ABOUT
“With saxophone and guitar alone, Ben van Gelder and Reinier Baas sound like an entire orchestra.” - Volkskrant
Saxophonist Ben van Gelder and guitarist Reinier Baas proudly announce the release of their third collaborative record, ‘This Is Water’. This album is a testament to their unique artistic synergy, rooted in the American jazz tradition, but with unmistakably European flair. Drawing from a shared musical vocabulary developed during their 15-year collaboration, Baas and van Gelder effortlessly navigate a diverse range of moods and atmospheres.
Four deeply authentic musicians - each of them admired greatly by the duo - make a guest appearance on 'This Is Water'. Baas and van Gelder wrote new music for each of them specifically. These tailor-made songs are intended as vehicles for expression that cater to the strengths of each guest, with a focus on improvisation. Pianist Cory Smythe adds singular, ethereal textures, challenging the duo to venture into unknown, microtonal territory. Drummer Jeff Ballard - a childhood hero to the duo - radiates a deep understanding of music, and its power to connect and communicate selflessly. Lastly, ‘This Is Water’ features drummer Han Bennink and pianist Marta Warelis, both uncompromising and willing to sacrifice perfection for the sake of emotional resonance.
‘This Is Water’ is inspired by the commencement speech of the same name by American novelist David Foster Wallace. In this heartfelt speech, he presents the following parable:
“There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” The two young fish swim on for a bit, eventually one of them looks over at the other and asks “What the hell is water?”
With this parable, Wallace introduces the idea that individuals should exercise conscious choice to interpret reality. He suggests that through "simple awareness," people possess the freedom to find significance and liberation even in the most mundane aspects of life.
To celebrate the release of ‘This Is Water’, Reinier Baas & Ben van Gelder will embark on a tour of Europe, starting in the fall of ‘24. Venues include the BIMHUIS in Amsterdam, Rockit Festival in Groningen, AMR in Geneva and Le Consulat Voltaire in Paris.
Biographies
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“A breathtakingly talented guitarist, who is able to impress and touch with his instrument, and a gifted composer who dares to take risk on top of this.” – JAZZISM
Reinier Baas (1985) is a guitarist, composer and recording artist from the Netherlands with a DIY approach and an idiosyncratic body of work. He has released 10 records as a leader, with a wide variety of styles. His critically acclaimed albums 'Mostly Improvised Instrumental Indie Music' and the ambitious 'Reinier Baas vs. Princess Discombobulatrix' both earned him an Edison Award (the Netherland's most prestigious music award). Further outings include 'Deadeye', a contemporary Hammond-trio with luminaries Kit Downes and Jonas Burgwinkel, 'Smash Hits' with Ben van Gelder and the Metropole Orkest and '#oneminuteradio': a series of 60-second compositions.
Baas’ music is characterised by “unpredictability with a reassuring sense of overall form”. A description of The New York City Jazz Record reads: “The music was assembled in unusual ways. Arcane harmonies suggest Bartók or Stravinsky, but then structures would fracture and hip-hop rhythms would suddenly hit hard and then everything would become wild flurries and improvised cacophonies before the music returned to solemn, orderly, if angular forms.”
Currently, Baas is a member of Deadeye, Benjamin Herman’s punk/jazz group Bughouse, Ben van Gelder trio ft. Han Bennink, Simone Graziano’s FRONTAL and Peter Gall’s PARADOX DREAMBOX. As a composer, he has written works for Pynarello Symphony Orchestra, Metropole Orkest and the WDR Big Band, as well as commissions for the North Sea Jazz Festival, Royal Concertgebouw, Bimhuis and November Music. As a soloist, he has performed with the Metropole Orkest, Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, Pynarello and the WDR Big Band. Baas is on faculty at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and Siena Jazz University.
Watch a recent documentary (with English subtitles) by NTR / NPO on Reinier here.
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"Absolutely current jazz, sprung free rhythmically and harmonically." –JAZZTIMES
Ben van Gelder (1988) is regarded internationally as an authority on the alto saxophone. Peers and critics alike praise him for his unique sound, lyricism and personal approach to composition. Visual art in particular plays a prominent role in his musical practice, and often serves as a framework for his writing.
Van Gelder moved to New York when he was seventeen and spent a decade performing and studying with some of the most progressive artists in the world including Ambrose Akinmusire and Lee Konitz. He formed a quintet of forward thinking peers (Sam Harris, Craig Weinrib, Rick Rosato and Peter Schlamb) and recorded three albums under his name. The ensemble toured extensively in Europe, Japan and the U.S.
Van Gelder received a much sought after commission from the Jazz Gallery, which resulted in Among Verticals. The record, inspired by a painting of abstractionist Frantisek Kupka, garnered accolades in press publications worldwide. The music was arranged for and performed by several large ensembles, including the Grammy-Award-winning Metropole Orchestra, The Swiss Jazz Orchestra and the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw.
Van Gelder won multiple awards such as the Deloitte Jazz Award, the Gold Award, granted by the National Endowment for Advancement in the Arts and the Princess Christina Concours as a duo with his brother Gideon. Most recently, Ben van Gelder was commissioned by the BIMHUIS and Het Orgelpark.
Watch a recent documentary about Ben here.