The Soundmakers Project
The Soundmakers project revolves around the human voice, in all its versatility.
In this project the Soundmakers, guided by the unique hand signals of Canadian Christine Duncan, improvise ‘soundscapes’ with their voices to the music of singer Ineke Vandoorn and guitarist Marc van Vugt. Guided by Christine’s cues they improvise soundscapes, texts, rhythms, emotions and create whole worlds; sometimes lovely and mysterious, other times emotional and powerful. Nothing is fixed in advance, so the music truly arises in the moment. The Soundmakers is not a traditional singing choir, but consists of people of all shapes and sizes, who enjoy using their voices, but would not necessarily identify themselves as singers.The Soundmakers attend prior workshops led by Christine, Marc and Ineke.
The Soundmakers Project in the Netherlands is an initiative of Marc van Vugt and Ineke Vandoorn. They are known for their adventurous and lyrical music and travel the world with it. Christine Duncan is the leader and founder of the Element Choir, the world’s leading vocal improvisation group from Toronto. With the Element Choir she has collaborated with the famous Inuit singer Tanya Tagaq, among others.
Soundmakers project January 2024
During our Canadian tours, we saw Christine Duncan at work and got really excited. Not only did the result sound fantastic, but her way of working also makes it possible to collaborate with a group of people you would not normally share the stage with. For that reason we invited Christine Duncan in January 2024 for the Soundmakers Project where we combined our original compositions with soundscapes performed by Dutch Soundmakers led by Christine. We performed the project with 3 different groups of Soundmakers in Houten, Arnhem and Den Bosch. Video and audio recordings were made of the concert in Houten in which all 50 Soundmakers from Houten, Den Bosch and Arnhem participated..
About Ineke Vandoorn & Marc van Vugt (NL)
With fairy-like sounds, funky arrangements, modern music full of harrowing and twisting harmonies and sadly comforting songs, singer/pianist Ineke Vandoorn and her partner in music composer/guitarist Marc van Vugt explore boundaries in an admirable and fascinating way: between improvisation and composition, in original songs with regular lyrics and in pure improvisations, by giving their characteristic interpretation of standards or by amalgation of different musical expressions.
In the intimacy of a duo, trio or quartet, and with surprising and original crossovers with a chamber choir or a full orchestra, Like the Dutch Metropole Orchestra or the Dutch Chamber choir. Jazz as a conception is reinvented time after time; Fantasy, technical skill and willpower as a guarantee for a primal emotional impact: Music that will reverberate in your head for a long time.
Marc and Ineke released 13 cd’s. Their original approach has taken them to clubs and festivals over the world, including Canada, USA, France, Germany, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Austria, Macedonia and Hungary. They recorded and performed with renown musicians like Kenny Wheeler (UK), Robin Eubanks (USA), Sylvain Beuf (F), Andy Sheppard (UK), Don Thompson (CA), David Linx (F), Norma Winstone (UK), Mario Pavone (USA),Thomas Chapin (USA), Paul van Kemenade (NL).
About Christine Duncan (CAN)
A musical chameleon, Christine Duncan uses her voice as an instrument, in a wide range of diverse musical styles She is involved in everything from jazz, R&B, gospel, improvised music, sound poetry, to new music, opera, and musique actuelle. She performs with many musical groups and projects, notably with Hugh Fraser’s VEJI (Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation) since the mid 1990’s, and Barnyard Drama with drummer/electronic artist Jean Martin, since 2002, and is part of the Barnyard Records family, the label run by Martin. She created and directs the Element Choir, an improvising choir in Toronto, active since 2007. Christine and the Element Choir have been performing with inuit throat singer/experimental vocalist Tanya Tagaq since 2014, and she performs with Tagaq on voice and theremin as well. For the last few years, as a community engagement outreach, Christine has been touring, putting together and training volunteer, improvising choirs to perform in concerts, with Tagaq and her band, and with other musical ensembles, both in Canada, and internationally. Duncan and Tagaq have also been performing their piece Qiksaaktuq, (by Martin, Duncan and Tagaq) for the last couple of years, with Symphony Orchestras, in Canada and internationally. An active educator, Duncan has been teaching in the jazz programs at Humber College and the University of Toronto since 2003.
Reviews
The CD Crossing Canada got raving reviews in Europe:
.. the level of understanding has reached telepathic heights. Leonid Auskern – Jazzquad – Russia
The eleven original compositions sound like a road trip in itself, reflecting the emptiness and vastness of the Canadian landscape. Zing Magazine – The Netherlands
Crossing Canada opens up as an album with inspired guitar and vocals, harmonious and melodic, and full of surprising stories that you listen to intensely. Bernard Lefèvre – Jazz’halo – Belgium
https://www.inekevandoorn.com/projects/ineke-van-doorn-marc-van-vugt
