Jazz in Motion Records / Kepera Records

27/06/2024

End of the tour and finally!….. Suntory Time!

27/06/2024

Final concert of the Japan tour with Atzko Kohashi. This time we will play in duo. And I will be playing the Ray Brown bass again. The bass Ray brown used to play when he was in Japan. An honor to play on this piece of history.

15/06/2024

Atzko Kohashi, learned a thing or two from living in the Netherlands. Adopting the Dutch entrepreneurship and directness with her sensitive en polite Japanese character proved to be successful in organizing the first Japanese tour for the Atzko Kohashi & Tony Overwater duo. In Japan they will meet up with drummer Sepastiaan Kaptein.

Read the wonderful article here.

A single e-mail connects the Netherlands and Tokachi


It all started with a single e-mail from the Netherlands. There had never been a direct approach from a musician asking to perform at the concert. However, the email brought a passionate message from the musician herself: ....... A small jazz concert will be held at the Centennial Hall in Makubetsu-cho, Tokachi, Hokkaido, on March 23.

The e-mail was received by Yuya Okamoto, the project director of the "Makubetsu-cho Citizens' Art Theater. Upon reading it, he immediately felt that he wanted to "respond to the wishes" of the musicians.

The email, which arrived on January 12, included an introduction of the musician and her activities, as well as details about the excellent acoustics of the Centennial Memorial Hall and the fact that it had previously hosted many jazz musicians. It also mentioned the jazz school for elementary and junior high school students that had been held at the Citizen Art Theater for the past ten years. The musician's heartfelt belief that "music is something that travels" was clearly conveyed.

Okamoto took action.The next day, he responded and invited her to a board meeting to decide the annual schedule via online. Soon after, the hall decided to host the performance.

The email was sent by Atsuko Kohashi, a jazz pianist living in the Netherlands. Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, she started playing classical piano at the age of five and entered the world of jazz after joining a jazz big band in college. She studied jazz in New York City from 1994 to 2001. In 2005, she moved to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and has been performing across Europe.

Her previous performances in Japan were organized by promoters. However, the COVID-19 pandemic cancellations and the weak yen put musicians in a tough situation. Despite this, Kohashi said, "Our desire to share music has only grown stronger."

Thus, at the end of last year, she decided to contact Japanese venues directly. The first email she sent was to the Centennial Memorial Hall in Makubetsu, which she had heard from an acquaintance was a "wonderful hall."

She contacted about 30 to 40 venues in Japan, including large halls and jazz clubs, but few gave her good responses.

Kobashi said, "We were prepared for no response. We were thrilled that the town of Makubetsu looked over our materials, understood our intentions, and responded immediately. We are grateful for this opportunity and would like to perform from the bottom of our hearts. We hope that the people of Makubetsu-cho will enjoy the music we will bring from the Netherlands."

Following the decision to perform in Makubetsu-cho, the Netherlands Performing Arts Fund and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Japan have also agreed to support the concerts, which will be held from June 20 to 27 at six locations in Japan, including Kobe, Tokyo, and Yokohama

On the day of the concert at the hall, an acoustic live performance by Kohashi, Dutch bassist Tony Overwater, and Dutch drummer Sebastian Kaptein, who lives in Okinawa, is scheduled. The day before the concert in Makubetsu, a workshop for the children of the Makubetsu Junior Jazz School is also planned.

Okamoto said, "This is the first time we have received a direct request from an overseas artist to realize a performance. We hope to introduce the high-level musical appeal to a wide range of generations"

27/05/2024

Thanks for the insightful review, Ken Vos, about our concert at Sijthoff - Cultuur. And thanks Henry Cannon for the beautiful photos.

“Overwater and Atsuko Kohashi had already won the audience over in the first set, but after the almost literally fiery interpretation of Charlie Haden’s ‘La Pasionaria,’ a standing ovation was inevitable. Tony Overwater is an artist who, under all circumstances, knows how to put a unique spin on what might seem obvious at first glance. Therefore, as an encore, something more familiar, namely ‘What’s New,’ but in the version made famous by Betty Carter. A performance for enthusiasts.”
Ken Vos

08/05/2024

Wonderful review of our latest release by Vinsent Planjer Warm To The Touch.

CD-RECENSIE Vinsent Planjer – Warm to the Touchbezetting: Vinsent Planjer drums, percussie, slagwerk; Liza Ferschtman viool; Dominic Seldis contrabas; Benjamin Glorieux cello; Celia García-García piano; Hermine Deurloo mondharmonica; Tatiana Koleva marimba; Teus Nobel trompet; Ties Mellema sopr...

07/05/2024

This Sunday we will talk about Umm Kalthoum م كلثوم the great diva of the Arabic world. And about the opera house of Cairo and Radio Cairo. Together with Jawa Manla, Nizar Rohana and Hatim Suleiman I will organize a Salon Joussour where will discuss the music, the society and the role of Umm Kalthoum as role model for women in the Middle East. Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam 12 mei

27/03/2024

Amsterdam central station

11/02/2024

Thank you, for hosting our sold out concert. It was great to share our first notes together with you.

06/02/2024

Jazz is all about spontaneous interaction, being present and lively dialogue.
Expect that and more this Sunday afternoon at Splendor when Atsuko Kohashi and Tony Overwater meet their special guest Theresia Philipp.

Sunday 11th of February
15:00
Splendor, Amsterdam

Get your tickets here:
https://splendoramsterdam.com/agenda/111373915/atzko-kohashi-tony-overwater-duo

15/01/2024

Thanks for a wonderful evening at the . Sharing the evening with . Thanks to Ton Maas from for the wonderful review.

13/01/2024

Thank you for the award of best jazz duo album 2023.

12/01/2024

Final tickets available for special edition Spirits concert at with .khcheich .percussion

25/12/2023

I was honoured to be invited by the Culture Unlimited festival to perform with my Wereldzee Ensemble together with the New European Ensemble. We performed old and new composition from my suite 'Water Runs, Rivers Flow and the Sea Unites'. The concert in the beautiful Oude of Pelgrimvaderskerk in Schiedam was recorded and the coming weeks I will release most of the concert on YouTube. I hope you enjoy it.
Maarten Ornstein clarinet
Rada Ovcharova violin
Tijmen Huisingh violin
Emlyn Stam viola
Sietse-Jan Weijenberg cello
Rembrandt Frerichs. pianist & composer
Tony Overwater. bass
Ruven Ruppik percussion

video Ayman Sandok- Filmmaker / Video editor
production Hannibal Saad

Om de Oude Wereldzee - Tony OverwaterMaarten Ornstein - clarinetrada Ovcharova - violinTijmen Huisingh - violinEmlyn Stam - ViolaSietse Jan Weijenberg - cell...

22/12/2023

Musical find of the year for me. Keith Jarret’s first trio album ‘Life between the exit signs’. Charlie Haden, Paul Motian and Jarret on absolute top shape.

20/11/2023

A special concert is coming up where my Wereldzee Ensemble, together with the New European Ensemble, will perform my compositional Suite ‘Waters run, Rivers flow and the Sea unites. Portraits of rivers that flow towards the Mediterranean Sea.

Nizar Rohana (ud) Maarten Ornstein( clarinet) Rada Ovcharova (violin) Tijmen Huisingh (violin) Emlyn Stam (viola) Sietse Jan Weijenberg (cello) Rembrandt Frerichs (Piano) Tony Overwater (double bass and violone) Ruven Ruppik (percussion)

16/11/2023

Ja, nu worden ook onze klassieke vollega’s wakker en is er wel ruimte voor een groot artikel over de steeds maar verder afvlakkende programmering van NPO Klassiek. Beter laat dan nooit. Ook maar op zoek naar een andere zender die wel houdt van avontuurlijke, eigengereide muziek.

21/10/2023

Working on some cool stuff for a documentary.

09/10/2023

Wonderful review in French by Claudy Jalet at JazzMania.

“allowing the two instrumentalists to express the delicacy of their playing, their mastery, their spontaneity. They delicately embroider around the themes, sometimes very well-known, which emerge, even if briefly, through the duo's concocted improvisation.”

Atsuko Kohashi
Tony Overwater

Expérience méditative.

17/09/2023

The famous river Tigris right from my hotelroom. Still can’t believe we are in Iraq.

02/08/2023

Quote from the wonderful review at SKJazz, Slovakia by Jan Hocek.

“Brilliant piano excursions along the backbone of the compositions in counterpoint with the bass structures testify how the protagonists literally enjoy the process of creation, how they communicate congenially with each other, sharing their spontaneous ideas, shifting the rhythmic and melodic components. Although the compositions are mostly quiet in nature, the result is a rich palette of deep emotional expression and sonic beauty; the dialogues are characterized by refinement, sophistication, special charm and personality.”

Novinka dvojice Atzko Kohashi a Tony Overwater navazuje na loňské album Crescent, ale tentokrát je zaměřena na hudbu bubeníků. Tedy víceméně, neboť z jedenácti skladeb jsou tři, jejichž autory nejsou bubeníci, ale jsou...

24/07/2023

“Beautiful melodies like "Pastel Rhapsody" , more freely shaped like "Angel Voice", swinging like "Blues In Motian" or "Riff Raff" and drifting moods like in "Trieste" and "It Should've Happened A Long Time Ago / For Turiya" result in a varied palette of deep emotional expression full of beauty and clarity, just as I felt with the predecessor. “
Tony Overwater bass
Atsuko Kohashi piano


W. Giese Musikansich 07 2023

Monatlich erscheinendes Online-Musikmagazin über alle Musikrichtungen mit Interviews, Reviews, Konzertberichten, Tourdaten und vieles mehr

17/07/2023

Review in the German Audiophile magazine STEREO.
Stereo 08 2023
The strong impulses with which drummers contributed to the evolution of jazz are historically documented. On their concept album, Japanese pianist Atsuko Kohashi and Dutch bassist Tony Overwater also focus on the compositional talents of drummers, such as Sunny Murray's "Angel Voice". But the duo also interweaves John Coltrane's "The Drum Thing" - dedicated to Elvin Jones - in brilliant piano excursions with powerful bass structures in which shifting rhythmic and melodic events communicate with each other. Gerd Filtgen

Music: very good to outstanding Sound: very good

27/06/2023

NPO Klassiek:
ontbrekend: jazz
Moet bevatten: jazz

04/06/2023

Firs review of the album ‘a Drum Thing’ by Atsuko Kohashi and Tony Overwater. JazzTokyo writes a raving and detailed review. Here are a few quotes:

‘ This album follows the exquisite duo album "Crescent" (2021) born from the collaboration between these two musicians. It stands out with its unique selection of predominantly drummer-composed songs. According to Tony, the drums, which he describes as "an instrument that exists in every region around the world and is perhaps the oldest instrument in history," govern the heartbeat of music. Without drums, without rhythm, music is merely a collection of sounds. This is why 8 out of the 11 tracks on this album are composed by the drummer, creating an unconventional piece for a piano and bass duo.’

‘The performance is characterized by the deep insights and rich nuances brought out by Kobashi. Tony's bass, responding to that, seems to possess its own unique philosophy. There is a deep resonance of thoughts between the two.’

まさに「即興は砂の城」と言わんばかりの刹那的な美意識だけが持つ高揚感に溢れている。

19/05/2023

JUST RELEASED! the new album of Tony Overwater and Atsuko Kohashi A Drum Thing.
Watch the mini documentary here.

The making of the album ' A Drum Thing' by Japanese pianist Atzko Kohashi and Dutch bass player Tony Overwater. A mini documentary made by Chris Blokhuis. Pr...

15/01/2023

Preparing a short lecture about my Label Jazz in Motion Records at the .c.jazz in The Hague tomorrow. This is how it all started in 1990. Two audio cassette releases. :-) Now 30 years and 25 releases later I am still happy I started it.

18/09/2022

Starting the day with a yoga concert at Kasteel Groeneveld.