Candy Dulfer
Encyclopedia
Candy Dulfer is a Dutch
smooth jazz
alto saxophonist
who began playing at the age of six. She founded her band, Funky Stuff, when she was fourteen years old. Her debut album Saxuality
(1990) received a Grammy Award
nomination. Dulfer has released nine studio album
s, two live album
s, and one compilation album
. She has performed and recorded songs with other notable musicians, such as her father Hans Dulfer
, Prince
, Dave Stewart
, Van Morrison
, and Maceo Parker
. She hosts the Dutch television series Candy meets... (2007), in which she interviews fellow musicians.
in the Netherlands
, as the daughter of saxophonist Hans Dulfer
. She began playing the drums
at the age of five. As a six-year-old she started to play the soprano saxophone
. At the age of seven she switched to alto saxophone
and later began playing in a local concert band
Jeugd Doet Leven (English
translation: "Youth Brings Life") in Zuiderwoude
.
Dulfer played her first solo
on stage with her father's band De Perikels ("The Perils"). At the age of eleven, she made her first recordings for the album I Didn't Ask (1981) of De Perikels. In 1982, when she was twelve years old, she played as a member of Rosa King
's Ladies Horn section at the North Sea Jazz Festival
. According to Dulfer, King encouraged her to become a band leader herself. In 1984, at the age of fourteen, Dulfer started her own band Funky Stuff.
Dulfer's band performed throughout the Netherlands and in 1987 was the opening act
for two of Madonna's
European concerts.
In 1988 Prince
invited Dulfer on stage to play an improvised solo during one of his European shows. In 1989 Dulfer appeared in Prince's "Partyman
" video.
Dulfer performed session
work with Eurythmics
guitarist
and producer
Dave Stewart
and was a guest musician for Pink Floyd
at the band's performance at Knebworth
in 1990.
Dulfer's debut album, Saxuality
, was released in 1990 and was nominated for a Grammy and certified gold for worldwide sales in excess of half a million. Her song "Lily Was Here" reached #11 on American the Billboard Hot 100
chart. Though Dulfer has had smooth jazz chart hits such as "For The Love Of You" and "Finsbury Park, Cafe 67".
Dulfer was also the featured saxophonist on Van Morrison
's A Night in San Francisco
, an album in 1993, and performed with the Alan Parsons Project at the World Liberty Concert
in 1995.
Dulfer collaborated with her father Hans Dulfer on the duet
album Dulfer Dulfer in 2001.
In 2007, she released her ninth studio album Candy Store
. The album reached a #2 position in Billboard's
Top Contemporary Jazz charts. Her song Candy Store and the song "L.A. Citylights" reached the #1 position in Smooth Jazz National Airplay charts in the United States.
Dulfer is mostly a self taught musician except for some training in a concert band and a few months of music lesson
s.
In 2007 Candy Dulfer was the presenter and interviewer in Candy meets..., her own television program for public broadcaster NPS
. In the series she met with Sheila E.
, Maceo Parker
, Hans Dulfer
, Van Morrison
, Dave Stewart
, and Mavis Staples
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
alto saxophonist
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
who began playing at the age of six. She founded her band, Funky Stuff, when she was fourteen years old. Her debut album Saxuality
Saxuality
Saxuality is the debut album by Candy Dulfer. Dulfer was no stranger to music since she is the daughter of Hans Dulfer, a famous Dutch saxophone player...
(1990) received a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination. Dulfer has released nine studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s, two live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s, and one compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
. She has performed and recorded songs with other notable musicians, such as her father Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer is a Dutch jazz musician who plays tenor saxophone.Hans Dulfer was born on 28 May 1940 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He began at age 17 and has been referred to as "Big boy" because of his album of the same name. At the end of the sixties he and Herbert Noord founded a quartet that...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Dave Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
, Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, and Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones...
. She hosts the Dutch television series Candy meets... (2007), in which she interviews fellow musicians.
Early life
Candy Dulfer was born on 19 September 1969 in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, as the daughter of saxophonist Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer is a Dutch jazz musician who plays tenor saxophone.Hans Dulfer was born on 28 May 1940 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He began at age 17 and has been referred to as "Big boy" because of his album of the same name. At the end of the sixties he and Herbert Noord founded a quartet that...
. She began playing the drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
at the age of five. As a six-year-old she started to play the soprano saxophone
Soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
. At the age of seven she switched to alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
and later began playing in a local concert band
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
Jeugd Doet Leven (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation: "Youth Brings Life") in Zuiderwoude
Zuiderwoude
Zuiderwoude is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Waterland, and lies about 2 km south of Monnickendam.The statistical area "Zuiderwoude" has a population of around 260....
.
Dulfer played her first solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
on stage with her father's band De Perikels ("The Perils"). At the age of eleven, she made her first recordings for the album I Didn't Ask (1981) of De Perikels. In 1982, when she was twelve years old, she played as a member of Rosa King
Rosa King
Rosa King was an American Jazz and blues saxophonist/singer who made her fame in Amsterdam and recorded many albums under a variety of labels.-Career:...
's Ladies Horn section at the North Sea Jazz Festival
North Sea Jazz Festival
The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam...
. According to Dulfer, King encouraged her to become a band leader herself. In 1984, at the age of fourteen, Dulfer started her own band Funky Stuff.
Musical career
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
for two of Madonna's
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
European concerts.
In 1988 Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
invited Dulfer on stage to play an improvised solo during one of his European shows. In 1989 Dulfer appeared in Prince's "Partyman
Partyman
"Partyman" is a song by Prince from his 1989 Batman album, and the follow-up to his number one hit, "Batdance". The song is one of the few on the album that is prominently featured in the film, accompanying the scene where the Joker and his minions gleefully desecrate the Gotham City Art Museum...
" video.
Dulfer performed session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
work with Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Dave Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
and was a guest musician for Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
at the band's performance at Knebworth
Knebworth
Knebworth is a village and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Walden and Langley, and encompasses the village of Knebworth, the...
in 1990.
Dulfer's debut album, Saxuality
Saxuality
Saxuality is the debut album by Candy Dulfer. Dulfer was no stranger to music since she is the daughter of Hans Dulfer, a famous Dutch saxophone player...
, was released in 1990 and was nominated for a Grammy and certified gold for worldwide sales in excess of half a million. Her song "Lily Was Here" reached #11 on American the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. Though Dulfer has had smooth jazz chart hits such as "For The Love Of You" and "Finsbury Park, Cafe 67".
Dulfer was also the featured saxophonist on Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
's A Night in San Francisco
A Night in San Francisco
A Night in San Francisco is a live album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1994. Guest artists were John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells and Jimmy Witherspoon as well as Morrison's daughter, Shana Morrison...
, an album in 1993, and performed with the Alan Parsons Project at the World Liberty Concert
World Liberty Concert
The World Liberty Concert was a concert that took place on May 8, 1995 next to the John Frost Bridge in Arnhem in the Netherlands. The concert was held in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Europe and is the largest memorial concert ever held in the Netherlands.Performances were...
in 1995.
Dulfer collaborated with her father Hans Dulfer on the duet
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
album Dulfer Dulfer in 2001.
In 2007, she released her ninth studio album Candy Store
Candy Store (album)
Candy Store is the ninth studio album of Dutch saxophonist Candy Dulfer, released September 18, 2007 on the record label Heads Up. The album is produced by Candy Dulfer and Dave Love. The songs are written by Candy Dulfer, Thomas Bank, Ulco Bed, and Chance Howard.The album reached a #2 position in...
. The album reached a #2 position in Billboard's
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Contemporary Jazz charts. Her song Candy Store and the song "L.A. Citylights" reached the #1 position in Smooth Jazz National Airplay charts in the United States.
Dulfer is mostly a self taught musician except for some training in a concert band and a few months of music lesson
Music lesson
Music lessons are a type of formal instruction in playing a musical instrument or singing. Typically, a student taking music lessons meets a music teacher for one-on-one training sessions ranging from 30 minutes to one hour in length over a period of weeks or years...
s.
In 2007 Candy Dulfer was the presenter and interviewer in Candy meets..., her own television program for public broadcaster NPS
Nederlandse Programma Stichting
NTR is a Dutch public-service broadcaster. It supplies television and radio programming of an educational and cultural nature to the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system....
. In the series she met with Sheila E.
Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
, Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones...
, Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer is a Dutch jazz musician who plays tenor saxophone.Hans Dulfer was born on 28 May 1940 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He began at age 17 and has been referred to as "Big boy" because of his album of the same name. At the end of the sixties he and Herbert Noord founded a quartet that...
, Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, Dave Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
, and Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
.
Discography
- SaxualitySaxualitySaxuality is the debut album by Candy Dulfer. Dulfer was no stranger to music since she is the daughter of Hans Dulfer, a famous Dutch saxophone player...
(1990) - Sax-a-Go-GoSax-a-Go-GoThe second album by Dutch alto saxophonist Candy Dulfer, Sax-a-Go-Go entered the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Album chart at #5 in February 1994, remaining in the chart for 31 weeks...
(1993) - Big Girl (1995)
- For the Love of You (1997)
- The Best of Candy Dulfer (1998)
- Girls Night Out (1999)
- Dulfer Dulfer (2002)
- Right in My Soul (2003)
- Candy StoreCandy Store (album)Candy Store is the ninth studio album of Dutch saxophonist Candy Dulfer, released September 18, 2007 on the record label Heads Up. The album is produced by Candy Dulfer and Dave Love. The songs are written by Candy Dulfer, Thomas Bank, Ulco Bed, and Chance Howard.The album reached a #2 position in...
(2007) - Funked Up & Chilled Out (2009)
- Crazy (2011)
External links
- For the Love Of You
- Candy Dulfer (official website) Candy meets... Candy meets Hans Dulfer at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Candy Dulfer & Band - live concert video on Fabchannel.com
- Candy plays with Maceo Parker