Jasper Høiby's

ZILT originated in a whiskey bar on Zeedijk, Amsterdam. Here tenor saxophonist Jasper Blom and trumpeter Ian Cleaver, teacher and student respectively, dedicated themselves every week to compositions by Misha Mengelberg, and by Duke Ellington: jazz legends from different eras and with a similarly open and playful character. ZILT interweaves their compositions through improvising. At this concert, ZILT will present a new album on Just Listen Records.

What It Means To be Human is the second in a series of four albums from Jasper Høiby’s Planet B, featuring saxophonist Josh Arcoleo and drummer Marc Michel, that focus on global topics of vital importance - Humanity, Climate Change, Artificial intelligence and Monetary Reform.

One of Europe’s most dynamic players, Dutch Keyboardist Jasper Van’t Hof made his name playing with the likes of Jean Luc Ponty, George Gruntz, and Archie Shepp. Formed in 1974, the band boasts a lineup of jazz giants playing cutting-edge fusion. Van’t Hof’s intense brand of fusion reigns on Epoch, with reed maestro Charlie Mariano on alto sax and Jasper on electric piano as the story tellers.

Vivian Fung has long been a friend and admired composer of the Jasper String Quartet. The Quartet first performed one of her works in 2019, and we were immediately captivated by the visceral energy and impeccable craft of her writing. Vivian’s String Quartets Nos. 1–4 span 18 years of her career and reflect a remarkable journey of absorbing, integrating, and synthesizing a unique spectrum of influences into her compositional voice. Unwavering in all of the works is a fierce heart, instrumental fearlessness, and an amazing instinct for texture. We are incredibly grateful to have recorded these works with Vivian in the studio and for the growth we experienced in the process.

Young big band pays tribute to the legendary Skymasters: The Dutch big band tradition holds a special place in the history of jazz. The Skymasters, founded in 1945, captivated audiences with their swinging big band music and Dutch vocal repertoire through their popular radio broadcasts. Now, the Paradox Jazz Orchestra (PJO), a newly formed ensemble, pays homage to this illustrious era with their new album, “Remembering the Skymasters – Legacy.” Led by saxophonist and arranger Jasper Staps and trumpeter Teus Nobel, the PJO aims to revive and reintroduce the rich Dutch and international big band heritage to both existing and new generations of music lovers. In this blog post, we delve into the origins of the PJO, its unique concept, and its mission to keep big band music alive.

Vivian Fung has long been a friend and admired composer of the Jasper String Quartet. The Quartet first performed one of her works in 2019, and we were immediately captivated by the visceral energy and impeccable craft of her writing. Vivian’s String Quartets Nos. 1–4 span 18 years of her career and reflect a remarkable journey of absorbing, integrating, and synthesizing a unique spectrum of influences into her compositional voice. Unwavering in all of the works is a fierce heart, instrumental fearlessness, and an amazing instinct for texture. We are incredibly grateful to have recorded these works with Vivian in the studio and for the growth we experienced in the process."

Composer Tina Davidson writes “For years I composed about a sense of connectedness to something larger than myself. But in this decade of life, I find myself returning to quieter issues.” On this inward looking, deeply personal release, Davidson’s chosen vehicle for exploring that relative quietude is chamber music for string instruments and piano. In these works for variations of the piano quintet, Davidson draws on the rich lineage of classical chamber music, and takes advantage of its unique capacity to explore Romantic style expression. Within that frame, she consistently diverges from expectations, putting her individual compositional stamp on each piece and reclaiming well traveled textural territory for a unique expression of the artistic moment in which she finds herself.

Composer Tina Davidson writes “For years I composed about a sense of connectedness to something larger than myself. But in this decade of life, I find myself returning to quieter issues.” On this inward looking, deeply personal release, Davidson’s chosen vehicle for exploring that relative quietude is chamber music for string instruments and piano. In these works for variations of the piano quintet, Davidson draws on the rich lineage of classical chamber music, and takes advantage of its unique capacity to explore Romantic style expression. Within that frame, she consistently diverges from expectations, putting her individual compositional stamp on each piece and reclaiming well traveled textural territory for a unique expression of the artistic moment in which she finds herself.