Tumbling saxophone lines, lightning-fast drums, acrobatic guitar sounds and a bassist climbing high up the strings: this is the music of bassist and bandleader William Barrett. For his debut album, Barrett chose the most direct route, trying out all eight compositions in an Amsterdam bar before recording them at theater De Roode Bioscoop.

The result is Live in Amsterdam, a record that returns to the essence of jazz with playful, spontaneous music. The compositions breathe the spirit of John Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders, led by an adventurous bassist who drives his ensemble from the front. With Mo van der Does on saxophone, Gijs Idema on guitar and Wouter Kühne on drums, Barrett has assembled a band of familiar faces on the Dutch jazz stages. Live in Amsterdam is released on June 12 on DOX Records.

Mo van der Does sax, Gijs Idema guitar, William Barrett bass, Wouter Kühne drums