Benjamin Herman’s European Alto Festival

the ploctones is one of the most energetic jazz bands in the netherlands, a solid formation that can weather the heaviest storms. a band that cannot be categorized, with an incredibly flexible line-up. expect the unexpected: while the bass and drums can play the most graceful melodies, the guitar and saxophone can conjure up inimitable rhythms and the most hip-twisting grooves. while the band has been on hold for a while, the band members have stayed active. martijn vink has joined the fine fleur of european jazz and is increasingly involved in projects as a producer (including olympians by metropole orkest & vince mendoza and threnody by jazz orchestra of the concertgebouw & jim mcneely). bassist jeroen vierdag performed all over the world with musicians such as teus nobel and ramon valle. saxophonist efraïm trujillo won the 2019 edison publieksprijs with his group the preacher men and recently released the album the standard collections with pianist rembrandt frerichs. founder, guitarist and court composer anton goudsmit made an album with his ton petit and toured with power band bruut!, fugimundi and soul jazz revelation montis, goudsmit & directie, among others.

james brandon lewis has received the highest praise from his role model sonny rollins, and is a serious candidate for the tenor saxophone hall of fame. albert ayler’s spirituality and john coltrane’s cosmic aspirations have inspired him, but the new york-based saxophonist mainly stays grounded in the present. this year he remains active in several formations at the same time. his trio already released the album apple cores and now his quartet presents a collection of ballads under the title abstraction is deliverance, on intakt records. the james brandon lewis quartet features star players such as aruán ortiz, the cuban-born pianist who played here in various formations. double bassist brad jones made name in new york performing with ornette coleman, john zorn and marc ribot, and collaborating with stars such as david byrne and elvis costello. drummer chad taylor is known from chicago underground duo and has performed with lewis as a duo at our fiftieth anniversary concert. the quartet has previously released the studio album code of being and the live album molecular systematic music live, which has received a top rating of five stars in downbeat.

with his fluent piano playing, emmet cohen brings the tradition of jazz to the forefront while providing the modern twist needed for the current times. on his breakthrough album future stride he breathed new life into the one hundred year old style of piano virtuosos such as james p. johnson and fats waller. the title of his following album uptown in orbitreferences blues in orbit by duke ellington, as well as the new york neighborhood harlem (‘uptown’)—cohen lives there in the same street as ellington once lived. emmet cohen’s apartment has become a hotspot thanks to youtube—it is where he records the popular series live from emmet’s place, with sessions that feature illustrious guest musicians such as veronica swift, nicolas payton en christian mcbride. cohen learned vintage piano styles through his regular gigs in jazz clubs and by collaborating with veterans such as benny golson, ron carter and jimmy cobb. as a finalist of the thelonious monk international piano competition, emmet cohen was received at the white house by president obama at age twenty-one.