Martijn Schok Boogie & Blues Band

The Martijn Schok Boogie & Blues Band is the swinging band of Dutch boogie woogie pianist Martijn Schok. The band toured in Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain and the USA. Martijn and his band also performed during the famous Jazzfestival in New Orleans.

The music of the band is great for dancing, and is also great listening music because of the varied repertoire and the individual musical qualities of the bandmembers.

The band plays swinging boogie woogie, exciting rhythm 'n blues and emotional blues songs with a jazzy sound. This combination of styles results in a very groovy mix of roots music, with piano boogie woogie and piano blues right in the middle, played by the Dutch master in the genre.

The band is the 'home band' of the annual International Boogie Woogie Festival Holland.

Martijn Schok (piano)

The name Martijn Schok is synonymous with boogie woogie and piano blues. Martijn has played all the great Dutch jazz and blues festivals and can also be seen regularly at festivals both in Europe and the USA. Martijn performs solo as well as with his swinging 5-piece band, and has up till now released twelve successful boogie woogie CDs.

Martijn's piano style is characterized by a large dose of swing, a steady groove and a high degree of virtuosity. It is clear he has a great deal of respect and admiration for the music of the early American boogie woogie originators.

Martijn is a respected interpreter of the boogie woogie and piano blues style and appears at famous international festivals, such as the festival in New Orleans (Louisiana, USA), the Queen City Blues Festival in Cincinnati (Ohio, USA), the Motor City Boogie & Blues Festival in Detroit (Michigan, USA), and the international boogie woogie festivals in Switzerland, Belgium, France, England, Spain and the USA.

Besides his performing qualities, Martijn is the Artistic Director and founder of the International Boogie Woogie Festival Holland that takes place annually in hotel De Heerlickheijd van Ermelo in the center of Holland.

Greta Holtrop (vocals)

With her versatile vocal talent and charismatic stage presence, singer Greta Holtrop forms the perfect partner for Martijn’s swinging piano style. Her expressive voice, full of sincerity and emotion, seduces the ear with sultry interpretations of sensitive blues songs, turning just as easily to lively, swinging boogies. Boogie woogie great, Big Joe Duskin, has described her vocal tone as somewhere between Billie Holiday and Dina Washington.

Together with Martijn, Greta performed during Boogie Woogie and Blues Festival in the USA, Switzerland, France, Belgium and England. Greta also sang with other top boogie woogie players such as Bob Seeley (USA), Charlie Booty (USA), Jean-Paul Amouroux (F), Axel Zwingenberger (D), Ricky Nye (USA), Little Willie Littlefield (USA), Silvan Zingg (CH), Stefano Franco (It) and Mark Braun (USA).

Greta is vocalist and presenter of the successful theatre show, The Grand Piano Boogie Train with pianists Martijn Schok, Jaap Dekker and Jeroen Sweers.

Greta performed many times for national television in Holland as well as regional TV stations in the USA. For the year 2006, performances are scheduled during the Jazzfestival in Denmark, Gronau (Germany), the Boogie Woogie Festival in England and Toulouse, France.

Rinus Groeneveld (tenor saxophone)

The Amsterdam based Rinus Groeneveld is without doubt one of Hollands best tenor saxophone players. With his recognizable sound he blows a unique mix of jazz, blues, boogie woogie and rhythm and blues.

Rinus played all over the world with many jazz and blues musicians, such as Mose Mose Allison, Big Jay McNeeley, Rosa King and Hans Dulfer. Rinus has been part of the Martijn Schok Boogie & Blues Band since 1994 and was the recording engineer of the bands latest CD "Doing The Boogie Woogie", in his own recording studios in Amsterdam.

Maarten Kruijswijk (drums)

In the life of the Amsterdam based drummer Maarten Kruijswijk (1964) the groove is the central thing. After completing his education at the Dutch Conservatory in 1989, he peformed for three years in the salsa band Fruta Bomba. After that he played, and still does, with tenorsaxophone player Rinus Groeneveld and played with Big Jay McNeely.

Maarten's jazz preference is Swing & Boogie. Combining these very swinging styles with his experience with Latin rhythms results in a natural basis for playing groovy New Orleans beats.

Because of his work as a drummer at the Dutch Acedemy for Dancing, he is always inspired to play music in a way that can be well danced on. "Rhythms exist to be danced on and to have fun!"

Sergei Shapko (upright bass)

Bass player Sergei Shapko from Amsterdam plays bass in the real traditional style. With his self built upright bass, he knows exactly how to give the right groove to the music. Sergei is a specialist in the slapping bass style.

Together with drummer Maarten Kruijswijk, Sergei takes care of the swinging drive of the band.