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no new jazz without a new generation. that is why the jazz orchestra of the concertgebouw gives space to young 'jazz influencers', with this edition the innovative trombonist nabou claerhout and a trumpet player with a great love for the sixties: ruben drenth. belgian trombonist and composer nabou claerhout is 'definitely one to watch out for' (london jazz news). with her trombone ensemble she has already put the instrument in the spotlight five times, exploring its many possibilities: warm, soft and playful, but also spirited and always inviting. in addition, the orchestra also invites the surprising trumpeter and composer ruben drenth to share the stage with them. his album how to gather moss is inspired by the rolling stones with catchy melodies and rhythmic, brutal solos in his playing. 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.

saxophonist jasper blom strives for a synthesis of jazz, pop, classical and improvised music. this makes him a perfect match for the metropole orkest. melody and adventure are keywords in the work of blom, who has been composing for a wide variety of ensembles for many years. he shared the stage with jazz legends, but now it’s all about his smooth and versatile playing. a key figure in dutch jazz, jasper blom has led countless bands and sessions. as a tenor and soprano saxophonist, he has performed with stars such as lee konitz and chet baker. not surprisingly, he received the buma boy edgar prize in 2019. his dream of collaborating with the metropole orkest is now coming true. their joint album will take centre stage at this concert.

marius preda is fulfilling his dream by conquering the jazz world with the cimbalom, the instrument mostly known from balkan folk music. his virtuosity with sticks on strings is unparallelled, drawing from his background in jazz and traditions of his native romania. now he will share the stage with paradox jazz orchestra. expect the rich sound and energy of a big band and the melancholy of romanian folk music. marius preda is the first player who has made the cimbalom the center of attention in major jazz clubs, from ronnie scott's in london to the blue note club in new york. he has earned praise from music legends such as arturo sandoval, vladimir cosma and hans zimmer. there’s a dutch side to his success as well: he graduated cum laude for his jazz studies jazz at the royal conservatoire in the hague. the paradox jazz orchestra was founded by conductor jasper staps and trumpeter teus nobel. especially for this concert they draw from romanian traditional music, rewritten and arranged for cimbalom and big band.