Reinier Baas & Ben Van Gelder – Release: This Is Water at Loft

tickets:
regular: 14,- €uro
students, disabled persons: 7,- €uro

doors: 7.30 pm CEST
concert starts:
approx. 8.00 pm CEST

Saxophonist Ben van Gelder and guitarist Reinier Baas proudly announce the release of their third collaborative release, This Is Water. This album is a testament to their unique artistic synergy, drawing from a shared musical vocabulary developed during their 15-year collaboration. Baas’ spirited approach to the guitar, characterised by unexpected rhythmic and dynamic shifts, seamlessly complements Van Gelder’s blend of transparent lyricism and explosive virtuosity....

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tickets:
regular: 14,- €uro
students, disabled persons: 7,- €uro

doors: 7.30 pm CEST
concert starts:
approx. 8.00 pm CEST

Saxophonist Ben van Gelder and guitarist Reinier Baas proudly announce the release of their third collaborative release, This Is Water. This album is a testament to their unique artistic synergy, drawing from a shared musical vocabulary developed during their 15-year collaboration. Baas’ spirited approach to the guitar, characterised by unexpected rhythmic and dynamic shifts, seamlessly complements Van Gelder’s blend of transparent lyricism and explosive virtuosity.

For this record, Baas and Van Gelder invited four deeply authentic musicians, composing specifically for them. The resulting, tailor-made songs serve as vehicles for expression, highlighting each guest’s strengths and focusing 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. He is a selfless, effortless and generous communicator. 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, Wallace 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, Ben van Gelder and Reinier Baas will embark on a tour of select venues and festivals in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and beyond, starting in the fall of 2024.

REINIER BAAS (1985)
An active bandleader, Reinier Baas (1985) has toured with his quintet The More Socially Relevant Jazz Music Ensemble in Europe, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. His second album “Mostly Improvised Instrumental Indie Music” received the prestigious Edison Award in 2013. As a soloist, he has performed with the Metropole Orkest, Jazzorchestra of the Concertgebouw and the New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra. In 2016, Baas released his fourth studio record “Reinier Baas vs. Princess Discombobulatrix”, a ‘mostly instrumental opera’. This collaboration with illustrator Typex and a line-up of 15 prominent improvisers and classical musicians received wide-spread critical acclaim – “Ravel, Prokofiev, Poulenc, Baas, truly!” – VILLA D’ARTE – and earned him a second Edison Award in 2017. Reinier has received composition assignments from the North Sea Jazz Festival, November Music Festival, Südtirol Jazzfestival and Pynarello. He has worked with Gregory Porter, Dave Douglas, and is currently a member of Benjamin Herman’s Bughouse. Reinier is a teacher at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and Siena Jazz University.
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. His music is firmly rooted in jazz tradition but embraces many other musical genres and disciplines. Visual art in particular plays a prominent role in his musical practice, and often serves as a framework for his writing. A native of the Netherlands, Ben van Gelder moved to New York at age 17 and spent a decade collaborating and studying with some of the most progressive artists in the world. His teachers included Lee Konitz and Guillermo Klein. He formed a quintet of forward-thinking peers and recorded three critically acclaimed albums under his name. He received a much sought-after commission from the Jazz Gallery in NYC which resulted in “Among Verticals”. The record, inspired by a painting of abstractionist Frantisek Kupka, received 5- star reviews in press publications worldwide. Van Gelder won multiple awards such as the Deloitte Jazz Award and the Gold Award granted by the National Endowment for Advancement in the Arts. Most recently Ben van Gelder was commissioned by the BIMHUIS, Het Orgelpark and the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. His compositions have been performed by the Metropole Orchestra, The Swiss Jazz Orchestra and the Keio Light Music Society. Van Gelder is currently based in Amsterdam where he is on faculty at the Conservatory.

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