Benjamin Herman is the Netherlands’ most prolific jazz saxophonist, whose fascination for the Japanese underground scene dates back to his first tour there in 1989. His new project The Tokyo Sessions is an ode to that multifaceted music culture, recorded at the iconic Studio Dede in Tokyo, with Japanese guests such as guitarist and noise legend Otomo Yoshihide and traditional woodwind artists on shakuhachi and shō. Upon their return to Amsterdam, Herman and drummer-producer Jimmi Jo Hueting augmented the recordings with analogue synths, samples and subtle overdubs to form a full-fledged album. He has added a special guest to his Benjamin Herman Trio for this forthcoming tour, namely the Japanese keyboardist BIGYUKI, who developed his own sound in New York at the intersection of jazz, hip-hop, soul and electronica. In the past, BIGYUKI featured on albums by A Tribe Called Quest and J. Cole. Together with Herman, Hueting and bassist Thomas Pol, it results in an encounter that effortlessly transcends all boundaries of the genre.
