„Ben van Gelder – Paradis“ Live At Bimhuis

The very first BIMHUIS composition assignment has been awarded to alto saxophonist Ben van Gelder. His new piece Paradís is inspired by the work of Marc Chagall and Messiaen. The lyrical playing of alto saxophonist Ben van Gelder (1988), who was trained in New York, is compared to that of his teacher – and legend – Lee Konitz.

The thirty-something is also widely appreciated as a composer: for example, he wrote a composition in 2017 for the Jazz Gallery in New York: Among Verticals. The compositions that he wrote were arranged and performed by various large ensembles at home and abroad, including the Metropole Orchestra. His style of compositioning complements his playing seamlessly: lyrical and melancholic, with thoughtful structures and harmonies, sometimes abstract, sometimes narrative.

Ben van Gelder altosaxophone/flute, Wanja Slavin altosaxophone, Joris Roelofs bass clarinet/clarinet, Gideon van Gelder piano, Clemens van der Feen doublebass, Jamie Peet drums