Music
Press
“..On the yesterday released first CD of DASH! you find funny, psychedelic and stirring funky
pieces as well as a breathy french song with an unrelenting pushing rhythm underneath. The lyrics,
mainly written by the vocalists themselves, are at least describable as unorthodox. They're about
happy paintings, a poker game or - don't ask what and how – the feeling being hollowed as a
cucumber...” - Parool (Dutch Newspaper)
“Maarten Ornstein is originally a reedplayer – he is excellent on bassclarinet and tenorsaxophone,
but sometime grabs at a tarogato (Hungarian reed instrument) or bansuri (Indian bamboo flute), but
he is also one of the most interesting contemporary composers of this country. And above all
pleasantly elusive. His playing and compositions are beyond borders and you'll find them in groups
as 'The New Cool Collective Big Band', SfeQ and 'The Ebony Band', but also in theaterensembles
such as 'Orkater' and 't Barre Land'...
..He doesn't only play melodic, mantric loops and repetitive melodies, but also in Eastern spheres
and heavenly solo's. The music offers an adventurous complexity of Zappa-intervals and
harmonies, Manhattan Transfer-like voice-acrobatism and P-funk grooves in an ideal mix of
acoustics and electronics, sometimes untenable groovy. Very beautiful and very original.” - Hifi Magazine
“One takes four singers, let them study for one year on the complete works of Frank Zappa, send
them on tour with Steve Coleman and at the end of the journey there will be someting like this
group. Approximately... It will be clear, DASH! is rebellious, against the grain and in your face. But
also fun. The group funks in heavy M-base tradition: angular, without compromises and irresistably
steaming..” - Jazzism (Dutch jazz Magazine)
“A band with four vocalists prepares you for the worst. But reedplayer Maarten Ornstein, for
instance known as instrumentalist in SfeQ, has created a great solid ensemble with his new group
DASH!, where singers Jeannine Valeriano, Monique de Adelhart Toorop, Vera van der Poel and
Marieke Snijders form a tight instrument together. The angular melodies that Ornstein lets them
sing sometimes sound a bit arty, but together with the juicy grooves and dirty sounds of the band is
created a new, attractive kind of music... The power of DASH! is the joy of bringing the serious,
crafty composed and played pieces up front.” - Volkskrant (Dutch newspaper)
“..The Dutch Hollywoodstar Yorick van Wageningen soliloquizes, only interrupted by the sizzling
of boiling oil and whirling music. That music is made by Maarten Ornstein and his funkband
DASH!. The spectrum reaches from dreamy melodies to brusque staccato attacks, from rhytmical
ticking on jars to four voices harmonies..” - NRC sep 13 2008, dutch newspaper
“..Spica knows how to grip the attention from beginning to the end by the surprising combination of
music, culinary art and text. Through the fabulous kitchen smells it brings the water to the mouth,
untill you find out what's really on the menu...” - 8 weekly, sep13 2008
“A musical centipede, this Maarten Ornstein. Not only is he playing bassclarinet and
tenorsaxophone in several ensembles (SfeQ, Tony Overwater Group, Lotz of Music, Jess Abrams,
Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw), he is also involved in project in and out of jazz, such as
Orkater, New Music Choir Amsterdam, Schönberg Ensemble. And is since 2004 chief of DASH!, a
notable group with four vocalists, a lot of percussion, a funky bass and a (his) saxophone.
On itself a remarkable compilation, but extended with a highly seldom applicated instrument in
jazz, the french horn, played by the young talent Morris Kliphuis.
This ensemble has a lot of possibilities, and were exploited in a short but intense performance.
Ornstein takes elements from several music forms outside jazz, and forges them into a gripping and
sometimes surprising mix. The core thing is, where ever the point of departure is (Indian dance,
Occitan folk music, rock of Frank Zappa or free jazz), it will alway end in heavily swinging
jazzfunk, supported by Eric Hoeke on drums, Joshua Samson on percussion and last but not least
the steaming bassguitar of Tessa Cooke.
The cream in the coffee is formed by the four singers Jeannine Valeriano, Monique de Adelhart
Toorop, Kiki Manders and Marieke Snijders, that fight their way through the most vexatious
musical challenges with verve, virtuosity and pleasure. For instance that song in which the lyrics are
sung backwards: scarcely doable, but it's done and with a likely matter of course.”
- De Stentor dec 17 2008
Discography
2006 DASH! debut album at DOX Records
2007 Zwaar Water - radioplay CD
soon to be released in june 2009 at EWM-Music: The Bangalore
Photos
Bio
Musician and composer Maarten Ornstein has never settled for the role of a traditional jazz artist.
He is known for his work for numerous jazz and classical ensembles, as well as for his eclectic style
on tenor and bass-clarinet, incorporating elements from contemporary, jazz, funk and ethic styles.
Besides being an active musician, Ornstein (1967) is also widely known for his ability to organize
large scale music-theatre projects, bringing together different musicians from all styles. This desire
to work with a variety of performers characterizes all of Ornsteins career, it comes from a musical
need to combine the strong points of all genres, to make universal music.
Inspired by the likes of Eddie Harris and Gary Thomas, Maarten Ornstein picked up on the fading
tradition of electric saxophone-playing. Using both vintage and modern equipment, he developed a
flexible style suited for both dynamic comping and soloing.
Maarten Ornsteins music is rooted in jazz, soul, slavic and contemporary music traditions. All these
elements first came together in the W.A.R.P. Music Ensemble, which sported a line-up of five winds
and a singer. The cd recorded by the group (1999) firmly established Ornsteins name as an artist
looking for new grounds to explore, rather than operating in the mainstream. This led to numerous
composition assignments, notably for the North Sea Jazz Festival, Orkater Theatre company, with
Dutch bass giant Tony Overwater choreographer Anouk van Dijk, the Calefax Reed Ensemble and
the New Music Choir of Amsterdam. As a soloist, Maarten Ornstein worked with the Schönberg
Ensemble, the Jazzorchestra of the Concertgebouw, and appeared on concerts with Pat Metheny and
David Liebman
DASH! - four singers, tenor, percussion, bass, drums- was born in 2004 out of the need to have a
group with which to experiment with text and voices over transparent, funky grooves. Since the
days of W.A.R.P. Ornstein developed a fascination with words and lyrics. Their rhythmic
possibilities and deeper meaning are a central element in all DASH! music. The first DASH! album,
released in 2006 displayed the ensemble's full potential, and received raving reviews in the dutch
press. With the mixture of jazz, soul, ethnic styles and spoken word, the group defined its own
genre.
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