Doek Festival 2018 - This Is Our Music Live at BIMHUIS Amsterdam

By BIMHUIS | BIMHUIS Radio
July 30, 2018
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"This Is Our Music": many sides of the flourishing Amsterdam improv scene were revealed at the 2018 Doek Festival, with well-known musicians and international guests. This event signalled the return of the Amsterdam-based collective Doek to its roots: personal projects by its individual core members. The result is a richly varied program including two nights at the BIMHUIS.

The last few editions of the Doek Festival have been some of the most ambitious events in the history of the collective. The edition dedicated to Anthony Braxton and Tri-Centric Foundation, for example, or the editions that featured projects with the Chicago and Berlin scenes or the project The Present Is Present which featured a large scale collaboration with Amsterdam venues.

PROGRAM SATURDAY 16 JUNE AT BIMHUIS:
Eric Boeren 4tet:
Personnel: Eric Boeren cornet, Michael Moore alto saxophone/clarinet, Wilbert de Joode double bass, Han Bennink drums

The Eric Boeren 4tet is a high-water mark for the Doek collective. Originally inspired by the classic quartets of Ornette Coleman, it has grown over the years to embrace Boeren's own vision more fully, brilliantly blending composition with improvisation by four masterful improvisers.

Ab Baars Trio
Personnel: Ab Baars tenor saxophone, Wilbert de Joode double bass, Martin van Duynhoven drums

Another pinnacle of Dutch improvised music, the Ab Baars Trio has existed for nearly 30 years. Far more than just another sax-bass-drums trio, the group creates some of the most strikingly original music of any 'jazz' trio you'll find. While it is led by Ab Baars, there is an incredible freedom given to all members which brings out the best in everyone. It makes perfect sense that Wilbert de Joode would choose this group for 'This is Our Music.'

The Coimbra Residency:
Personnel: John Dikeman tenor saxophone, Luis Vicente trumpet, Alexander Hawkins piano, Hugo Antunes double bass, Mark Sanders drums

In 2017, John Dikeman, Luis Vicente and Hugo Antunes were given a residency in Coimbra, Portugal, at the venue Salão Brazil. With four days to record, rehearse and present concerts on two evenings, they had a chance to put together this ensemble. They decided to invite two exemplary musicians from the British scene. Alexander Hawkins, no stranger to the BIMHUIS, is one of the leading young European improvisers and Mark Sanders is an immensely diverse and creative drummer. Together, this ensemble represents everything John Dikeman wants in an improvised music ensemble: sensitivity, spontaneity, deep listening, and an absolute willingness to tear it up.