Tijn Wybenga & AM.OK

In 2020 pianist, composer and producer Alexander van Popta debuted under his own name. His album Methods To Madness clearly features the influence of jazz and its improvisational character.

The music of Lucas Santana has that energetic hard bop vibe, but his Brazilian roots shine through on many levels. His 5tet is more than ready to set fire to the stages of venues and festivals in the Netherlands and beyond.

Mehmet Polat has established himself as a master of the oud, a short-necked, Middle-Eastern string instrument. Bearing resemblance to the lute, Mehmet has extended the instruments’ range with two extra bass strings.

This band consists of six musicians from Portugal, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands who share the desire to have a musical space where they could explore and create in their own way.

From the south of Spain to the streets of Rotterdam, Juanfer Marrero Group are mixing postrock with impro and basically anything that comes in their path.

A common interest in cutting edge music drew this quintet together, and Sam himself mentions influences like Radiohead, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, English folk, and 20th Century classical music.

With his ensemble OAK, Sjoerd steps into the spotlight as composer and band leader. Their sound contains influences from free improvisation, classical music (Bach to Ravel), minimalism and Scandinavian melodic jazz.

The Teis Semey Quintet reimagines contemporary jazz as a grounded, corporeal and alive experience. Teis describes his music as ‘representing the New Nordic in synergy with guitar-fueled contemporary indie-jazz’.

Speak with the winner of the Dutch Jazz Competition 2020, Aviv Noam Quartet about their compositions and they are likely to bring up terms like ‘humor’, ‘intimacy’ and ‘organized chaos’.

On their website, Doppler Trio describe their music as ‘atmospheric, narrative improvisations, combined with modern rhythmical songs’. Expect the unexpected with Doppler Trio!

In this quartet, guitarist Gijs Idema and vocalist Anna Serierse look for new ways of using the guitar and voice together. Seen from a more sound-based angle they thrive for a unique blend between the two instruments.

Before they became K.O.Brass, this quintet scorched the stages of the Netherlands’ largest venues and festivals as the brass section of the famed Kyteman Orchestra.

‘We play GarageJazz. It sounds like… Ploctones? Zappa? Tarantino? Some shady 70’s fusion band? Nirvana if they went to jazz school?’ That’s what you get when you ask the four guys from Kruidkoek about their music.

Described by their leader as an avant-garde jazz quartet, the Prashant Samlal Quartet reflects a mix of musical styles, comprising not just the modern jazz greats, but rock and classical music as well.

The music of this trio is an intense exploration of traditional songs from the Black Sea geographic region, with old ottoman melodies in an original contemporary language, with fresh nuances of electronics.

Composer and director Tijn Wybenga is no stranger to inJazz, for in our 2019 edition he spoke about his AM.OK project during our conference. Great to have him in our 2021 showcase selection with new music!

Vocals and bass: an exciting and intimate combination. The beauty of this jazz/ pop duo lies in its ‘symplesse’. Blue Sands shows that with just one voice and one bass you can create a strong basis for a song and draw the attention to the story. Their characteristic sound leaves space which could be filled, but doesn’t need to.

Contemporary jazz, fusion, world, classic music, programmatic, pop and folkloristic music – all combined together. Eran: “The soundtrack of my life, really. This music could be described as a melting pot of my life experiences.”

Fuensanta: “Voices, drums, horns and strings are like different organs in a breathing animal that invents cornfields, jungles, ruined statues, breakfast. Poetry is the silver guiding principle, improvisation and texture execute.”

Tight beats, melodic grooves, smooth rap flows and catchy vocals. Where the roads to jazz, soul, hiphop and funk cross is where you’ll find JOHN FROST. Add a touch of blues and rock and influences such as D’Angelo, J Dilla and The Roots to complete a total description of their sound.

Authentic music with undertones of serenity and melancholy, enriched by royal harmonies. Dutch saxophonist Kika Sprangers moves her audience with this characteristic sound and daring improvisations.

Her music is inspired by Bill Frisell, Elliott Smith and Nick Drave and the grace, gentleness and melancholy in their music. Italian singer Marta Arpini and her fellow musicians create enchanting jazz music. Marta: “Forest Light was born from the fusion between the suggestive atmosphere of the world of the songwriting and the intensive interplay characterising jazz.”

Rich in classical harmony, floating melodies and ripping guitar lines. With the Redbourg Group, bandleader Yuri Rhodenborgh connects his two passions: music and highlining. Redbourg Group makes music full of unexpected turns! This will bring you to to the heights Yuri finds himself at when practicing this sport.

Interplay, innovative and cinematic. Three words to describe SIMIO and the electronic modern jazz and improvised music by this young, Dutch group. With both electronic and acoustic sets, they create a unique and fresh vibe.

The Young-Woo Lee quartet brings together four musicians from Portugal, Korea and the Netherlands. Although they met at the jazz department of the Conservatory of Amsterdam, their background spans from classical music to gospel.

Contemporary chamber jazz noise! That’s Bonsai Panda. Jelle Roozenburg and Louk Boudesteijn started Bonsai Panda artistically. They both wrote lots and lots of compositions, rooted in jazz and influenced by blues music and big composers from the 20th century. For this adventure, they gathered David Kweksilber, Romain Bly and Jimmi Jo Hueting.

Dark and colourful. Intimate and extrovert. Fragile and energetic. An empty canvas ready to be filled with colours and shapes! This trio explores improvised music, traditional/ folk, modern/ contemporary jazz and rhythms from Brazil and Greece. Together they create a very personal sound with a strong emphasis on storytelling, musical interaction and free interpretation of fixed forms.

Life in all its brightness and darkness. That’s the inspiration for pianist Franz von Chossy and his trio. A unique sound, merging classical and jazz. Süddeutsche Zeitung (newspaper) wrote: “Franz von Chossy is dancing on the edges of stylistic perfection.”

Lighthearted (jazz-)music with a strong melodic character and well-balanced compositions. Dutch pianist and composer Jan Geijtenbeek finds inspiration in works by Amhad Jamal, as well as Mendelssohn or Bob Dylan. Jan: “I love all honest music.”

Melodic, colourful and energetic. Maripepa Contreras is one of the very few oboe jazz players in the world. The oboe is a type of double reed woodwind instrument.

The music of Mundus Quartet combines the heritage of timeless traditions stemming from the broad world of contemporary modal, Makam and Sufi music originated from the Silk Road.

SMANDEM. is a group with a mission: “For us, jazz is a mixture of styles and cultures. We share a love for today’s popular music and strive to create a sound that combines all of our influences into something relevant.”

A journey through some of Beethoven’s best-known sonatas. It’s spontaneous and it’s fresh. Spanish pianist Xavi Torres explores all possibilities with sound, improvisation, rhythms and new textures. The admiration of Beethoven’s work, the joy and all musical baggage of the three musicians come together in ‘A Kind of Beethoven’.