Cologne Jazzweek: "Focus Netherlands" Gelder/Baas + Fondse/Vloeimans & Matangi String Quartett

Ben van Gelder + Reinier Baas
Saxophonist Ben van Gelder and guitarist Reinier Baas have performed as a duo for almost a decade. In that time, they have developed a vocabulary all their own: "Heaviness alternates with nimbleness, strange chords with melodic clarity, unpredictability with a reassuring sense of overall form" (New York City Jazz Record). "Mokum In Hi-Fi" is a tribute to the rowdy, beer-drinking, herring-eating, Genever-drinking, barrel-organ-wielding crowd around Amsterdam's Jordaan district.

Martin Fondse, Eric Vloeimans + Matangi String Quartet
Testimoni Interiori is a composition written by Martin Fondse for musician friend Eric Vloeimans and the Matangi Quartet. While the character of the first suite is contemplative and introspective, Testimoni Exteriori is a very expressive work. Martin Fondse chooses compositions that offer space to shape music in a blunt and passionate way. A central instrument in this series of compositions is the vibrandoneon.