Wilma Baan is a vocalist influenced by classical and jazz music. She has performed at festivals, including the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Hague. Baan has also had to deal with hearing loss and returning to music after a lengthy hiatus. However, that return has not gone unnoticed. She has also found support in one of the U.K.’s most pre-eminent musicians as Claire Martin produced her 2021 album So Nice. Martin rightly supports Baan, who has overcome obstacles and made a triumphant return to music. In conversation with her recently, she lit up discussing Wilma Bann: “Wilma is such a classy singer. She has great taste in everything she sings and is completely authentic and unique.” Baan joined us to discuss her career journey and latest release, Look at Me Now, which launched at Pizza Express Live in London and has received impressive reviews.
How did you find music, and in particular jazz?
I did not find music; it found me. Legend has it I was born to the tunes of Les Paul’s “Walkin’ and Whistlin’ Blues,” and as I was hastily deposited in the waiting Moses basket, medical attention focused on Mum while the family Boxer kept watch over me – which probably also explains my love for dogs. Growing up in a family where there was always music – classical and jazz, in equal amounts – I reportedly absorbed it more greedily than food. My parents have always told me I could sing before I could talk, so it’s probably true. J.S. Bach and Miles Davis effortlessly secured a place in my core being and stayed there.
Where did you perform early on?
I started performing in the ’70s in Amsterdam, more or less by chance. With several medics in my immediate family, but averse to the challenges of the maths and physics needed to become a doctor, I decided to train as a nurse. It seemed more practical and secure than a music career. I felt that if the opportunity presented itself, it would be a sign. In my lovely old teaching hospital on one of the Amsterdam canals, we had a great tradition: The undergraduate nurses due to sit their exams would be offered a cabaret by the group to be the next ones, and the performers would change the lyrics of existing songs into stories relating to the exam candidates.
The accompanying bands would invariably consist of friends, brothers, and cousins of the nursing students, some of whom were quite talented. Since I didn’t know – or like – any tunes other than jazz and bossa nova, I chose these as my contribution which, to my surprise, was received with enthusiasm. The band – students themselves – encouraged me to sing with them on a regular basis and the snowball started rolling. The Netherlands is a small country, and in those days you got noticed quite easily. Soon I found myself singing in various bands, doing some radio work, and lots of jazz festivals. I even had the pleasure to perform at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Hague in the early ’80s and meet some of my idols.
Then came a lengthy hiatus. What happened?
Since I had a full-time job as a nurse, it all became a bit much, so I decided to reduce my workload to part-time nursing and part-time singing, so I could grab some sleep now and again. In 1985, my husband’s work whisked us away to faraway countries where our two children were born, and performing music came to an almost standstill. A complicating factor was that I had noticed a deterioration in my ability to hear high tones – something that had crept stealthily up on me for reasons unknown to this day. The only certainty was, and is, that it’s a sensorineural issue that cannot be cured. Unfortunately, it resulted in my ears sending unreliable information to my brain, having an effect on my pitching. Hearing aids weren’t a solution since analog technology was the only thing available at the time. This wouldn’t have been very helpful, because it also amplified the unaffected lower tones, thus resulting in a very unwelcome cacophony.
Therefore, I gave up any hope of ever singing again. However, when the first digital hearing aids appeared around 1996, I noticed a huge difference. The tones above 1000Hz, which I had completely lost the ability to hear, were in part audible again. I say in part because it’s all a matter of fine-tuning. Finding a balance between what is bearable, while still reaping the benefits of the amplification and what the computer program indicates as the ideal level of amplification – read, ear-piercing – invariably ends up in a compromise. Something’s gotta give, like everything in life. The early versions were quite large and uncomfortable, providing a rather artificial sound, but 20 years on technology advanced even more, and I have been wearing a pretty invisible set of open-fit hearing aids for the past 10 years.
What led to your long-awaited return to music?
In 1997, we were posted to the U.K. Fully aware that we would be asked to move to the next job in a new country after a couple of years, we decided we wanted to stay – not least so we could give our children an opportunity to finish their education in their international secondary school and attend universities in one place. About 10 years ago, I was asked by a friend to sing at a charity event and decided to put myself to the test. I plucked up the courage to sing with a trio, and much to my joy found it worked. That was the moment when I decided to make my old dream come true and give working with the best musicians a go – and record an album!
How did you meet Claire Martin?
I contacted Claire Martin, whom I had admired from a distance for many years, and asked her for some coaching. Claire helped me overcome my insecurities and encouraged me to choose the best pianist, arranger and musical director I could find. That had to be Graham Harvey, whom I had heard several times at Ronnie Scott’s in London, accompanying jazz vocalist Stacey Kent as well as at gigs with his trio. He embodies the ultimate creativity and musicality I so admire in top pianists, the subtle art of less is more. Graham agreed to write the arrangements for the album and the trio was completed with Dave Chamberlain on double bass and Josh Morrisson on drums. My first album, So Nice, was recorded at Chris Traves’s Kenilworth Studios in London in 2020 and released in 2021. Claire was my producer and Chris, a wonderful trombonist as well as the owner of the studio, surprised me with a delicious trombone solo on “Close Enough for Love.” It was a wonderful experience – even more so since the album was well received. Meanwhile, I performed occasionally, in London as well as Switzerland, where I stay regularly.
Let’s talk about the new album, which also includes impressive musicians like Nigel Price, Sebastian De Krom, and others.
A bit over a year ago, I could no longer suppress the itch to record a second album and, just like the first time, Claire Martin was my biggest supporter, as well as my producer. Once again, Graham Harvey agreed to write the arrangements for the carefully chosen songs and be both pianist and musical director. I chose Jeremy Brown to be on double bass and Sebastiaan de Krom, a fellow Dutch national, on drums. Such great musicians simply made the perfect trio! I very much wanted to invite a couple of brilliant guest players to create an even more diverse sound. One of the songs I very much wanted to record was Durval Ferriera, Ray Gilbert and Pedro Camargo’s “The Day It Rained,” a gorgeous, not often performed Brazilian composition, so I asked Nigel Price to accompany me on guitar on that track – and lured him into playing on some other tracks, of course!
My next choice was Nat Steele, whom I had heard playing his vibraphone at a jazz club a few months earlier and fallen head over heels with. I asked him there and then if he would consider making a guest appearance on the recordings I had in mind, and he said yes. We recorded at Quiet Money Studios in Hastings in November 2022, and it was a magical time. The studio owner, James McMillan is a musician himself, and played a couple of trumpet and flugelhorn solos, adding to the richness of the sound. Tristan Banks placed the cherry right on top of the cake with his subtle percussion on many tracks.
What’s next for you and ‘Look at Me Now’?
At this moment, I’m taking a literal breath of fresh mountain air, but realize I need to hit the ground running as soon as I return to the U.K. I’d very much like to perform more, but as I say this, I know that the venues of my choice would ideally be those where the sound is managed professionally. With my hearing issue, it is of the utmost importance to hear myself clearly and that the balance between the band and my voice is correct. To achieve that, I need two monitors in front of me, which really helps. I wish my digital hearing aids could be connected to a mixing board via Bluetooth; that would mean a huge improvement. Or, maybe even better, in-ear monitors that double as the customized digital hearing aids I’m wearing now. The moment those hit the market, I will be in the front row to get a pair!
Describe your dream performance.
Dream event? Anything with a symphonic orchestra. Dream venue? I hardly dare to say it out loud, but maybe Ronnie Scott’s?
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- Eric Anders and Mark O’Bitz – ‘Contrapasso’ (2024) - June 21, 2024
