Jan & Jannike Duo- A Duo from Lanzarote

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Jan & Jannike an Classy Jazz, Pop and Bossa Nova Duo

Interview conducted December 08, 2019

by Dan Locke

Jan & Jannike are a professional duo that creatively mixes jazz, pop and bossa nova. The duo consists of Jannike-Linn (GER-SWE) on vocals, melodica, piano, percussions and Jan Henrik (GER) on guitar, vocal harmonies, percussions.

Jan & Jannike create new ways to expand the sound possibilities of a conventional duo by the use of multiple instruments. Their music and their performances are characterized by detailed arrangements, musical sensitivity and Jannike’s impressive voice which quickly captivates the attentive listener.

Dan Locke: How did you meet?

Jan & Jannike: We met at music college in a small town in the south of Germany in the black forest called Freiburg. This was in 2011. We used to study together and do ear training by the river that runs through town. That’s when it all started 🙂 We have since grown a very strong partnership in music and in life.

What music inspired you while growing up?

Jan: I’m a child of the late 80s so my youth was a lot of Metallica, Nirvana, Alice in Chains. Through my guitar teachers at the time, I got in touch with blues and from there on to Kenny Burrell and the jazzier kind of world. And then I ended up in jazz college!
Jannike: I was listening to loads of different genres and groups such as Buena Vista Social Club, Manhattan Transfer, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eric Clapton, Willy DeVille, Norah Jones to name a few. But the ones who inspired me most were definitely Supertramp and later on Jamie Cullum. Also, Fiona Apple was very inspiring for me. We’re still growing so we’re still discovering new music that inspires us.

You started performing at Dublin City University. You both have a degree in Jazz Performance. What were your minors?

Jan: In Dublin, we didn’t really have minor subjects as such, no second instrument. But besides our main instrument, we had classes of ear training, transcription, jazz history, arrangement, rhythm, and different ensembles with changing topics. For example, an ensemble of Thelonious Monk, Afro Cuban or Free Jazz to name a few. However, when we started our degree in Freiburg, Germany, where every student had to select the piano as a minor subject.
Jannike: For me, it’s always been a dream to study voice as well as piano. So, I started studying piano for about 3 years and afterward continued with voice for another 2 years.

What is your first language English, Deutsch or Spanish?

Jan: Our first language is German, Deutsch. However, since we lived in Dublin for 3 years, English has definitely become our second first language. And now living on Lanzarote, we’re trying to cope with Spanish but it still works in progress.
Jannike: At some point, I will have to learn Swedish because my mom is from Sweden. German people keep asking me where I’m from since my German sounds a bit different apparently! This must be my mom’s influence, I guess!

Jan- You play guitar. What is your guitar background?

It all started with heavy metal and grunge music like Metallica and Nirvana. Nirvana’s “Bleach” was one of my favorite albums. That was when I was around 11 or 12 and while growing up my musical taste expanded on to other styles of music, even though I had classical piano lessons as a child of about 8 years but it didn’t interest me much. Mostly through my different guitar teachers, I got new impulses. One teacher I went to for a long time throughout my youth taught me classical pieces by John Mc Laughlin or showed me videos of “Friday Night in San Francisco”. He was really into that. I wasn’t the most motivated student and I wouldn’t practice that much but the guitar always was a tool of expression for me. From there I had developed a great interest in blues and through folks like Kenny Burrell who was one of my favorite guitarists at the time, I slowly listened to more jazz. Also, to metalcore or really heavy music but the intensity of jazz music got a hold of me. At the moment I don’t really listen to the heavier side of music but am generally very open to all styles. I think it is more important with what attitude or spirit something is played and style is secondary to that.

Jan-What is your guitars of choice? Year make and model.

I was playing on a Gibson 335 for a long time but at the moment my jazz guitar is built by a luthier in the black forest called Stefan Schottmüller who I got to know while studying in Freiburg. He is quite known today in the jazz scene because he built a model with Kurt Rosenwinkel and has recently built a guitar for Lage Lund. Lionel Loueke visited him just a few months ago for example. For all the pop and bossa nova tunes I use a cheap Sigma classical guitar which is gonna be replaced with something with a different pickup system as I am not the biggest fan of the piezo bridge pickups. I am looking into models that have transducers or a combination of both. I never got to play real vintage guitars so I cannot say which models from which years I would prefer

Jan- Classical guitar vs. Dreadnought guitar and why?

My first guitar was a Dreadnought but I haven’t played it in a long time. At the moment I tend to classical guitar because I really like to play bossa nova with it but sometimes I think a Steel-string would be better for certain tunes where I strum and the sound aesthetics would fit better. It’s a back and forth and the classical is my allrounder at the moment.

Since you started at Dublin City University, I am going to ask you about some musicians who are from Ireland.

U2 The Frames Van Morrison Hozier The Script Sinead O’ Connor Thin Lizzy Enya Rory Gallagher The Corrs Damien Rice
When we first moved to Ireland we were living in Bray, which is a nice little sea-town south of Dublin. Hozier is from there and we always saw his video at the chipper. Seemed like that video was in an endless loop 🙂 In Bray, we were living just a few steps away from Sinead O’Connor’s house but I think it was abandoned. We are also huge fans of Damien Rice and have covered a few of his songs, it’s been a while though since we played it. From the train line, we always saw Bono’s house overlooking Killiney Bay.

What do you think of Celtic music?

To be honest we haven’t listened to a lot of Celtic music…. we were probably too busy studying jazz!

How is the live music scene in Dublin?

We have to say it’s quite difficult. The jazz scene is rather small and there are not a lot of places to play. Also, the payment is not the best considering the immense costs of living there. Most musicians we know mainly teach to make a living. But we’re just speaking from our own experience, it might be different depending on who you ask.

What was the first gig together like?

Jannike: I think our first gig was not really a gig but we were playing a few songs at a wedding which was in 2012, so a long time ago! I remember that afterward, Jan was so unhappy with his playing that we had to go for a walk to calm him down. 😉
Jan: Yes, I remember that! I fucked up the chords of “Black Coffee” and my ego didn’t take it well.
Jannike: We learned a lot since then, not only in a musical sense but also about life in general. For example, to not get too involved in your own mistakes.

Why did you move from Ireland to Lanzarote?

Jan: One of the reasons was the before mentioned music scene in Dublin and we didn’t see many perspectives as performing musicians. Also, the costs of living keep getting higher, especially in the Dublin area and we didn’t want to spend most of our income just on rent. Jannike: I guess that’s a very common problem in most cities nowadays. But for us, it was that we really wanted and needed a change. Out of the city and back to nature was our main goal. It just brought us back to ourselves and our creativity. Lanzarote was a very obvious choice because I have been coming here with my family for holidays nearly every year since I was born. To me, it has a very special and unique energy.

How do you describe your music style?

Our musical field lies somewhere between jazz, pop and bossa nova.

What are your five top songs?

Stoner Hill by Brian Blade, Logical Song by Supertramp, She’s Always a Woman by Billy Joel, The Mistral Noir from Slow Eastbound Train by Daniel Herskedal (we actually recommend the whole album), Arabesque by Debussy

Jannike- What is J. Linn’s Tricycle Mastering Session?

That’s a video about the first album I recorded with my trio at the time but at the moment we’re not active. All my attention goes to our duo.

Who is your audience?

According to our Facebook statistics, our audience is over 25 and under 65! 😀 People who like our music could come from any kind of genre. They say they especially enjoy our authenticity on stage so genre almost becomes secondary. In the end, for us, music opens a room to create feelings on stage as well as in the audience and to be in this moment together.

I see on your Facebook page that you are selling a cd. Tell me about it? Is there original music on it? How does one get to hear samples of it and how do you order it?

Yes, we recorded our first CD here on Lanzarote. There is no original music on it but we arranged everything in our own way and the songs, even if they are familiar get a new overall feel. We are working on our first album at the moment which is completely original and will be released probably the end of 2020. You can order the CD on our website www.jan-jannike.com. We only have a small number of them though.

How does one do the tour as a duo?

It’s actually the easiest way of touring we’ve experienced so far. We’re together nearly 24/7 just as in our usual life. We have our best friend and lover always with us so you don’t really get homesick 🙂

How does one stay healthy while touring?

We both exercise and do Yoga occasionally. We eat a wholefoods-plant based diet and try to train our attention through mindfulness. We don’t fulfill the typical image of a musician (if that even exists); we don’t like to drink or smoke cigarettes. That definitely helps to stay healthy! A cold shower helps too 😉 (but that’s more Jan’s thing…)

How do you see yourselves in five years?