Composition project North Sea Jazz

Alto saxophonist and composer Ben van Gelder (1988) is regarded as a super talent in both national and international circles. As a teenager, he already won major prizes, including the Princess Christina Competition, the Stan Getz/Clifford Brown Fellowship, and the Deloitte Jazz Award. At seventeen, he moved to New York, where he lived for nearly ten years and worked with world-class musicians such as Mark Turner, Joe Sanders, and Ambrose Akinmusire. There, he developed a recognizable style as a soloist and composer, partly nurtured by his studies in art history; visual art, stories, and objects often form a framework for the music he writes. With his quintet, he has made three highly acclaimed albums. His album, Manifold (2023), recorded with an octet lineup, explores the versatility of the church organ and was hailed by The New York Times as a sensational release.

The nominees for the Composition Assignment are put forward annually by three parties: the Association of Dutch Jazz Stages and Jazz Festivals, North Sea Jazz, and a previous composer for the commission, in this case Tijn Wybenga. Ben van Gelder was chosen unanimously. “Van Gelder has been regarded as a major talent in the international jazz scene for over two decades and possesses a distinct musical signature in which composition and improvisation come together in an innovative way,” stated North Sea Jazz. Tijn Wybenga added: “From an early age, Ben was a saxophonist of whom everyone knew: this is something else. In recent years, he has developed significantly as a composer. His latest album, Manifold, proves that he thinks like a composer and a storyteller. He is the ideal person for this assignment; his composition cannot fail to be exceptional.”

For North Sea Jazz, Van Gelder presents The Whole Wide World Is Round, a musical ode to the festival's fiftieth anniversary and to the people who have shaped and sustained jazz. The central theme is memory. Van Gelder has a personal connection to the festival: his father had a booth there for years with his record store Swingmaster, and his mother was so moved by Abbey Lincoln's performance in 1981 that she asked for a photo at the booth and met Van Gelder senior there – which indirectly led to the existence of their son, Ben.

It is therefore only natural that Lincoln forms the heart of this new project. Her poetic lyrics about ancestry, time, and identity inspired Van Gelder's compositions, visually translated by Tony Roe and complemented by archival photos of Van Gelder's father. The lineup consists of musicians who are personally and musically dear to him: Nelson Veras (guitar), Martin Nevin (double bass), Craig Weinrib (drums), and Peter Schlamb (vibraphone), with his brother Gideon van Gelder as a special guest on piano.

The premiere of The Whole Wide World Is Round takes place on Friday, July 10 in Missouri hall.

The North Sea Jazz composition commission is realized in collaboration with the VNJJ (association of Dutch jazz venues & festivals) and is co-sponsored by the Dutch Performing Arts Fund.