08-31-2009

Dutch Jazz Singer Charms Seoul

Dutch jazz singer Wouter Hamel performs Sunday at the Waterside Stage, Olympic Park, southern Seoul. / Courtesy of Private Curve

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Dutch singer Wouter Hamel treated Korean fans to an evening of cheerful, jazzy tunes in his first concert in Seoul, Sunday evening.

The concert was held at the outdoor Waterside Stage, Olympic Park, allowing fans to enjoy the cool evening weather while listening to Hamel's songs.

Cheers of excitement greeted Hamel when he walked to the center of the amphitheater with his band members. The boyishly handsome singer wore jeans, a jacket and sneakers, making him look much younger than his 32 years.

``Thanks for coming tonight. We're so proud to be back in Korea so soon after the Seoul Jazz Festival (in May), and now we have our own stage,' he said.

To open the show, Hamel sang the ballad ``Quite the Disguise' while playing a guitar. It was followed by the swing jazz-influenced ``We Have Today,' which had the audience clapping to the beat.

He sang songs from his first two albums, ``Hamel' and ``Nobody's Tune.' Fans clapped their hands to the beats of pop-jazzy and swing-influenced songs like ``Breezy,' ``Cheap Chardonnay,' ``One More Time on the Merry Go-Round,' and ``March, April, May.'

Hamel liked to talk about the songs, revealing interesting bits like how ``Sir Henry' was named after guitarist Rory Ronde's father, who plays the steel drums.

The five-member band's musicality and stage presence impressed the audience. Ronde wowed everyone with his guitar riffs, while bassist Sven Happel, drummer Jasper Van Hulten, percussionist Gijs Anders Van Straalen and pianist Pieter de Graaf also proved to be excellent musicians. They also played instruments like the Swedish wind organ, the Zimbabwean traditional instrument mbria and the melodica.

Aside from the guitar and piano, Hamel also tinkered with instruments like the xylophone and autoharp. ``I'm sorry the autoharp is a bit off time, it's not used to the summer in Seoul. It's a bit like us ― off-key,' he joked.

For the final song ``See You Once Again,' Hamel and his band members grabbed their guitars and stood closer to the audience. They all started singing while playing their guitars. After the song, some enthusiastic fans gave them a standing ovation.

Even before leaving the stage, the audience started clamoring for an encore. Hamel came back on stage to play the piano and mesmerized everyone by singing ``Amsterdam.'

Hamel also invited to the stage several lucky Korean women, who participated in a YouTube singing competition for a chance to sing with him. ``I couldn't choose the winner, so we invited everyone here tonight,' he said.

Hamel sang the chorus of ``See You Once Again' with each of the obviously thrilled women. However, their close proximity to Hamel made them all sing quite nervously, much to the amusement of the audience.

After over two hours, Hamel appropriately sang ``Farewell," before bidding his fans goodbye for now. There's still another chance to catch Hamel in concert, Sept. 6 at the Waterside Stage, behind the Olympic Swimming Pool, Olympic Park. Tickets are 88,000 won. Call (02) 563-0595 or visit www.privatecurve.com.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr