This year’s Doek Festival underlines the importance of preserving fringe spaces and supporting a new generation of local artists in their artistic development. The festival will connect to the outskirts of the cities of Berlin, Brussels and Amsterdam. Improvising musicians will be involved in various performance spaces such as De Ruimte, Zaal 100, Sexyland, and also our venue, with no less than two concert nights on our stage. On the first night three groups will perform, alternated with duos featuring illustrious guests such as Nate Wooley and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten. On the second night various groups will appear, alternated with duo performances featuring illustrious guests such as Joseph Dumoulin and Antonio Borghini. The Ambush Party opens the night with an improvised set and closes the festival off with a frantic cumbia party in the bar.

THE AMBUSH PARTY

These four international musicians from the Amsterdam improv scene take the listener by surprise in a unique line-up: the velvety sax of Natalio Sued, the lyrical cello of Harald Austbø, the percussive piano of Oscar Jan Hoogland and melodic drummer Marcos Baggiani, who acts as a musical pest and a powerhouse at the same time. They interchange free improvisation with traditional cumbias, compositions of Misha Mengelberg and originals. ‘Like a zoo after closing’ (Downbeat).

POOL DUO MICHAEL MOORE/JOSEPH DUMOULIN
OAonTI

OaonTI, an abbreviation for Old Adam on Turtle Island, is a band named after a compositional series by John Dikeman. The American saxophonist, a long-time key figure in the Amsterdam improv scene, is a member of the quartet alongside pianist Marta Warelis, drummer Sun-Mi Hong and double bassist Aaron Lumley. Their music seamlessly blends dynamic free improvisations, ethereal sonic explorations, and intricate, fragmented grooves. Despite the composition-based nature of OAonTI, the ensemble remains a collaborative unit, regularly delving into the realms of free improvisation. The group is a continuation of Juniper Fields, with Frank Rosaly on drums, which has released the album Sunday at de Ruimte on the label Doek RAW.

POOL DUO WILBERT DE JOODE/ANTONIO BORGHINI
TEUN VERBRUGGEN – NATE WOOLEY – JOZEF DUMOULIN – INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN PRESENT ‘KAMI’

This illustrious band comes with a certain history: all four members were, at some point, involved in The Bureau of Atomic Tourism. That malleable transcontinental sextet was founded by keyboardist Jozef Dumoulin and drummer Teun Verbruggen, mainstays of the Brussels scene. Joining forces with American trumpeter Nate Wooley and Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, they will now release the album Kami. Its title refers to the ghosts and invisible forces in Japanese mythology. This group confirms that improvised music can provide you with a thrill no other music can give you, pushing boundaries with guts and imagination.

LATE NIGHT DANCING: THE AMBUSH PARTY

THE AMBUSH PARTY
Natalio Sued tenor saxophone, flute, vocals, Harald Austbø cello, vocals, Oscar Jan Hoogland piano, Marcos Baggiani drums

MICHAEL MOORE/JOSEPH DUMOULIN
Michael Moore saxophone, Jozef Dumoulin keys

OAONTI
John Dikeman tenor saxophone, Marta Warelis piano, Aaron Lumley double bass, Sun-Mi Hong drums

WILBERT DE JOODE/ANTONIO BORGHINI
Wilbert de Joode double bass, Antonio Borghini double bass

TEUN VERBRUGGEN – NATE WOOLEY – JOZEF DUMOULIN – INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN PRESENT ‘KAMI’
Nate Wooley trumpet, Jozef Dumoulin piano, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten double bass, Teun Verbruggen drums