Members of the Amsterdam BIMHUIS scene returning to their roots with Herbie Nichols and Lee Konitz.
A unique music scene flourished in Amsterdam during the sixties and seventies. Men like Misha Mengelberg and Willem Breuker were big lovers of free jazz, but they felt something was missing. A lot of things were off-limits in free jazz: no tonal music, no clearly defined musical form and no links to existing music genres were allowed. But the Amsterdam musicians just loved all kinds of music and really wanted to involve them all, especially modern classical music.
And so, the improv playful music of the BIMHUIS evolved, filling the cracks in between the genres. It can be pure jazz or it can be music with a classical austerity. It can be a cacophony from here to jazzy Darmstadt or it can be almost like a sing-along.
But “downright jazz” is still in their blood. A new generation of Amsterdam musicians showed this in January 2003, when they revived the music of their jazz heroes in two concerts.
Juan Martinez and his quintet chose music by Herbie Nichols (1919-1963). He has a proper jazz sound, but his musical preferences really suit the Amsterdam scene as he didn’t want to have to choose between old-style jazz (Dixieland) and modern jazz (bebop). If possible, he would even scoop in some Stravinski or Cuban music. So, it’s no surprise the BIMHUIS men can work his music, though a Nichol’s hit like “Lady sings the blues” can be a breeze for them too.
During the second concert, we hear a quartet conducted by Guus Janssen. They call themselves Sound-Lee!, after Lee Konitz, the pioneer of the cool jazz, who is at that time still very much alive. Konitz’s music isn’t easily associated with Amsterdam. But we know Guus Janssen: he is not a man to turn his back on the unexpected or unheard-of!
Performers
Juan Martinez (baritone sax, bass clarinet), Nils van Haften (baritone sax, bass clarinet), Rob van Bavel (piano), Frans van Geest (bass), John Engels (drums) (1-8)
Sound-Lee!: Guus Janssen (piano), Jorrit Dijkstra (alto saxophone), Raoul van de Weide (bass), Wim Janssen (drums) (9-16)
Playlist
1. Third world
2. Step tempest
3. Lady sings the blues
4. The gig (short version)
5. Twelve bars
6. Spinning song
7. 2300 Skidoo
8. The gig (complete version)
9. Tautology
10. Hi Beck
11. Ablution
12. Nursery rhyme
13. Palo alto
14. Ice cream Konitz
15. If I should lose you
16. Subconsciously
