Pour les fans de Jazz et Funk & Soul.
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Born the daughter of famous Dutch saxophonist Hans Dulfer, Candy grew up immersed in jazz and funk, and began playing the drums at age five. By the age of six Dulfer had been introduced to the soprano saxophone before switching to alto saxophone at the age of seven. The musician’s earliest live performances came with the local concert band Jeugd Doet Leven in Zuiderwoude, before Dulfer performed her first solo on stage with her father’s band De Perikels at the age of 10. Following her recording debut on De Perikels’s 1981 album “I Didn’t Ask” and contributions to Rosa King’s Ladies Horn section, Dulfer formed her own band Funky Stuff in 1984.
By 1990 Dulfer had opened for Madonna on her European tour, performed a live improvised solo at the request of Prince, and played as a guest musician for Pink Floyds’ performance at Knebworth. 1990 also proved the year of release for Dufler’s debut album, “Saxuality”, which generated sales of over half-a-million. Led by the single “Lily Was Here”, which rose to No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the record earned a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Album and propelled the musician’s profile to that of international recognition.
Following the release Dulfer worked alongside Van Morrison and Alan Parsons, before subsequently releasing a pair of albums “Sax-a-Go-Go” and “Big Girl” in the first half of the 1990s. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Sonny Rollins and David Sanborn, the saxophonist’s influences stem from smooth jazz however combine to create a unique combination of classic R&B, blues and pop. The records “For the Love of You” (1997), “The Best of Candy Dulfer” (1998), “Girls Night Out” (1999), and ‘What Does It Take” (1999) all arrived ahead of the new millennium, before the musician collaborated with her father on the record “Dulfer Dulfer” in 2001. Led by the Smooth Jazz Chart No. 1 single “L.A. Citylights”, Dulfer’s ninth studio album “Candy Store” was released in September 2007. The album was followed in 2009 by the full-length “Funked Up & Chilled Out”, and “Crazy” in 2011.
Amsterdam born Candy Dulfer has been playing the saxophone since the tender age of 6 and was taught by her renowned saxophone player of a father, Hans Dulfer. Up until the age of 14, she participated in brass bands and aside from that, everything else was self-taught. When she was 11, she made her first recording along with Hans and by the time she turned 14 she fronted her own band, Funky Stuff.
In 1987 her band toured The Netherlands and was the opening act for two of Madonna’s concerts. Before heading to the States, Candy recorded several tracks with Dave Stewart, best known as one of The Eurythmics guitarists. In 1990 her debut album ‘Saxuality’ was released and was nominated for a Grammy and certified gold for selling over half a million worldwide. With her smooth nu jazz vibes mixed with an addictive funk tone, Candy has released eleven more albums, her most recent being ‘Crazy’ (2011). In September 2008 superstar Lionel Richie asked her to join him on stage for four nights at the ‘Symphonica in Rosso’ spectacle at the Gelredome Stadium in Arnhem. At the end of 2008, she ended the year with a performance in front of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, where she and her band joined some of the best Dutch artists with over 30,000 fans attending. This year in 2014, she will be a judge on the panel of the Dutch edition of the X-Factor.