The three-day event inJazz will officially kick off on our stage, with no less than four promising bands. inJazz promotes Dutch jazz on both a national and an international level, with conferences and concerts on various locations in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. inJazz is an initiative of Dutch collecting society Buma/Stemra.
This free opening concert features NOHMI, Raquel Kurpershoek, Loek van den Berg Quintet, Sanem Kalfa Miraculous Layers, and host Guy Salamon.
NOHMI
NOHMI’s album A bird at the edge (2022) combines classical influences with jazz elements. The band is led by jazz pianist Miran Noh, originally from South-Korea. Inspiration for her compositions comes from classical composers such as Ravel, Debussy and Prokofiev, who as impressionists explored mood and atmosphere through the use of timbre, orchestration and progressive harmonic concepts. The members of NOHMI all have a strong classical background. Their first album A Bird at the Edge was presented last year at the festival So What’s Next.
Raquel Kurpershoek
The music of Raquel Kurpershoek is a fusion of different styles and influences. Kurpershoek, born in Amsterdam and raised partly in Spain, brings her expertise in Latin American music, while Alejandro Hurtado adds his flamenco guitar skills and classical influences. Dutch-Indian percussionist Danny Rombout brings Latin and Afro rhythms to the mix. Together they create a unique sound that is both diverse and cohesive. Raquel’s debut album Nizami was inspired by the work of the eponymous sufi poet.
Loek van den Berg Quintet
Saxophonist Loek van den Berg from Rotterdam is a storyteller. He won the price for best composition at the Dutch Jazz Competition 2022 with his emotionally moving ‘Wayfarer’, written for his Loek van den Berg Quintet. The piece, accompanied by touching animations of Thomas de Wit, tells the story of a boy travelling by train, through landscapes and time. It is exemplary for his style: melodic and melancholic, with room for the voices and improvisations of each band member. The quintet is tied together by friendship, which comes across in their performances.
Sanem Kalfa Miraculous Layers
Haunting melodies and powerful rhythms in a mix of jazz, pop, folklore and improvised music: that sums up the style of Sanem Kalfa’s band Miraculous Layers. Sanem Kalfa is a singer, improviser, composer and cello player based in Amsterdam, born in Trabzon, a city on the Black Sea coast of northeast Turkey. This led to the album Black Sea Songs, an intense exploration of traditional songs from this region. Now she will collaborate with renowned performers from Dutch jazz: saxophonist Tineke Postma, pianist Marta Warelis, and drummer Sun-Mi Hong.
