REINIER BAAS & BEN VAN GELDER
Guitarist Reinier Baas and saxophonist Ben van Gelder have shared the stage over 200 times in the past years, but continue to challenge each other as performers and composers. They have developed a unique vocabulary that is rooted in the American jazz tradition but is unmistakably European at the same time. Baas’ spirited approach to the guitar is contagious, drawing the listener in with unexpected rhythmical and dynamic turns. Critics and peers alike praise him for his diversity in texture and idiosyncratic harmonic inventions. Van Gelder is regarded internationally as an authority on the alto saxophone. He displays a remarkable amount of tranquillity and overview and alternates diaphanous lyricism with explosive virtuosity.
Mokum in Hifi
Mokum is a slang term for the city of Amsterdam, used in endearment. It means city, place or safe haven, and stems from Bargoens: a language used by criminals, tramps and travelling salesmen. ‘Mokum In Hi-Fi’ is a tribute to the city that is home to both artists. A tribute, in particular, to the rough-around-the-edges, beer swilling, herring eating, jenever drinking, barrel-organ-wielding crowd centred around the Jordaan neighbourhood, that has come to define the city in the past centuries. (Do You Mind? Records, 2019)
