MONDRIAAN JAZZ FESTIVAL 2022

London based saxophonist, composer and arranger Chelsea Carmichael is an understated innovator and educator, quietly adding her own contribution to the iteration of jazz. She’s a warm and hypnotic player, who brings subtle and considered improvisation to everything she does. “I’m trying to serve the music in two senses. In real time, on the bandstand, by asking ‘what does the music require, what can I bring? ’But also in terms of how to move music forward. The nature of jazz is that it always moves forward and always changes. I’ll be trying to move the music forward for the rest of my life.”

The Norwegian 7-piece band Fieh is ready to unleash the follow-up to their 2019 debut album, Cold Water Burning Skin. The band continues in the same vein, although simultaneously broadening their spectrum. Still centered around the groove, Fieh’s new music includes the funk bangers that initially introduced the band, but also more experimental and orchestral songs. Citing The Roots, Joni Mitchell, Erykah Badu, The Beatles and Solange as inspirations should give a hint as to what Fieh sounds like. Brimming with creativity and supported by a funky backbone, it’s still the songs that are the foundation. The lyrics revolve around mundane themes of everyday life, incidents, people and love – real stories from real life.

Quartet Avishai Cohen is globally recognized as a musician with an individual sound and inquisitive spirit, a creative player-composer open to multiple strains of jazz. In his new album, Naked Truth, you’ll find a raw beauty and vulnerability in Avishai Cohen’s trumpet sound. Very much music-of-the-moment, found and shaped in the course of a remarkable recording session in the South of France, Naked Truth takes the form of an extemporaneous suite. For most of its duration the Israeli trumpeter painstakingly leads the way, closely shadowed by his long-time comrades — pianist Yonathan Avishai, bass player Barak Mori and drummer Ziv Ravitz — who share an intuitive understanding, hyper alert to the music’s subtly-changing emphases.

The cream of the avant-garde and free jazz crop, Gard Nilssen is coming to The Hague for an exclusive show with a 19(!?) piece orchestra. Individually, his fearless, free-spirited, progressive, energetic and looooong compositions are known to transport those in attendance to otherworldly dimensions. This is exactly why he’s raking in the awards and many consider him as one of the best drummers of his generation. Now imagine that, but with 19 other supersonic musicians next to him… Gard’s Supersonic Orchestra is a unique mix of the top of the Norwegian jazz scene. October 8th will be a very monumental and exclusive moment in time. Gard Nilssen rarely plays live with this orchestra and, to top it of, he’ll bring his 19-piece band to the Netherlands for the first time ever. Do you feel special yet?

After their first outing with debut EP ‘Hubert’ – which got nominated for the Sabam For Culture Award – the band refined that special sound further on their first full album ‘You Know’.
Exploring all corners of their ever expanding musical universe during eight great tracks, N∆BOU is fusing warm and narrative melodies with softly distorted guitars on opening track ‘Black Light’, combining suprisingly playful and sunny sounds with a robust rhythm section on songs like ‘You Know’ and ‘Who Owns What’ and putting the ballad-esque composition ‘Will We Remember You’ alongside some more experimental ideas. The total musical picture is endlessly intriguing and truly kaleidoscopic from the very first listen.

What would Mondriaan Jazz Festival be without a specially curated super group? This year’s dream team consists of American saxophonist Ben Wendel, vocalist and improv star Michael Mayo and renowned Israeli pianist Shai Maestro. With global consciousness as guiding theme, this newborn trio will present completely fresh compositions and improvisations, building on and reacting to each other’s strengths. Most performed tracks are exclusively made for Mondriaan Jazz Festival… yes, we feel honored.