Nits singer Henk Hofstede had been a fan of Leonard Cohen for years when he met him in the late eighties. A boy's dream seemed to come true when the Canadian singer / songwriter asked him if Nits wanted to be his backing band. With a heavy heart Hofstede had to cancel; the Dutch band had other obligations. Years later, Hofstede showed with the Avalanche Quartet that Cohen's material is still dear
… to him. Together with multi-instrumentalist Pim Kops (De Dijk), guitarist Marjolein van der Klauw (Powderblue) and double bassist Arwen Linneman (ex-Nits), he released the debut Leonard Cohen Songs in 2007. Second album Rainy Night House is named after a song by Joni Mitchell and contains a Nits composition, but the rest is entirely devoted to Cohen. Evergreens like Hallelujah or Suzanne are wisely left alone, but the quartet does not hesitate to cover other classical material. Hofstede has a very different timbre from his hero with his light, high voice. Together with the purely acoustic and percussionless arrangements, this makes for an interesting tribute. (JE)more
