in the bimhuis productions series reflex we invite musicians to reflect on the world and society. the curator of this edition is pianist marta warelis. she formed a group with well-known improvising musicians from various cities including amsterdam and chicago. they depart from silence, elements of folk and deep grooves, towards freedom and transformation. in this new band, marta warelis places her piano and synthesizer opposite the clarinets of karen ng and ab baars and the trumpet of ben lamar gay, which appears as a singing voice. the fundament is laid by bassist ingebrigt håker flaten and drummer frank rosaly. marta warelis has a strong preference for improvisation and experiment in all kinds of styles. she continuously aims for instant composing on the basis of new sounds and influences. the polish-born improviser explores the timbral possibilities of the acoustic piano on the one hand, and the electronic synthesizer on the other. since 2019 she’s part of the amsterdam-based improv collective doek. ab baars clarinet/saxophone, karen ng clarinet/saxophone, ben lamar gay trumpet, ingebrigt håker flaten double bass, frank rosaly drums, marta warelis piano/synthesizer

in october 2024, thirteen years have passed since piet noordijk died. from rotterdam pubs to large halls with the metropole orchestra, he captivated with his effervescent saxophone playing, making him one of the tastemakers of dutch jazz. three outstanding alto saxophonists – benjamin herman, sean payne and miguel valente – pay tribute to their famous colleague, accompanied by pianist francesca tandoi, double bassist matheus nicolaiewsky and drummer sander smeets during this fourth edition of the european alto festival. with the festival, benjamin herman wants to bring great alto saxophonists from other european countries to dutch audiences. ‘there are so many great european musicians who are invisible to jazz lovers in nearby countries. i really enjoy being able to bring these crazy saxophonists the the netherlands. they play so amazing, you don’t know what you’re hearing.’ says benjamin herman. young brit sean payne is a much sought-after saxophonist in the uk, who released his debut album in 2023. at the age of 13, he already entered the final of the bbc young jazz musician of the year, and has since performed as a sideman and/or bandleader at venues such as ronnie scott’s, vortex and the royal albert hall. saxophonist miguel valente studied at the conservatorium van amsterdam and has performed on our stage on several occasions, including the marmoucha orchestra, m.a.s.t and nausyqa, who have just released their debut album. benjamin herman alto sax, sean payne alto sax, miguel valente alto sax, francesca tandoi piano, matheus nicolaiewsky double bass, sander smeets drums