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Jan Wouter Oostenrijk

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 Music

Take Five With Jan Wouter Oostenrijk

by Jan Wouter Oostenrijk
March 22, 2012

Meet Jan Wouter Oostenrijk: Virtuoso Dutch guitarist Jan Wouter Oostenrijk completed his professional jazz guitar studies at the Conservatory of Amsterdam in 1995. He was part of successful Moroccan Rai formations. After this period he developed his own crossovers, where he combines North African music culture with his own roots. His music possesses energetic and strong roots-oriented rhythms and melodic improvisations on guitar that moves from bebop lines to screaming blues and Rock and Oriental “Maqama"-like playing.

Recording

"Sharqi Blues" Is All About Jazz And More

Source: Jan Wouter Oostenrijk
March 16, 2012

Europe is a source of new crossovers in jazz and world music. An inspiring example is the new album Sharqi Blues by Dutch guitarplayer Jan Wouter Oostenrijk (JWO), where energetic bellydance orientated rhythms melt with jazzy improvisations that move from Bebop phrases ...to screaming Blues and Rock ..to Oriental 'Maqam' like playing. On the album former Joe Zawinul drummer Karim Ziad from Algeria was invited to play the drums. JWO released innovative music crossovers before. His album Maghreb Jazz Guitar ...
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Dutch media about Sharqi Blues

Guitarplayer 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****)