLAYER, COLLEGUE AND FRIEND MICHAEL MANRING AS WELL AS THE GREAT SAXOPHONE PLAYER EMANUEL CISI. NEXT TO THIS YOU CAN HEAR ME ON THE CD 'EUROPEAN BASSDAY' 2005 AND ON THE CD 'DUTCH BASSES' OF 2006. I ALSO APPEAR ON THE ON THE DVD EURO BASS DAY 2004 IN VERONA, INCLUDING JEFF BERLIN, STANLEY JORDAN, MIKE POPE, MATTHEW GARRISON, DARRYL JONES, DOMINIQUE DI PIAZZA AND PIPO MATINO. I AM VERY THANKFUL TO THE COMPANIES SUPPORTING ME. A VERY BIG 'THANK YOU' GOES OUT TO PIERLUIGI CAZZOLA, WHO IS BUILDING MY FANTASTIC LAURUS BASSES. (WWW.LAURUS.IT). 'REAL DE LOS REYES' IN MEXICO IS KEEPING ME AND MY INSTRUMENTS 'HOT WIRED' WITH JIMMY WESS CUSTOM STRINGS. (WWW.REALDELOSREYES.COM). A.T.S. IN PALERMO, ITALY IS PROVIDING ME WITH SOME EXCEPTIONAL HIGH CLASS BASS AMPLIFIERS AND SPEAKER CABINETS. (WWW.ATSITALY.COM). I AM VERY HONOURED EACH TIME TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE COMING OUT TO LISTEN TO ME. I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. AT THE MOMENT I AM PLAYING IN 'X3', BASED IN OSLO, NORWAY. THE BAND STARTED IN THE BEGINNING OF 2006 WITH ME ON BASS, THE AMAZING GUITARIST BØRGE OLSEN AND ONE OF THE HARDEST WORKING DRUMMERS IN NORWAY TODAY; GEIR INGE HANSEN. THANKS FOR STEPPING BY. SEE YOU ALL OUT THERE 'LIVE' ON THE ROAD SOMEWHERE; LIVE, LOUD & PROUD! JOERI