Home » Jazz Musicians » Focus
Focus
With their unique brand of progressive rock, Focus manifested themselves at the start of the '70s as the most successful and appreciated of all the Dutch pop-rock exports. Fronted by founding member Thijs Van Leer, and best known for their hits "Hocus Pocus", "House of The King" and "Sylvia", as well as critically acclaimed albums 'Moving Waves', 'Focus 3' and 'Hamburger Concerto', the iconic Dutch music masters are back with their tenth album, which is guaranteed to please their legions of fans!
After a comeback in the early 2000's, which resulted in the well-received albums 'Focus 8' and 'Focus 9', the band regrouped with a fantastic new line-up. Along with Thijs van Leer on vocals, flute and keyboards, back on the drums is famed Focus drummer Pierre van der Linden, who joined the group on their second album 'Moving Waves' in 1972. Internationally renowned for his rhythmic skills, Pierre remains a defining factor in the Focus sound. Guitarist Menno Gootjes, who participated in Focus at an earlier stage, and acclaimed bass player Udo Pannekeet, complete the band's current line-up. Recently, Focus's biggest hit "Hocus Pocus" was used in a 4-minute Nike commercial before the World Cup broadcast. Focus music can be regularly heard on Top Gear and Saxondale on TV in the UK.
A new Focus era has arrived! There is a rejuvenated passion amongst the band as they released the first studio album for 6 years, Focus 11, in early 2019. They toured the world in in support of the new album, and are now excited re their 50th Anniversary tour. Unfortunately the world situation had halted the 50th Anniversary celebrations, but have no fear, as soon Focus now have a run of dates, in the UK and Europe from March to Dec 2022, Focus are happy to back on stage where they belong and love to be.
The current line up: Thijs van Leer: Hammond-organ, flute and vocals; Pierre van der Linden: drums; Menno Gootjes: guitar; Udo Pannekeet: bass.
Tags
Photographer Guy Fonck's 'Focus on Women in Jazz' book now available

Source:
All About Jazz
Dive into the captivating world of jazz through a lens exclusively dedicated to pioneering women in jazz, a field still dominated by men today. Focus On Women in Jazz is a unique collection of black and white photos curated by photographer Guy Fonck, capturing over 500 concerts spanning several decades. While primary focused on Luxembourg’s vibrant jazz scene, featuring musicians from 40 countries, it also showcases iconic moments from La Grande Parade du Jazz in Nice, where American legends took ...
read more
The Netherlands as central focus at jazzahead! ...and a message: 'Jazz needs diversity'

Source:
Michael Ricci
jazzahead! 2024—with partner country the Netherlands—will be three busy and full-on days and nights from April 11-13. Key themes of the showcase programme at the forthcoming jazzahead!2024 are: a superb array of acts from the Netherlands, this year’s partner country; a very strong presence of women among the 40 acts, particularly in the role of bandleaders; a wide range of music from all areas of jazz; a clear societal message. The jazzahead! 2024 trade fair and festival, produced by MESSE ...
read more
Why You Should Focus on Booking Local Gigs

Source:
HypeBot
We all want to move on to big regional, national, or even international tours. But, it’s a mistake to rush into touring too quickly and skip out on booking local gigs. I have always been a believer in starting your career in a central place, like your hometown or a town nearby that would be conducive to your career development. Then, you can expand outward systematically from that central point. If you spend a little more time booking local gigs ...
read more
Big v Small: How To Decide Which Cities To Focus On During Your Tour

Source:
HypeBot
If your one of the many bands planning to embark on a tour and make your mark on the music scene, major populous cities can seem like essential destinations for playing shows. In reality, however, you may be better off making a big impression in a smaller city. Guest post by Patrick McGuire of the TuneCore Blog At any given moment, there are thousands of new bands across the world routing tours in hopes of creating momentum for their music. ...
read more
Skopje Cinema City Film Festival Fourth Edition Set For June 6-10 At Cinematheque Of Macedonia--Focus On Jazz

Source:
All About Jazz
Taking place in Skopje, Macedonia, and now in its fourth year, the Skopje Cinema City (SCC) is a film festival dedicated solely to screening music documentaries. The program consists of documentaries that treat the subject of music in unique and creative ways. As such, it takes the best from the worlds of films and music to offer a different kind of experience to its audience. Skopje Cinema City aims to achieve the following goals: to entertain and to educate to ...
read more
Indie Musicians Should Focus On Podcasts And Playlists Not Pitchfork And Paste [Kosha Dillz]
![Indie Musicians Should Focus On Podcasts And Playlists Not Pitchfork And Paste [Kosha Dillz]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/logo/hypebotlogo2015.jpg)
Source:
HypeBot
In this piece independent rapper Kosha Dillz shares explains the value and importance of focusing one's self-promotion in the direction of smaller more personal podcasts and playlists, rather than fruitlessly seeking the attention of larger media outlets. Guest Post by Kosha Dillz I thought to myself what a beautiful time to be alive in 2016. This morning I drove my car from an amazing parking spot in Koreatown Los Angeles to my Beverly Hills trusted auto mechanic to handle my ...
read more
MIDEM 2016 To Have International Focus

Source:
HypeBot
Music industry convention MIDEM will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an international focus.Taking place in Cannes, France, on June 3-6, the international dimension of the music ecosystem will be at the core of next year’s event, and will act as the central theme of 2016 conference program. It will examine how the music industry needs to build development strategies with a cross-border perspective and encompass best practices in digital, marketing, and monetization from all around the world. The conference program ...
read more
Saxophonist/Composer John Wojciechowski's "Focus" Due For Sept. 18 Release By Origin Records

Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Tenor, alto, and soprano saxophonist John Wojciechowski has been a mainstay of Chicago's world-class jazz scene since his arrival from Detroit in 2002, forging close alliances with first-call musicians such as pianist Ryan Cohan, bassist Dennis Carroll, and drummer Dana Hall. Those players happen to be the members of his tightly-knit working quartet, who appear on his outstanding new CD Focus. Origin Records will release the disc, Wojciechowski’s first for the label, on September 18. Boasting seven strong original compositions, ...
read more
Award-Winning Triple Threat Entertainer Elijah Rock Shifts Focus To Music With Unique Contemporary Indiegogo-Funded Ep Salute “Gershwin For The Soul”

Source:
Inque Public Relations
Traditional Jazz Pop Project To Be Recorded In September With Band Headed By Musical Director/Pianist Kevin Toney Long-dedicated to upholding and aligning himself with the first class carriage and aesthetic of timeless entertainers from the past, singer/actor/dancer Elijah Rock is in the final stages of preparation to bring a contemporary and decidedly African American twist to the music of George & Ira Gershwin with his forthcoming recording project, Gershwin for the Soul. Cleveland-born NAACP Theater Award-winning triple threat Rock is ...
read more
Dutch Music Legends Focus’ Hit Song Hocus Pocus Featured In New Robocop Film

Source:
Glass Onyon PR - Keith James
London, UK - Focus fans rejoice! The group's 1972 worldwide hit “Hocus Pocus” is now being featured in the major motion picture 'RoboCop' starring Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman and Michael Keaton. The song, which features the distinctive and virtuosic yodeling by keyboardist Thijs Van Leer, was originally released on the band's critically acclaimed second album 'Moving Waves'. Says Thijs, “A good friend of mine was so lucky to be present at the pre-premiere of the new ROBOCOP and he ...
read more