"As a guitarist/composer, Barrios is the best of the lot, regardless of era. His music is better formed, it's more poetic, it's more everything! And it's more of all those things in a timeless way." (John Williams)

"Oeps!" (Bas Kooman a few times during recording - inwardly)

Choro da saudade (Agustín Barrios Mangoré 1885-1944)

For Saskia and her dad (1935-2021)


[Rough English translation]
SOMEWHERE STILL HERE
Hey Dad, how are you
It's been a while
I miss you
I can still see you standing
Behind the front door
From the nursing home
How you kept waving
When we had to go

You couldn’t find your place
Didn’t get used to it there
You wanted to go home
With us
Until you forgot
Where your home was
Who everyone was
It all happened so fast

But it feels like you are somewhere
Somewhere still here with me
And know what I think

Hey Dad, I still see us
Together enjoying
Concerts by Bach
You with closed eyes
You were there for me
When I got depressed
That I was not alone
Spoke out of your face

And it feels like you are somewhere
Somewhere still here with me
And know what I think

Sometimes you were struggling
You could be angry, stubborn
Did not know what to do with yourself
The helplessness of your childhood
You came back to that again
A child, now skin and bone
That was always on its own
All alone

Hey Dad, I would
Like to talk to you
While I rub your shoulder
Somewhere still here, somewhere on earth
Where you are with me

Cover art: Katinka Kooman 
Strings: Javier Orman
Mastered 2022.10.16

Ergens nog hier

ERGENS NOG HIER

At the beginning the 7/8 measure may feel a bit uncomfortable to some, but that's exactly how the main character in this song feels. Until he gets drawn in...

[Rough English Translation]
DON'T ASK WHY
What makes life worth living
He asks wearily
It is the journey that you experience yourself
She says captivated
It's the wind
The sea, the salt
It's the child
In young and old
It’s our nature
The game, the sum
All together
And don't ask why

Don't ask why

What gives life ‘zin’ [In English: ‘meaning’] to you then
He asks intoxicated
How nice that you start about ‘zin’
She replies roguishly
For you to ask
For me to know
Is that too vague
Make ‘zin’ [In English ‘meaning’ but also ‘I feel like’] tactile
Don't you feel lust
Oh boy, come on
I want you to kiss me
And don't ask why

Don't ask why

VRAAG NIET WAAROM (click for translation)

The love makes narrow beds wide...

[Rough translation]
THE LOVE
It's nonsensical, says the mind
 It's ridiculous, snarls our pride
 It can't be true, exclaims the experience
 It is what it is, replies the love

The love, the love 
Makes narrow beds wide 
The love, the love 
Keeps old souls young 
The love, the love 
With or without oath
The love, the love
Refreshes us at the source

It's not worth it, sputters our fear 
It's a disillusionment, sulks the sadness 
 It's not what it seems, blushes the shame 
It is what it is, replies the love

The love, the love
Wins for those who dare
The love, the love
Does sometimes act a little silly
The love, the love
Gives more than it asks for
The love, the love
Or was it the other way around?

The love, the love
Is granted to all
The love, the love
Veiled and bared
The love, the love
God bless every attempt
The love, the love
With whom and anyhow

Sax: @DaveMcKeown
Rest: me
Cover picture: StockSnap

De liefde

DE LIEFDE (mastered 28.10.2022)

[English translation]
ADIEU
Again i saw my love leave
and again it was: Adieu, my heart; soon
it is done with you, with me, with us,
and time and space move in between.

Ah, how many trains I saw depart
from other, from identical terminals?
I turn around and mutter under my breath
what we didn't tell each other this time as well.

Again the world is opening up to me
But darling , I see, just where I look,
in every shop window a stranger walking
whom i look like since you left.

Even for those who have learned not to hope 
too much, the illusion gradually disappears
Again the world is opening up to him
But he only sees, where he looks,
in every shop window a stranger walking 
in every shop window a stranger walking...

Poem: Jean Pierre Rawie (bundle 'Woelig stof')
Music: me

Adieu

ADIEU

Lisa, you're one of a kind.  
@faerytale 

Vocals, cello and musical arrangement: Faerytale
Composition and Dutch lyrics: Bas Kooman
Translation: Hans Bouman & Bas Kooman

JULIAN by Faerytale

https://open.spotify.com/track/6ZqzH5qSUIeWQWTJJY9ppr?si=bceddb7ffcc9470d 

[rough translation]
RITUAL
I preserve the little ritual,
so you can return anytime.

Every day, when evening falls,
I prepare the table: an extra plate,

cutlery, your own chair, a candle, a glass,
as if you just were delayed.

I hear (how could I think that what
makes me who I am, was gone forever?)

I hear, as if the house still existed,
the gravel, the latch, the dog barking,

and you come in at the moment
I light the lamp, arrange the flowers.

I just hope I can stay calm
and without looking up from my silent routine

find the words, as if it were self-evident:
sit down, help yourself, you were expected.

[Dutch poem]
RITUEEL
Ik houd het kleine ritueel in ere,
opdat je elk moment terug kunt keren.

Iedere dag, wanneer het avond wordt,
maak ik de tafel klaar: een extra bord,

bestek, je eigen stoel, een kaars, een glas,
alsof je enkel opgehouden was.

Ik hoor (hoe kon ik denken dat hetgeen
waardoor ik ben, voor altijd was verdwenen ?),

ik hoor, alsof de woning nog bestond,
het grind, de klink, het aanslaan van de hond,

en je komt binnen op het ogenblik
dat ik de lamp ontsteek, de bloemen schik.

Ik hoop alleen dat ik dan rustig blijf
en haast niet opziend van mijn stil bedrijf

de woorden vind, als was het vanzelfsprekend:
Schuif aan; tast toe: er is op je gerekend.


Poem: Jean Pierre Rawie
Music & mix: Bas Kooman
Master: White Sea Studio (2022.06.27)

RITUEEL (mastered)

I wrote this song after reading a quote from the surrealist writer Jorge Luis Borges:

“A man sets out to draw the world. As the years go by, he peoples a space with images of provinces, kingdoms, mountains, bays, ships, islands, fishes, rooms, instruments, stars, horses, and individuals. A short time before he dies, he discovers that the patient labyrinth of lines traces the lineaments of his own face.”

Here's to the full life.

@dave-McKeown: thanks Dave, for your brilliant contribution.
It makes all the difference!

[rough translation]
LOW HORIZON
wander with me all winter through the white frosted country
let us leave some traces in heather, polder, grassland, dune and beach
from Faith Hill to Baren Field
from Harm Wood to Chuckle Brook
take me to your heart, wander with me to the edge

wander with me all winter and tell me what you know
about this piece of earth that’s named to our first impressions
The Fire Timber or Leaf Fen
Shimmer Canal or Mill Dam
striking are the names that you nonetheless will soon forget

This is us
This is us, dear
dotted lines on the cold ground
I see you
I see you there
in the twilight on the path
on the low horizon

wander with me all winter, map out this land
roads, bridges, people, animals, anything you discover here
from Faith Hill to Baren Field
from Harm Wood to Chuckle Brook
isn’t it a mystery that reveals itself to us?

This is us
This is us, dear
dotted lines on the cold ground
I see you
I see you there
in the twilight on the path
on the low horizon

[Dutch lyrics]
LAGE HORIZON 
dwaal met mij de hele winter door het wit berijpte land
trek met mij een spoor door heide, polder, weide, duin en strand
van Geloofshoop tot Barreveld 
van Griefhorst tot Schaterbroek
haal met mij je hart op, dwaal met mij tot aan de rand

dwaal met mij de hele winter en vertel me wat je weet
van het stukje aarde dat naar onze eerste indruk heet
’t Vuurhout of Bladerven
de Glimvaart of Molendam 
beeldend zijn de namen die je ook weer zo vergeet

Dit zijn wij 
Dit zijn wij schat
stippellijnen op de koude grond 
ik zie jou
ik zie jou daar
in de schemer op het pad
aan de lage horizon

dwaal met mij de hele winter, breng met mij dit land in kaart
wegen, bruggen, mensen, dieren, alles wat je hier ontwaart 
van Geloofshoop tot Barreveld 
van Griefhorst tot Schaterbroek
is het geen mysterie dat zich aan ons openbaart?

Dit zijn wij
Dit zijn wij schat
stippellijnen op de koude grond
ik zie jou
ik zie jou daar
in de schemer op het pad
aan de lage horizon



LAGE HORIZON (Low horizon - with Dave McKeown)

Vocals: Zefora
Music & production: Bas Kooman
Painting: Glenn Brady (fragment)

Touch The Sky (Zefora vocals)

ODE AAN EEN MOOIE TIJD

Coverfoto: Skitterphoto

Station Halfweg

STATION HALFWEG (met Gregor Theelen)

Hoe kun je

HOE KUN JE (met Gregor Theelen)

ODE AAN EEN MOOIE TIJD

Coverfoto: Anemone123

Wie ik ook omarm

WIE IK OOK OMARM (met Gregor Theelen)

"It's never too late to play your pipes" - Dave McUilleann

Artwork: Cornett McKitchen (thanks Derek!)
More piperism: https://soundcloud.com/derek-cornett/mckeownegans-wake

In this song an Oblomov-type-a-guy wakes up early in the morning and he is determined to go working again, but life is what happens when you're making plans.


[Rough translation]
NEVER TOO LATE
when outside
the first bird whistles
and it is done with the night

I know
after all the time I was wasting
It's never too late to get up earlier

no doubt
It's really high time
with fresh courage to go back to work

and sober
without a bad drinking breath
maybe for now I should take it easy

my poor mother told me once
son, it's always better late than never
my poor mother told me once
son, it's always better late than never

I 'll manage
as I stay in my bed
and tomorrow go looking for a job

you do it
only if you can do it right
It's never too late to get up earlier

my poor mother told me once
son, it's always better late than never
my poor mother told me once
son, it's always better late than never



NOOIT TE LAAT (by Man McBasko and the mysterious piper)

The Dutch know how to keep the water out, but the way we used to see the Netherlands as an open minded and welcoming society, has regrettably disappeared in todays populistic mist.

A big thanks to Dave McKeown for the original and delicate saxes!

[rough translation]
IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN
if I'm not mistaken
this was the country for which no sea was too high
that turned the tide in all weathers
and held firmly the feet dry
with grass and sand, basalt, concrete
it protects along its entire coast
property worth of two trillion
the urban joy, the rural tranquility

the days pass
the world fights
the water comes
as dense fog

if I'm not mistaken
this was the country that excluded noone
where strangers found a refuge
from Portuguese to Huguenot
an island of tolerance
founded in regional water communities
go-getters – prepared to compromise
although they sometimes thought differently

the days pass
the world fights
the water comes
as dense fog

too little resilience
too little courage
where is the unity
when the going gets rough
it is watered down
the inheritance
of our fathers,
if I'm not mistaken

ALS IK ME NIET VERGIS (with Dave McKeown)

Words and voice: Hannah Duncan (@hanjan)
Woodwinds: Dave McKeown (@dave-mckeown)
Vocal: Emma Shanley (@emma-shanley)
Music and mix: Bas Kooman

Sometimes

A sad woman asked me
“Can this be changed?”
and hoped I would have
a key in my pocket
to fit the lock of her
despair.

The lonely man asked
“What shall I do?”
as we both sat,
with his chain ankle ghost,
that manacled
freedom.

Sometimes,
we keep our souls
in a locked box
on the window sill
and fear death’s fingers
if it rattles.

Sometimes,
we seek to hear only
clattering dialogue of thought,
clanking down the
one way tracks to
contention.

And sometimes
the truth is hidden in cell-seeds
trapped in shoulder stories,
or the anxious rope tale
of your skipping
stomach.

“What does your body say?”
I want to ask.
The answers
will hold their
breath and wait
for you.

But only in that
rejected, split off
holder, in the
soft sacred
fruiting
body bowl

Will you ever feel
the right question to ask.
The question that
tells you, finally:
it is time
to harvest.

SOMETIMES (with DAVE, HANNAH and EMMA)

Poem: Jean Pierre Rawie
Alto sax: Dave McKeown 
Music: Bas Kooman
Cover picture: Robert Linder

[Rough translation]
SECRET 
With whom you have cheated on me 
and what treachery I committed
which made me in everybody's eyes 
an enemy and stranger to you:

everything has always been
about one single bond 
nothing in the world could break.
We went, where we went, 

our whole lives separated ways,
so that no man would ever know  
what we swallowed and didn't tell
about unforgettable allegiance.

[Dutch poem by Jean Pierre Rawie]
GEHEIM
Met wie je mij ook hebt bedrogen
En welk verraad ik ook beging
Waardoor ik jou in aller ogen 
tot vijand werd en vreemdeling 

alles heeft altijd in het teken
van éen verbintenis gestaan
die niets ter wereld kon verbreken
Wij gingen, waar we zijn gegaan,

Ons leven lang gescheiden wegen
Opdat geen mens ooit weten zou
Wat wij verbeten en verzwegen 
Aan onvergetelijke trouw

Geheim

GEHEIM (Secret – with Dave McKeown)

There's more in life that we do not experience than that we do. 
But hey, you can't have it all.
Sometimes that's for the better.

[Rough English translation]
YOU CAN'T HAVE IT ALL
In the past i didn’t want to miss anything
Was eager to join in all things fun
If I had to choose, I could not decide
I’d rather divided myself in two 

For football, parties, music and friends
a week was really too short
when she fell in love with another
it only really dawned on me

You can’t have it all

Now so many years have passed
I see many people with a cross to bear
Who are suffering or have severly suffered
people without a future, without a home

because of illness, distress, violence and loss
they’re broken, tired out 
for us, my love, I praise the day
for us, my love, I speak of happiness

You can’t have it all

Still, i want my life to be in the fast lane 
Sure, that’s how i’m gonna do it
but without risking life and limb
and with guaranteed pension

You can’t have it all

Soprano sax: @Dave-McKeown
Drums: Matt Snowden
Rest, Music & Lyrics: me
Mix&master 2021

JE MIST MEER DAN JE MEEMAAKT (with Dave McKeown)

“Every person must choose how much truth he can stand”, said Irvin Yalom, American writer and psychiatrist. “Self-awareness is a supreme gift, a treasure as precious as life. This is what makes us human. But it comes with a costly price: the wound of mortality.” Inspired by Yalom’s book ‘Staring at the sun’ British poet HanJan (@hanjan) wrote the poem Ripples.

I wrote music to these words and asked Texan vocalist Faerytale (@faerytale aka Lisa West) to sing them. Lisa never stops to amaze me. With her musical talent, and her warm and compassionate personality. For a reason she writes and sings personal songs for very sick people and people who lost a loved one, to give them a sense of peace and love in their most vulnerable moments.

RIPPLES
When we are dead
And nestled under the ground
Or scattered over favourite seas
And special places
The mountain will say nothing
The trees will not moan
And the river will be moving slowly
For someone else.
All that you know
All the thoughts you have owned
Will pass into nothing.
Only your vacated body
Will provide sacred compost
For those that inherit the earth.
And only those things you created
In the minds of your children,
In the people you touch,
In the art you leave behind,
Will show you have been here
And that you loved.

We are the stones that sink when flung into this still lake.
If we give our living plummeting momentum
Let velocity and passion hurl us forwards
Without restraint
It may be that our ripples will reach from bank to bank
To be felt by those we never touched: 
Through the blaze of our own comet tail light across their heaven.

Ripples

RIPPLES (feat. Faerytale & HanJan)

[Rough translation]
RECOVERY
When, after a fever and despair
and physically intolerable misery,
I step by step returned to the world,
everything sounded  new again.

In words that I knew from childhood
I recognized the true sense;
almost every 'and' hid an 'et cetera'
in the beginning, words had no ending

But I healed and this ecstasy disappeared:
sounds were again just sounds,
and what was said around me

was the same nonsense as always.
One must forgive me
that I increasingly keep my mouth shut.

HERSTEL
Toen ik na vertwijfeling en koorts
en lijfelijk onduldbare ellende 
geleidelijk weer aan de wereld wende
kreeg elk geluid opnieuw iets ongehoords.

In woorden die ik al van kindsbeen kende
herkende ik de ware zin des woords;
haast ieder 'en' verborg een 'enzovoorts',
in den beginne nam het woord geen ende

Maar ik genas en deze roes verdween:
geluiden werden weer gewoon geluiden,
en in wat er gezegd werd om mij heen

heerst als vanouds dezelfde flauwekul.
Men moet het mij maar niet ten kwade duiden
dat ik mij meer en meer in zwijgen hul.

Poem by Jean Pierre Rawie
Music by Bas Kooman
Cover picture: Robert Linder

HERSTEL (recovery)

I am no classical guitar player.
I could however play in the subway,
just because this piece is so much fun to play...
(It's far from flawless.)

More (and better) classical guitar on Soundcloud: 
Derek Cornett, Jens Felger, Stan Leonard, Guy Trepanier and Frank Hiemenz!

Si ela perguntar (by Dilermando Reis 1916-1977)

My good friend @dave-mckeown wrote this little gem and asked me to play along on the guitar. Always a great pleasure, and even more so because it bears my name :-) That B alliterates very nicely, don't you think? Anyway, it's a clarinet duet, a smooth tune at an easy going pace in Gilberto-style, with a cool melody and gorgeous harmonies and – as always – outstanding soulful playing.

Recently Dave has added some great compositions of his own to the arrangements he makes for sax, clarinets and other instruments on https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/publishers/david-mckeown-sheet-music/3006203?aff_id=673683 

This is one of them.
Hope you enjoy!

Sheet music plus

Bossa De Bastião (Dave McKeown/Bas Kooman)

Dutch version of "IF I KNOW YOU", a song by Ian Melvin: @ianmelvin
Many thanks to @milanazilnik for the creation of the wonderful piano track.

This Dutch version is part of a translation project by Ian Melvin to create as many versions of "IF I KNOW YOU" in other languages as possible. 

For all the other translations please visit Ian's group:
soundcloud.com/groups/if-i-know-you-like-i-do

DUTCH LYRICS

ALS IK JOU KEN 
Als ik jou ken, echt goed ken 
Zou je ooit weggaan? 
Had jij die wens? 

Had ik jou minder lief, dan zou moeten 
Waar zou je't zoeken? 
Wat kon ik doen?

Ik voer over grote oceanen 
Ik bedwong de hoogste berg 
En ik bracht dan uit de diepste zee 
Die zwarte parel mee 
Alleen voor jou 
om wie je bent 
als ik je ken

Als je mij kent, echt goed kent 
Zou ik ooit weggaan? 
Had ik die wens?

Had je mij minder lief, dan zou moeten 
Waar zou'k het zoeken? 
Wat kon jij doen?

We bevoeren grote oceanen 
We bedwongen elke berg 
En we brachten uit de diepste zee 
Die zwarte parel mee 
alleen voor jou 
om wie je bent 
als ik je ken 

LITERAL TRANSLATION (out of Dutch)

IF I KNOW YOU 
If I know you, really know 
Would you ever leave? 
Could you wish for this? 
  
If i loved you less, than I should 
Where would you be looking? 
What could I do?

I could navigate large oceans 
I could conquer the highest mountain 
And I brought then out of the deepest sea 
That black pearl 
Only for you 
for who you are 
if I know you

If you know me, really know 
Would I ever leave? 
Could i wish for this?

Did you love me less, than you should 
Where would i be looking? 
What could you do?

We could navigate large oceans 
We could conquer every mountain 
And we brought out the deepest sea 
That black pearl 
only for you 
for who you are 
if I know you

Painting: Stefan Krikl

Als ik jou ken (Collab with Ian Melvin and Milana Zilnik)

[Dutch lyrics]
DE GEEST UIT DE FLES
de geest uit de fles
danst door de lucht
loert met een lach
en prikt in je rug

hij draait om je heen
strijkt langs je huid
zucht in je oor
en springt voor je uit           

je verlangt al zo lang
zo lang naar een dans
naar een dans op de tong 
een dans op de tong van de slang

de geest uit de fles
is sterker dan wij
voelt hij de lust
dan maakt hij je vrij

verhoort hij je wens
met hartstocht en zin
dan hoop ik dat hij 
mij aan je bindt

ik verlang al zo lang
zo lang naar een dans
naar een dans op de tong 
een dans op de tong van de slang

Cover picture: Kellepics

De geest uit de fles (The genie from the bottle)

At the beginning of the nineties i was six months in Russia 
and went to a show of singer songwriter Alexander Rosenbaum
at the 9th of May in St. Petersburg - the day the Russians celebrate the victory
over the nazi's in world war II. Never forgot this great song... 
So i thought, today it's the 9th of May, and i record and upload this cover.
It's almost 20 years ago that i spoke Russian for the last time, so the pronunciation 
is probably not completely how it should be :-)
 
[Russian Lyrics - Alexander Rosenbaum]
На ковре из жёлтых листьев
 В платьице простом
 Из подаренного ветром крепдешина 
Танцевала в подворотне осень вальс-бостон. 
Отлетал тёплый день, 
И хрипло пел саксофон.  
И со всей округи люди приходили к нам, 
И со всех окрестных крыш слетались птицы, 
Танцовщице золотой захлопав крыльями... 
Старый дом, как давно звучала музыка там.  

Как часто вижу я сон, 
Мой удивительный сон,
 В котором осень нам танцует вальс-бостон. 
Там листья падают вниз, 
Пластинки крутится диск: 
"Не уходи, побудь со мной, ты мой каприз". 
Как часто вижу я сон, 
Мой удивительный сон, 
В котором осень нам танцует вальс-бостон.  

Опьянев от наслажденья, 
О годах забыв, 
Старый дом, давно влюблённый в свою юность, 
Всеми стенами качался, окна отворив,
 И всем тем, кто в нём жил, Он это чудо дарил.  
А когда затихли звуки в шуме городском 
- Всё имеет свой конец, своё начало, 
- Помолчав, всплакнула осень маленьким дождём... 
Ах, как жаль этот вальс, как хорошо было в нём.  

Как часто вижу я сон, 
Мой удивительный сон, 
В котором осень нам танцует вальс-бостон. 
Там листья падают вниз, 
Пластинки крутится диск:
 "Не уходи, побудь со мной, ты мой каприз". 
Как часто вижу я сон, 
Мой удивительный сон, 
В котором осень нам танцует вальс-бостон.

[translation in Dutch]
AMERIKAANSE WALS
Op een tapijt van gele bladeren, 
 in een eenvoudige jurk van door de wind geschonken crêpe de chine,
danste de herfst in een steegje een Amerikaanse Wals. 
De warme dag liep op zijn einde
En hees klonk een saxofoon. 

Mensen uit de buurt kwamen naar ons,  
En van al de naburige daken vlogen vogels op,  
Met hun vleugels klappend voor de gouden danseres…
Het oude huis, zoals vroeger klonk er muziek. 

Vaak zie ik een droom,  
Mijn verbazingwekkende droom, 
 waarin de herfst voor ons een Amerikaanse Wals danst. 
De bladeren vallen,  
De plaat blijft draaien: 
 "Ga niet weg, blijf bij mij, je bent mijn capriccio." 
Vaak zie ik een droom,  
Mijn verbazingwekkende droom, 
 Waarin de herfst voor ons een Amerikaanse Wals danst. 

In vervoering, zonder besef van tijd,
Danste het oude huis, verliefd op zijn eigen jeugd,
Met al zijn muren, de ramen wijd open     
En schonk dit wonder aan allen die er woonden

Toen de klanken wegstierven in het geruis van de stad  
- alles heeft een begin en een einde - was de herfst even stil 
En werd tot tranen toe geroerd, een kleine regenbui,
Ach, wat jammer van die wals, het voelde zo goed.

Vaak zie ik een droom,  
Mijn verbazingwekkende droom,  
Waarin de herfst voor ons een Amerikaanse Wals danst. 
De bladeren vallen,  
De plaat blijft draaien: 
 "Ga niet weg, blijf bij mij, je bent mijn capriccio." 
Vaak zie ik een droom, 
 Mijn verbazingwekkende droom, 
 Waarin de herfst voor ons een Amerikaanse Wals danst. 


Vals Boston (Alexander Rosenbaum cover)

The shortest lyrics I know that tell a whole story is from the Cuban band leader and composer Cachao and consist of three words: the question "Why?" followed by the answer "Why not!" Because of the infectious swing (why dance? - Why not!) it is pretty brilliant in a simple way. 

The same goes for Mabelé, a song in Lingala from Congolese singer Kevin Mfinka. Those simple (through the whole song repeated) four lines express humbleness, acceptance and gratitude. I think it's a gem and that's why i love to play it.

[Translation]
Earth is my body 
My body is the earth 
One day I'm going under the earth 
You stayed to take care of my kids 

Painting: Kevin Stevenson

Mabelé (Earth

For this song i used one of the most famous poems of J. Slauerhoff (1898-1936). i changed a few old style Dutch words for new. Music by Bas Kooman (2013).

VOOR DE VERRE PRINSES
Wij komen nooit meer saam:
De wereld drong zich tussenbeide.
Soms staan wij beiden ’s nachts aan ’t raam,
Maar andere sterren zien we in andere tijden.
 
Uw land is zo ver van mijn land verwijderd:
Van licht tot verste duisternis—dat ik
Op vleugelen van verlangen rusteloos reizend,
U zou begroeten met mijn stervenssnik.
 
Maar als het waar is dat door grote dromen
Het zwaarst verlangen over wordt gebracht
Tot op de verste ster: dan zal ik komen,
Dan zal ik komen, iedere nacht.

[English translation by Leonie Broekstra-Pauw]

TO THE FAR AWAY PRINCESS
Never again will we reunite:
The world has forced itself in between.
Sometimes we both stand behind the window at night,
But different stars in different times are seen.

Your country is so far away from mine:
From light to the depts of darkness - That I
Traveling restlessly, on wings of desire,
would greet you with my final cry.

However, if it’s true that by great dreams dreamt
Up to the most distant heavenly light
the strongest desire can be sent: then I will come
Then I will come, every night.


Painting (fragment) by Rena Marzouk 

More about SLAUERHOFF
J. Slauerhoff is one of the greatest Dutch poets of the twentieth century. He owes the unique position he occupies in Dutch literature to completely personal themes he carved out in equally personal poetry. Longing for the passionate love for a woman, struck by the tragedy of loneliness, the yearning to be elsewhere or somewhere in the past, the desire for the sea, the disenchantment with present-day life, the awareness of degeneration, all these themes mark him as a late Romantic poet.

On the other hand, the rawness and acrimony of his tone, as well as his split personality, make him a true exponent of his era. In the guise of consistently different characters, either historical or fictive, Slauerhoff aligns with the modernist tradition of Yeats, Pound, Eliot, and Pessoa.

Born and raised in Leeuwarden, capital of the province of Friesland, Slauerhoff studied medicine in Amsterdam. He made his debut in 1923 with the collection Archipel *(Archipelago*), in which almost all the elements present in his later work can already be found. After completing his study, he became a ship’s doctor on Dutch vessels sailing to East Asia. His poor health was repeatedly the cause of broken employment contracts.

Accordingly, he led an itinerant life. ‘Nowhere but in my poems can I dwell,/ Nowhere else could I a shelter find’ are the first lines of one of his most renowned poems (‘Homeless’), which can be regarded as characteristic of his life and work.



Voor de verre prinses (To the far away princess - click for translation)

New version 2022

Song with a wink about someone's reaction to a restless partner who wants to change his life for the better. And he means business! No more time consuming hassle but focus on what really matters. This time he really wants it. In fact, he is determined! Like he always is after summer vacation... Recorded with my good friend Dave McKeown and vocalist Hester Kirkels. Mastered by White Sea Studio.

[rough translation]
JUST THIS SONG
Now or never
You’re gonna do it differently
A last chance
For the life you want
No more hassle
Time for what really matters
Like you say
It will be a world of difference

Do what you can’t resist
Go ahead, do your thing
I don’t mind talking about it 
But don't ask me what I think
Or what I expect
It isn’t much 
Just this song

Every year
You’re gonna do it differently
Every year
Again a last chance
Every year
When the summer comes to an end
Every year
This ritual dance

Do what you can’t resist
Go ahead, do your thing
I don’t mind talking about it 
But don't ask me what I think
No, don't ask what I think
Don't let me say
What I expect
It isn’t much 
Just this song

Sax: @Dave-McKeown
Backing vocals: @HesterKirkels
Rest: Bas

Alleen dit lied

ALLEEN DIT LIED (mastered)

Songs in English on https://soundcloud.com/seb-mankoo

Bas Kooman

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