Bik Bent Braam

We’re not sure if it ’s something in the water over there, but the Netherlands continues to spawn exciting musical avant gardists at an astonishing rate. The latest Dutch import is a 13-piece jazz orchestra called Bik Bent Braam that includes: Wilbert de Joode bass, Frans Vermeerssen tenor sax, Frank Gratkowski alto sax/clarinet/bass clarinet, Jan Willem van der Ham alto sax/ bassoon, Bart van der Putten alto sax/clarinet, Peter Haex tenor tuba, Patrick Votrian bass tuba, Eric Boeren cornet, Angelo Verploegen trumpet, Wolter Wierbos trombone, Hans Sparla trombone, Michiel Braam grand piano, and Joop van Erven drums. Started in 1986 by composer and pianist Michiel Braam, his band has always been known for its ability to blend the structures of composition and orchestration with very freewheeling improvisational aspects, a whirling and swinging approach to music that is supple, coherent and often unexpectedly humorous. Imagine Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus filtered through a distinctly European sensibility and you get an inkling of the musical collage evoked by these alchemists of tone and rhythm. Virtuosic, unpredictable, and always energetic, Bik Bent Braam have achieved such a level of intuitive cohesiveness that this merry band of improvisers now performs without a playlist.

“Compelling themes, precise ensemble work and open-minded musicians who revel in the music – Bik Bent Braam is c urrently the most exciting music machine around.” – Volksrant