The Ark

The Ark is bold and blissful instrumental music: a live and unedited recording of five acoustic guitars, featuring compositions by John van der Veer and also includes his imaginative arrangement of the song Albatross made famous by Fleetwood Mac and written by Peter Green.

The music John van der Veer has written for The Ark is firmly based on his classical background, his fascination for combining very different musical styles and media compositions. The Ark transcends genre and style. The music itself is a combination of guitar techniques, including flamenco, classical, western and gypsy steel string.

Every track on the Ark tells a story, mainly about the different aspects of life at a sea shore. This experience John shares with other members of the group, who were also coincidentally born near the sea. The music itself - sometimes strictly composed, sometimes totally improvised - is not just a combination of different styles and guitars, (including flamenco, classical, western steel string, gypsy steel string, bass, cuatro and requinto) but also a journey to find the right balance between compositions for ensemble and individual solo performance.

The members of the group were recruited from very different corners of the music scene but they have in common the fact that they master so many aspects of the fascinating world of the acoustic guitar. In that world, the Ark adds totally new and unique colours.

Produced by Danny Rosendahl & John van der Veer