Simon Oslender
Biography
Inspired by his father's drumming and his mother's singing Simon had a strong connection to all kinds of music right from the start. It didn't take long for him to abandon children's music and dive into the world of his father’s record collection which consisted of classic rock, blues and soul music.
Simon began playing the drums at the age of two and, just a couple of years later, discovered the Hammond B3 organ when his father brought home a recording of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers with Tom Canning on organ. Simon was hooked after hearing the first couple of notes - it was the start of a deep connection to the organ and its musical surroundings.
During the first couple of years after his first encounter with the Hammond Organ, Simon developed his musicality by playing along to blues records by ear, eager to figure out what it was that his heroes played on the recordings.
In the following years, Simon acquired more experience playing in local big bands and several other jazz ensembles in Germany and the Netherlands, won a number of Jazz awards and worked with great teachers and mentors, most notably one of his favorite pianists, Frank Chastenier.
Simon went professional at the age of 12. He teamed up with his close friend, drum virtuoso Jérôme Cardynaals and formed Twogether. The duo instantaneously won 3 awards at the prestigious Prinses Christina Jazz Concours in Amsterdam which served as a strong career start.
At the same time, these events also started Simon's career as a solo artist. At the age of 21, he is currently touring all around the globe with some of the most acclaimed artists in the music business with the mission to make the world a more soulful place and spread love through music
Just recently, Simon has become a member of German drumming legend Wolfgang Haffner's band as well as US saxophone icon Bill Evans' new band "Bill Evans & The Spykillers". Starting in 2019, he joined the Jazz quartet of world star singer Thomas Quasthoff.
In 2020, it's time for Simon's first release as a leader. His debut album "About Time" consists of Oslender's brand new original compositions which also features an exciting cast of special guests: Randy Brecker, Bill Evans, Wolfgang Haffner, Christopher Dell and Ricky Peterson (also appearing as co-producer) are among the ones that helped make Simon's dream a reality.
