Some songs wait a long time for the right moment. Drummer, songwriter, and producer Hans-Peter de Zeeuw, who records as D’Z, wrote “Inner Child” more than thirty years ago and has only now released it on September 25th. The Arnhem artist calls it a children’s song for adults, a joyful piece about rediscovering the playfulness, harmony and simplicity that daily life tends to push out. Dutch jazz vocalist and songwriter Emmie te Pas sings the lyrics, and the whole thing plays like a short trip back to a calmer time.
The band has incredible groove chemistry, and the musicianship is top-notch. The pure joy in the performance is infectious, and it is practically impossible not to smile the whole way through. There is a clear gospel influence in the vocals and in the arrangement as a whole, music as medicine for the soul.
That arrangement is a rich and warm tapestry, built from D’Z on drums, Emmie te Pas on lead vocals with backing vocals from her and D’Z, Hananja Olthuis on bass, Jasper Mellema on keys, and Kjell Jacobson on guitars. A string quartet adds to the weave, with Roland Heijligers on first violin, Miriam Peeters on second violin, Victor Brasoveanu on viola and Alain Plasschaert on cello. Percussionist Jeroen de Rijk, who has worked with George Duke, Bruno Mars and Michael Jackson, joins as a special guest. D’Z handled the composition, arrangement, production and lyrics himself.
Working this way suits him. As a non-vocalist, D’Z picks the right voice for each song, and here that voice is Emmie te Pas, who carries the longing for simplicity at the center of the lyric. His earlier work includes “ONE,” which won Best Jazz Single at the AEE Music Awards, and a reimagined version of George Michael’s “Freedom” with Sandra St. Victor that picked up nine nominations and awards.
“Inner Child” is a warm, light-hearted addition to that catalogue, and a good pick for anyone who needs a mood lift. Given how long it waited to be heard, it’s good to finally have it out.