Simin Tander: WAGMA

Simin Tander - Vocals; Jeroen Van Vliet - Piano & Electronics; Etienne Nillesen - Drums; Cord Heineking - Double Bass

Morgentau ...
... is the translation of WAGMA from Pashto, the native language of the German-Afghan singer Simin Tander. Mysterious, narrative, tender, yet strong, playful, and very impulsive, this description best captures the sound of this production.

Wagma is also the title song of the CD and draws on its own fantasy language. For Simin Tander, the fascination lies in the freedom of association and expression that arises when she starts singing without a specific text. The word creations emerge spontaneously. They consist of sounds and syllables that are completely natural for the young singer and form a language that only exists in music. But even without a literal translation, the words always have an emotional significance. Other songs like "becoming" and "closed eyes" she sings in English. Here too, very personal elements flow into the lyrics, only more concrete.

Musically, Simin Tander sees herself rooted in jazz, influenced to some extent by strong world music influences. For WAGMA, improvisation remains essential, which the band maintained during the recordings. Only in this way could new ideas emerge, bringing some of the songs closer to their core.

Simin Tander studied at the ArtEZ Conservatory in the Netherlands and successfully completed her Master of Music in Jazz Vocals in 2008. She is already celebrated as an "exceptional talent" in the Dutch press. In recent years, she has performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Women in Jazz Festival in Halle, the Jazzahead! in Bremen, the Catania Jazz Festival in Sicily, and the Bohemia Jazz Fest in the Czech Republic, among others.

In addition to winning first place at the Vlaardingen Jazz Concours, Simin was awarded the Young VIP Tour 2010 in the Netherlands, a nationwide concert series. She was also selected for the prestigious Jazzimpuls Tour, which took place in various Dutch theaters in April 2011. Her successful collaboration with the internationally renowned trumpeter Eric Vloeimans has also caused a sensation in the Netherlands for the past two years. Other internationally known musicians Simin has played with include Florian Weber, Harmen Fraanje, Bebo Ferra, and Paolino Dalla Porta.

In Germany, she sang and co-developed the soundtrack for a Tatort film and two episodes of "Der Kriminalist" in the summer of 2008.