Born in the Netherlands, Wilma Baan’s musical career began at the tender age of 3, humming herself to sleep with parts of the Brandenburg Concertos – a serious side effect of being spoon fed JS Bach and Miles Davis in equal amounts from the moment she was born.
A career in nursing beckoned, although her love of jazz endured, and she sang with various jazz ensembles and performed at jazz clubs and festivals including the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague where she met vocalists Ernestine Anderson and Sarah Vaughan.
Other special moments included performing alongside Jean 'Toots' Thielemans and sharing a chat and a hug at Ronnie Scott's with idol Mark Murphy. Among her radio performances, accompanied by the KRO Orchestra, she sang live for a broadcast about the life and work of Irving Berlin.
After bringing up a family, which included spells in Oman, Brunei & Greece, Wilma finally settled in the UK. A chance opportunity to perform with singer/pianist Joe Stilgoe, followed by a series of dates with pianist Alex Hutton, reignited the spark for jazz music before the pandemic brought everything to a grinding halt.
Undeterred, she began to plan a debut album. Producer Claire Martin introduced Wilma to pianist/arranger Graham Harvey and the result, So Nice was released in 2021 to much critical acclaim.
“A selection of choice standards, impeccably performed, great arrangements and sympathetic backing make this a classy album… these are no mere covers but interpretations that stand up in their own right.”
Bebop Spoken Here
Not done yet, Wilma set about choosing a further 12 songs that had deeply moved her and sustained her love of the jazz repertoire over the years and approached Claire and Graham again. In 2022, she recorded Look At Me Now! in the idyllic setting of QuietMoney Studios on the South Coast.
Light and shade, nuance, charm, depth, maturity, and warmth… Look At Me Now! has it all and Wilma Baan is immensely proud and grateful to be presenting it at one of London’s premier jazz clubs this Summer.
