Wouter Hamel, native of The Hague, made a name for himself as the first male winner of the 2005 Dutch Jazz Vocalists Concours. Studying at the conservatory he got interested in vocalese, a vocal style in which historic instrumental jazz solos are imitated by the human voice. Hamel had already been singing with the a capella group Intermezzo and after that with The Young Sinatras Big Band. Currently he's working with his own band on a varied repertoire, of which the recently released Dox Records debut CD Hamel is nothing but a teaser. Assisted by the producer/musician Benny Sings he created a clear, light-footed pop/jazz sound including hip retro accents in sunny, romantic songs.
