Born: March 31, 1965 Primary Instrument: Guitar, electric
In 2007 Dutch guitarplayer Jan Wouter Oostenrijk (JWO) released “Maghreb Jazz guitar”, an innovating crossover between jazz and music from Northafrica . They did a successful tour in Holland and performed at big international festivals in Morocco like Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech. The Maghreb Jazz album got a radioindy “Golden Artist” award in the USA and their interpretation of famous jazz tune Caravan appeared on an EMI compilation, beside renomated artists as James Brown, George Duke and Natacha Atlas. With his work JWO became one of founders of Maghreb Jazz, a worldwide source of inspiration for new music!
About JWO
Virtuoso Dutch guitar player Jan Wouter Oostenrijk completed his professional Jazz guitar studies at the conservatory of Amsterdam in 1995. He was part of succesful Moroccan Rai formations. After this period he developed his own crossovers where he combines Northafrican music-culture with his own roots. In his music we’ll find energetic strong Roots orientated rhythms and melodic improvisations on guitar that moves from Jazz-Bebop lines ..to screaming Blues and Rock ..to Oriental ‘Maqam’ like playing.
2012: Releasing a new crossover Sharqi Blues
Sharq is the Arabic word for East and refers in general to Bellydance music culture and related art forms. Blues refers to Afro American music culture, electric guitar improvisations, sound and expression.
On the Sharqiblues album Karim Ziad was invited to play drums (Joe Zawinul, Cheb Khaled, Orch. Nat. de Barbes, Hamid el Kasri).
Awards:
Gouden Noten Kraker ..Award for significant contribution as a performer by the Dutch Musicians Union Radioindy Golden Artist - USA - Independent Artist Music Award for Best New MusicGuitarplayer JWO's new beautiful CD “Sharqi Blues certainly blows a strong North-African wind in our country, ...a sandstorm also noticable around the world.
(source Dutch Radio 6 World and MusicFromNL)
Unlike over- discussed integration issues, Sharqi blues shows that the multicultural society is capable of great achievements (source JazzFlits magazine)
Howling electric guitar, rhythm section, hammond organ facing twinkling qanun and a flamboyant Egyptian String Orchestra creates Horny Funky Bellydance in a post modern line-up with constantly changing soundscapes (source Volkskrant 4 stars****)
..media about Maghreb Jazz
..is a Dutch guitar wizard who has contributed significantly to the current crossover between jazz and the music of the Maghreb region Voice magazine Canada-Wanda Waterman
Extraordinarily gifted, classically trained Dutch guitarist Jan Wouter Oostenrijk has put together an interesting band of North African musicians to create a group that's able to navigate the crosscurrents between guitar-led jazz and Moroccan music. Global Rhythm Magazine -John Kuhlman
Maghreb Jazz Guitar (JWO, 2007)
Sharqi Blues (JWO, 2012)
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Primary Instrument:
Guitar, electric
Location:
Amsterdam
Willing to teach:
Advanced students only.
Credentials/Background:
Owner and founder of Guitar School
Amsterdam.
Clinic/Workshop Information:
Specialised in crossovers between Western and Northafrican/
Arabic music. How to integrate arabic elements in jazz, blues,
pop and rock.
Improvising with Arabic scales (on Guitar).
