Ben van Gelder is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz. At seventeen he moved to New York, where he spent nearly a decade working with top musicians including Mark Turner, Joe Sanders and Ambrose Akinmusire. There he developed a recognizable voice as a soloist and composer, partly shaped by his studies in art history: visual art, stories and objects often provide the framework for the music he writes. With his quintet he released three acclaimed albums, including Among Verticals, which received five stars in both De Volkskrant and the NRC. His most recent album Manifold, recorded with an octet, explores the possibilities of the pipe organ and was singled out by the New York Times as a remarkable release.

For the North Sea Jazz Festival, Van Gelder composed The Whole Wide World Is Round, an ode to the festival’s fiftieth anniversary and to the people who have shaped and sustained jazz. The central theme is memory, and that connection is personal for Van Gelder. He grew up above Swingmaster, his father’s record shop in Groningen, which had a stall at the festival for decades. His mother was so moved by Abbey Lincoln’s performance in 1981 that a simple request for a photograph ultimately led to Van Gelder’s existence. It is only fitting, then, that Lincoln lies at the heart of this project. Her poetic texts on ancestry, time and identity inspire new compositions, given visual form by Tony Roe and complemented by archival photographs from his father’s collection. Van Gelder surrounds himself with international musicians who are close to him personally and musically: Nelson Veras, Martin Nevin, Craig Weinrib and Peter Schlamb, with his brother Gideon van Gelder as special guest.

Ben van Gelder saxophone, Peter Schlamb vibraphone, Nelson Veras guitar, Martin Nevin double bass, Craig Weinrib drums

Special guest: Gideon van Gelder piano