Heleen van den Hombergh- Sapiens Unlimited
Sapiens Unlimited, the boundless human: musically diverse and a delight to the ear, a blend of jazz, pop and rock, with even a touch of funk and tango – capturing the spirit of Homo sapiens since prehistoric times. Over the years, Heleen van den Hombergh has received rave reviews as a singer and songwriter.
Sapiens Unlimited is Heleen’s latest work. She drew inspiration for the lyrics from the writer Yuval Noah Harari and his bestsellers on the history and future of humankind. Who are we, at our core, from the savannah to the supermarket, and from spear-wielding heroes to slaves to the screen?
The band
The band is made up of top musicians from the worlds of pop, jazz and theatre.
- Heleen van den Hombergh: concept, music, vocals and spoken word.
- Erik Rutjes: co-producer and co-arranger, guitars.
- Marcus Olgers: exams.
Throughout Heleen’s work over the years, the connection between humanity and nature has taken centre stage, as seen previously on her albums *Rush in the Woods* (2004) and *Blue Lifeblood* (2018). In *Sapiens Unlimited*, Heleen explores the deepest aspects of human nature itself, whilst also pushing her own musical boundaries. Fascinated by Yuval Noah Harari’s work on the earliest history of humankind, Heleen wrote the lyrics and music. She developed these further with guitarist and arranger Erik Rutjes. As fans of 1980s art rock artists such as Peter Gabriel, they sought the right approach together, resulting in a style all of their own and a unique musical narrative and listening adventure.
“Be irrevocably captivated by a singer who (…) possesses a natural power in her voice that rivals that of the great jazz singers” (Jazznu).
