Ben van gelder biography

  • A native of the

    • Musical Misfits

    In today's episode, I sitting down with Ben Van Gelder, an award-winning Dutch Saxophonist. We talk about various topics surrounding his creative process, his experience in NYC, Jazz in America vs. Europe, and advice for pursuing a career in a niche field. Ben is an awesome human being and I really enjoyed this conversation!

    Follow Ben Van Gelder

    YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@bvgmusic

    Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/benvgelder/

    Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/3oF2KEIn3rBRaGktWCwKdg?si=ZuB7-GriRcGnlWugHA01lQ

    Follow Me:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ishamzmusic/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeOKEafFpeojaUqH6TlKjDQ

    Website: https://shamzmusic.com/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeniShami

    Thanks for Listening!

    --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Ben Van Gelder: Reprise

    Rating: ★★★

    Author: Robert Shore

    View record and artist details

    First things first: Dutch-born, New York-based saxophonist/composer Ben Van Gelder doesn't have a dad, uncle or granddad named Rudy who just happened to serve as a recording engineer of genius in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey for many years. The 89-year-old jazz studio luminary and the 25-year-old horn player are unrelated. This is the second disc from Van Gelder and, like its 2011 predecessor, Frame of Reference, it gives guest spots to a couple of revered musos: tenorist Mark Turner and bassist Ben Street (Frame of Reference had Aaron Parks and Ambrose Akinmusire). Turner in particular brings dazzling chops to the title cut but the quintet has such a distinctive sound it hardly needs star names to add sparkle. Rick Rosato and Craig Weinrib make a busy, densely percussive back line (‘Into Air It Disappears’ hardly needs its reed lines to keep you engaged), while Van Gelder floats lyrical thoughts over the top, creating dense, crystalline (there's even a track of that name) textures in conjunction with Peter Schlamb's vibes and Sam Harris's piano (and occasional stabs of synth).

    Jazzwise Print

    From £5.83 / month

    Subscribe

    Jazzwise Digital Club

    • Latest digital issues
    • Digital archive since 1997
    • Download tracks from bonus compilation albums during the year
    • Reviews Database access

    From £7.42 / month

    Subscribe

    Ben van Gelder

    Ben van Gelder (* 9. November1988 in Groningen) ist ein niederländischer Jazzmusiker (Altsaxophon), der in New York City lebt und dort „zu den mit viel Aufmerksamkeit verfolgten neuen Stimmen“ gehört.

    Leben und Wirken

    [Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]

    Van Gelder, der aus einer musikbegeisterten Familie stammt, begann ab dem elften Lebensjahr Altsaxophon zu spielen, wobei ihn die Jazzmusiker Benjamin Herman und Simon Rigter unterrichteten. 2003 begann er sein Musikstudium am Conservatorium van Amsterdam bei Ferdinand Povel und Dick Oatts. Bereits in dieser Zeit trat er an so renommierten Spielstätten wie dem Bimhuis und dem North Sea Jazz Festival auf. Mit seinem älteren Bruder, dem Pianisten Gideon van Gelder, bildete er ein Duo, mit dem er 2004 den Publikumspreis beim Prinses Christina Jazzconcours errang. Nachdem er 2005 die Stan Getz/Clifford Brown Fellowship erhalten hatte, begann er 2006 mit seinen Studien auf der The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music bei Lee Konitz, Jimmy Halperin und George Coleman. Mit dem Pianisten Aaron Parks gründete er ein Quintett. Van Gelders Debütalbum Frame of Reference, das er mit diesem Quintett und Gast Ambrose Akinmusire einspielte, erhielt hervorragende Kritiken; ein zweites Album seines Quintetts folgte 2013. Daneben spielte er im The More Socially Relevant Jazz Music Ensemble des Gitarristen Reinier Baas und war an dessen Album Mostly Improvised Instrumental Indie Music beteiligt, das 2013 den Edison Jazz Nationaal gewann, sowie an Finn Silvers Crossing the Rubicon, Marike van DijksStenography Project und dem Album Stranded (2023) sowie am Quartett von Félix Zurstrassen.

    Diskographische Hinweise

    [Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]

    • Frame of Reference (BVG Music, 2011, mit Aaron Parks, Peter Schlamb, Rick Rosato, Craig Weinrib sowie Ambrose Akinmusire)
    • Reprise (Pirouet Records, 2013, mit Sam Harris, Peter Schlamb, Rick Rosato, Craig Weinrib, sowie Mark

    Ben van Gelder performs in NYC

    New York based Dutch saxophonist and composer Ben van Gelder will perform at Smalls Jazz Club on October 17 and at the Jazz Gallery on October 22. Both venues are in New York City. 

    Ben van Gelder is in his mid-twenties, and is one of the new voices who has been getting a lot of attention on the New York scene. Born in 1988 in the Netherlands, Ben plays here with partners from his own generation. Most of them were born within the same year: four of the members of the quintet are the same age, and the fifth member has only just reached past his 30th birthday. The quintet’s instrumentation is unusual: alto saxophone, vibraphone, piano, bass, and drums. The group immediately wins the listener over with music that transmits the allure of surprise.

    Van Gelder’s quintet partners are vibraphonist Peter Schlamb, pianist Sam Harris, bassist Rick Rosato, and drummer Craig Weinrib; they are all major talents on the New York scene; each has frequently appeared throughout the area performing with various groups. This particular band has been playing together for over four years. Despite its members’ unabashedly youthful presence, they already have considerable experience in putting forward their own concepts and compositions. They released their debut album, Frame of Reference, in 2011. The CD was highly praised, and like their second CD Reprise, it was recorded at the Sear Studio in New York. All About Jazz marveled that it was “hard to believe that ‘Frame of Reference’ is a debut album,” and praised ‘Reprise’ as “another strong release from an emerging young voice.” 

    As the band shapes its original compositions, it projects a robust, yet shimmering wall of sound without abandoning the folk music origins of the blues. The quintet is transparently invested in community building—in creating a strong fee

  • Born in 1988 in