Pieter, Herman, with Jah6 you almost accidentally stumbled on a goldmine: giving the Dutch levenslied (a highly sentimental Dutch-language sub-genre of pop music; in Dutch levenslied literally means "life song" meaning "song about real life", red.) a reggae beat. How did that whole story start?
Pieter Both (vocals, percussion): "A couple of years ago Rudy (de Graaff, red.) our percussionist organized a Bob Marley jam session on the beach. The guys from Beef were there together with some other musicians and Patrick (Kuschel), our bass player, had brought Herman along. During a break between two sets, someone suggested we play 'Zij Gelooft In Mij'; what happened next is hard to describe, but it was so amazing that we shouted: "wheel up and come again!" at least a couple of times and started the song all over again. After that, we wanted to know if what we had experienced there had just been a fluke or if we were really onto something. We put twenty Dutch classics in a hat and during that very first session all we really did was laugh our asses off, but at the same time we noticed that there was something magical to these songs. Playing here on Reggaefer today was kind of special to us, because we were finally able to test our music on a real reggae audience. What we do appeals to a very wide audience, because this music appeals to reggae lovers as well as to fans of the levenslied genre and we try to mix both genres as convincingly as possible. We play these songs with the utmost respect and we've noticed people appreciate that; it's a lot more than just a gimmick."
Pieter, people will still remember you as being the lead vocalist with Beef; but what is your background, Herman?
Herman Havertong (vocals): "I've been singing as long as I can remember and have done so with a number of different bands in the past, but when I met these guys, I knew I had arrived on a different level. Before Jah6 I'd always been testing myself, looking how far my voice would stretch, but with my Amsterdam accent and feeling for reggae, Jah6 felt like coming home. It went exactly as Pieter just described, as a bit of fun during a break. I started the song and all of a sudden it was party time! Personally speaking I consider this project a meeting between the Dutch version of the blues and its Jamaican counterpart, but above all else it's music of the people, so it touches audiences exactly where it's supposed to. You really have to experience one of our shows to fully understand what we are all about."
The likeness between your voice and that of Andre Hazes is uncanny at times.
Herman Havertong: "Well, that's something I get told a lot, but personally I'm not convinced our voices are all that similar. Of course I try to do my best to emulate the original as close as possible, but I tend to focus more on the general vibe of the song than on delivering an exact copy of Andre's voice."
Pieter Both: "Both Andre and Herman were born in De Pijp (neighborhood of Amsterdam, located directly south of Amsterdam's city center and part of the borough Amsterdam-Zuid, red.) and hence their accents will sound very similar; you're always influenced most by the sounds and sights around you. But, as Herman just said, I think the feeling you're able to put in these songs is just as important and that is really his fortitude; Herman truly lives the songs he performs. By focusing on icons like Hazes and Marley on the one hand, we wanted to keep things accessible for the people coming to our shows, because there's not a living soul who hasn't heard about them, but there are also parallels in their life paths; both have known a life of harsh poverty before they became famous, for example."
In Belgium we know Andre Hazes, but he hasn't got the legendary status he's got in Holland. Could you tell us a bit more about him?
Pieter Both: "Hazes was a little boy who was discovered on the market at a very young age by Johnny Kraaikamp Sr. who saw him singing on his soap box and immediately recognized his raw talent. In the eighties he became the embodiment of the Amsterdam levenslied and nowadays his songs are taken up by crowds consisting of people from all layers of society. You don't dance to his music, normally you just wave your hands from left to right - holding a beer is optional (laughs) - and what we've added with Jah6 is that now you can also skank away to these songs."
You guys make it all look so easy and natural, but how much work goes into adapting a song like that?
Pieter Both: "Reggae is often, and unjustly so, considered to be very simple music, but just like any other genre, it's bound to certain rules. Most often we're confronted with songs that originally were written in three-four time which we have to convert to four-four time and sometimes that just doesn't work. And if it doesn't feel 100% right, we don't do it.
If you start faking, people will notice very fast. We're certainly not about scoring quick points on the back of other artists. Personally I always try to put a little bit of myself into these songs."
In Holland Jah6 is getting quite popular, but do you think this formula can also work in Belgium?
Pieter Both: "With artists like Will Tura, Belgium has its own version of the levenslied, so I think people will be able to identify with our music as well. The advantage of our formula is that even when you don't know the lyrics, you can still dance along to the rhythm. And if we can give Hazes a bit more exposure in Belgium, then why not?"
What the Antwerp band Tzen Marley'kes does, is almost the opposite of what you guys do, as they translate Jamaican classics to Dutch or Antwerp dialect.
Pieter Both: "Oh really? That's great. We've thought about doing that but the repertoire we can draw from is already that vast that we decided not to bother. In fact we don't only adapt schlagers (from German, loosely translated "hit songs", red.) but also traditional Dutch songs from the nineteen thirties and forties, songs like 'De Dievenwagen' for example."
What is Jah6 all about?
Pieter Both: "If you're asking me about the essence of what we are doing, then I would say give the people that listen to our music a good time. We shouldn't see the Dutch language as too much of a barrier either; if we can invite groups from all over the globe to perform at our world music festivals, then why can't we go and play Hazes over there? As long as we can play and have fun, I'm a happy man."
Who came up with the slightly brilliant band name?
Herman Havertong: "We were just brainstorming one day and from reggae we ended up on Jah and Andre's last name is Hazes, so put the two together and you've got Jah6. We weren't too sure at the beginning though, because naming ourselves Jah6 really linked us to Hazes and in reality the scope of our music is much wider than that.
Pieter Both: "The only problem we've encountered with that name is that it's pronounced differently all the time, from just jah-zes over jah-six to jasses. It doesn't really matter I suppose, as it only adds layers to the name. (laughs)"