Simin Tander Quartet

"Simin Tander is a polyglot German-Afghan singer who combines the fierce creativity of Meredith Monk with the jazz savvy of Gretchen Parlato."

All About Jazz (USA)

She is one of the most amazing personalities in young European jazz. With her enchantingly tender and equally expressive, masterful voice Simin Tander builds bridges between occidental jazz and arabesque-like vocal flights, between song-writing experiment, chanson and intimate ballad. Along with her quartet, the German-Afghan singer draws a fascinating route to her Mid-Eastern heritage and into the depths of her soul in her second CD.

“It is a journey – to myself, through the world of my emotions and thoughts and to my Afghan roots”, explains Simin Tander. Where Water Travels Home does not show us a conventional road movie: imaginative and labyrinthine, and therefore all the more compelling for the listener, are the sound routes which this water takes, and rather than the compass of the mind it follows the path of the heart.

“Where water travels home” – this is no abstract image. For the daughter of an Afghan journalist/poet and a German teacher, it rather means the actually experienced search for her identity. As a mature singer, she is now posing the question of the where from and where to in her second CD, which turns out to be a masterpiece of song-writing with an improvisational touch. Simin Tander and her marvellous quartet build dramatic tension over the course of 13 stations, traversing past and present in a free-flowing dramaturgy.

In the past few years Simin has become one of the rising stars of the Dutch and German jazz scene.

Her performances at the North Sea Jazz Festival, the BIMHUIS, the prestigious Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Berlin Jazzmeeting, Women In Jazz Fesitval, Halle, JAZZAHEAD, Bremen and her concerts with Dutch Jazz star Eric Vloeimans have received rave reviews.

Beside the Netherlands and Germany Simin is developing an internationally recognized reputation with performances at the Bohemia Jazz Fest (Czech Republic), Catania Jazz Festival (Italy), Madrid Jazz Festival (Spain), OCT LOFT Festival (China), Hong Kong Jazz Festival, the Jarasum Jazzfestival (South Korea), Jazz en la costa, Almunecar (Spain) and many more.

Her name is Persian and a beautiful promise for her future: “silvery shining”.

Simin Tander - voice

Jeroen van Vliet – piano, electronics

Cord Heineking – double bass

Etienne Nillesen – drums

quotes:

"Poetic, lyrical and uplifting, Where Water Travels Home is a strong contender for vocal album of the year.“ All About Jazz (USA)

"(..) beside the exotic fascination, this cycle of songs touches above all through disarming honesty."ROLLING STONE

“A shining diamant.“

Jazzenzo (NL)

"The audience was amazed when the Simin Tander Quartet staged its: (...) tenderly pure jazz with Simin’s mysterious, soul-touching, pellucid wordless singing and devoted performance (…)“

Delta Bridges (China)