Michael Mayo

saxophonist ben van gelder and guitarist reinier baas proudly announce their new collaborative album. this is water is a testament to their unique artistic synergy, rooted in the american jazz tradition, but with unmistakable european flair. drawing from a shared musical vocabulary developed during their fifteen year collaboration, baas and van gelder effortlessly navigate a diverse range of moods and atmospheres, inviting listeners to explore new sonic horizons. among the illustrious guests on the album is drummer jeff ballard, who will also appear during this album presentation. this is water was inspired by american novelist david foster wallace's speech of the same name, in which wallace encourages the listener to find meaning and liberation in even the most tedious, mundane moments in life through simple awareness. baas and van gelder have played more than three hundred gigs together, and they have previously released two other albums as a duo: smash hits with the metropole orchestra, and mokum in hi-fi, an ode to the city of amsterdam. jeff ballard is a childhood hero of both artists. the american drummer became widely known as a member of the brad mehldau trio, and he also appeared on our stage with supertrio fly. ballard and the renowned dutch bassist clemens van der feen are invited by van gelder en baas to join them in this album presentation.