Ernst Jansz

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Jansz on the cover of his book De Overkant

Ernst Gideon Jansz (Amsterdam, May 24, 1948) is one of the founding members and frontmen of Doe Maar, a Dutch 1980s ska/reggae band. His father is indo (Dutch-Indonesian), and this heritage influenced his songwriting. This is especially true of the Doe Maar song "Ruma Saya" (My House or My Home), where he describes fitting in with neither Dutch nor Indonesian culture fully.^[1]

Together with Henny Vrienten, Jansz wrote the majority of the Doe Maar-songs. Usually they were sung by the one who wrote it (in other words Jansz and Vrienten split the lead vocals). He was originally asked to be the band's keyboardist, and played synthesizer on many songs.

After Doe Maar broke up, Ernst Jansz did various solo projects, and played in bands such as Dutch folk band CCC inc (where he began his career). Since the mid-Nineties he's a member of singer-/songwriter Boudewijn de Groot's backing band; as with CCC Inc. and Doe Maar he's given the opportunity to express his musical versatility.

Ernst Jansz has written three semi-autobiographical books: Gideons droom (Gideon's Dream, 1983) De Overkant (The Other Side, 1985), and Molenbeekstraat (Een liefdeslied 1948 - 1970) (Molenbeekstraat: a lovesong 1948-1970), 2006). The latter two share their titles with Jansz' solo-albums. Gideons droom is about a second-generation Indonesian Dutchman like himself; De Overkant is a three-part book dealing with letters between Jansz and his family (especially his father), the life of his mother, and an account of his trip to Indonesia. Molenbeekstraat covers his early life and mixes in songtext from the Molenbeekstraat album. ^[2]

In 1997 Jansz married actress Jaloe Maat, the mother of his two youngest children. He has a (step)daughter from a previous marriage. He currently lives in Neerkant, the Netherlands.