See also:
Jan Dumée Official website 
Lawton & Dumée - On the rocks website

In 1994 Thijs van Leer asked Jan Dumee to participate in his world music project ‘van Leer Conxi’, a group with great percussion-players and a singer from Senegal.

7 years later, in the autumn 2001, Jan Dumee and drummer Ruben van Roon asked van Leer to play som gigs with the Focus cover band ‘Hocus Pocus Remembering Focus’, which led to the re-launch of Focus. During 2002 the group tours the UK, the US (Classic Rock Festival with Uriah Heep), Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina and Peru. The CD Focus 8 is released worldwide in the autumn. In March 2003 the band kicks off for a lengthy tour in South-America, Japan, and the UK.

In 2006 Jan Dumee leaves Focus to carry on with other projects, amongst them "On the rocks" with vocalist John Lawton (ex Uriah Heep / Lucifers Friend).

Jan Dumee's music is described in the reviews as 'very creative', 'non-conformist in approach', 'ear-tickling' and 'knowing no bounds'. Jan grew up in an environment where he had the chance to listen all kinds of music. From the exciting sounds of Led Zeppelin (through his brother) until the orchestral sounds of Rachmaninoff and the jazz solos of Wes Montgomery (in his high school), from the Afro-Cuban-Jazz sounds (through his brother-in-law), the music of James Brown (through his sister) to the Strauss’s (Johann) music of Vienna (through his mother), it all became a consistent part in his musical education and taste.

Jan’s strength in music is being able to play several music styles such as jazz, rock, fusion, worldmusic etc. Although he likes to think of himself more as a composer/arranger, he graduated in guitar at the well-known Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands.

His particular attention for Brazilian music started as a kid when he was listening to Joao Gilberto. Jan Dumée has regularly paid visits to Brazil to do what is called 'fieldwork' there, researching folklore and popular music. With the ensemble O Septeto, a mix of Brazilian and Dutch musicians he shows his compositions based in Brazilian music with links to other styles such as jazz, African-, classic-, and Indian- music. The CD ‘Rodinha’ recorded with this group and guests was recognized in 1998 as Dutch top-export product in ‘world music’ by the foundation Conamus and Radio Holland.