A video from 2011 ‘Nuevas Sonrisas’ (live) by Wieke Garcia Group
WIEKE GARCIA GROUP
Wieke Garcia Group is a quartet, led by Dutch-Spanish multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Wieke Aurora Garcia Siezenga, with Stormvogel (keys), Onno Witte (drums) and Marco van Os (bass). Since 2008 Wieke Garcia is touring with her own repertoire. The songs, mainly composed and written by Wieke and arranged by Stormvogel, are a lyrical symbiosis of latin jazz, fado, nordic pop and world fusion. In 2011 the Wieke Garcia Group released an album called ‘Tributu’ (STAB-OWME Records), also containing two songs by Stormvogel (lyrics by Wieke). Besides the quartet, Lucas Stam (cello) and Remko Smid Stalenhoef (sax) are featured on this album. After a few years of silence, the group is re-united In 2017.
Wieke Garcia is a half Spanish multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. As a youngster she gigged with folk and world fusion acts in the Netherlands and abroad, mainly on ‘la gaîta’ (Galician bagpipes), but also on hurdy gurdy and Celtic harp, guitar and vocals. She studied latin percussion and vocals at the Rotterdam Conservatory and meanwhile developed a unique vocal style, influenced by fado, latin jazz, nordic pop and medieval music. She worked with Xiada, Barditus (Stormvogel), ALTER EGO, later on with Scallymatic Orchestra, Corvus Corax, Licks & Brains, Thijs Borsten, Izaline Calister and BOHEMIAN GROOVE ORCHESTRA. Meanwhile, Wieke became a vast member of the group of famous Dutch theatre artist Herman van Veen. After several years of touring worldwide, she started up her own project, ‘Wieke’s Wereld’, leading to several theatre tours in the Netherlands and the release of her own albums (Tributu in 2011), with the Wieke Garcia Group, re-uniting in 2017. www.wiekegarcia.com
Stormvogel is an adventurous jazzbarock keyboardist, playing piano and analog synthesizers, also a distinguished composer and poet. With his own groups ALTER EGO JAZZBAROCK CONSORT, GAEA and BOHEMIAN GROOVE ORCHESTRA and his Festival de Muzen (2006-2015), he earned a name in Dutch Prog Jazz, combining free improvisation with odd meters composition, integrating vintage analog synthesizers and other disciplines of art. Over the years Stormvogel worked with Theodossii Spassov, Tommy Smith (KARMA), Roman Stolyar, Joe Bowie, Niladri Kumar, Chander Sardjoe, Nabil Khemir, Thomas W. Andersen and a range of Dutch jazz & fusion masters like Lucas van Merwijk, Tineke Postma, Eef Albers, Ben van den Dungen, Rob van den Broeck, Jeroen Pek (PWS), Oene van Geel, Arno van Nieuwenhuize and soloists from the Metropole Orchestra like Ruud Breuls, Leo Janssen, Peter Tiehuis, Marc Scholten and Bart van Lier. He adopted young multi instrumentalist Wieke Garcia in 1994, in his projects Barditus, Eemsaga, Alter Ego and Bohemian Groove. Since 2008 Stormvogel is her vast leading sideman in the Wieke Garcia Group, re-uniting in 2017.
Onno Witte is an internationally acclaimed drummer and percussionist, working with the finest artists in Dutch and international jazz, fusion, latin and rock, like Rob van den Broeck, Ferhan Ottay, Anton Goudsmit, Randal Corsen, Jasper Blom, Volker Winck, Jeroen Pek and many others. Son of progrock keyboardist Frank Witte and influenced by master drummers of Jazz, Strawinsky, Zappa and Magma, Onno combines adventurous drumming with odd meter and out of the box mentality. He released several albums in the realm of progjazz and jazzrock, besides with his own group WILDCARD, also with PitchWhiteStorm, Pitch Plot 4, Nabil Kemir Group, ALTER EGO JAZZBAROCK CONSORT and BOHEMIAN GROOVE ORCHESTRA. Onno Witte became a member of the Wieke Garcia Group in 2010, re-uniting in 2017. www.owme.com
Marco van Os is versitale musician, known for his lyrical legato style on bass guitar and double bass. Besides working in Dutch jazz, pop and musical theatre productions (Mark Alban Lotz, Jeroen van Helsdingen, Peter Tiehuis, Jenny Arean and Mathilde Santing), he played with Stormvogel’s ALTER EGO JAZZBAROCK CONSORT from 1997 until 2002. Later on he became a vast member of Onno Witte’s WILDCARD and played with BOHEMIAN GROOVE ORCHESTRA, performing at Festival de Muzen (2006-2015), Marco van Os became a member of the Wieke Garcia Group in 2010, re-uniting in 2017.
www.marcovanos.nl