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for over one month, the ud festival presents concerts in the netherlands revolving around the freedom of the ud. this pear-shaped arabic instrument is the direct predecessor of the european lute. on our stage we welcome two innovators of this ancient stringed instrument, the syrian solo performer nazih borish and turkish-born mehmet polat and his band. nazih borish started at the age of five and taught himself how to play the ud, developing himself at a marvellous pace. he sounded so unique because he adopted techniques from jazz, flamenco and indian music and applied the to the ud for the first time. i his native latakia, syria, he founded his own ud school, where he educated over a hundred students. since 2016 he has been continuing his musical mission in  montreal. ud player and composer mehment polat takes three all-rounders on board for his new quartet. the eclectic compositions originate from contemplation, experiment, emotions, adventure and virtuosity. polat composes with freedom and regularly chooses less customary uneven meters, showing affinity with contemporary jazz. in his band, the double bass and drums lay the foundation for melodic ud and piano lines.

the music of amina figarova has a broad, orchestral sound, even when she composes for a small ensemble like her sextet. the azerbaijani was trained as a concert pianist, only to be swept up into jazz at the rotterdam conservatory. from then on she gained experience as a band leader. her impressionistic music has earned great acclaim in the united states. in her current band she plays with american stars such as wayne escoffery and rudy royston. for her recent album suite for africa, amina figarova took inspiration from a chance encounter. the foundation was laid in south africa, where she met many young musicians at masterclasses. but the composition really blossomed after a flight on which she got to know the matsiko world orphan choir, an ensemble of orphans from war-ravaged liberia. the choir is also featured on the album. ‘what i love most about the album, in addition to its spirit, is the breezy intensity of amina's piano, the robust jazz solos and the lavish use of african folk rhythms and horn riffs throughout. the result is earthy, moody and uplifting with a sound that celebrates art and the best of humanity. amina is an extraordinary jazz pianist and composer-arranger, and suite for africa is a must-own and grammy-worthy’ (marc myers, jazzwax).

bringing a wealth of music while reducing our carbon footprint: this is what better live aims to achieve. together with jazz migration the organization will now present two remarkable talents who will travel through europe together. young french cellist adèle viret will bring her own quartet, like her compatriot louise jallu, a great promise of the bandoneon. cellist adèle viret, born in france in 1999, navigates between jazz and classical music. for her quartet she composed music on the instrument of her childhood, the piano. initially inspired by the mediterranean coast, she explores various landscapes, sometimes quietly and focused, and sometimes wild and stormy. the instrumentation has a chamber-like atmosphere, with cello, trumpet, piano and percussion. louise jallu plays the bandoneon, the accordion-like instrument that is closely associated with tango legend astor piazzolla. however, she has a playful approach to this musical heritage, as she makes clear with the title of her new album jeu. classical phrases from schubert, ravel and debussy, and the chansons of georges brassens: these are just some of the influences in her richly varied and imaginative compositions. better live is a collaborative project of eleven european partners from the world of jazz and improvised music. their goal is reducing the carbon footprint of live music events resulting from the mobility of artists and audiences. another goal is supporting the circulation of international artists and increasing musical diversity across europe. jazz migration is a support program for emerging jazz and improvised music musicians run by ajc, with the support of the french ministry of culture, the bnp paribas foundation, sacem, adami, spedidam, cnm, sppf and institut français.

tuesday night means it is time for a new tuesday jam! still led by saxophonist and winner of the boy edgar prize 2019 jasper blom, tuesday jam is the place where musicians of all ages and levels meet and inspire each other. with the celebrated jazz department of the conservatory of amsterdam only a couple of hundred meters away from our bimhuis, there is no lack of impressive talent on stage at anytime. add some spontanious visits of world-class musicians like esperanza spalding, seamus blake and dick oatts, and you got the perfect mix. in short, this is the session where every jazzmusician and jazzlover should be. entrance is free, reservations are not necessary.

together with 16 young musicians, violinist, composer and synthesist yannick hiwat and percussionist hashem kabreet will take you on an exciting musical journey through experimental jazz and hot-blooded folk music. in two days full of unexpected musical encounters and experimentation, eight students from the conservatory of amsterdam and eight musicians from the middle east will create a unique one-off concert, coached by yannick and hashem. the starting points of the club partout labs are set, the outcomes uncertain. transport, alienation and infectious energy go hand in hand. yannick hiwat is a versatile violinist, composer and synthesist born in the netherlands. as a classical violinist, he has played with the kzn philharmonic orchestra and the chineke! orchestra. with his quartet, he is featured on the album “we like it here” by world-renowned jazz fusion band snarky puppy and has written, played and produced the strings for albums by hip-hop legend pete rock. as a regular, he plays violin and keyboards for renowned artist chilly gonzales. in 2013, yannick was named “duvel vibes soul & jazz talent,” in addition to being artist in residence at de doelen and het concertgebouw, and wrote the 2023 north sea jazz composition commission. yannick plays on a 7-string mezzo violin, the only one in the world. armed with his violin, he plays across all genres. co-host and co-creator of the club partout labs is hashem kabreet. the syrian-born percussionist (frame drums/derbuka/cajon) and handpan player knows how to lead any diverse group of musicians through the creative process. hashem is the constant factor in all club partout labs.

the star power is evenly distributed in this trio. previously, these three crowd-pullers explored the boundaries of indian music and jazz, with unprecedented virtuosity. now, as a trio, they go to the core, beyond raga and swing, with deep and detailed interaction and a refined musical language of their own. zakir hussain, a giant in the world of indian percussion, lays the foundation with his propulsive tabla playing. dave holland, the british bassist who played with miles davis, provides direction with his clear lines. chris potter demonstrates with his exceptional technique and inexhaustible inventiveness that he is one of the great tenor saxophonists in american jazz of the past decades. eric harland replaces zakir hussain unfortunately, zakir hussain is unable to tour with the crosscurrents trio due to medical reasons. dave holland and chris potter have decided to continue with the tour and will be joined at the muziekgebouw by drummer/percussionist eric harland. the award-winning drummer, harland has previously collaborated with artists such as dave holland and terence blanchard. we wish zakir hussain a swift recovery and thank you for your understanding!

due to unforeseen circumstances the concert is cancelled. if you have a ticket you will have received an email from us. didn't receive anything? please contact us on kassa@bimhuis.nl. "friends in europe due to unforeseen circumstances we have had to cancel our tour in europe. we hope to be back there some time down the line.“ before sam gendel became a recognized saxophone innovator and sam wilkes a respected bass guitarist, they formed a duo that performed at restaurants in los angeles. their wonderous improvisations sounded like a mix of hip-hop productions and worn out funk and jazz records. thanks to the label leaving records they celebrated success with their live recordings, and they could even be heard in the netflix-series malcolm & marie. now the duo will finally return to the stage. sam gendel and sam wilkes have previously played together with knower, the band featuring drum virtuoso en jazz dilettante louis cole. as a duo they made their breakthrough with the live album music for saxofone & bass guitar (2018). then they went their separate ways as solo artists. sam gendel released albums on leaving and nonesuch, and collaborated with ry cooder and vampire weekend, among others. sam wilkes played with the likes of chaka khan, rufus wainwright and jacob collier. earlier this year the duo released a new collection of live recordings entitled the doober.

forward in all directions: the four members of the ex remain faithful to this indestructible motto. their 45th anniversary as a band will not be a standard retrospective. over 20 players will come on stage in all kinds of formations: a cross-section of the extensive network of the ex. originating from many countries, including the us, the uk, ethiopia, france norway and belgium. the 10 performances there will be room for free improvisation and new encounters, thrilling pop, poetry, visual art, and traditional ethiopian music. with vocal, electric guitars and drums, the ex continues to seek new challenges. in its 45 year history, the band from wormer has played over 2000 concerts in 45 countries. through intense collaboration with ethiopian artists, the ex has been recognised as a pioneer in fusing music from different cultures. what started with politically conscious punk, rooted in the squatter ideology of the late 1970s, has evolved to an uncategorizable radius of action. program: zea + tsead bruinja  + michelle samba han bennink + guro kvale + farida amadou terrie ex + ken vandermark  +  emma fischer andy moor + marion coutts katherina bornefeld + frank rosaly kiss my knoblauch lena hessels the ex etenesh wassie + misale legesse +  xavier charles presentation: guy peters

maciej obara’s melodies are permeated with eastern-european melancholy. the polish alto sax player takes inspiration from classical music as well as roma culture. for the compositions on his album frozen silence, he retreated to the mountainous karkonosze region in south-west poland, where his family is from. the emptiness and silence of the landscape is reflected in the music, which offers space for obara’s band members to improvise. crucial for the band sound is pianist dominik wania, already a musical partner of obara in the band of legendary trumpeter tómasz stanko. the band is rounded out by two top scandinavian players, norwegian double bassist ole morten vågan and swedish drummer jon fält. frozen silence is obara’s third album on the renowned ecm label, following unloved and three crowns, which included renditions of compositions by famous polish composers henryk górecki and krzysztof komeda. due to circumstances jon fält is not able to play and will be replaced by nick tessalonikefs.

music is the answer. that is the message that joris teepe wants to communicate with his new album the american dream today. the dutch bassist, who has been active in new york for over thirty years, wrote compositions that deal with topics such as fake news, polarization and the wealth of the one percent. the music merges different cultures and vibes into cool sounds and swinging grooves. for this concert, joris teepe will bring along his six-piece american band. arriving in new york in 1992 with just his bass and a suitcase, joris teepe dove into the jazz scene. he played with hundreds of musicians and collaborated extensively with major players such as benny golson, rashied ali and sonny fortune. as a band leader he has released 22 albums under his own name. in his current band he plays with trumpeter ian cleaver, who has been an active member of the dutch scene before he moved to new york a couple of years ago. pianist danny grissett played on our stage earlier this year as part of black art jazz collective. the band is completed by saxophonist don braden, trombonist luis bonilla and drummer gene jackson. this concert is dedicated to jim rotondi, the former trumpeter in the band who passed away earlier this year. joris teepe posted the following statement: ‘the sudden passing of jim is so sad, it’s hard to face reality. he was such a warm person and great musician, jim and i knew each other since 1992. life is short and has many ups and downs… we cannot wait to see you all and celebrate making beautiful music in dedication to jim rotondi.’ in addition to the concert, teepe will also present his “joris teepe real book"; a book of sheet music of no less than 96 of his own compositions, some of which he will perform tonight.

the sound of trumpeter avishai cohen is instantly recognizable. yet he keeps looking for new ways to express himself and to compose. he is a master at bringing different worlds together harmoniously. this is why he has been compared to the greatest jazz musicians in history by the american press: ‘like miles davis, he can make the trumpet a vehicle for uttering the most poignant human cries’, wrote jazztimes. the quartet’s new album ashes to gold was recently released on the quality label ecm records. recorded in november 2024, a month after the start of the war, this album is his call for a ceasefire. ashes to gold: the title imagery is drawn from the old japanese art of kintsugi, the ceramic repair work “where you take the old and the broken and try and put the pieces back together, to make something golden and beautiful from the fragments,” says avishai cohen. “in a way i think that’s where we dwell. our reality. and although this music can’t help but reflect the times, it also – in my wishful imagination - has some hope to it. at least, it is not only dark.”

tuesday night means it is time for a new tuesday jam! still led by saxophonist and winner of the boy edgar prize 2019 jasper blom, tuesday jam is the place where musicians of all ages and levels meet and inspire each other. with the celebrated jazz department of the conservatory of amsterdam only a couple of hundred meters away from our bimhuis, there is no lack of impressive talent on stage at anytime. add some spontanious visits of world-class musicians like esperanza spalding, seamus blake and dick oatts, and you got the perfect mix. in short, this is the session where every jazzmusician and jazzlover should be. entrance is free, reservations are not necessary.

no new jazz without a new generation. that is why the jazz orchestra of the concertgebouw gives the chance to young dutch "jazz influencers"; this time it is the turn of two young promising saxophonists, marios charalampous and loek van den berg. charalampous (1997) is a young tenor saxophonist and a student at the conservatory of amsterdam. he won the second prize of the keep an eye jazz award 2023 with his quartet and recently performed in our hall as guest soloist with the sean mason quartet. loek van den berg is a composer and lyrical alto saxophonist who won an edison newcomer national award in 2023 with his debut album wayfarer. he is currently working on new album with his loek van den berg quintet. the jazz orchestra of the concertgebouw is at the absolute top of the big bands in europe. the orchestra won several edison awards and has performed with world class soloists such as chick corea, dr. lonnie smith, and joshua redman. in 2020, nine young jazz artists were commissioned to write compositions for the big band. this resulted in the album the jazz influencers, and the eponymous concert series.

pandit (‘scholar’) kushal das is generally acknowledged as a master of the sitar and as a worthy successor of his idol, the legendary pandit nikhil banerjee. the playing of kushal das is characterized by its mellifluous phrasings, taking example from the human voice. he has learned from indian classical singers, but at a young age he already played along to popular film songs. kushal das is a descendant of a prominent musical family in calcutta. at the age of seven he started taking lessons. when he realized that making music was his goal in life, his education became increasingly rigorous. his main teacher was sitar player and professor sanjoy bandopadhyay, and he took lessons with great musicians such as singer manas chakraborty and sitar player ajoy sinha roy. kushal das will be accompanied by pt. sanju sahai, one of the finest and most sought-after tabla artists. as an international artist, sanju sahai has performed in over 30 countries at some of the world's major concert venues, including the royal albert hall, carnegie hall, and the sydney opera house. he is the only tabla artist to perform on three separate occasions for the prestigious bbc proms.

because of the purity and delicacy of his playing, driss el maloumi has been praised as a ‘magician of the oud’. as a child, he was already fascinated by the orchestras he heard in films, especially the violins and the harmonies. for years he has been thinking of collaborating with a chamber orchestra. after two years of preparation, his dream is finally fulfilled with the project tafassil, where the strings and percussion of his trio fuse with the classical instruments of the watar quartet. while driss was composing for tafassil, he observed daily life to capture its details: the dawn, the morning people, the sounds and smells of everyday life, the mothers getting their children ready for school, the dwindling rain, and so on. but he also reflected on how these seemingly insignificant details relate to the overwhelming global events. driss el maloumi, born in agadir, morocco, has collaborated with many different ensembles and musicians such as jordi savall, debashish bhattacharya and montserrat figueras. he composed for theatre and film, among others. driss forms his trio with two percussionists, his younger brother saïd el maloumi and lahoucine baqir.

a philadelphia native now residing in los angeles, tim conley is a jazz musician, composer, producer and electronic musician known by his stage name mast. mast fuses jazz improvisation, electronic beats, live guitar, and keyboards to create a unique sonic experience. his latest album, "battle hymns of the republic," is a powerful reflection on contemporary social and political struggles, blending orchestral arrangements, jazz, and electronic music to inspire unity and empathy. with a diverse discography including a cosmic reimagining of thelonious monk’s work, a conceptual journey through "love and war," and multiple collaborative projects, mast’s live performances are renowned for their intensity and innovation. he will pressent his album "battle hymns of the republic" with a star-studded lineup where conley is joined by betamax (drummer maxwell hallett, known for the comet is coming), cellist artyom manukyan, bassist thomas pol, viola player annemarie hensens and north sea string quartet. "..captures the engaging blend of electronic music, jazz and hip-hop that's been thriving in the underground. what once sounded like the future has arrived right on time." - la times  

daniel garcía diego is one of today’s most exciting spanish jazz pianists. with his trio, he made his debut at the flamenco biennial netherlands in 2021, the online and live edition of the festival. since then he has been conquering jazz stages worldwide. ‘jazz and flamenco are brothers’, he says. and he proves it on the acclaimed albums travesuras and vía de la plata. in his expressive style, rhythmic intensity goes hand in hand with melodic richness and harmonic finesse. with the project 'the shape of fire' he pursues new musical paths. he is bringing together a sextet of top musicians with various musical backgrounds, from the netherlands to iran, austria to armenia – and spain of course. "the shape of fire refers to the soul, the energy or fire that glows at the core of all music aiming to convey human emotions and life experiences," says daniel garcía diego. "music possesses the power to connect with the inner self and transform it into art. whether it originates from flamenco, jazz, contemporary music, or armenian folk songs, music arises from a necessity to express the unfathomable."

the necks have achieved a world wide cult status with their slowly unfolding, hypnotic improvisations. these touch on all kinds of music, from minimalism and ambient to jazz and contemporary electronic music. every set of australian trio, made up of chris abrahams, lloyd swanton and tony buck, is another slowly unfolding improvisation based on the interaction between piano, bass and percussion. in the late 1980s the three jazz musicians of the necks sought an alternative to the busy chord progressions and solos of their contemporaries. the rhythm section on the album in a silent way by miles davis was an important source of inspiration. in the past 35 years they have released an impressive range of studio and live albums in the same line-up. they have also collaborated with, among others, back to back theatre, swans and underworld. ‘the australian trio stirred up a sonic ocean that ebbed and flowed and swelled into great tidal waves of sound, a pulsating wash of drums, percussion, double bass and grand piano’ (the guardian). this concert is organized in collaboration with the rest is noise.

tuesday night means it is time for a new tuesday jam! still led by saxophonist and winner of the boy edgar prize 2019 jasper blom, tuesday jam is the place where musicians of all ages and levels meet and inspire each other. with the celebrated jazz department of the conservatory of amsterdam only a couple of hundred meters away from our bimhuis, there is no lack of impressive talent on stage at anytime. add some spontanious visits of world-class musicians like esperanza spalding, seamus blake and dick oatts, and you got the perfect mix. in short, this is the session where every jazz musician and jazzlover should be. entrance is free, reservations are not necessary.

in this edition of datskat, we present the talented alto saxophonist braxton cook, an emmy award-winning artist and one of the most exciting voices of his generation. as a juilliard graduate, he became a member of christian scott's band and has also performed on tours with christian mcbride, jon batiste, marquis hill , and popular musicians such as rihanna and mac miller. in 2017, cook was hailed by fader as a "jazz prodigy." shortly thereafter, in 2018, ebony named him one of the top five jazz artists to watch (alongside robert glasper, kamasi washington, butcher brown, and kris bowers). as a bandleader, he has five albums to his credit, the most recent being who are you when no one is watching from 2023. at bimhuis, with his mix of genres and deeply emotional performances, he has carved out a unique position in the music world. whether playing solo or collaborating with other top artists, cook continues to surprise and inspire with his innovative approach to music.

saxophonist camilla george is a firm fixture on the innovative london jazz scene alongside peers such as nubya garcia, shabaka hutchings and zara mcfarlane. her music is a hypnotizing blend of afro-futurism, hip-hop and jazz. camilla’s music is politically minded and heavily linked with african history. born in eket, nigeria, camilla has been interested in music from an early age and particularly in the fusion of african and western music. she grew up listening to fela alongside jackie mclean and charlie parker. she began playing the saxophone when she was eleven years old. she studied in london, where she took part in bands such as jazz jamaica and courtney pine’s venus warriors. her most recent album ibio-ibio on the !k7 label received rave reviews, for example in mojo magazine: ‘dedicated to the nigerian ibibio tribe she was raised in, ibio-ibio finds the saxophonist veering ever closer to afro-funk, as she serves up spiritual lullabies that riff off bouncy keys and rolling rhythms. a trio of tracks with birmingham rapper mc sanity nail the narrative, but george is the undoubted star, delivering criss-crossing solos with a ’50s hard-bop bent.’

fred hersch has an impeccable status as a jazz pianist striving for absolute beauty. even so, he can still he challenge himself by regularly forming duo with musicians of various generations, including esperanza spalding, ralph alessi and enrico rava. alongside a piano solo set he will now form a duo with his kindred spirit of the same generation, michael moore, the world renowned clarinet and saxophone player, composer and member of icp orchestra . on their previous duo album this we know, many facets of jazz come to the surface, from ballads and improv and from monk to latin. ‘i met michael moore in the summer of 1975 in boston’, says hersch. ‘i had come from cincinnati and he from northern california to study with the legendary pianist jaky byard. we spent many hours playing duets, hanging out and listening to records. my musical relationship with him is the longest ongoing partnership of my life. after he moved to amsterdam we continued playing together and made several albums that i think are very special. he is one of the best and most creative instrumentalists and composers i know and i am a huge fan of everything he does. he is a treasure on the dutch music scene and i welcome this opportunity to make music together after many years.’ ‘top-notch musicianship from two close friends. hersch and moore know how to tell a colorful story.’ (all about jazz).

with his raw, passionate saxophone sound, darius jones is currently making waves in the jazz avant-garde of new york. he’s also acclaimed as a composer. his recent album fluxkit vancouver (i̶t̶s̶ suite but sacred) resulted from a commission by vancouver-based arts center western front. it led to a suite in which classical string instruments set the tone for sprawling and intense improvisations. alto saxophonist darius jones will now reform the ensemble with the musicians that can be heard on the album: drummer gerald cleaver from new york, plus four string players from vancouver. the suite was partly inspired by the radical art movement fluxus, which was active out of western front. but above all it’s a manifesto for artistic freedom and a confrontation against apathy and ego. the project led to critical acclaim in media such as downbeat, pitchfork and the wire. ‘the raw, full-throated cry of jones' alto saxophone has long been one of the visceral pleasures of the improvising avant-garde’ (npr).

with his previous album tree falls, taylor eigsti won the grammy award for best contemporary instrumental album. earlier this year the american pianist released the follower plot armor, a diverse, richly orchestrated album full of stylistic twists and turns. now he presents his compositions together with absolute star players of american jazz including singer gretchen parlato and saxophonist ben wendel, who can also be heard on the album. taylor eigsti released his first album at age fourteen. he has been celebrating success ever since as a solo artist, and accompanying major pop and jazz artists, from john mayer and sting to dave brubeck, esperanza spalding and joshua redman. he also became a member of terence blanchard’s e-collective. plot armor was released on groundup records, the label founded by snarky puppy band leader michael league.

willem breuker (1944-2010) was the founder of the willem breuker kollektief. he was composer, saxophonist and clarinetist in this orchestra that traveled the world for 35 years. he was also the founder of record company bv haast, a label for all types of music that breuker took seriously but for which commercial labels showed little interest. for decades he organized the klap op de vuurpijl, the annual festival for jazz, improvised and newly composed music. the biennial willem breuker prize is for someone who or whose work features characteristics of willem breuker's work or way of work. this time the prize will be awarded to saxophonist, composer, arranger and band leader kika sprangers. from the jury report: with a lyrical sound of her own, saxophonist kika sprangers conquers many hearts. her intense love for music and fellow musicians is cleary visible. with a completely unique approach she develops projects in which no cooperation is taken for granted. kika sprangers searches for and creates unexpected encounters: with choirs, orchestras, string quartets, big bands. any genre and every art form inspires her to find and deepen her own language. quality is always paramount and her connecting role, in front of and behind the scenes, ensures a coherent whole in every line-up. her mission to give more women a stage in the jazz scene stands out and is essential for the emancipation of jazz. her working method can be described as: don't talk but act, to quote willem breuker. she follows her own path and always makes her own wise choices. the final program will be announced later. extra prize of special recognition on the occasion of willem breuker's eightieth birthday on november 4, 2024, willem breuker would have turned eighty years old. the board of the willem breuker foundation has decided to award an additional prize on the occasion of willem's birthday. this prize goes to violinist heleen hulst and pianist gerard bouwhuis for their decades of tireless dedication to contemporary music, as excellent performers, as initiators and organizers of various music (theater) projects and as powerful advocates of interdisciplinary cooperation. opening willem breuker brug on january 10, 2024, the city of amsterdam officially recognized the willem breukerbrug (the bridge to our venue and muziekgebouw). on november 4, the bridge will be opened in a musical way.