Naamu

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Tour dates:

Naamu is the main project of bassist Teun Creemers.

Naamu masterfully blends styles such as wassoulou and gnawa with jazz and groove music, resulting in a unique sound they describe themselves as ‘Malinke Groove Jazz’.

In 2023, Teun Creemers released the groundbreaking and eponymous album Naamu, meaning “yes I am listening”. To create this album he collaborated with a diverse group of Dutch jazz musicians and West African artists, including renowned kamale n’goni player Harouna Samake and singer Kankou Kouyaté. The album was recorded in studios in the Netherlands, Mali, the United States and France and received rave reviews worldwide in media such as Songlines and Jazzism. Naamu was nominated for a prestigious Edison Award in the Global category in 2023.

This unique musical collaboration between some of the best musicians from the Netherlands and West Africa thus comprises a seven-piece line-up of drums, percussion, kamale n’goni, saxophone, guitar, bass guitar and vocals. Together, they create a sound that is both pure and powerful, reflecting the energy and soul of the best of two worlds.

Kankou Kouyaté (vocals), Lauriane Ghils (kamale n’goni, percussion), Yannick van ter Beek (percussion), Jesse Schilderink (tenor saxophone), Jelle Roozenburg (guitar), Tuur Moens (drums), Teun Creemers (bass guitar, and compositions)

“This band by Teun Creemers is clearly a very solid foundation and world-class” – Ugenda

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The Album

On Naamu, Teun Creemers masterfully blends his love for West African music with jazz and groove music. With his extensive experience playing bass in the bands of various West African musicians, Creemers saw the need to delve deeper into West African music and all its possibilities while not neglecting his steps in the Dutch jazz scene.

To create this unique blend, Creemers collaborated with co-producer Sebastiaan van Bijlevelt, recording most of the album at the Galloway Studio in Nijmegen (NL) as well as studios located in Mali, the United States, and France.

The album’s lyrics are sung in Bambara, one of the many languages spoken in West Africa. The album’s various singers, such as Kankou Kouyate and Yacouba Sagara, sing poetically about themes such as war, friendship, and a celebration of women.

Naamu has been warmly welcomed worldwide and has exclusively received remarkably favourable reviews in renowned magazines, newspapers and blogs such as Songlines (UK), Trouw (NL) and Musicmaker (NL). In addition, Naamu was nominated for a prestigious Edison Award in the Global category in 2023.

The various musicians making an appearance on the album include Harouna Samake (kamale n’goni), Mamadou Diabate (balafon), Balla Kouyate (balafon), Sefoudi Kouyate (kora), Yacouba Sagara (vocals), Kankou Kouyate (vocals), Aminata Dante (vocals), Lassine Diarra (vocals), Bah Kouyate (vocals), Eva Dembeler (vocals), Jesse Schilderink (tenor), Miguel Boelens (alto/tenor), Mete Erker (bass clarinet), Yoran Vroom (drums), Antoine Duijkers (drums/percussion), Yariv Vroom (percussion), Fantison Araby O’Bryan (percussion), Yannick van ter Beek (percussion), and Teis Semey (guitar).

★★★★
“Creemers leads the way with his guitar-like approach to bass playing. Naamu is thus a thoroughly enjoyable jaunt replete with earthy grooves and dazzling vocals.” – Songlines Magazine

“My favourite is the album’s opening track À Nyininka with that sublime bass line. Never heard anything like it coming out of a bass guitar before!” – Musicmaker Magazine

“The result of Naamu is: music that sounds like Salif Keïta’s best records, with bass playing that uniquely picks up lines normally played on the Moroccan guembri or the Malian bass-n’goni. Enormously virtuosic and rhythmically complex, but oh so beautiful.” – Mixedworldmusic.com

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Contact:

Teun Creemers
info@teuncreemers.com
+31 6 30 87 15 71

DOWNLOAD EPK

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