Naamu

Video footage made by Carolina Vallejo (One World Productions)

– scroll down to hear the entire album –


Naamu is the new project of bass guitarist Teun Creemers.

As a bass guitarist, composer and initiator, Teun always seeks the perfect balance between the various roles he can take on as a bass guitarist. His combination of West African styles and more familiar styles such as pop and jazz have proven to be an excellent playground for exploring these possibilities on his instrument; a characteristic direction his music takes in the form of his new album called Naamu, meaning “yes, I am listening”

In Naamu, Creemers masterfully blends his love for West African music with jazz and groove music, creating a unique blend that he calls “Malinke Groove Jazz.” 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 experiences 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). However, the recording of Naamu was a global effort, as the album was also recorded in studios located in Mali, United States, and France. This allowed for a diverse range of experiences and sounds that further enhance the album’s uniqueness.

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 Kouyaté and Yacouba “Bloffou” Sagara, sing poetically about themes such as war, friendship, and a celebration of women. The lyrics of the album’s first single, À Nyininka, are particularly powerful and leave much to the imagination, blending perfectly with the raw, thunderous playing of the various musicians on the album.

The various musicians making an appearance on the album include Harouna Samake (kamale n’goni), Mamadou Diabate (balafon), Sefoudi Kouyate (kora), Yacouba Sagara (vocals), Kankou Kouyaté (vocals), Lassine Diarra (vocals), Bah Kouyaté (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).

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 prize in the Global category in 2023.

Album Cover by Alicia Martin Lopez

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

★★★★
“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


Naamu – live

Naamu is the new band of bass guitarist Teun Creemers.

In Naamu, Creemers masterfully blends his love of West African music with jazz and groove music, creating a unique blend he calls “Malinke Groove Jazz”. With his extensive experience as a bassist on tours of various West African musicians like Harouna Samake and Sekou Kouyate, Creemers saw the need to delve into West African music and all its possibilities without neglecting his experiences in the Dutch jazz scene.

For the upcoming “Voix du Mali” tour, the band is joined by Kankou Kouyaté, Aminata Dante and Yacouba Sagara; three Malian singers who all made appearances on the Naamu album released in 2023. They sing powerful stories with themes of friendship, celebration and war, which blend perfectly with the band’s raw, thunderous playing.

This unique musical collaboration between some of the best musicians from the Netherlands and Mali comprises a nine-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 album.

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

Line-up:
Kankou Kouyaté, vocals
Aminata Dante, vocals
Yacouba Sagara, vocals
Lauriane Ghils, vocals, kamale n’goni, percussion

Yannick van ter Beek, percussion
Jesse Schilderink, tenor saxophone
Jelle Roozenburg, electric guitar
Tuur Moens, drums
Teun Creemers, bass guitar, compositions, and live arrangements

Kankou Kouyaté

Contact:

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

Download EPK

Tour dates:

October 14th 2023 – Rotterdam – Naamu ft. Mamadou Diabate

May 16th 2024 – De Doelen (Rotterdam) – Naamu ft. Voix du Mali
May 17th 2024 – Bimhuis (Amsterdam) – Naamu ft. Voix du Mali
May 18th 2024 – Music Meeting Festival (Nijmegen) – Naamu ft. Voix du Mali
May 23th 2024 – HoffArt Theater (Darmstadt) – Naamu ft. Voix du Mali
May 24th 2024 – De Roma (Antwerpen) – Naamu ft. Voix du Mali

November 2nd 2024 – t.b.a. – Naamu ft. special guest