Of all the music documented in these pages, it is my own personal opinion that nothing
beats hearing Eef playing his own compositions. Not only do I think Eef is a brilliant
guitarist, I consider him to be one of the most creative, innovative composers
of all time.
Early compositions like Blue Capricorn immediately struck me as being highly original and ahead of their time. It is actually the music that Eef writes that really appeals to me. There are many fine guitar players in the world today, ones with incredible technique and abilities, however there aren't many who can write anything original with such diverse themes and influences as Eef does. This is very obvious in his latest CD Birds Of The Night which I consider to be an absolute masterpiece.Each song offers the listener something different. I enjoy music which is never predictable and has unusual time signatures and progressions in it, but which is also logical and is highly melodic at the same time, a hard order to fill.
Eef's compositions allow him to explore beyond the normal realms of improvisation because the chord progressions are so unusual you would have to have Eef's skill & knowledge to even attempt to improvise over them. This is not to say I don't enjoy the other albums he has played on, simply that I do have a strong preference for his own music, what has been coined among Eef fans as "PURE EEF". Playing on other peoples albums does limit what you can accomplish because the song structure imposes its own boundaries upon the players.Eef's own compositions allows him complete creative control of the whole piece of music, his guitar playing becoming an integral part of the whole composition, not just a "go for it Eef ! couple of bars where he gets to solo.
I sincerely hope that Eef gets the recognition he deserves, which will not only bring the personal satisfaction that people are listening and appreciating his music, but also the monetary rewards which would enable him to concentrate more on his own writing and playing. In the Music Maker article the interviewer compares Eef to Vincent van Gogh, well I suppose what I am trying to say here is similar. Imagine if Vincent only got to paint a small portion on someone elses canvas, it just wouldn't be the same as painting one of his own original works.
I should mention here that even Eef's own recordings don't showcase his true abilities as do his live performances. The few examples I have heard of Eef's bands playing live (Air shots of the 1989 North Sea Jazz Festival & at the Jazz Cafe in Holland ) are some of the best examples of what truly inspired music sounds like.It is still hard to believe after all the exposure Eef has had in concerts such as the North Sea Jazz Festival and with Peter Herbolzheimers Big Bands & Focus, that he is still so unknown, even in his own country. Hopefully that will change in the next few years as more people find out about his music.
Please enjoy your visit and drop by for updates.