It’s tantalizing. It’s innovative. Terrific, awesome, shocking and delightfully powerful. Franco Saint De Bakker, the most intriguing Jazz-terror combo in ages. They will get under your skin once you’ve heard some of the tunes they adapt to their own needs and skills.
Without effort, and more import, without oppression, they turn an ’80’s Wave hit like The Beach (Blue Monday), into a cool Jazz tune that seems to have been waiting to be found. Without hesitation will they jump to the next song on their play list, which can be a new composition by one of the band members or some Free Music interpretation of whatever springs to mind. And they will just as easily bring you something straight out of the standard jazz repertoire. Unusual effects, detuned and pitched keyboards, hysterical vocals, distorted guitars, horns attacking your senses and some slick tunes underplaying sex novels read aloud.
Franco Saint De Bakker consists of the following people:
Elko Blijweert (ex-Kiss My Jazz, Bad Influence, ow, Rudy Trouvé Sextet, Dead Man Ray, MorF, Autistik Youth, ex-Con & Rot,…) guitar
Karel De Backer (Dead Man Ray, Filip Kowlier, Novastar,…) : drums
Frans Van Isacker (several Jazz-combos) : alt sax
Thomas Sainderichin (several Jazz-combos) : bass
Joris Caluwaerts (Zita Swoon, Finster Ho, Muni, Star Club West,…) : piano and synthesizer
Sigrid Van Rosendaal (Lionell Horowitz & His Combo, Rudy Trouvé Sextet,…) :trumpet
Guests during live performances:
Rudy Trouvé (Heaven Hotel) vocals
Saar van de Leest (Traktor, Capsule,…) clarinet
Tim Van der Poel (Autistik Youth, Almanak,…) vocals
Wolf Eriksson (van Maxon Blewitt, Hank Van Damme, ex-Zita Swoon, ex-Tumbleweed, …).
The band started in 1999, when Elko needed drums, bass, alt sax and keys for his finals at the Jazz Studio in Antwerp. They liked playing together that much that they continued playing gigs on various locations but only when every band member was available. After a while Rudy and Sigrid joined the band and since the last years Saar and Tim appeared on stage with them.
At first they played several Jazz standards in a casual way, nothing to fancy or adventurous.
Suddenly they added more contemporary touches to their arangements of songs by Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Ornette Colman, Mal Waldron, Sonny Clark, Grachan Moncour III and others).
In a further stage they included songs taken from movie soundtracks (e.g. the Twin Peaks-theme) and songs attributed by some band members (Joris, and Tim) Furthermore you will most definitely recognise themes originally created by New Order, Queens of the Stone Age and -if you are a Heaven Hotel aficionado- Sue Daniels. Whenever the opportunity presents itself to watch them on stage, do not hesitate -I repeat- do not hesitate to catch this magnificent combo. They embody the ultimate Jazz-terror. They will thrill you, stun you, overwhelm you, excite you, exhilirate you. It is the most intriguing, most intens sound you will ever hear.
