Reviews

“Hermine Deurloo has an attractive tone on her instrument, impressive technique, and a laidback style. Riverbeast is one of Hermine Deurloo’s most accessible jazz releases and it serves as a fine introduction to the talented harmonicat.”Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz Scene, March 2020

Riverbeast is jazz and pop that swings easily. Hermine has grown from being an unassuming sideman to an assertive and original composer and musician, keeping alive the Thielemans tradition while not imitating it.” — Hans Invernizzi, Jazzflits, February 2020

“Harmonica player Hermine Deurloo has gathered a number of wellknown jazz musicians together for her latest album Riverbeast, such as legendary drummer Steve Gadd, keyboard player Kevin Hays and (bass) guitarist Tony Scherr. Deurloo composed six works with the playing style of Gadd in mind. The pieces sound groovy and laidback. The other five, both the compositions of fellow instrumentalists and the covers, tie in with that in style. The compositions have strong melodies on which Deurloo improvises with beautiful, flowing lines. The album offers a mix of jazz, pop, rhythm and blues and soul. Riverbeast is primarily a pleasant album and Deurloo naturally remains in a class of her own on her instrument.” — Mathijs van den Berg, Jazzenzo Jazz Magazine, February 2020

“Riverbeast is a cheerful album filled with catchy pieces in a funky style. The music is lively, while Deurloo’s harmonica is consistently lyrical and natural.”Johan Bakker, Nederlands Dagblad, January 2020

“Deurloo’s harmonica soaring evocatively, there was an expansiveness to the harmony as the accompaniment swelled.”London Jazz News, August 2019

The influence of Toots Thielemans is, perhaps inevitably, noticeable in Deurloo’s harmonica style but she has also developed her own language, with occasional hints of her background as a saxophonist, which makes her soloing genuinely investigative and always, but always, highly musical.”London Jazz News, May 2019

“Hermine Deurloo has been creating a stir recently with her recordings; Living Here is one of her finest. She plays the chromatic harmonica with the effortless fluency of a saxophonist and is a creative and melodic musician.”Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene, February 2017

“It is clear that Deurloo adds a new dimension to the brilliancy of the immortal Toots: complex rhythms, soft dissonants, and attention to current musical trends. It’s a question of time for an international breakthrough for this unique harmonica musician.” —  Cyriel Pluimakers, Jazzenzo Jazz Magazine, February 2017

“Exciting compositions, modern and enticing, melancholically melodious, and innovative!”Johan Bakker, Nederlands Dagblad, January 2017

“The sound of the harmonica always involves a bit of musical melancholy, but the pieces on the new album by Hermine Deurloo are different in style and tone. Wistful ballads, melodic but also very rhythmic compositions, hectic jazz, Brazilian. Almost all of them written by Deurloo or Frerichs, as on Deurloo’s previous album Welling, with the Zapp4 string quartet, here again it’s about transparent, open chamber jazz, light, and elegant.”Vera Vingerhoeds, January 2017

“Four top notch musicians, with a fantastic result: as diverse as they are steady, sometimes introverted, sometimes exuberant, eleven simply very great pieces, especially by Deurloo and Frerichs.”VPRO Gids, February 2017

“It is a sure bet that very few recordings feature the instrumentation of chromatic harmonica and a string quartet, but few harmonica players are on the level of Hermine Deurloo. Based in Amsterdam, Ms. Deurloo studied saxophone at the Amsterdam Conservatory while teaching herself to play the harmonica. She has performed with the Willem Breuker Kollektief, the Metropole Orchestra and other European groups. Like the great Toots Thielemans, she has worked in the studios and appeared on soundtracks. And like Larry Adler, Thielemans’ predecessor, she is capable of playing a wide variety of music.”Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene, September 2015

“Hailing from the jazz rich scene of Amsterdam, Hermine Deurloo brings a modernistic sense and sensibility to her instrument of choice – The Harmonica. Her musical canvases are flush with rich coloring and texturing, with brush strokes of chamber and classical adding to the fullness of her modern jazz soundscapes, as the title track from her new album demonstrates.”West Side of Jazz, July 2015

“For music that’s got a folksy charm and affable personality, there’s an engrossing introspective side to this album, too. Deurloo’s chromatic harmonica dances around the slashing lines of a string quartet, and the crosshatch of furtive motions, deep melodicism and warm harmonies is pretty addictive. Lively music that’s likely inspire all kinds of daydream imagery.”Bird is the Worm, July 2015

“Hermine Deurloo’s collaboration with Zapp4 is an especially interesting experiment that works out surprisingly well. Over the past weeks, I have appreciated ‘Welling’ more and more each time I listened to it anew, as an exciting musical journey. An absolute recommendation for music lovers who are open to experimental yet really accessible jazz music!” —  Fred Pach, MuziekWereld, July 2015

“Welling is a surprising adventure in the jazz world, led by Hermine Deurloo (chromatic harmonica), with the Zapp4 string quartet. You don’t often hear a string quartet together with a chromatic harmonica. The listener is treated to a musical journey with diverse styles in which there is place for swing, improvisation, interaction, and grooves.” —  Stefan Koer, Concerto, July 2015

“Welling swings, loose and relaxed, while sometimes you hear chamber music and free improvised jazz. All in all, Welling is a laid back album with 9 top notch pieces of innovative collaboration.” —  Hanz Invernizzi, JazzFlits, July 2015

“Hermine Deurloo is not just another harmonica player, and Zapp4 is not just another string quartet, because they each have a solid grounding in jazz idioms. The music is of an enjoyable lightness and elegance. The sounds work together very well and add value to each other.”Jan Jasper Tamboer, Parool, July 2015

“Each composition has a unique and persuasive feel to it. From light and sunny to fascinating and intense, and everything in between.”Mischa Andriessen, Trouw, September 2015

“Although Hermine Deurloo made her recording debut as a leader in 2005 and has appeared on soundtracks, I was not familiar with her at all until hearing her on Glass Fish. It is obvious throughout this disc that she ranks among the top jazz harmonica players of the past decade. While she is not a bop-oriented player like Toots Thielemans, she has her own gentle and lyrical voice on the harmonica along with impressive fluency. She also knows how to let a melody speak for itself. The music is light, subtle and an excellent showcase not only for Hermine Deurloo (who deserves to be much better known outside her native Netherlands) but also for her quartet.” — Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene, March 2013

“With “Glass Fish”, Hermine makes beautiful, minimal jazz, together with Jesse van Ruller on guitar, Tony Overwater on bass, and Joshua Samson on percussion. It is a graceful dance of four equals, who allow each other space, while listening carefully in deciding what their music needs next. Deurloo’s harmonica often calls up associations with film music. Nevertheless, thanks to the combination of instruments such as the hang, slide guitar, or ukelele, the outcome is consistently unexpected and refined.”Amanda Kuyper, NRC, October 2012

“The world should be grateful to the diva for her decision to exchange the alt sax for the chromatic harmonica. With this album, Hermine Deurloo shows that the harmonica is a fullblown jazz instrument.” —  Rudie Kagie, Vrij Nederland, November 2012

“The whole is as a glassfish: transparent and clear. Hermine Deurloo sparkles and is thoroughly pure, with apparent playful ease. Not sidestepping its challenges, Deurloo has feeling for beautiful compositions.”Peter J. Korten, JazzFlits, December 2012

 

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