the amsterdam saxophone quartet

As their name says, the Amsterdam Saxophone Quartet is from The Netherlands. On their first album, they play a Frank Zappa suite, arranged by David de Marez Oyens. The suite includes ‘Little Umbrellas’,’The Gumbo Variations’,’It Must Be A Camel’,’The Uncle Meat Variations’,’Little Umbrellas (reprise)’ (Frank Zappa).

random notes

     From: Charles Ulrich
It's one track, an eleven-minute-long medley, with a reprise of Little Umbrellas at the end. Faithful to the notes and spirit of the originals. The quartet is augmented by a soprano (a la Nelcy Walker) on the Uncle Meat Variations.  I haven't heard the rest of the album.

     From: Jon Naurin
It also contains a Duke Ellington Suite, a Portorican Suite and a "Süd America" suite. Only listened through these once, didn't sound too exciting.

     From: liner notes (supplied by Charles Pater)
The Amsterdam Saxophone Quartet was founded in 1979.  The chief classical works are on their repertory.  The quartet inspired numerous composer to write new work, which resulted into a vast number of compositions, dedicated to the A.S.K.
The unusual interpretations, the searching for differentiation in timbre and the notion that no other instrument has so many points of contact with so many musical styles led to the fact that the A.S.K. made its appearance on many fields of the music-culture.  Performances with popgroups, folk-singers and jazz-soloists, besides the playing of a wide range of arrangements, are by now the trademark of the Amsterdam Saxophone Quartet.  Their classical education, however, always remains clearly audible. The A.S.K. gives concerts at home and abroad; it can regularly be listened to and can often be watched on television and heard on the radio; it made several tours and recorded much of their repertory on compact disks.  The members of the A.S.K. are active on various conservatoriums and musical schools in the Netherlands and are asked to perform as a guest-teacher abroad on a regular basis.
The members of the Amsterdam Saxophone Quartet are Andre Hemmers (soprano), Rob Hauser (contralto), Bart Kak (tenor) and Henk van Twillert (baritone).

David de Marez Oyens
From the very beginning the career of David de Marez Oyens is characterised by a wide musical interest.  Born and bred in a family where music had a central place, he took piano-lessons when he was six.   Later followed by hobo, bass-guitar and double-bass.  His first bands play a combination of latin, jazz and rock, anticipating on the later "fusion".  David completed his study at bass-guitar and double-bass at the Hilversum Conservatorium; now he also teaches here, just as at the Utrecht Conservatorium.  He was a double-bassist of the "Volharding", composer-arranger and bass-guitarist of the "Jazz-Rock-Tet", he accompanied Toon Hermans and played in the Thijs van Leer-band.  He was the musical leader of the musical "My Generation", for which he wrote all the arrangements, just as for the musical "Up on the roof".  David is the permanent substitute at the "Metropole Orchestra", a.o. at cd recordings under the leadership of Ennio Morricone.  He can also be heard on the CD "Driftin", in the group "Trancefusion", and with the "Kaz Lux Band" in the CD "Instructions". In his arrangements of the Zappa Suite his singing-voice has been added in the Uncle Meat variations.  The collorature-soprano Lieve Geuens sings the following text in it:
Ya ya ya ya ya yaaah
Ah hah hah hah enz.
Fuzzy Dice and Bongo's, FUZZY DICE,
I got'em at the Pep Boys... at the BOYYYYYYS
Fuzzy Dice and Bongo's, Brodie Knob and Spinners,
Chromium Plated, ha ha ha.  

additional info:
- Martin Brosch
- Charles Pater