Ben van Gelder Quintet featuring Jeff Ballard

About Ben van Gelder

Alto saxophonist and composer Ben van Gelder is internationally considered an authority on his instrument. Colleagues and critics praise his unique sound, his lyricism, and his personal approach to composition. This earned him the Deloitte Jazz Award, and the album Among Verticals, commissioned by The Jazz Gallery and based on a painting by František Kupka. At seventeen, he moved to New York, where he played and studied with, among others, Ambrose Akinmusire and Lee Konitz. He formed a quintet there with Sam Harris, Craig Weinrib, Rick Rosato, and Peter Schlamb, with whom he recorded three albums and toured through Europe, Japan, and the United States.

Programme

With double bassist Rosato and vibraphonist Schlamb, Van Gelder is now back on stage, in different line-ups. In the first set, he plays in a trio with Rosato and master drummer Jeff Ballard, performing mainly standards. In the second set, Schlamb and guitarist Nelson Veras expand the trio into a quintet, and exclusively original work is played. 'Comforting music, searching for the higher' (de Volkskrant) Ben van Gelder alto sax/flute/C-melody sax, Nelson Veras guitar, Peter Schlamb vibraphone, Rick Rosato double bass, Jeff Ballard drums