‘MOKUM IN HI-FI’ by Ben van Gelder and Yours Truly will be out soon. We’ve been working on the music for this duo for a little under 10 years (!). The album will be available for sale exclusively at our BIMHUIS SHOW ON JUNE 1ST, before being released online and in stores after the summer. Pre-order the CD here.
‘Smash Hits’, our recent collaboration with the Metropole Orkest, is nominated for an EDISON AWARD, as well as the Edison Audience Award. Help your favourite contemporary instrumental European improvised feel good dance music duo out by voting for us here. If you’re more of the punk persuasion, vote for Benjamin Herman’s Bughouse!
I will have the distinct honour of performing at the NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL four times this year: as a guest soloist with the Conservatorium van Amsterdam Big Band, performing ‘Smash Hits’ live with Ben van Gelder and the Metropole Orkest, duo with the great guitarist Mary Halvorson and with Benjamin Herman’s Bughouse.
In the recent past, Ben van Gelder and myself went on tour to NEW ZEALAND and AUSTRALIA. The audience proved to be extremely warm and welcoming, nature is beautiful to the point of cliché and it has been heartwarming to see New Zealanders unite as one after the horrible events in Christchurch. We hope to be back soon. Read a review of our show in Auckland here.
In other news, some cool footage of our show at Jazzahead in Bremen with PETER GALL’s quintet can be found here. Tin Men And The Telephone bassist Pat Cleaver did this interview with me for his podcast SOUND OF THE MOMENT, a great series of interviews with musicians based in and around Amsterdam.
Don’t forget: a MINUTE MUSIC every few weeks or so keeps the doctor away (so to speak).
Sincerely,
Mr Baas